Local roundup

Georgia is still drought-stricken. Last month our doughy-faced overlord, Sonny Perdue, led a state prayer for rain. It rained a quarter of an inch a few days later. I'm impressed he can successfully read a weather forecast, but I don't think his prayer was overall any effective. We might get more rain if he volunteers to hang from an oak tree like the pagan kings of old! I should write him a letter. On the bright side it was very balmy this week and we even saw a man riding a bicycle with no shirt on.

In big local news, Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for dogfighting. I wrote about this briefly last year. Personally, I'm glad he got such a stiff sentence. I know many commentators have remarked that it looks very bad in comparison with light sentences for domestic violence. I can't subscribe to the "it shows a dog's life is worth more than a woman's" view, however. I can sympathize with it but there are so many links between both types of violence. A lot of people who work in animal control have noticed this. Here is a local example:

Have you ever seen a dogfight?
Yes, evidence of dogfights. They disperse when they know we’re coming. I look for scarring, scratching, their demeanor and animal behavior. … [There is] a lot of dogfighting in Atlanta. In northwest and southeast Atlanta [especially], mostly [in] the city, because of the income and they can hide them.

What type of animal behavior do you see?
They cower, [do] not look at you. One’s been doing it a lot will charge — no warning.

Why do they cower?
They aren’t aggressive. [The owners] can’t use them for fighting [so] they beat them, and throw them in the street if they don’t kill them. [The dogs] live in deplorable conditions, low-income housing. They can’t pay their rent, can’t feed their families, but are taking care of the dogs. If the dogs are abused, there is abuse in the home; beating their wives or their children.

It's also common that abusive men threaten women through their pets. According to this local pet-friendly domestic violence shelter...

Abusers hit, kick, throw, torture, and kill the family pets in an effort to terrorize the family and keep them silent about the abuse in their home. Concern for a beloved companion animal's welfare prevents or delays more than 50% of battered individuals from escaping domestic abuse, continuing to endanger themselves, their children, and their pets. Their concerns are legitimate: it is estimated that 88% of animals in households where mental and physical abuse takes place, the family pet is injured or killed when the victim tries to leave.

I think these are both compelling arguments to treat violence against pets seriously. It doesn't exist in isolation. As human beings we have a selfish interest to stigmatize it and stop it.

I have a frightening anecdote about a local guy known as a multiple cat-skinner... but on second thought, let's not go there.

There are some major changes going on with our adoption plans but I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Soon.