ABUSE: Please, don't look other way

You know your neighbor is abusing his dogs. You choose to ignore it. You tell your children to stay away from that side of the street. You don’t look your neighbor in the eye. You don’t discuss it in the neighborhood. You think you’ve now protected your family from retaliation. Not so.

The cruelty is escalating. No one is curbing his outbreaks, so he now feels safe abusing his three dogs in a city park. Nobody tries to stop him as he beats on them, chokes them as he pulls on the leashes, and kicks them as they try to get into the truck. People look away. No one runs to help those dogs. I try, but I can’t get close enough to read the license plate before he drives off. He’s someone’s neighbor.

What happens next? What if your daughter rides her bike on his driveway? What if your son chases a ball into his yard? What if that cute elderly couple say something and he unleashes on them? What if hurting his dogs isn’t enough? The time will come. What I saw was uncontrolled, vicious anger that will somehow always find an outlet. Please don’t let it escalate by ignoring your neighbor. Please don’t let your children wonder why it’s happening. Please don’t let those three dogs live any longer in pain and fear.

Children learn from their parents’ behavior. Don’t let them grow up thinking animal abuse is acceptable or something to ignore.

JANE ROBERTSON

Post Falls