Why I Hate People

(Updates at bottom of post.)

This month was supposed to be "No Woe" month on this blog, but fuck it. When human beings are as barbaric as they are to each other, it's futile to pretend that refusing to address the negativity in the world will somehow make life better.

See the dog in this picture? This is Buju. He was adopted from the Animal Rescue League, where I volunteer.

Buju was loyal, friendly and beautiful. But, because his mom decided to move to a place that didn't take pets, she brought him to the ARL. I worked with this dog nearly every day. I walked this dog. I played ball with this dog. This dog missed his mom so much that he would curl up against the cage after a walk and allow himself to be petted, against the bars, for as long as I was willing to kneel beside him, because all he wanted was to go home.

I knew this dog.

Then this happened.

Fuck people. Fuck each and every motherfucker out there. Fuck the people who think dogs don't matter. Fuck the people who think "there was nothing we could do," or that this isn't a "real problem," or the sign of a society so impossibly fucked up that this passes for "minor news."

Fuck the woman who decided her dog was so inconvenient to her personal life that he had to be put in a shelter. Fuck the newpaper for thinking the ARL would have euthanized Buju (he wouldn't have been on the adoption floor if that were the case).

But especially fuck the bastard who did this. It's times like these I wish I believed in hell, because that's where I'd like to see you burn for eternity, you heartless, disgusting waste.

Fuck you.

*UPDATE* 12:43 PM -- Looks like they found the bastard. (Thanks to Sunil for the link.)

*UPDATE* 1:58 PM -- I just had conversations (both in person and via email) with a couple ARL employees about the possibility of improving the check-up system. Evidently, they DO do (minimal) follow-ups on adopted animals via phone, and they also make suggestions on resources people can use if their adopted animal still has behavioral issues, etc. (Thus, I've retracted that accusation from my earlier rant.)

However, they assured me there's no chance of the follow-up procedure changing. In essence, making it harder to adopt dogs would mean more dogs would be put to sleep. Thus, they're already doing the best they can.

I call bullshit.

It was also pointed out to me that, in this particular case, there was nothing the ARL could have done to prevent this because the original owner reclaimed her own dog and THEN gave him away. As far as the ARL is (legally) concerned, there were no further actions they could take.

Ironically, this makes me even MORE frustrated...

I believe I may take a break from the ARL for the moment. Granted, it's not the dogs' fault they're in there. But when you're presented with an opportunity to look yourself in the eye and say, "Yes, we need to improve what we're doing," and all you can come up with is "It could be worse" or "We're doing the best we can," it turns my stomach.

I'm sick of mediocrity passing for quality in this world; is mediocrity now passing for goodness too?