For dog lovers.. "How Could You?" article

[LDS Jock]

I found this online and thought I would share it. Get out your hanky.

HOW COULD YOU.......................?

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend.

Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.

We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.

Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers."

You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed, "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago.

At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.

When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room.

She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days.

As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.

She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago.

She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself --a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place.

And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

A Note from the Author:

----------------------------

If "How Could You?" brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly "owned" pets who die each year in American and Canadian animal shelters. Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a noncommercial purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice. Please use it to help educate, on your websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious. Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay and neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.

Jim Willis

[bkcc]

1. I want to shoot myself after reading that.

I just got my dog neutered and he has been walking around looking pathetic. I felt bad enough to begin with today.

Now I want to throw myself in front of a bus.

:(

[LDS Jock]

3. you did a great thing having your dog neutered

It helps to prevent accidents and unwanted puppies. Give him a little extra love and it will all be good. You did the right thing. :hug:

[bkcc]

20. Thanks.

I'm not really worried about the neutering...I just feel bad about having to watch him recover.
He looks so pathetic with that cone on his head.

[bahrbearian]

2. So sad ,So true, you made me weep

I've had many dogs , none of them ever went to the shelter.

[kodi]

4. i saved my Luckiedog from the needle the day she was to be destoyed.

of my 6 dogs, the 4 below are rescues.

Little Bit on the chair




Luckie and Aja (II)



Doc....mug shot

[slinkerwink]

23. awww, they look like great pets!

[bread_and_roses]

5. This sort of heart-wrenching does no good

I am sure the writer means well, but what is the point? With millions of pets abandoned every year at great cost to municipalities and counties, the problem is beyond appeals to emotion,

We must work on changing the laws. It should be very, VERY expensive to own dogs or cats. Licensing for pets should be expensive, and fines for unlicensed pets very severe. The fees should be used to fund adequate animal control officers to ENFORCE the laws. Keeping dogs penned or tied in yards should be illegal. Licensing for pedigreed dogs should be exponentially more expensive than for mixed breeds, both to encourage owning mixed breeds and to help shut down puppy mills. Responsible animal ownership should be taught in school from K-12 since uncontrolled, untrained, and feral dogs and cats are a hazard to humans and wildlife and pose serious social problems.

People who care about animal welfare have been trying to educate and rescue for well over 100 years now. The problem just keeps getting worse. It is time to change the way we approach it.

[mermaid]

8. HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!!?!?

My God..."It should be VERY VERY expensive to own a dog??"
How can you say that?!?!?!
If it were, there would be EVEN MORE unwanted dogs out there!!!

No, it should be very cheap to get a dog...and VERY EXPENSIVE to give one BACK!!!!

Damn, you just made me so mad!!!

If it were very expensive to have gotten a dog in the first place, I might not have the love of my life...my beautiful dog!!

THINK, man, THINK...

You have NO IDEA how hard it was for me to write this without resorting to personal attacks on you!! You will NEVER know how angry you just made me!!!

[Liberal Veteran]

10. Indeed, I had the same thought. Plus IT IS EXPENSIVE....

I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on my animals. Vet visits, spaying and neutering, licenses, shots, food, toys, grooming supplies, carpet cleaning for "accidents" and hairballs, litter.

5 of my six cats are rescues (4 strays that I have taken in and 1 I recently adopted from the shelter).

Plus, it would be kinda silly to make it expensive. We were dirt poor when I was growing up, but we ALWAYS had a dog or two. I can't imagine what life would have been like as a child without my fur friends.

[mermaid]

17. And You Are Right!!

It IS expensive to own a dog!!
I had a scheduled checkup and shots for my dog while I was unemployed. Though I could ill-afford to part with the $150 needed...I FOUND A WAY!!!
Because this is my child we are talking about here!! NEVER would I see her do without a thing she needed. Even if I had to go without to make sure she didn't!!

IN FACT....how's this for you?? My previous job enabled me to keep a benefit of Veterinary Insurance, and I did so.
So right now...I am one of 42 million americans who have no health insurance...by my DOG has Veterinary Insurance!!

How THAT for you??

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. If it were expensive, there wouldn't be so many idiots owning dogs

or other pets. It would require a real commitment and keep the casual "Oh, a puppy for Christmas would be such a great gift" idiots from getting a pet without any real sense of what it means.

And would make people less willing to just abandon their pets or kill them when they get tired of them. "I paid $1,000 for that dog and licensing!"

I'm not sure how you think expensive pets would make more unwanted animals, or how cheap pets would make the problem less.

:shrug:

[Liberal Veteran]

13. Yeah, but you know, rich people can be just as callous about pets.

And as I said, growing up a poor boy on the farm, we adopted several dogs from our local shelter and I would have never have been able to experience the joy, friendship, and unconditional love of a pet if it had been prohibitively expensive.

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. yeah, and probably no one else from my family would have, either

expensive isn't the best solution, and I wouldn't necessarily supoprt it.

Much like parenting, I think the owners should have to take a test to have a child or a pet. Of course, the civil liberties violations doing that are extreme, so I don't suggest it. But in my perfect world, that's how it would be.

[Liberal Veteran]

18. When I was at the shelter adopting Tantris....

Some jerkwad was bringing a cat he adopted from the shelter back and I overheard him say he was bringing him back because the cat was hiding all the time and not bonding with the family yet.

It was all I could do not to turn around and go "What the fuck do you expect? You are a stranger and you brought a natural timid creature to a strange place! That's what a lot of cats do for the first few weeks until they know they can trust you!"

Those are the kind of people that shouldn't be allowed to have pets.

When I brought Logan home his first night I didn't realize he had become semi-feral. He panicked at one point and bit the fuck out of my boyfriend who ended up on antibiotics for a week fromt he infection from the bite.

We took it in stride and now he gets along with us and the other cats and dogs really well. He still "plays" rough and I am trying to break of him of that by stopping play when he starts his rough play, but he's my cat now and I love him.

[mermaid]

16. Since You Don't Understand, I'll Spell It Out For You!!!

If it were expensive to adopt a dog...many of the people, like me...who WANT dogs...would not be able to afford to adopt one...and hence, there would be more unwanted dogs out there...and more would be destroyed!

NOW do you understand??

GOD, you people make me SO MAD!!!!

I tell you, I just went through three and a half months of unemployment...fortunately, I had enough savings to see me through, but I tell you, right here and now, with GOD as my witness...if it came down to it...and one of us had to go hungry, I can tell you my dog, Lyric would not have gone hungry. I would have made sure she ate, before I did.
I would have gladly gone hungry so that she wouldn't have had to...if it had come down to that!!

and I am not a rich person! Would you really want someone THAT dedicated to their dog, as I am...to not be able to AFFORD to get a dpog in the first place, so that I could give her a decent home, and love, and everything she needed to live a good life?!?

[Rabrrrrrr]

21. did you read my other post?

[mermaid]

28. Yeah...I Saw It

Fact is...it ought be relatively inexpensive to adopt a dog...and it ought to be expensive to give one back...and very strict enforcement and punishment for abandonment, cruelty, etc.
and if all dogs were microchipped, it could be known who had abandoned the animal, and then they could be charged with animal abandonment...and it should carry a stiff criminal penalty.

This way, people would be encouraged, if they SHOULD have to give up a pet...to find it a good home on their own!!

This would avoid the expense associated with bringing a dog back to a shelter...and the criminal charges associated with dumping a dog...and it would insure the dog in question got into a good, loving home...like it deserves!!

People who abandon animals like that...I just cannot understand them! far as I am concerned, my dog IS my child, and I could never abandon her...give her up....or in any way mistreat or neglect her...and I'd never do anything to harm her...not EVER!!

I never even spank my dog. I use startle techniques on her when she is doing something naughty. And I say nothing at all if she does something while I'm gone, and I discover it on coming home...after all, she wouldn't know what I was punishing her for!!

And if she is naughty, sometimes, ignoring her is a good trick, too. Because she craves your attention and love. You only need ignore for about five minutes for her to get the message.

But, be certain, before you use that technique...that she isn't doing the bad behavior out of separation anxiety...or because she was trying to get your attention!!

Make sure you give your dog lots of love and attention. because if you don't, often they will resort to bad behavior to get attention...they are like children in this regard...they figure even negative attention is better thn no attention!

My doggie used to have a serious problem with separation anxiety. took us a little while to get that all under control, but now, she is the sweetest thing, never destroys anything...and is totally housebroken.

On those rare occasions when I am gone for a long time, and she can't hold it...I don't get mad...I clean it up without comment. And when she DOES do that...as rare as it is...she always does it as close to the door as she can get...as if she knows she isn't really supposed to do it in the house...but, since she can't let herself out...at least she gets it to as close to outside as she can!

Anyway...I am fairly on the poor side...but I'd do without stuff for me before I'd see my dog go without anything her dear little heart desires. If there were money for only one of us to eat, I know which of us would go to bed hungry! And it wouldn't be her!!

So, I totally disagree with your concept, as originally stated...that it should be very, very expensive to adopt a dog.

I love my dog so much, there are not even words to describe the depth of love I have for her...and even if there WERE words to adequately describe it, no words would even be needed. We both know that each of us would die for the other, if we had to.

and my little baby girl is spoiled completely rotten!! I can't complain too much about that, either...she is what I made her!

Anyway, my idea is that if you make it criminal to abandon, abuse, or neglect your pet...and expensive to give it over to a shelter...you would have a whole lot more people either keeping their dogs, even if they DID become just a little inconvenient....or they would look real hard to find a good home for the dog on their own!

because a dog is like a child. Would you abandon your HUMAN child, if he/she became just a little inconvenient?? I know some people do, and that is sick...but it is equally as sick to do that to a dog, in my not so humble opinion.

[bread_and_roses]

26. I am a lifelong dog/cat owner

And I have also been very poor at times in my life. I regret upsetting you, but please think through your logic again. It should be very expensive to give one back...so we have more abandoned animals?

Yes, it should be expensive to own animals and the law should have severe penalties for neglect and abuse. And responsible pet ownership should be taught in schools.

It is not possible to provide adequately for a pet at poverty level and below. I work daily with people at that income level and grew up there myself; I also focus on anti-poverty work in my political activism. But to pretend that in the current system lower income earners can afford to provide for veterinary care, neutering, training classes, etc., is simply unrealistic. That the current system is neither just nor inevitable does not alter one whit the suffering of the millions of animals who pay the price for our neglect of this issue.

Animal welfare activists have largely relied upon appeals to the heart for a hundred years; the problem gets nothing but worse. There are literally MILLIONS of dogs euthanized at pounds every year, and no one counts the probably millions of abandoned cats. No one knows how many millions suffer abuse and neglect.

We either do something different or ignore an appalling and immoral weight of suffering.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Fuck. Don't do that to me this early in the morning.

I am not one of those people and my heart breaks for dogs and cats that are just abandoned for frivolous reasons.

Tantris, who I had to have put to sleep after 10 years of enjoying his company was left on the side of the interstate tied to a post by his previous "owner".

I still remember that day I met him. A windstorm had damaged my fence and all three of my dogs got loose. One returned that afternoon. One of my chow chows got run over and killed before I could retrieve him to safety. The other I spent two weeks hunting the neighborhood and checking the shelter daily. While checking the shelter, this one chow chow caught my eye and I read his card and his story of being left. While I was reading it, he pressed himself against the cage trying to lay in my lap. He was all matted from lack of grooming, he was a doll. Still hurting from the loss of my other dog, I decided to take a chance and bring him home the next day. The kind people at the vet had shaved him for me (and God knows he needed it).

As soon as he got home, he came in the house and surprised me. He did EXACTLY what my previous chow did when I brought him in at night. He jumped up on the love seat, made 3 turns to situate himself and laid down. I knew then and there it was the right decision and it eased my pain at losing Kody.

About a week later Jono finally showed up on the front porch (and he was damned fat the rascal) and my family was complete again.

Yeah we had our ups and downs. He developed a degenerative spinal disorder in his last couple of years. It got to a point where I to put him on prednisone to help with the inflammation and aspirin for his pain. But he was family. Even when I was trying to help him up one day and he lashed out at me because it hurt (damn near bit my ear lobe off and ended up with 23 tiny stitches), I took care of him.

When it came to the point that he finally couldn't even get up with assistance anymore, I took him for his last car ride and held his hand while we did the only humane thing I could for him.

He was my friend and I still miss him.



I NEVER want to be one of those people who get asked "How could you?".

[LDS Jock]

9. thats a beautiful dog.. I love Chows

completely devoted to their owners... and that gorgeous fur! :)

[mermaid]

7. You Wanted To Shoot Youself? HELL WITH THAT!! I Wanted To Shoot

the guy who abandoned that poor puppy!!
My puppy is my child, and she always will be. I might get mad at her once in a while when she does something bad, but five minutes later, there I am, rubbung her belly...and she knows she could never do ANYTHING to lose my love.

And any man that may eventually come into my life is going to KNOW we are a package deal...he gets both of us...or NEITHER of us!! My dog has a home with me until the day one or the other of us dies. And, should something happen where Lyric outlives me, I have already arranged for her to have a good home. It's in my will. And my mom, dog lover as she is...she will take Lyric for me, and make sure she has a home with her for the rest of Lyric's days.

When you ADOPT a dog, it is just that...you have ADOPTED him/her!! You do not get rid of HUMAN kids you adopt, when they become a little inconvenient!! What makes anyone think a dog is less valuable?!? This burns me up, because, in my own opinion, dogs are FAR SUPERIOR to humans!! Unlike humans...dogs are NEVER "fair-weather friends" Dogs will never stab you in the back, they will be far more loyal to you than any human ever will be!! And THEY know the lesson Jesus tried to teach humans...that so many humans, to this day, fail to understand...the concept of unconditional love!!

Sometimes, I wonder how it is that such wonderful creatures as dogs were given to us humans, most of whom I find unworthy of dogs. Then, I realize the answer: Dogs are God's furry little angels...come to try, once again, to teach us humans of the most basic concept that we humans, with all our "superior intellect" fail to grasp...and dogs never waver from - the concept of unconditional love!!

I tell you, if I had to, I would DIE to save my dog. And, likewise, I know she would die for me, if it came to that. My dog is the most wonderful blessing God ever gave me!

I will post something else here in a minute...but first, a picture of my beloved Lyric:

[LDS Jock]

11. sounds like Lyric is lucky to have you too

if only everyone felt that way about their dogs and pets. I agree with you too completely about someone coming into my life and wanting the dog out. Package deal baby! You'll get kicked out of the bed before my dog will.

[mermaid]

19. Damn Skippy!!!

Any man would get kicked out of my bed before Lyric would!!

Hell, when I got Lyric, I ended up getting a double bed, just so that there would be room for both of us on the bed!! Before that, I had a single bed...never woulda been enough room for both of us...so I got a double, because I could. and because I wanted Lyric to be able to curl up with me.

There is NOTHING I would not do for Lyric....NOTHING!!

I even noted, in a different post on this topic...how, while I am one of 42 million uninsured Americans out there...my dog has veterinary insurance!! My dog is one of few dogs who has insurance!! And I am one of many American HUMANS who don't!
But, I could only afford for one of us...guess which one got the insurance???
Now how can ANYONE say it ought to be super-expensive to adopt a pet? If it were, I might never have been ABLE to get Lyric. And if I hadn't taken her...she would have been destroyed 2 days later!!

I got a different apartment just so I could have Lyric...my then-current apartment would not allow dogs. I arranged for a friend of mine to pet-sit Lyric for the first couple weeks while my old lease ran out. And then, when I got to move into my new apartment, Lyric came with me. This same friend later pet-sat Lyric for three weeks when I had to make a trip to Thailand.

I have ALWAYS seen to the well being of Lyric...plkacing her needs above even my own!! Hell, when I was in Thailand, several times I called the pet-sitter, just to check up on Lyric...and to let Lyric hear my voice over the phone! And I can tell you an international call from Thailand to the United States isn't cheap!!

Incidentally, when I went to the shelter to get Lyric, she was not originally one of the dogs I'd gone to see that day. She was over the weight limit my new landlady wanted. At the time, she weighed 38 pounds, landlady didn't want pets over 30 pounds. Lyric now weighs 50 pounds, full-grown...and is my landlay's favorite of all the pets in the complex!
Anyway, I'd searched on the Internet, and there were four dogs at the shelter which I'd gone to see that day. One had already been adopted out, the other three...we just didn't bond...somehow, it just didn't HAPPEN...dog-lovers will understand what I mean here...

so, there I was, walking around the grounds of the shelter...all depressed...and I happened on Lyric's cage. I'd already seen her on the Net...and had ruled her out on the weight thing.

I figured, what the hell, I'm taking this one out on a leash, anyway. Well, we bonded immediately...it was HAPPENING with this dog. Can't explain it any other way. Again, dog-lovers will understand what I mean.

Well, the shelter workers saw us two together, and said to me..."I hope you realize she is picking you!" I didn't let on that I was picking her yet...rather, I asked them how THEY knew. "She never behaves on a leash like that for us," came the reply. "She's showing off for you."

Well, I whipped out my cell phone, and explained the situation to my new landlady. I begged and pleaded for an exception to the rule. She agreed, as long as I would pay an extra $100 non-refundable pet deposit. Best hundred bucks I ever spent!! and I have a loyal, loving companion for life!

Somehow...when Lyric and I saw each other...we both said it at the same time..."I have to have her!!" Anyway...just so anyone understands it damn well WAS expensive for me to get Lyric...and I did it anyway, only because I could...I'd just gotten a windfall of money.

It cost me $75 to the shelter (for which I got spaying, first year rabies shot, and microchipping, as well as my sweet Lyric.) an additional $200 pet deposit which $100 of which was non-refundable...an additional $100 non-refundable deposit...$50 for the preliminary vet exam, required by our local shelter...$200 for the bed, and another $100 in initial supplies (heartworm meds, Advantage flea protection, food) Plus toys...and now, I pay 12 bucks a month for her Vet Insurance, too.

So, getting Lyric already cost me, in the first week, nearly $1,000 already...of which only $100 is refundable when I leave my apartment.

[mermaid]

15. A DOG'S PRAYER

check this out...This is the post I promised earlier...I feel it deserves a topic of it's own, and so I made one!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x1602476

[LWolf]

22. My animals have always been family

For all of my life, I've had more animal family members than people. They are with me for life.

I think dogs have a very special role to play for us. They model the meaning of unconditional love and loyalty. If we only treated each other as well as our dogs treat us. :loveya:

I actually make decisions about where and how to live based on the needs of my animals.

[DemWitch]

24. I sit here looking at Kyra...

Kleenex flying out of the box and I can't help but think how blessed I am to have found her. I had to put my 14 year old Lab down 5 years ago, and I felt as if someone tore my heart out with their bare hands. To this day, there is still a hole there, a part of me missing because he isn't here. I was blessed to find Kyra quite by accident 6 months after his passing, and she helped me deal with his death by showing me the circle of life. Old ones leave our lives and young ones come in.

How someone could just abandon thier animal friends is beyond me. How people can mistreat or refuse to give minimal care to thier animal friends is beyond me. Just like kids, the animals that come into our lives are truly blessings.

[Nikia]

25. Our dog we adopted had been surrendered by the owners

I am not sure how long that they kept dogs at that shelter, but he had already been there 2 weeks. They weren't a no kill shelter. We also found out from vet records that he had lost almost 8 pounds in those 2 weeks, only 2 pounds underweight but quick weight loss for a little dog (now 28 pounds) . Their statistics said that about half of the animals brought in were put down instead of being adopted. Animals that experience excessive separation anxiety was one category of animals that were put down in their statistics.
We did have to undergo a background check and 2 references were interviewed about us before we could take home our dog. We rent and are allowed to have a pet with our additional month's rent security deposit so having a dog was not cheap.
Our dog is a very nice dog who has bonded with us over the past 2 and ahlaf years despite the fact that he was 8 when we adopted him. We can't imagine while anyone would have given him up. I'm glad that my husband talked me into it.

[Poiuyt]

27. Tribute to a Dog

Tribute to a dog

It is claimed that this is a speech George Vest, a lawyer, made defending a client in 1870, when a man's foxhound named Drum was shot. Drum's owner sued the man who shot Drum. Although there was no evidence, after Senator Vest finished speaking, the jury was in tears. They fined the man $500, even though the maximum fine was $150.

"Gentlemen of the Jury," The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."

"Gentlemen of the Jury," A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."

[LDS Jock]

29. Even if not true in history

it is true in life.