So after an eventful and stressful week or two, I finally get a night where I decide to not do anything that will make my mind reel. I decide to take it easy, just kick back, grab a drink, maybe watch some TV, watch the neighbor with the mental condition beat his dog in the middle of the street.... wait... what? That wasn't in the plan.

So there I am, all ready to relax and most importantly mind my own business for a little while and I get called over to the window to see a cop car in the middle of the street and my mental patient neighbor beating his dog. As it turns out the dog got off his leash that keeps him chained to a porch that is less than 10x10. The dog ran down the block, most likely in an attempt to escape the hell he was living in, only to be called back by his owner and smacked in the face several times. Well, anyone who knows anything about anything will tell you not to hit a dog. I like to think people shouldn't hit animals at all, but even so, you don't grab a year and a half old boxer by the collar and start smacking him in the face. As you would imagine, the dog retaliated and put a nice gash in this idiot's wrist. There was a cop car oh-so-conveniently stopped in the road right in front of this.

Wouldn't you know they called the whole damn cavalry. It seemed like every cop car in town came rushing to the block along with an ambulance for Mr. Tough-guy. So now the dog is chained back on the porch, every neighbor within eye or earshot is outside watching, and general confusion sets in. People are talking about how big dogs are dangerous, and how there are kids on the block, and how they were bit twice as kids and don't trust dogs, and all this other ignorant crap.

Basically, this guy and his girlfriend are both certifiable. No joke, they've both been committed, the woman multiple times. One time because she sent one of her previous dogs after a cop. The guy has restraining orders against him from his family, has been to prison for one reason or another, and jumped off a highway overpass and lived! These are people that clearly should not be owning animals, especially big breeds that need specific care and training.

There's more! This couple didn't buy the dog, in fact there have been multiple complaints about the dog from around town. It seems that the dog has been passed on from owner to owner without ever being registered with the town. People apparently can't handle him and keep giving him to whoever will take him. Lucky dog ends up with the two craziest people in town.

In the end, the dog was chained to the house as animal control was called. Once the dog saw the flashing lights and the snare poles he knew what was happening and started barking. Feeling threatened he went into self-defense mode (note how I don't use "attack mode," that's reserved for animals actually trained for attacking), and started snarling and jumping around the porch. Finally, after about 20 minutes of not being able to snare him, even with 2 poles, the police had to empty an entire can of mace into the dog's face to keep him from moving so they could snare him and put him in the truck. But that wasn't enough because minutes later one of the police officers on the scene greeted a friend of his who brought his small son, they were apparently called to come and see the dog. For no other real purpose other than to gawk; real respectful guys.

I understand that if you have a dangerous animal, you're going to want to know your kids are safe, but that's not really the point here. This story can happen to anyone, on any block, in any town. The point is that A. Crazy people should not be allowed to own animals, especially if it's the kind of crazy that involves prison time and adult diapers. And, B. If you can't handle an animal, don't just dump it off with the first nice looking person you see. You might have the best intentions in the world, but you have no idea what that unsuspecting adopter might have in store. Animals that get passed around like a hot potato can end up with a variety of trust and loyalty issues, which can sometimes manifest themselves in acting out in various ways. The best way to handle an unwanted or uncontrollable pet is to seek out a no-kill shelter that will be willing to work with your animal, or a breed-specific rescue group. Every state has rescue groups for just about anything, and if you need to travel a little bit, just understand that it could mean the difference between a happy life for the animal, or a tragic drug induced death after an episode like this one.

This poor boxer doesn't stand a chance now, he's been passed around so many times, has no real record of ownership, has a major psychological issue, or two, and now has shown his teeth (and tons of aggression) to a group of police officers. That dog will be dead by dawn and nothing will happen to the people who caused this end result in the first place. The abusive owner that was taken to the hospital for stitches and rabies shots will be let off the hook, as will his psychopath middle aged girlfriend. The chain of people responsible for the many homes the dog had will most likely never be tracked down. But what bothers me most is that this cycle continues all over the place; abandoned animals, passed around to people not prepared to deal with a given species or breed, and nobody with the common sense, or even the heart, to understand that certain animals need certain kinds of understanding. They aren't all "feed and watch" pets.

- Rob Acocella