Dogs

Via T-Bogg, Firedoglake has a great post on the humanity of dogs and the inhuman things humans do to them.

In New York, I've noticed similar scenes to what he saw in L.A.

I don't think it's any surprise that liberal bloggers are pet freaks -- witness any given Friday when just about any given blogger pays tribute with photos of dubious focus and composition to their animal companions. I'm not saying lefties have the corner on pet love, but I think on the whole they tend to be people sensitive to the needs of others, and animals are the soul of compassion. I remember driving down Hollywood Boulevard one night and seeing this homeless guy curled up on the sidewalk with his dog, and I remember thinking -- what human would have that kind of compassion that they would lay down with the dirty, the crazy and the unloved and give comfort to them? It's Christ-like in a way that humans don't even seem to have the capacity to be.

Recently, I too saw a homeless person sleeping on a bench with his dog curled up alongside him. The dog was a striking shephard mix, and since Madame Cura and I are on the lookout for our next stray-find, I thought, "A dog like that could have a real nice life with a suburban family, what a shame." But as I continued to look at the dog, I realized that the dog seemed remarkably healthy; its coat was relatively clean and it looked pretty well fed, unlike his owner. And I also thought, "I'll bet that dog loves his homeless master totally, and obviously the feeling is mutual."