Just is only pertinent when it informs justice.
August 21, 2023
Another in a series of observations of life as I know it.
The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven not man's.
-Mark Twain
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My friend Jessie Pickard, part of the animal rescue community in my old home state of Virginia, posted a very thought-provoking commentary today. Jessie is one of many kind souls who spend their time, talent and treasure on abandoned, abused, wounded and otherwise “throw away” domestic animals. It is hard work that requires a tough exterior and a kind heart. Sometimes it is devastatingly sorrowful. At other times, its rewards cannot be explained. In my household, rescue is a lifestyle.
Jessie talked about the overly precious premise of an animal being “just a dog”. Seriously? Disposable like a used kleenex. Trash. Garbage. Useless and without merit. Let me say unequivocally here that there is no such thing as “just a dog”, unless one carries the argument to the human realm, wherein I am obliged to comment on a certain political detritus as “just an ex president”. If expendable dogs (and cats) can be tossed into an ash bin without a thought or a moment of mercy, then I would extend that philosophy to orange politicos. Worthless, deceitful and of absolutely no redeeming value. Apples and oranges you say? Oh, I think not. Both animals and humans are living, sentient, feeling beings. However, expendable humans are a conversation for another time.
I often see bumper stickers on cars that ask, Who rescued who? Indeed, well might you ask. I have known lonely people redeemed by loving pups and kittens. They are a reason to get out of bed in the morning, especially after the loss of a spouse or a child. After the void of retirement sucks them dry and leaves them lost. A furry soul gives comfort and tiny light of meaning to life. I have always had a cat or a dog in my life. When my cat Tommy died from injuries sustained from god knows what, my grandfather wept. I had never seen a man cry before. The floodgates of years of repressed emotions poured out. People say to me that they don’t want to be a dog or cat owner because pet’s lives are short and they don’t want to experience the pain of loss. My response, usually expressed in a kind way, is how can you exist without them? Isn’t a full heart better than half of one? There is a surfeit of true love in my own heart that wells up and overflows from time to time. Honestly, I prefer the company of dogs to most humans. For obvious reasons. Animals are better, more genuine beings. They are guided by loyalty, driven by a need to protect and defend their human counterparts. Hunger, thirst and the need for shelter are their basic needs but Love is their compass. Whereas people routinely disappoint. Without fail.
My position here is this. No canine is “just a dog”. There is no such animal. To relegate them to lesser status, to minimize their lives and thereby render them less than, is to part ways with one’s own humanity. A dog is not ‘just’ anything. As such, you and I are not just people. We are living, breathing beings. We are alive. Using the word ‘just’ is to cheapen a life and make merely diminutive, and thereby diminished. And that is a crying shame.
