It is a truth universally acknowledged that when people
struggle to survive, people mistreat animals terribly. Haitian dogs are beaten,
starved, kicked, and abused every day of their lives. We have seen little boys
chasing and beating a three-legged dog, we have seen puppies being kicked and
burned, and we have seen multitudes of small unkindness, the pulling of tails,
the hitting with sticks, and the many cruelties that add up to a society that
does not care for its weaker species.
This morning as we drove a borrowed truck to church, we splashed through hurricane
Sandy’s dirty brown runoff and anticipated a day spent speaking English with
friends. We had to swerve to avoid three small puppies running/splashing across
the flooded road. They were tiny and bony. I convinced Carl to stop.
I approached them cautiously. They were obviously starving
and freezing. Two ran off down a swollen river embankment. One paused to look at
me and wag his tail. I picked him up. He was just a pile of little bones and a
wiggly tail. We couldn’t leave him, and we couldn’t reach the other two
puppies.
After a wonderful day with friends and fellowship, (and our
first Chinese food in over 4 months!!!) we got our little guy home. We bathed
him, fed him, and I cautioned my kids that he may not survive. We discussed why
Haiti has so many abandoned and abused dogs when compared to, say, Southern
California. My kids are filled with compassion and love for the little guy,
helping me bathe him and dry him and feed him.
I hope my kids keep those tender hearts of theirs forever. I
hope that the world never teaches them that it is ok to hurt an innocent animal
or person, or even to look the other way when an animal or person is being
hurt. I hope that in the greater scheme of learning to grow up and finding
their own way in the world that my kids are never too busy to stop their
car, to pull over, and to rescue a puppy from certain starvation.
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