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Jimmy on Ice and Max the Magnificent
At my age, I understand the rules about dogs
The primary rule is that we will outlive them and chances are we will have to decide when their misery outweighs their happiness. My friend Martha once told me, “To them, we are God.”
I take her meaning. There is little more Godlike than the power of life and death. Every now and then a story comes in to one of the dog rescue outfits we try to help that reminds me if humans are God to dogs, humans can also be Satan. There is neglect and, yes, it is awful. But neglect often runs with poverty or dementia — in the neglectful human, that is.
There is usually nothing Satanic about neglect, but purposeful abuse is different. When I was an active judge, I carried — by choice because somebody had to do it — a substantial family violence docket. It was handling that docket that taught me cruelty to humans is often joined at the hip with cruelty to animals.
In retirement, I decided to resign my judgeship and put my law license on inactive status when the Satanic Mr. Cancer came calling. It was not possible to put my memories on inactive status because some cases were not inked into my brain — they were branded.
There was the “father” who decided to discipline his young daughter by flinging her kitten off a third…
