Many were touched by story about puppy
Even non-dog-lovers had to be moved by the story on the front page of Tuesday’s Herald of a puppy riddled with BB pellets in a shocking case of animal cruelty. It didn’t hurt that the story had a happy ending and the pup was impossibly cute.
The puppy was picked up by police after they were called by a utility worker who witnessed 15 to 20 juveniles playing with the dog at an apartment complex and later found the puppy seriously wounded, bleeding from multiple wounds. The cops, who learned the puppy had been abandoned, took it to a veterinarian and turned the case over to detectives.
On Tuesday, police arrested and charged two Rock Hill teens with animal cruelty.
Veterinarian April Splawn of Ebenezer Animal Hospital found 18 BB pellets embedded in the pup’s skin and muscle. A picture of an X-ray accompanying the story offers a graphic view of the pellets scattered over the dog’s body.
The good news: Puppies are resilient, and this one, dubbed Brody, is on the road to recovery. And it is no surprise that many people have volunteered to adopt him.
That is the typical response when the plight of animals – especially cuddly ones – are highlighted by the media. And some might grumble that the story is manipulative, that an animal doesn’t deserve that much attention. Forget puppies, what about all the suffering humans out there?
Fair enough. With hunger, homelessness, disease, pestilence and war to plague us, the emphasis should be on helping people, not animals.
But can’t we help both? Brody’s story is about a dog, but it also tells us something about the human condition, about our compassion – and the depths of cruelty and depravity to which we can sink.
We need to worry about people who would commit such an act.
But to give the critics their due, we do need to use some perspective as we ooh and ah over the cute puppy on the front page. There are not only millions of humans who are suffering but also countless unwanted, wretched animals who need our help.
Brody, for the moment, is their ambassador. If you are moved by his plight, you can take steps to help others like him.
That might mean adopting a dog or cat from the York County Animal Control Adoption Center at 713 Justice Blvd. in York, just off S.C. 5, across from the Moss Justice Center. The center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cost of adopting an animal is $77. You will need a government-issued ID.
The York County Humane Society, 8177 Regent Parkway, in Fort Mill also offers animals for adoption, as do several other animal rescue operations. And if you already have enough pets, you can donate money to any of these organizations.
Another act of kindness is having your family pets spayed or neutered. We need do what we can to prevent more unwanted animals from coming into the world.
It’s normal to be moved by a story about an injured puppy. But we hope readers will translate their concern and compassion into action for those in need – humans and animals alike.
This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Many were touched by story about puppy."