FROM CHAPTER 20
“They’re not just dogs.”
Amid the recent outbreak of violence in their little town, the Vine Grove [Kentucky] city council scheduled a town hall meeting to address the concerns of violence that had begun to spread in their community. Steven Bryant was asked to speak to the members of the council and the huge crowd that would undoubtedly be there. What the community needed was a verbal spanking, and there was no one better at doing that than Steven. From midway during his speech:
“And so, many of you have justified your actions on a simple, absurd notion. I’ve heard it time and again, and frankly, every time I hear it, I have to reach deep into the recesses of my self-control to keep from knocking the teeth out of those who say it. Please don’t ever again insult my intelligence by saying, It’s just a dog.”
Just then, Steven was reminded of his loyal dogs at home and how they had enriched their lives. It made him sick to think of how easily the public was willing to cast blame on the innocent creatures that provided so much comfort, companionship, and unconditional love, in a world that could use more of it all.
“Just for a moment, let’s examine just how ridiculous and insulting that statement is. I’ve seen it firsthand how dogs have turned around the lives of veterans with PTSD and other disabilities. Some of those folks are truly hopeless and many are suicidal and when therapy dogs come into their lives, it’s often a total turnaround. Suddenly, they have purpose in their lives and the dark thoughts seem to vanish. To them, saying, ‘it’s just a dog’ is insulting and hurtful. To them, they’re not just dogs.
Some of you have worked in corrections at the prison nearby. I know you’ve seen it for yourselves and the rest of us have read the remarkable stories in the newspaper about how dogs are reducing the recidivism rate of prisoners by as much as eighty-five percent. How? By giving prisoners with virtually no hope of ever again being able to function outside their life of incarceration a new lease on life. It is simple really. Give a dog to a prisoner, give him the job of training the dog, and he suddenly understands the concept of love, compassion, loyalty, and responsibility, something most of them have never experienced. They learn this from an animal that gives them unconditional love. To them, they are not just dogs.
And what about those of you involved in ministering to the elderly in nursing homes? You’ve seen how interacting with dogs has given them new purpose in life. Many of these people have no loved ones or friends and find themselves in what amounts to a prison. They feel lost, lonely, and hopeless. These are the very people who built our communities, suffered through wars and the Great Depression, and they’re sadly set aside and forgotten. They suffer from loneliness, illness, old age, and spend their days in boredom. If you haven’t witnessed how dogs help these people, I’d ask you to go to the nursing homes when the dogs are brought in. Their faces light up and years of sadness are suddenly wiped from their faces. And now, many of the assisted living and nursing homes are allowing their residents to keep their own dogs. It gives the residents a renewed sense of living. To them, they’re not just dogs.
Some of you have children with disabilities, like Autism. You know better than most how children are able to connect in a personal way with dogs, in ways they cannot with you and their siblings. You simply cannot place a value on that. Have you thought about the blind that rely on seeing eye dogs or how the deaf rely on them for assistance in their daily lives? And now, dogs are used to alert those with epilepsy of oncoming seizures and some can detect abnormal blood sugar levels for diabetics. To these people, they are not just dogs.
And for many of us, me included, dogs are actually important members of our families. I’m not talking about those of you that tie them up outside or leave them in a fenced yard never having contact with them. For people like me, dogs are not lawn ornaments. We love them much like we love our own children. For those of you that don’t think like this, let me try to explain it to you in a way that you can understand. If you have children, you love them automatically and unconditionally. We’re wired to be like that. We raise them and protect them until they’re able to manage on their own. They’re innocent and we love them for it. And they love us too, don’t they? That love is also unconditional.
For us dog lovers, it’s much of the same. We see dogs that depend on us. We raise them and protect them. They’re innocent and they trust us. We know they love us, and not just because we feed them. They treat us like rock stars when we return home, even if we’ve only been gone for an hour. They jump in our laps and seek comfort from us. Some of us even find them in our beds at night.
Dogs are always there for us. They serve as the cheapest shrinks around. They don’t talk back, but most of the time, all we really need is someone to listen anyway. They always forgive us. They don’t hold grudges. They don’t care if we’re ugly, pretty, or handsome. They don’t care what color we are. They don’t laugh at us when we make a mistake. They know when we’re sad and when we’ve had a bad day and they offer us comfort. They don’t care if we live in a mansion or a rundown trailer. They’ll protect us with their lives if someone tries to hurt us. They never wake up on the wrong side of the bed. They greet us each morning with wagging tails. And all they ask of us is a little love, comfort, and food. To us, they’re not just dogs.
As for those of you out here in the audience that support this reckless activity, you’re just as culpable. I’m surprised you didn’t bring pitchforks and torches with you tonight. You’re the ones shooting or poisoning your neighbors’ dogs. You’re acting like little schoolgirls screaming and panicking because the little boys are threatening you with frogs. Just like the rioters that you watched with disgust on television, you’re participating in nothing short of mob hysteria and defaulting on your social contract, leading us towards total anarchy.”