beware of owner

they know. i know that they know.

i trust my dogs to know instinctively when those times when i need a hug, when i need a nuzzle on my hand from them and a gentle lick to raise my spirits or just give me a neck to cry into. they soothe and relax me.

so when i choose to torture myself by watching animal planet's animal cops, chloe and sadie are right by my side. mam yells at me why do i continue to do this to myself, knowing how it gets me upset. "this is real life", i tell him. reminding him not every dog gets fed premium dog food. shit, some dogs have never gotten enough food, and our monkey dogs whine if i am late coming home and they eat their supper 20 minutes later than normal.

i sit here and cry over the abuse cases -- well-intentioned but mentally ill animal lovers who begin to harm their pets when they hoard and not help them. i cry over the abuse cases that are deliberate through man's directed cruelty. our creativity in dreaming up new ways to harm animals never fails to amaze me. we are truly capable of far worse than what the animal kingdom is capable of doing. from savage cruelty to dogs with open gashes and untreated wounds left to heal over to skin infection with simple solutions -- both are remedied if only someone would care.

and i cry at the noses which sniff the camera hesitantly at the humane society after taken in for treatment, with tails that wag innocently despite the abuse any they may have suffered at the hands of people like us.

then in cry at the happy endings, where these animals who were used as bait to train other dogs to kill and maim are restored in body and spirit and given a chance at a new life with others who promise to love and care for that battered dog. i cry at the dogs who experience sunshine, full bellies and people touching them lovingly for the first time in their lives.

with soft eyes to communicate as their tongue hangs loosely from the side of their mouth panting, they manage to say thank you without saying anything at all.

when my furkids look up from their nap to stem the tears from my face, they remind me that we are their voice. with a gentle lick, they thank us, too.