As I drove out the gravel drive on my way to town this afternoon, I saw a deer carcass in the field. I have no idea how the deer died, as it was too far from the road for someone to have shot it. As I passed, I saw one of the dogs lying next to the carcass. I thought it was the hound I affectionately refer to as Prince Valiant.
The dog saw the car and hopped up and ran towards me. It was then that I realized he was hurt, favoring one paw. For a moment I was confused. The paw just didn't make sense. Then I realized with horror that this wasn't Prince Valiant at all, but the whisper of a dog that had been starved nearly to death with a mangled paw. That deer was probably the only meal he'd had in weeks.
This was as bad as anything I've ever seen on Animal Cops. The dog's ears had huge chunks torn out of them. His one good foot looked as though it had some broken toes; his tail hung at an odd angle and appeared to be broken; you could see every bone in his pathetic body. Even so, he showed me no fear and climbed right up into my car when I opened the door. I noticed later the clear indentation where he'd worn a collar that had rubbed the skin raw. Someone had had this dog like this for a long time and neither sought veterinary care for him or fed him. He'd probably been dumped at our driveway sometime this morning, for he hadn't been there an hour before when my father walked down to the gate to get the paper.
I plan to send these photos to the local paper and ask for information on who owns this dog. If I find out, I'll do everything in my power to see that the bastard who treated a fellow living creature this way gets the full force of the law thrown at them. I'm not a violent person, but I make no promises if I find you. Bastard.
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