Baltimore Sun: A dog's death, human outpouring

[MattFancy]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-phoenix-0611,0,3189755.story

Veda "Pat" Allen was certainly shocked, even disgusted, by what happened to Phoenix, the pit bull puppy doused with gasoline and then set on fire in Southwest Baltimore last month.

But the aftermath shocked her more -- as people in the city and around the country shed tears, signed petitions, raged on blogs and, most profoundly, raised more than $26,000 to find the dog's killers.

When her 22-year-old son was shot in the head in 1992 in what city police said was a motiveless crime, she wonders, where were these people with their outrage, their tears, their checks?

Over the last few weeks, as some people's hearts broke for the burned dog, and as they reached for their wallets to drive the Phoenix Reward Fund ever higher, others wondered just what was going on -- particularly in a city where people die violently on almost a daily basis.

How could people feel so much for an animal, when they greet most deaths in town with a collective shrug of indifference?

Does she have a point?

I kind of agree that crime in Baltimore is so common that people have become numb to it. But it is interesting that people do seem to get more upset over some things more than others.

[BigMike619]

crime of man against man is so common now that we have become desensitized to it. its in games, its in movies, hell they even make faces of death DVDs you can buy and watch actual deaths.

but you dont see people killing dogs or other animals on tv like you do people.

[MattFancy]

crime of man against man is so common now that we have become desensitized to it. its in games, its in movies, hell they even make faces of death DVDs you can buy and watch actual deaths.

but you dont see people killing dogs or other animals on tv like you do people.

Its sad, but I think you are right. We as society are used to seeing acts of violence against other people that we have accepted it as normal almost. It is interesting that animal cruelty gets so much publicity these days, but I guess it is more rare, although it does seem to be more common now.

[jthor99]

These people don't look at animals the way most sane people look at animals. As part of the family. It's a product of their environment. It's certainly not excusable, but unfortunatley it will keep taken place when you group a bunch of poverty stricken uneducated, heartless people together.

[Koolblue13]

I agree with you Mike.

I would also like to add, Animal Rights (and thanks to pitts right now) are finally gaining a ton of steam and I love the momentum.

It's the cause d' jour right now and I hope it goes as well as it has for women and minorities.

[Fifty Gut]

dogs are defenseless, humans are not. simple as that. animals only know their own instinct, humans have free will. that's personally why I sympathize more with the torture of an animal compared to the murder of a human

[KingGibbs]

**** Michael Vick.

Oh wait, what?

[PleaseBlitz]

People like dogs more than they like strangers. It has to do with dogs being defenseless, unconditional-love-providing animals.

Also, no money needed to be raised to search for the 22 year old son, the police do that automatically. Without the charity, nobody is going to bother about the sick **** that lit a dog on fire.