Friday, August 30, 2013

Dear lady who left the dog in a pickup in Zehrs' parking lot...

Pardon me, but I’m confused.

What makes you think the searing heat of a summer day is an ideal time to take your golden retriever for a trip to the grocery store? You left him there, yesterday, during the scorching afternoon heat in the open sun. (You didn't even try to park in the shade!)

Does he like car rides? Probably. Unfortunately for him, you’ve mistaken a car ride with an oven. Because that’s really what you subjected him to—an oven—while you were inside Zehrs' air conditioning selecting items from shelves, and (most definitely) standing in line waiting to pay for said items (I was in that lineup, so trust me when I say I know it wasn't a quick one).

Because if he likes shopping, you’d think he’d be in there with you, instead of in the blistering heat of a parking lot.

Oh—he’s not a service animal and animals aren’t allowed in stores? Maybe that’s your first clue that taking him to the grocery store is an asinine idea!

Do you realize it was 31c (87F) yesterday?

Do you realize it was 35c (95F) with the Humidex?

Do you realize it takes mere minutes to reach easy-bake-animal temps in your truck?

Do you realize that leaving all the windows open so your golden retriever can hang his head out the window doesn’t make a difference?

Do you realize you’re an asshole?

I mean, I try not to judge, but this one is pretty blatant. You, ma’am, are an asshole. And unfortunately your poor dog is going to love you despite the abuse you hand it.

Also? Yes. Yes, it was me who told customer service that you’d left a dog in the truck. Yes, that’s why you were paged to customer service via a description of your truck and its plates (not that you went). Because while you apparently don’t care if you cook your pet, I’d feel horrible if I knew an animal suffered because everyone around me is too comfortable in their blinders or too chickenshit to open their mouths, so yes, I opened mine.

Sure, it’s not my animal—and I’m sure some people might say it’s none of my business, either—but society’s in a pretty sorry state if people are too afraid to speak up about abuse (animal, child, spousal, whatever) simply because they think it’s none of their business.

Because that’s chaos, people. It's the antithesis of civilization. Every day, with our every action, we build the world we live in—let’s create one without animals dropping dead in parked cars, m’kay?

And I don’t know about you, but I was raised that pets are family members. Also that vehicles become ovens pretty fucking quick on a sweltering summer day like today. Suffice it to say I was raised to not cook my family members.

Clearly you were not.

Sadly, you pulled out of your parking spot before I could reach your truck, or I would’ve told you all this in person. Yeah, I was the one struggling to grab my bag from my cart, running in your direction as you pulled out of your parking space. Yes, I was the random chick staggering to a halt as you drove past, purse and grocery bag dangling from my elbows, flipping you the double bird.

You’re an asshole, lady. And you don’t deserve to own a lovely animal like that dog. And I’m not a fan of dogs. (Or hamsters.) But I am a fan of responsible pet ownership—and you, ma’am need a punch in the throat.

Regards,
Lannis

2 comments:

  1. Good for you for stepping up to say something when others walked blindly by. Seriously, I think people should need to be able to pass a pet ownership exam testing knowledge of things like this before they're allowed to own a pet.

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  2. Exactly. My brain exploded instantly just seeing that dog loll its head on the widow's edge. Poor thing...

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