The next right thing
Down the street from us there is a house which is the eyesore of the neighborhood. A "No Trespassing" sign is nailed to the front door and the yard is dirt in front and weeds in back. Two large boats are parked in the driveway and on the street with large trucks attached for hauling them. So prosperity is somewhere, but not in the house.
We walk by every evening when we walk our dogs. Although the house appears to be empty - rarely is a person in sight, lights are never on and the windows are covered with blinds - there is a dog behind the gate at the side of the house. For several weeks the dog would bark ferociously as we walked by. A water bowl was visible, but appeared to be empty.
One day I gave the dog a name. "Hi, Sam," I called out, "How are you today?" The barking continued, but not as loud or as long.
Soon afterwards I saw a guy standing by the front door smoking a cigarette.
"Is that your dog?" I asked. He nodded.
"What's your dog's name?" I asked.
"That's Chelsea."
"Chelsea?? I've been calling her Sam!"
I started sneaking in dog biscuits as we walked by. "Hi Chelsea, how are you?" The barking stopped. Chelsea hasn't barked at us for several weeks.
Last night Steve walked the dogs alone. He reported a large bare spot on Chelsea's rump. I didn't see it, but I know dogs get "hot spots," bacterial skin infections that need medical treatment. They also get bored and lick and lick until they create spots like what Steve was describing.
That was the last straw. I had been telling Steve that we needed to do something for some time, that Chelsea needed a police welfare check, but we didn't seem to be on the same page so nothing was done. The bare spot, the obvious neglect, the empty house with the wealth parked outside -- maybe not so empty, I keep expecting to hear that a marijuana farm is happening under hidden lights in there, or maybe it's a meth lab -- something needs to be addressed. The report has been filed. Hopefully Chelsea will get some help. She's lonely, she's bored and she needs a doctor.
Poor Chelsea. And you are still working to make the world a better place, even for dogs!
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