“The question is not ‘Can they reason?’

Nor, ‘Can they talk?’ but rather,

‘Can they suffer?’”

Jeremy Bentham

We recently rescued him from the mean streets

He was starving, and so very terrified of everyone

By some accounts, he was out there a very long time

Hopefully, this street orphan’s suffering is now done

We cannot find anyone that is looking for this little orphan

I’m beginning to suspect he belonged to a ‘backyard breeder’

Many of them only view man’s best friend, as a means to an end

They continuously produce items to sell, which happen to have fur

And whenever they cannot sell a dog, or if the dog is a ‘bitch’ or a ‘stud’

That fails to produce enough puppies, to make keeping them worthwhile

They either kill them, or simply toss them out onto the street, like garbage

Pet rescuers like myself these very sad days, usually find it very hard to smile

This street orphan is still wary of my touch, and of being picked up and petted

He still does not know, if I mean to do him harm, or if I will treat him as a friend

He has been watching me very carefully, as I interact with my other rescued canines

Progress is slow, as it always is with abandoned street orphans, and it sadly never ends

If you are not familiar with backyard breeding operations, or the abysmal puppy mills

Most of these dogs are kept in filthy cages, or left outside in the elements, the entire year

None of these dogs ever get to experience a gentle touch, and they know nothing about love

Yet, our ‘leaders’ do nothing to end this cruelty, and these dogs live their entire lives in fear

©August 2013, Mr. Ed