Text 22664, 92 rader
Skriven 2011-10-26 00:42:26 av Lee Lofaso (2:203/2)
  Kommentar till text 22636 av Björn Felten (2:203/2)
Ärende: Caesar -- R.I.P.
========================
Hello Björn,

Björn Felten -> Michiel van der Vlist presented the following explanation :

 BF>> http://felten.se/caesar.jpg

 MvdV>> I am very sorry to hear that. You didn't mention him very often, but I
 MvdV>> could almost smell how much you cared about that dog.

 BF> Indeed I did. When we got him (after he was rescued from owners who abused
 BF> him) my two children was 18 and 24 years old, and no longer the real
 BF> concern of ours.

Have you ever read the novel "Planet of the Apes", by Pierre Boullé?
The book is better, and is a dark satire of man.  In the story, man
is a domesticated animal, owned by apes.  Something less than a slave.
At least slaves were paid for their wages, and could (in theory) buy
their freedom.

Man is the dominant species on this planet.
Here is a theory -

There can only be one dominant species on a planet.
If there were more than one dominant species, an all-out
war would commence, with one species emerging on top.
That one dominant species would seek to either completely
and utterly destroy, or at best to allow another dominant
species to exist if and only if it were subserviant to the
one dominant species.

If man were to suddenly become extinct, another species
would take its place as the rightful dominant species of
this planet.  What species might that be?  Could be apes,
as per Boullé's suggestion.  It could be dogs.  Or cats.
Or dolphins.  Or cockroaches.  Or ants.

Personally, I think it will be triffids.  But who am
I to say?  If carnivorous plants become the dominant species,
not only will I become soil, but so will the rest of the human
(and non-human) race.

 BF> For 13 years now, I've been walking him for more than an hour each and
every
 BF> day. So obviously I've spent more time with him than with my two children.

A dog is truly man's best friend.  Sometimes his only friend.

 MvdV>> Animals can give us a lot of joy. The sad part is that must of the time
 MvdV>> we outlive them. Remember the good things.

 BF> Indeed. I knew that, statistically speaking, I had to part from him before
I
 BF> passed on myself, but I tried to ignore that obvious fact.

You did not know that.  And could not know that.  I mean,
your dog could have gotten run over by a car...

 MvdV>> And, on the risk that this advice comes too soon: adopt a new dog. That
 MvdV>> will help you deal with it.

 BF> Yes, that's a sound advice, but I'm not sure that I can take yet another
 BF> incident like this. I'm 63 now, and statistically speaking have 18 years
 BF> left (Swedish life expectancy for male). I doubt that a new dog will live
 BF> that long -- even if I choose yet another "bastard".

The bigger the dog, the shorter the dog lives.
And also with fewer problems, meaning less trips to the vet.
It is the smaller dogs that have the longest lives.
But also the highest expense.

Yeah.  Do yourself a favor.  Show yourself your true American spirit.
Be like Teddy Roosevelt, that old Rough Rider, who had a deep love of
animals, especially for bears (and dogs).  Get yourself a Pit Bull.
Really.  US President Teddy Roosevelt had a pit bull, which he kept
in the White House.  A most friendly dog when it wanted to be...

 MvdV>> Don't walk away from your friends. we will be here...

 BF> I will definitely not, and I know that you're there. Thanks, Michiel! I
will
 BF> probably keep on crying for a week or so, but eventually I will realise
 BF> that life must go on...

If you have a choice between saving the dog and saving the girl,
remember to do like Don Johnson...

(now you know why dogs bite on the postman's trousers)

--Lee

--- MesNews/1.06.00.00-gb
 * Origin: news://felten.yi.org (2:203/2)