Your Calgary Herald
It's all cruel
Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, July 14, 2007

Animals - Just recently, many Calgarians reacted in shock and horror to the torture of the Didsbury dog, Daisy Duke, and subsequent trial. Many even signed a petition calling for stiffer penalties for animal abusers.

Now, all that seems to have been brushed aside or forgotten as many of the same people make their annual pilgrimage to the Stampede where they thrill to the rodeo and chuckwagon races. How is it possible to condemn one form of cruelty, yet sanction another?

It seems there are varying degrees of cruelty. Calf roping has entertainment value, whereas a dog bound, tied and dragged behind a motor vehicle is not entertaining but sickening and deserving of criminal prosecution.

To all of you who signed the petition, yet find yourselves down at the Stampede grounds cheering on your cowboy heroes, time to go home and do a behaviour check. Thomas Edison said: "Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages." Hopefully, somewhere in this city, a light bulb will go on.

Barbara Mattin, Calgary