Argufying and Grumbulating

I decided to use "Argufying and Grumbulating" for my 'why oh why' postings - a forum for a wee rant/Victor Meldrew moment about things that make me go 'Grrrrrrr'. The title is one of my favourite terms that my Dad made up. When we were kids, if he and my mum were about to leave us on our own for a while, he'd always recite the rules, "I don't want to hear of any kicking, fighting, scratching, biting, thumping, screaming, hair-pulling or argufying and grumbulating".

So unfortunately my first theme makes you ask yourself - what kind of person does THIS to a dog?

This horribly neglected and death-defyingly emaciated dog, now named Trooper by the SPCA officers treating him, was handed in recently by a man who maintained he'd found the poor dog wandering along the highway. As it turns out, the guy is in fact the owner and had knowingly neglected him to this horrific and miserable state. Handing in this bag of bones with matted, feces encrusted fur is perhaps the only 'kind' thing he's ever done for this adorable golden retriever who currently weighs just a third of what should be his normal body weight - and less than the bag of dogfood they're now feeding him at the SCPA. Officers/vets had to shave off his fur because it was so matted and foul and underneath they found sores indicating he'd also be kept in a confined space for a long time.
I cannot for the life of me understand what kind of person knowingly lets an animal suffer in this way, in an ongoing state of unbelievable physical as well as emotional neglect. Vets are amazed he even survived at all in this state although a couple of days more and he most certainly would have died and you have to wonder if the owner would even have noticed.

Thankfully Trooper's now recovering and receiving lots of love and warmth with a caring foster parent via the SPCA - and he's even gaining a little weight. What a wonderfully loving and forgiving dog, despite the sad and absolutely unnecessary trauma he's endured for quite some time.

There's now a petition to make sure full charges are laid against his former owner. I vote we shove him into a birdcage and leave him to starve while he lies in his own filth. Oh wait....sound familiar?