Four dog night

Perhaps as a reaction to all the baby-fever going on, Scott and I have decided to adopt a dog. We've opted not for a pedigree, but for a rescued dog. So we've been visiting a few pounds and shelters and seeing what might be the best fit for us.

We came upon an organization in Wake Forest, NC that houses several strays and abandoned dogs and found four dogs on their website that we'd like to meet. So we filled out an application and e-mailed it in. That was four days ago. No word yet.

According to the website, they will review your application and then get back to you within a week to schedule an appointment to come see the dogs. If you don't hear from them in a week, then you can assume that your appliation has been denied. Since it's now been four days without a peep, I'm thinking that we may have been denied.

What's crazy about this is that we're not asking to adopt a child, for which an application and background check would be entirely appropriate. We are asking to adopt a dog. Who used to live on a street. Who has no home. And is a dog. Come on, people.

Where I work, there are several homeless people who stand on the corner, asking for money. Last summer, one of the homeless men found a stray dog and took it in as his own. When you passed by this man, you could tell that he truly cared for this dog and treated him like a companion. He would give it water and he propped up an umbrella to keep the dog shaded. You would see him petting the dog and showing it affection.

A few days later, we heard on the news that a couple came by and took his dog from him because they felt sorry for the dog. They didn't think that it was right that a dog should live under those conditions. I would see this man for days afterwards, with a sign asking for his dog back. There are two things that irked me - and still do - about this story.

First, someone stole something from this man. I don't care who this couple was, or that the dog's owner was homeless - no one has the right to steal anything from anyone. The dog wasn't abused or in danger. He had become someone's pet. The man is homeless - at least let him have his dignity and companionship.

Second, the couple saved a dog, but didn't do anything to help this homeless man. The couple felt sorry enough for a dog to "rescue" it, but didn't feel sorry enough for a human being to rescue him. Did they give this man money or food or bring him to a shelter? No. But they did for the dog.

What kind of society have we become, when we value the life of a dog over that of our own species?