Good afternoon, Netizens...

I am sitting just outside the doorway to the Virtual Ballroom and Espresso Bar this afternoon, relishing in the first day in many where Mother Nature is smiling benevolently down upon the Virtual Garden without a hint of rain. One might think sitting tranquilly in the sunshine, watching the Garden Gnomes tending their gardens, I might not have a care in the world, but such is not the case for I am troubled by the action(s) of a man in Salem, Oregon.

According to KREM and the AP, a 33-year old Luke Kishpaugh of Salem demonstrated an ugliness which casts a pall over my day. A group of four young girls were watching a rabbit at Woodmansee Park in Salem, when Kishpaugh ordered his Doberman Pinscher to attack the rabbit, apparently for the pleasure of watching it kill the harmless bunny.

One parent who was with the girls told Salem police she saw the man get a "smirk" on his face and other witnesses saw him laughing when the dog captured the rabbit and tossed it into the air before killing it as the children were crying.

Police said the man later taunted a 3-year-old child in the parking lot and was also heard praising his dog. Pity the poor dog, much less the dead rabbit.

Ultimately, Kishpaugh was charged with aggravated animal abuse, animal abuse and told to stay out of city parks. To my way of thinking, this was simply not enough punishment for the man.

I think not only should he be banned from city parks, but that given the psychological link between animal abuse of this type and child abuse/molestation, he should be ordered to attending mandatory counseling for which he should also pay. While I do not know if this would cure his problem, I do feel it necessary.

What about your thoughts on this sad and disheartening matter?

Dave

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