I've been wide awake since 3:00 AM. It's now 4:21 and I have to start getting ready for work in just over 2 hours. 

The Calgary Herald (Edmontonians hate Calgary – it's our officlal rival city) ran a story in their paper about a bullmastiff cross who jumped a back fence and attacked a woman who was walking her friend's miniature pinscher. Well, the target of the attack was actually the little dog but the woman got in the middle of the frenzy and took some biting herself. The owner of the bullmastiff immediately and willingly surrendered the dog to the authorities.

Now, this is very very unfortunate and sad. 

But here's what really really bugs me:

1)  the number of on-line ANONYMOUS reader comments that strongly insist the woman who suffered non-life threatening but no doubt painful bites SUE the owner of the dog that jumped the fence – I quote a reader comment: "Yes….sue they must….My new club wanna join? It's called "People Before Dogs".

Seriously, we have developed into an alarmingly litigious society. We want to sue when people make faces at us or are rude to us or say mean things about us; when grandma dies in a nursing home at 97 years old because dammit, it must be someone's fault; when someone rear ends us going 10 KM/H; even when we're simply WITNESSES to a fatal traffic accident (yes, there is a lawsuit in the system from a guy who, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, saw a horrible car accident and he's suing the City of Edmonton because he still has nightmares). Our culture's penchant for get-rich-quick-by-suing-the-pants-off-everybody makes me sick. 

2) the number of inane reader comments like "DOGS ARE NOT HUMANS" (well, duh, and that's a bad thing???).

3) Other comments like: "It is nice to know that dog attacks are down but obviously some people still aren't getting the message that big dogs can be dangerous." and "Any animal, big dogs in particular, can be dangerous or pose a health hazard."

4) For every unfortunate incident like this one, there are gazillion happy, courageous, heartwarming, wonderful stories of happy, courageous, heartwarming, wonderful dogs (even big ones) that don't make newspaper headlines.

So that's my 4:00 am rant. I'm done.  Maybe I can catch an hour's worth of shut-eye before the alarm starts making obscene noises. 

cometdog said: Charon, in my case –  people die on me suddenly so I wouldn't know!  Oh wait, so do my dogs!   Am I jinxed? 

We better not let Monkey Butt read this – he might sue Comet for starting the Anti-Monkey-Butt-Force.

I know what you mean, Carmen – I think people are way too lawsuit-crazy.  I'm sorry you had a sleepless night – I hate those!  Especially when you get caught up thinking about stuff like needless lawsuits.  Hope you have sweeter dreams tonight!

Susan

munko said:

As a Former Calgarian (and never an Edmontonian )  … It is sad the kind of society we live in today and it's sad that animals often pay the price for human stupidity – but as was already said – it's got to be someones fault, but it's never our own!

 It's tough sometimes, that's for sure.

Oops. I wrote that bilge at 4:00 in the morning . No offence, Former Calgarian. Seriously, I don't give a heck of a lot of thought about Calgary except that two of my kids now live there. I do find it awfully big and fast and don't understand why anyone would want chickens in their yard???? And that lady thought dogs pooped???

You are right though, I'm afraid – it is indeed the era of "someone else's fault."  

(what exactly is a BSL law??)

Fortis said:

My thought on this topic and what plagues humankind is an almost encouraging acceptance or unawarness if you will of "Social Narcissism" which is at epidemic proportions in my opinion! 

It can be a crazy self-centered world for sure! I'm dreaming of retirement on a secluded island somewhere where I don't have to deal with people who don't think traffic signs and rules apply to them, who butt in lines at movie theatres and text on cell phones during the movie; who cluster at the top of escalators chatting, who push their grocery carts overflowing with goods to the "Express" line or worse, realize they've forgotten something and dash at an incredibly leisurely pace through the aisles to get it while a line-up of other customers wait; oh, my. I could go on and on. It makes me mental sometimes.

Of course, I am pretty tired right (never thought I'd see the day when I would be ready to call it a night at 9:12 in the evening)! .  Riley's already headed upstairs to warm the bed.

carmenmcconnell said

 like Red Deer??!

My last post of the night. Seriously, I can barely type. My husband showed me the pic on this link:

http://www.thep…..id=3128875

Hope the links work.

Good night everyone. Thanks for the fun.