Two weeks ago something unspeakable happened. I won’t go into the details. But it’s enough to say that a 15-month-old pit bull puppy suffered abuse at the hands of a cruel man. When something so monstrous happens, how should we react?
We can feel shock at the act of abuse. Pain in our hearts for the pup’s suffering. And anger.
Thousands of people responded in outrage, writing comments on social media and calling for an eye-for-an-eye. “Make sure he pays for what he’s done,” one comment read.
Then, veterinarian, animal advocate and member of the Board of Directors of the American Humane Association Marty Becker wrote this impassioned plea on Facebook:
Friends, I need your prayers and shares today.
Last night we all shared our outrage and grief at the abuse suffered by this beautiful dog, Caitlyn, in South Carolina. Today, I’d like us to do something else.
Instead of raging at the suspect in her case, let’s channel that anger into praying for her recovery, and to guide and sustain her veterinary team at Veterinary Specialty Care-SC in Mount Pleasant.
Dr. Becker provided information about the Charleston, SC, Animal Society for those who were looking for ways to help and concluded by asking people to spread the word about praying for Caitlyn.
Thank you Dr. Becker for being a voice of compassion and comfort, helping us to direct our emotions. It’s easy to focus on hate. But God asks us to focus on love.
Caitlyn has undergone surgery and will recover with some permanent damage and needs lots of TLC. And our prayers.
Please pray for Caitlyn.
God, please be with Caitlyn and help her heal. Be with the surgeons, technicians and all the people involved in her care today. May all the hands that touch her be gentle and kind. Surround her with love. Show her that good people exist in this world. God bless our animals. Thank you for all those who work with and advocate for animals. Amen.
