Shunya's Notes

Better steer clear of her, you left-wing ideologues and right-wing religious types!

Taking into account the fact that Namit has introduced me as a Dragon Lady to be feared, I will inaugurate my blogging efforts at Shunya’s Notes with a kinder gentler post.

As I say on my page, I am an ardent animal lover. No, not one of the kooky, irrational types who would let children starve while they pamper their pets – are there really many people like that?  ( But I must admit that when I watch epic war movies or westerns, the twinge of sadness I feel seeing a horse die on the battle field, is a bit more acute than the one I feel for its slain human rider.) I also believe that wanton cruelty towards animals should be punishable by serious jail time and fines. That said, I do not write about animals very often. Some time ago, when the memory of having lost a greatly loved pet was still fresh in my mind, I came across an extraordinarily moving essay in Newsweek by a man who had to put his beloved Doberman to sleep because it had become a threat to the safety of his family. The following thoughts had crossed my mind at that time.