I killed a puppy with my bare hands.
The single toughest thing I’ve ever done – physically and emotionally. I don’t think that I regret it, but at the same time, I’m not sure I did the right thing (is there ever a right thing to do?). Nor am I sure quite what I learnt from the experience.
I think the truth is: I’m still learning from it…
When I was 9 or 10 years old we went on holiday. I don’t remember how old I was exactly, but I can’t have been more than 10, because my brother wasn’t born yet.
The single toughest thing I’ve ever done – physically and emotionally. I don’t think that I regret it, but at the same time, I’m not sure I did the right thing (is there ever a right thing to do?). Nor am I sure quite what I learnt from the experience.
I think the truth is: I’m still learning from it…
When I was 9 or 10 years old we went on holiday. I don’t remember how old I was exactly, but I can’t have been more than 10, because my brother wasn’t born yet.
While we were out walking one day our dog, Rocky, caught a rabbit. He held it in his jaws, shook it from side to side, and then dropped it. It fell like a rag doll, and Rocky went on his way again: job done.
My parents also started off again, but I couldn’t leave the rabbit like that: its neck was broken, but it was alive. It was still breathing (very fast) and was clearly conscious.
So I took a large rock, and killed it, as fast as I could.
I remember my parents being very impressed. But the truth is, I just couldn’t leave it like that. I didn’t feel I had a choice.
I’m on a very quiet beach in Goa. It’s 0ne month after my yoga teachers training course (when I learnt to live), and I’ve been practicing intensely as well as teaching a private student in the local resort.
Today though I don’t feel well. The illness that plagued me the previous month is recurring slightly – I’m weak and feverish.
Today though I don’t feel well. The illness that plagued me the previous month is recurring slightly – I’m weak and feverish.
As I pass a shop I hear a faint but terrible sound. A mewling / squeeling / high-pitched wailing sound.
It’s not the kind of sound you can ignore, so I investigate. Round the side of the shop, at the edge of a pile of garbage, is a tiny black puppy.
His fur is crawling with insects. His eyes are full of puss and parasites.
He’s barely alive. But he is alive.
What would you do?
I went into the shop and asked the people in there about it: does the dog belong to them? It was a stupid question really. Stray dogs in India are a dime a dozen, and people there have more important things to worry about – like feeding their children. The shop owner barely even acknowledged me. She didn’t want to know…
So I went and bought some milk. I tried to feed the little dog some milk, and then I killed it.
First, I tried to strangle it. But it didn’t work. I just caused that little dog plenty more suffering for a while. His squeeling became almost unbearable. I was shaking and sweating.
Then I found a tile, and I broke it’s neck. It wasn’t easy – I had no idea how hard it can be to extinguish a life. But eventually I did it.
That’s what I did. I’ll never forget that little dog.
The next day I came across a small, weather-stained poster pinned to a tree. A tree I’d been walking past, every day, for a month.
It was an advertisement for an animal rescue center.
What would you have done? Did I do the right thing? Please leave a comment, and spread the love by sharing this with your friends / social media (using the green ShareThis button below)
It was an advertisement for an animal rescue center.
What would you have done? Did I do the right thing? Please leave a comment, and spread the love by sharing this with your friends / social media (using the green ShareThis button below)
Asshole
U think ud b smart enough to get it some help and mayb bring it in to an animal hospital, but u kill an innocent animal bc ur plans are more important. I hope sum1 does that to yu so u can have a taste of ur own blood. He was hopeless and harmless, he jus needed help not murder. #youshouldbeashamedofyourself!