Suddenly, I wish I could “like” something on Facebook

Anyone who’s a regular reader around here knows that Geoff and I are not on Facebook.  Today I ran across something on the Huffington Post that made me wish that I could actually like or upvote it or whatever it is you do on Facebook.  Get out the tissues, folks, this one is horrible and amazing all at the same time.

It all started on Craigslist.  Everything seems to start on Craigslist (except for the government shutdown, I think that started in what passes for Michelle Bachmann’s brain).  This time it was someone posting from Nashville, TN.  Here’s the link and here’s a summary of what she wrote (courtesy of HuffPo with some editing by moi).

Last Friday night, a pit bull with signs of abuse wandered onto a stranger’s porch in Nashville, Tenn. The stranger took her in and then took to Craigslist with a powerful message for the pit bull’s former owner.

“Your pit bull found me, and I’m not giving her back.”

“With each bite of her they took and each yelp she cried, they’d look at you for reassurance. Because all they wanted to do was please you… Loyalty is in their blood. Violence is not.”

The writer then goes on to tell the readers that the dog, now named Mama Jade, has mammary cancer, not an unusual development in dogs that are unspayed or that have been bred relentlessly, but in this case something that requires more treatment than she, the rescuer, can afford.

“Tomorrow, Mama will finally feel peace. And when she closes her eyes and takes her last breath, I’ll be there. I’ll hold her big ol head and I’ll tell her how much I love her. And when her soul has left her battered body and I’ve dried the tears enough to see, I will document every bruise, every bite, every cut, scrape and gash. I’ll photograph her teeth, or rather, where her teeth used to be. I’ll turn in all the evidence and post it where EVERYONE will see it. I’ll use it to educate kids in heavily crime ridden areas, on the horrors of dog fighting. If you could do that to a dog, you should not be allowed in everyday society. And teaching our children right from wrong is the only way to put a stop to this.”

Then, the internet woke up.

The original CL post went viral almost immediately.  Word has made it as far as Australia and all over the US.  The original CL post was yanked, apparently it received enough attention that someone, nobody knows who, complained about it and flagged it on CL.  A dupe post is here.  A Facebook page has been set up and offers to help this dog with her cancer treatment have been pouring in from all around the world.

This horribly abused dog.  This dog with no teeth, a dreadful fear of other dogs, sores, scabs, and scars.  This dog with cancer – she has a shot at a new life.  She has a shot at an actual life.  She has a chance at being treated like all animals deserve to be treated, with love and respect.  Despite everything she’s been through at the hands of humans, she’s still full of love and affection for people.  She has forgiven us.  She loves us.  Would that humans were capable of the same kind of love.

If your screen is getting blurry I don’t blame you.  This is a rough story.  It celebrates the best in people, the best in animals, and it highlights the worst in humanity as well.  The purported prior owner of Mama Jade has surfaced on the Facebook site after dog and rescuer were interviewed for their first news segment.  This “person” claims that Mama Jade was never abused and that the rescuer is lying.  I prefer to let the photos speak for themselves.

If you’re in the position to donate to her treatment fund I’d encourage you to do so.  If you’re interested in commenting with support on the Facebook page, I’d also encourage you to do so.  If you simply want to nominate the CL post as a Best Of, I’d absolutely encourage that, I already have.

Right now, with the government shut down, programs to aid the poor ending or drying up, Veteran’s help and health not happening, and a million other things going wrong (at least here in the US) because of ego, stupidity, and jackassery this might seem like the least important thing in the world.  Perhaps, but it means the world to Mama Jade.  It makes me feel better that there are still people out there willing to help those that quite literally cannot speak out for themselves when the rest of the world is falling apart.

~Kelly