I don’t know if I should waste the time writing about what may not even technically be “journalism” based on the warped or altogether absent logic presented in the writer’s argument, but I can’t let such a horrendously out of touch article slip by without saying something. Please read the inane ramblings of Adrian MacNair.
I don’t know how much back story I need to give but here are the nuts and bolts of a dog killer’s cruel and bizarre voyage to prison.
This dog walker, Emma Paulsen, left a bunch of dogs in her truck for god knows how long. That should be the first sign that she shouldn’t be taking care of dogs in the first place. It’s one of the cardinal rules when traveling with a pet. Anyway…long story short—shocker!—they all died from heat stroke. All of them. This little fact leads me to assume that she was gone for a very long time. It’s not like they all died at the exact same second. It must have taken time for all six dogs to languish from overheating.
So what does a kind, caring soul like Ms. Paulsen decide to do at the sight of a pile of dead dogs in her truck? She dumps them all in a ditch and reports to the police that they had been stolen. Yup, we have a real animal lover here, folks. She led on the local authorities and the owners, giving them all hope that, maybe, sometime soon, their beloved animals would return safely. All the while she knew they were decomposing in a hole outside of town. This ruse lasted for a week until she finally fessed up and admitted that she had killed them and hid the bodies. Charges were filed and she ended up sentenced to six months in prison among other reprimands.
You know me. You know how much I love animals. Throwing her in prison for a brief stint seems like a real “no effing duh!” outcome. All too often animal cruelty laws are ignored and enforcement is minimal if not nonexistent. Add in the whole filing a false report, lying to police, etc., and the charges make sense. I was glad to see something come of this case.
Then I read the article by Adrian MacNair that left me in utter disbelief. You think Paulsen’s crime isn’t such a big deal just because they’re dogs? What kind of twisted logic is that?
Let me just look at this from a cold, legal standpoint. If you take away the emotional connection, the sentimentality, and the intangibles of pet ownership, a dog is still property. If I bought or adopted the dog, took it in, gave it a place to live, have a license for it, blah blah blah, it is technically something that I own. Now substitute a dog for any other piece of property people own. Let’s say cars. If this woman had completely totaled six peoples’ cars, messed with evidence, filed a false police report and lied to police, she’d be expected to go to jail for that, right? It doesn’t matter how much the item cost or how easily it can be replaced. The foundational principle here is that it’s another person’s stuff and people can’t just destroy it without consequence. I’m no lawyer but I’m pretty sure that’s the way it works.
And I’m willing to bet good money that MacNair would agree with me on that particular analogy. Now, in addition to those facts above, add back in the emotional investment which can’t be measured and try to tell me that the bond between a person and their animal doesn’t add intrinsic value. That’s the part Mr. MacNair apparently can’t wrap his head around.
The sheer callousness in which MacNair views an animal’s life is downright shocking. In one section MacNair writes, “I felt sympathy because Paulsen is going to lose her right to freedom over the death of six animals who, at the end of the day, are essentially inconsequential to this world. Oh yes, I’m sure the dogs were important to the dog owners. That much is clear. But they’re only dogs. And this is a woman’s life we’re talking about. Dogs are easily replaced. If you don’t think that’s true, head down to your local animal shelter. You can grab one for about $350.”
Yes, we all know how much dogs cost. But their price tag does not determine their value. That’s not how connections between living beings work. Try telling a child, crying and inconsolable after his first dog passes, that his beloved friend didn’t mean anything, that it was inconsequential to this world. Those happy memories of them playing in the grass, the lesson the child was learning about how to care for another living creature, the deeply rooted joy given by the dog that will largely help define his happy childhood, you’re telling me that has no impact on the world? If you believe that, you are delusional.
A commenter, Ida Koric, summed it up best by saying, “Your main issue, MacNair, is that you feel that you’ve been granted the right to determine the value of a life. You have dismissed dogs as “just dogs” with absolutely NO logical argument about why the life of a dog, or any animal is meaningless, other than that it appears to be so to your personal view. Guess what? You don’t get to make that decision…”
Amen, Ms. Koric. And hopefully people like MacNair never will have that authority.
If you’re interested, links to the original story about Ms. Paulsen’s actions are below:
Musings from a Tangled Mind 
Absolutely agree with you! Both of these people are narcissists clearly and have huge character defects to boot. I think that along with a lengthy prison sentence, mandatory empathy classes should be prescribed in order to teach her that these sentient beings have every right in the world to exist, and deserve protection from idiots that cannot understand what it is like to be loved unconditionally, What utter failures as human beings. They cannot fathom the damage and devastation that happens to people when we lose such dear friends. We have anti-cruelty laws for a reason obviously due to decent, caring people who could see how animals suffered at the hand of man. As for this Adrian MacNair, when someone as selfish and self-centered as he is and cannot see this or any other animals true beauty and worth, empathy classes should be mandatory!
Of course I agree with you. The sad thing is, can empathy truly be taught (when one is older) or is it too late? I think once you get to a certain time in life, empathy can no longer simply be “taught.” The brain must be wired for it at a young age. At least that’s just my opinion. It’s one thing as an adult to be unaware of a situation and then be made aware and go “oh I had no idea!” and change your lifestyle because of it (like vegetarians). It’s not that you lack empathy, it’s just that you lacked knowledge of something. But this guy, his complete lack of empathy…I’m not sure anything could help him and others of his ilk.
Sometimes I think animals are worth more than people =/
With some people, you’ve got that right!
wow what sick twisted logic …that’s journalism??? maybe he should go for sensivity traininng just fior beginners…and then understand his just dogs mentality how that spreads to his readers. Ugh!
I didn’t really think it should be considered journalism either. I wonder if sensitivity training would even get thru to him or if it would just bounce off?
It’s interesting that Paulsen showed no remorse. She “told the court she had nothing to say before her sentence was delivered,” according to one of the stories. Wow, even the most callous criminal will usually put on an act for the judge. Let’s hope this woman has no children, or ever gives birth.
And I agree, at some point, empathy can no longer be instilled. I think in this case, that point has long since passed.
Throughout the whole ordeal she has seemed to have no remorse. At least not that I have found in any of the articles. And you’re right, you’d think she’d at least fake some for the judge, but nope. Not even then. I’m not sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing.
Well, at least you know what you’re dealing with, I suppose. But what must she be like when no one’s watching?
“The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.”
— Mark Twain
Ol’ Sam knew how to turn a phrase and get right to the point!
I agree with both you and Mark Twain! 🙂