RICHARD "ZOOLANDER" TRAVIS (styling courtesy of my closet)

 

OUTRAGED YET?

 I apologize for my absence from HWS. Without the regular routine of deer hunting (even when nothing's moving) I tend to slack off on the verbiage in the off season. So here's the latest:

The month of January was spent doing drawings and obsessive little collages, huddled next to the woodstove. The spirit comes in fits and starts. I updated and published OPERATION LOVE GOD on blurb.com and continue to post my outrage at Israel's genocidal invasion of Gaza - much to many's disappointment and dismay - on Instagram. As far as writing the blog goes, I just haven't been inspired to make much of a stink. That is, until now.

Last night Shewho came over to the shack to use my washer/dryer, eat, drink, consume edibles and......you get the picture.  Date night. She'd barely taken off her coat when she asked, "Have you heard about Mario's dog?" I hadn't. Let me give you a little background. Mario is Chuckles McC's brother. I've known him since he was in his 20's.  He's brilliant and twisted (like the entire McC clan). Life hasn't been kind to Mario. Growing up in the lap of Greenwich, Ct. luxury, he blew off the PhD route, developed a bit of a drug habit, got shot in the ass on 14th St. copping dope, cleaned up, backslid, cleaned up again, and never really found his sweet spot. He's now old like the rest of us. These days Mario and his "rescue" dog live down river in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsyltucky. That's where the story takes place. 

Last year Mario and his dog (a benign looking golden lab) came up against an angry neighbor. I don't know all the details but an altercation ensued with the dog biting the neighbor and Mario getting punched in the eye. The cops were called. The dog went off to the pound and Mario to jail for assault. The neighbor remained free. Months went by. Then by luck, the charges were dropped and Mario was able to retrieve his dog before it was put down. Happy ending. Not so fast.

As Shewho loaded up my washer with her soiled unmentionables she continued the story. "A couple of days ago Mario was walking his dog on a leash, on his own property, when the neighbor appeared, pulled a gun, shot and killed the dog.....still on the leash!" The washer churned. Holy shit! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "ON THE LEASH?" I cried. Shewho nodded solemnly. Live Cheeky looked at the two of us in disbelief. (I always make sure the cat in my house is the correct Cheeky). The cat hates dogs but even Live Cheeky was aghast at this perfidy. "Meow." he cried in outrage.

As it now stands the neighbor (who is black) has been arrested and may or may not have posted the $30,000 bond. If you google " Pa. dog shot on leash" only Mario's brother Fariq's facebook post detailing the dog murder comes up. The neighbor's fb page has been deleted. I'm assuming he got a bit of hate for his despicable actions. These hillbillys up here don't need much of an excuse to unleash their inherent racism. Killing a dog on a leash is right up there with genocide.  I worry for all concerned. To be continued......