I've noticed that this bit of news has already been burried whereas I am of the opinion it should still be debated all over TV-Land. When I first read the story a couple of days ago, I was stunned and in complete disbelief. It is unfathomable that a government would order the brutal bludgeoning muder of 50,000 dogs! In case you have missed it, you may view the story here (CNN), here (Yahoo), here (Fox), here (Spiegel in German) and if you have a strong stomach here (PETA). I caution against viewing the PETA site and have only included it here for illustrative purposes. My son and I viewed 5 seconds of the video and shut it down. That's how badly it affected us.

We are dog lovers. Our pit mix Peaches is our joy and we love her to death. The mere thought of a government official tearing her away and beating her to death in front of our very eyes makes me want to be violently ill. The image of the dog in the Chinese street hovered over by Chinese killing squads mercilessly beating on him - it is too brutal to explain, understand or even accept.

When our last dog left us, I cried like a baby. The attachment to a pet can be as strong as the bond between parent and child; I know of a few people that treat their pets as such. I try to keep some perspective to this though and I can't say that I particularly spoil her or spend tons of money on things she has no use for (like a rhinestone studded collar for example).

If the Chinese government had invested in proper vaccination procedures for pets, this atrocity could have been prevented. I cannot even imagine the trauma of thousands of children and families at having watched their beloved pet murdered before their very eyes - helpless to do anything about it. The psychiatry industry will be booming for years. Wait, do they even allow shrinks in China?

I've said too much and not enough. I need to regroup; I'm hoping by giving my outrage a voice via this medium it will act as a cathartic experience. Perhaps not.