Warning: some parts of this article will piss you off if you’re a human with a good heart. I had to drink coffee before I started writing this. In the video, a Tesla drives up into a dead end and parks. They open the door and let the dog out, then after it won’t go away, the driver walks the dog into the brush or forest ahead. As soon as she can, the owner rushes back to his Model S and drives away.
https://twitter.com/tesla_master/status/1291935383312142336
I couldn’t tell from the video whether the person was male or female, but TMZ reported that it was a woman who abandoned the dog. The pup in question is a yellow lab and the woman abandoned it at Orchards Community Park in Vancouver, WA. I think it was completely heartless was that she tricked the dog by walking it into the woods and running off. This was heartless.
Clark County Animal Protection and Control investigated the incident, and KOIN reported that the woman was cited for animal cruelty for abandoning the 13-year-old lab. Right after the pup was abandoned, a shelter, I Paw’d It Forward, was able to make sure that the sweet yellow lab was found and taken care of, and said that it won’t be up for adoption until the investigation is complete.
Clark County Animal Protection and Control also said that the driver of the Tesla in the video could face a misdemeanor or civil infraction for animal cruelty and that officials are asking the community if they recognize the woman or the dog. KOIN reported that the program manager said that animal control officers were able to identify the woman in the video but they didn’t share her name with the media. She was questioned and authorities noted that she cooperated. Her final charge was a citation under county animal cruelty laws for abandoning her sweet pup.
The shelter, in a statement on Facebook, said that this was “abhorrent to see happen,” as it also addressed the threats against the owner. “We feel you. We are working hard on the answers and ask that you give us time to get them, legally.” They also added, “This pup deserves our undivided attention, so let’s focus on this, please! He is safe and getting tons of loves and care. Thank you everyone for jumping in to support this pup in his time of need. We love our animal-loving community.”
https://www.facebook.com/IPawdItForward/posts/1000310740449893
The Tesla Community Steps In
Many in the Tesla community were appalled by the actions of the Tesla owner. Eric Poppen nominated “Henry the Dog,” the abandoned pup, for #Frunkpuppy, with all the winnings going to the Humane Society of Southwest Washington. John Connel shared the donation page for the Humane Society where Henry is now waiting to be adopted.
https://twitter.com/johnpconnell/status/1293361996507885574
Animal Cruelty and Its Impact On The Environment
Many people choose a Tesla these days because they are environmentally friendly, unique, and have cutting edge technology. Many of the Tesla owners I have interacted with on Twitter — before the pandemic — would often partake in meetups to clean beaches, parks, and other public spaces. Some would hold events to help other community members in need, whether it’s their local community (such as homeless shelters) or a friend coming into a town whose car was broken into and his entire business was stolen.
The Tesla community is awesome like that. However, we have both good and bad people in this world and some of the bad ones drive a Tesla. Just as some of the bad ones may go to your church, school, or work with you.
With that being said, there’s really not much known about the effects of animal cruelty on the environment — with the exception of cattle and farming. The Wisconsin Humane Society does have an information page on the effects it has on children. Animal abuse is linked with domestic violence and a victim’s pet is often used by abusers as pawns to manipulate and control them. Children who witness such abuse are three times more likely to abuse animals and to play a role in an abusive relationship later in life.
Regarding the environment, if one is abusive towards animals, and people that they supposedly love, think about something they don’t love or have zero emotional connection with — such as our planet. This isn’t to say that they will abuse our planet, but I don’t see an abuser caring enough about the environment to the point that they are willing to advocate for it.
Abuse does something to a person’s sense of right and wrong and having witnessed abuse first hand (my marriage), I can tell you that the type of people who are easily able to manipulate and hurt you will not care about the world around them or how it impacts others.
The Environmental Effects of Cruelty to Agricultural Animals
In 2008, Michigan State University College of Law published a study, The Environmental Effects of Cruelty to Agriculture Animals. The author, Landis-Marinello, noted that laws criminalizing animal abuse should apply to the agricultural industry, which is exempt from these laws. Factory farms increase production to unnaturally high levels and these contribute to devastating environmental effects, such as:
- Climate change.
- Water shortages.
- Loss of topsoil.
“Factory farms have devastating environmental effects, and we need to do much more to regulate this industry. The first step should be to criminalize cruelty to agricultural animals to slow down production and thereby decrease the environmental destruction wrought by factory farms. The animals will thank us, and it will create a much better future for humans as well,” the author wrote in their conclusion.
My 2.5¢
If you are going to abuse an animal in any type of way, then you don’t deserve the right to have one as a pet. If you are going to violate that innocent trust that they give you and choose to hurt them, whether it’s abandoning them to the elements after caring for them for a period of time or beating them or neglecting them, then you, in my brutally honest opinion, need to go to therapy and work on yourself before you are allowed to care for an innocent being.
Animals don’t have the opportunities of choice that we have — they are intelligent to a degree, but we are the ones who are the keepers of this planet. This goes for people, too. I’ve seen the argument “they care more about a dog than a person,” and addressing that, here are my thoughts: “One should always speak out against injustice and it’s okay to care about both human lives and animal lives.”
We need to be kinder and more loving toward not just each other and our furry, scaly, feathered or hairless companions, but also to our planet.