[One Proud Dad]

I have taught mine not to instill human qualities to animals that come and go seemingly more frequent than family and friends.

The cruelty of the father should be addressed but the humanizing of animals has to be turned down a bit.

[najida]

I don't see anyone here humanizing the puppy.

I DO however see folks calling the Dad what he is...
A heartless monster of a brute and the son had every right to cry, dangit!

[proudofthesouth]

the humanizing of animals has to be turned down a bit.

I disagree. Pets give a lot of love and happiness. They also can and do become family. I'm not close to my family and my pets have become mine.

[af_vet_rr]

The cruelty of the father should be addressed

There's the key right there - somebody who would so casually kill or abuse a pet - there's something seriously wrong with them. Chances are they don't stop with pets.

[beezdotcom]

The cruelty of the father should be addressed but the humanizing of animals has to be turned down a bit.

Eh, that'll fall on deaf ears around here...there are already too many people who have elevated animals above humans.

The reason to be against animal cruelty has little to do with the pain, suffering and death of the animal. The dog flung off of the balcony is just as dead as the hog that died to give me breakfast (and the hog was pobably smarter). No, the reason to be against animal cruelty is that it tends to breed a certain callousness of spirit, which isn't usually a desirable thing.