"hard, cold and heartless."
Legalism always is.
Christ made it a point to chastise those keeping the letter of the law whilst ignoring the spirit of the law.
["rescuing a donkey from a ditch on the Sabbath" springs to mind]...;)
That's an excellent reminder of what Jesus was really all about -- love, mercy, compassion. I care little for the trappings of organized religion. But I do believe in a loving, merciful God, Who has blessed me with, among other things, the companionship of some wonderful animals through the years. In my worldview, to betray my animals is to betray the God who made them and lent them to me for safekeeping until He was ready to call them home.