Dear Source:
What a great step forward for the St. Croix community! Max, the dog who was brutally beaten, is finally having his day in court. We hope the person responsible for causing him debilitating pain and suffering in front of impressionable young people will be punished to the full extent of the law.
Animals cannot speak for themselves. The fact that Max allowed the person who rescued him to even approach him speaks for the trust that our fellow creatures have for us. Max even trusted the man who beat him, allowing him to tie Max up for the thrashing. How many of us can imagine the fear that this animal felt? Max let a man hit him on his head and in his eyes continuously with a board embedded with a nail. Max was blinded by these actions, but he still trusted the young man who rescued him, and did not attack or strike back.
Putting the man responsible for Max's suffering behind bars will mark the beginning of a new era in the Rebirth of our St. Croix.
This will create an amazing opportunity for our island to show the entire world that "Paradise" can be a reality. For too many years, animal abuse has been accepted as part of the "culture" of the islands. For too many years, slavery was part of a certain culture. But as humanity evolved, the fact that cruelty to certain members of society will not serve the best interest of the whole has become an irrefutable fact.
Fellow Crucians, we must stand up for those among us who cannot speak! We must let the rest of the world know that we will not allow violence and cruelty to permeate our homes, our family and our society.
Terry Chretien
St. Croix
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