Protecting Precious Puppers From Pesky Punks’ Pushy Paws

CONTENT WARNING: Animal Abuse

A stray dog in our neighborhood had puppies about two months ago. She’s usually fed and cared for by the residents, and when the puppies were born, my next-door neighbor decided to keep them in her front yard. Several of us in the area took turns providing food for the puppers while we looked for good homes for them.

It’s understandable for children to want to see and play with puppies. Most of the kids in our neighborhood are well-behaved and only admired the pups from a distance — all except the spawn of the couple that lives across the street from me. Their kids are the definition of “Hellspawn”. They’re known to bully other kids, and their parents, instead of reprimanding them, actually defended their s***ty behavior. One time, they actually made the victim of their kids’ bullying apologize.

[Neighbor], who sheltered the puppies, was dreading having to deal with that family. Our fears were realized when, one day, some of the pups were playing right in front of the front gate of [Neighbor]’s home. One of the Hellspawn saw them and came running. He rang the doorbell.

Hellspawn: “Let me in! I want to play with the puppies!”

The poor lady really didn’t want to subject the puppies to their roughhousing.

Neighbor: “They’re still too little. I’ll let you play with them only if you get your parents and promise to be gentle.”

The kid soon returned with his mom and his sister.

Mom: “I demand that my kids be allowed to play with the pups! It’s unfair that other kids get to interact with them and mine don’t!”

Neighbor: “Please explain to your kids that puppies are delicate.”

Mom: *Brushing her off* “Don’t worry about it.”

The kids entered, and things turned ugly really quickly. The kids grabbed the puppies roughly and made loud noises at them.

Neighbor: “Please take it easy with the puppies, kids.”

They just ignored her.

Her tipping point came when the boy grabbed one of the pups by the ear and the poor thing yelped. (She later told me that all this happened within about a minute of the kids arriving.) She finally asked them to leave.

Neighbor: *To the mom* “This is why your kids aren’t invited to play with the puppies.”

The mom flew into a rage and started yelling about how her kids were being bullied. Her screaming was heard by the other residents, including me, and we came out of our homes and collectively told her to get her kids away from the pups. As she was now outnumbered, she decided to retreat.

It still boggles my mind that entitled parents think it’s okay for their kids to bully small animals, and that they actually get offended when called out for it.

But don’t worry. This happened nearly a month ago, and it was the last time those brats got near the pups. All five of the puppies have gone to good homes.