I saw a dog die by inches on my road. I tried calling the animal control people repeatedly and they said they would come by but they never did. My DD and I saw this dog every day. It would not accept food or water from us and the first few days chased every dark truck that passed on our not very busy road. After a few days it would only raise it's head and after that it would hardly even look. My husband was out of town at the time and I was not able to gather up the courage to go shoot it. After 10 days it died. I wrote a furious and moving letter to the editor of our local paper about our ordeal and several people responded but I think that was like preaching to the choir. Some time ago, I had a student tell me that his father and he had dropped a dog off on a secluded road "near a farm" and I almost lost it. I called the parent up and let him have it. I think he probably thought I was nuts. I was almost in tears after talking to him but I don't think it did any good. Although his kid never said anything stupid like that to me again (I don't think he dared.)I am so saddened by man's inhumanity to other creatures on this planet. My other gripe is when some fool tells me that they are "letting their cat have kittens so that the kids can see how nature works" Aargh!!!