Dear jerkface,

I have no idea who you are or what your life is like or what kind of situation you’re in, but I can’t imagine that any human being with any microscopic level of compassion could abandon a young dog the way you did today. You may have thought that leaving a ripped-open bag of food in the back of his rusted-out dog kennel would suffice, but he had no water and no place to relieve himself and today was a HOT DAY.

You’re lucky that a teenage girl happened to walk through the small neighborhood park where you left him. You’re lucky that she cared enough to rescue him from wallowing in his own feces. And you’re lucky that she ran into someone who had a car and could help find someplace to take a 5-month-old scared but loving puppy, so that he’ll actually have a decent shot at a happy life. We’re all lucky that someone at the vet’s office immediately stepped forward to say that she’d take him in. He’s going to be a very good dog and he’s going to have a wonderful life with a loving family and a canine companion. But all that is no thanks to you.

A part of me wishes someone would lock you in a small, dirty cage and leave you in the heat of the middle of day in a park that’s infrequently walked through. I would say that’s fair. But I also don’t wish those awful circumstances on any living creature. So, I suppose I hope that you have a roof over your head and food to eat and a decent life. But I also hope you never own a dog again. There was no reason you couldn’t have taken that dog somewhere else. An animal shelter. The Humane Society. A vet’s office.

Take care, of yourself and all living things,

Leah