I'm NOT a happy puppy today.....

[Ottor]

Just a bad day... It started out pretty good .. Tee’d off at 10:30 and it was a beautiful day.. Leaving the 5th green, I looked over at the bathroom and noticed 2 guys chasing something small around the out-building.... they stayed on the other side for a while and then got in their golf cart and left ....

I went over there, and saw that they had chased down a large Rock Chuck, and proceeded to beat it to death with their clubs. It was just sunning itself, and then died. For what reason, other than it happened to be out in the open when 2 idiots drove by.

Why did that upset me so much? - I don’t’ know....... After all, it’s just a rock chuck. But I think the viciousness of the act got to me. It was totally senseless. It was violent, and without purpose. Yes, I’m an animal lover, and you say .... jeeze, it was only a Rock Chuck... but then again, what if it was only a dog... or only one of those million stray kittens that roam the area? - What if it was only a kid.... The more I see, the less I like people... at least today.

I got on my cell phone and called the clubhouse - his comment was.... “Are you kidding me?? He really did that????” - “is it still out there?” - Well, I’ll make sure he goes back and disposes of it properly” !!

Apparently, the only disaster that the course manager could see was that he didn’t want a dead animal by the bathrooms...... Of course, ... he’s also a farmer, and you know how much THEY love those damn rock chucks....

Anyway - I guess I can’t understand why I’m the only one that’s upset by this .... but I am..

I’m going to the Oregon Coast on a photo trip for a full week (next Friday) !! Wanted a book on the Oregon Coast - there’s thousands of them out there, so I thought I’d look them over and get one that would tell me some of the stops, and areas to see/photograph... I went to Hastings (A book store) - As I walked out of the store, I mentioned to the manager that I didnt’ want to hear anything about the local stores losing out on “Internet” purchases....... I told him that he had, LITERALLY, 19 books on Italy - not one on Oregon.

Then off to Barnes and Noble ............... they had 3.... 2 books on Oregon in general, and One which told me how it was to cross Oregon in a covered wagon many years ago ....

I think I’ll just have a small shot of Chevas 12 yr, and go to bed. It has to be better tomorrow... please?

Happy 4th everyone... I hear the kids next door starting their fireworks ...

Rick

[OsmosisStudios]

Have one for me too.

I had to look up what a Rock Chuck was (essentially a groundhog or marmotte) but to have them killed like that is terrible. If you could have gotten pictures or video of them doing it, I'd say go to the local SPCA or file a complaint with the police for animal cruelty. It's not taken lightly.

Then again, you got to golf today, and I had to work.

[Q2SHOOT]

That's a completely senseless act and would have upset me as well. The groundhogs days were probably numbered however, as the golf course management would have surely tracked him down and killed him sooner or later.

[Indigo November]

That's horrible! I don't think any animal is "just a [blank]", no animal deserves to be beaten to death, that's just cruel.
If it was that much of a problem (which I doubt it was) they could have called someone out to end it's life quickly.
Not that it even needed to be killed!!!
Why does the life of an animal in nature have less value to us than the life of a captive, tamed animal????
Who has the right to say that someone's life doesn't matter, or matters less than that of a different animal????

It just makes me so upset.

[Meadster]

Sorry for your bad day there! As I get older ( I'm 43) I seem to find myself thinking that human beings have less and less sense about them than I used to think. While I"m generally an optimistic person, it does seem that when left to our own devices people will often make stunningly "wrong" choices. This incident seems to support that - killing an animal just to kill it - senseless.

I hope your trip to Oregon and the amazing coast there will help boost your spirits! I look forward to seeing what you shoot while you're there. I hope you share them here!

Safe travels!

[Saralonde]

I was on vacation with my family last week and my daughter and her fiance went golfing one morning. She came back upset and with a similar story to yours, only geese were involved. Apparently there were a flock of geese by a water hazard and one had it's wing nearly broken off, barely attached. They weren't sure what happened but as they moved around the course, they saw 3 boys with golf clubs attacking the geese. I know people get irritated with those birds for the mess they leave, but brutal attacks leaving them half dead or injured?

Sometimes I'm amazed at how cruel we can be .

[Barbara V]

Wow, that gets me sick.

[Sonya Natasha]

There have been a string of animal cruelty cases here lately, this one is the most disturbing CBC News - Nfld. & Labrador - Boy, 8, used BBQ fork to kill dog: SPCA

Thankfully, Newfoundland is toughening up their laws, maybe it will help deter some of these monsters....

[douglas]

What is worrisome, is that there is plenty of evidence that people(?) who do things like that are likely to carry out cruel things to people including murder. Wanton deliberate cruelty makes me sick.

[gturner]

Vermin/ pest control is one thing, savage and cruel behavior is something completely different.