Episode 103: Left Behind

I've had an odd feeling of anxiety all week, one initiated, of all things, by a comic strip.

I read certain comics in The Washington Post everyday. The strip in question is Mutts by Patrick McDonnell. Usually you can count on Mutts to deliver a sweet and silly story line featuring a footloose cat named Mooch and a dog named Earl.

One character, Guard Dog, is not so fortunate. For years he has been been chained in his yard in all kinds of weather with no love from his owners. Mooch and Earl, and a little girl, befriend him but can't do anything to free him.

In the past two weeks, Guard Dog's owners have moved away, leaving him him behind, and truly alone, with nothing to eat or drink. I don't know why this affected me so greatly. After all, the dog -- Guard Dog -- is a construction of the imagination and ink on paper.

When I confessed to Perry about how upset I felt, he immediately said, "It's a trigger, bringing forward all the things that are troublesome in our lives: war, mass shootings, famine around the world, the environment and the physical and mental illnesses in the others that we are unable to cure."

The cartoonist, Patrick McDonnell, is very practiced at dragging out the story line. After two weeks we still don't know if the dog will survive, although realistically it's left to our imagination for now.

King Features Syndicate

At present, Guard Dog is still chained up, but friends have come to him, and an adult has been sent for, but he is still passed out. I'm hoping Mr. McDonnell doesn't plan to make an example of Guard Dog. Every day there are ads on television about abused and neglected animals; we know how bad it can be and can barely look at the screen when these ads are on..

I mentioned this to my niece and she confirmed that everyone in my family is upset about this turn of events and were getting ready to write letters to The Washington Post.

Maybe I'm not so crazy after all.

Will keep you posted.