Not even one whole day into 2015, and Sarah Palin spits on the New Year’s resolution tradition with a Facebook post so foul it made me physically gag upon seeing it. New Year’s, for most people, means time for change, or time for growing stronger, wiser, more mature, but for others, it apparently means stepping on our four-legged friends.
She posted three photos capturing her son using their family dog as a step stool so he could wash dishes. While there is no backlash for the child involved, as he simply wanted to do his chores, his mother, a former governor and one-time vice-presidential candidate, sat back and watched her son use their pet as a mere tool. Not only does her oblivious nature run rampant in this display, but she decided to take a few photos to commemorate the event.
Now, a reasonable parent would have thrown a fit and told the boy to get off of the dog, or simply explained in a gentle tone why they should not do that again. Palin not only took photos of the event, but then, she ignorantly posted them on Facebook for the entire world to see, and Animal Rights groups/activists jumped on the post immediately.
Politico posted the ensuing onslaught of criticism of Palin’s blithe post, starting with PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. Newkirk started by saying, “It’s odd that anyone–let alone a mother–would find it appropriate to post such a thing, with no apparent sympathy for the dog in the photo.”
After that, Newkirk referenced an interview that the former governor once gave at a turkey farm in 2008, while animals were being slaughtered in the background. Meaning, Palin’s clearly not a friend of animals, nor the organizations that pride themselves on the bettering of their treatment, as Friends of Animals was next in line to condemn Palin’s post.
Friends of Animals’s president, Priscilla Feral, said, “It’s no surprise to Friends of Animals that Sarah Palin is so insensitive she thinks a Black Lab should be tolerant of a child, who isn’t told to not put his full weight on top of the dog’s back by standing on him. How lazy of Sarah Palin not to move the dog out-of-the-way and teach her child the right lessons.”
However, after two groups with sheer contempt for Palin took their shots, the president of the Animal Welfare Institute, Cathy Liss, gave a little less critical comment to Politico. President Cathy Liss gave a more impartial response over the controversy and said, “It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the interaction is safe and appropriate for both.” She then responded with, “Although perhaps a seemingly innocent post on Facebook by Palin, a child standing on a dog is not safe for either the child or dog.”
The one-time vice-presidential candidate has not yet given a concrete response to the incident, which is probably smarter than giving those reputable organizations more ammunition to hit her with, since it was clear they have more left in reserve. Let’s just hope Palin’s learned her lesson–man’s best friend is no one’s step stool.
Blog by Matthew Bowers