Beef Jerky!!

Sometimes you just see something that makes you "sad/happy". That's the feeling you get when your heart aches to the point of tears, but you also want to belly laugh at the same time. This strange blend of emotions doesn't occur often, but when it does it's quite a sensation.

I recently experienced sad/happiness at the sight of a wretched animal in Mexico. I didn't recognize this vile beast until it was almost too late, but when he made a full appearance, sad/happiness is the only way I can describe my emotional response. I was pushing a small Ford car backward down a crusty dirt road when one of the ladies in our group shouted "Watch out for that dog!" "He'll move" I replied, but I never saw any movement, and it appeared that whatever was taking refuge from the heat under that Ford may not have been alive. Suddenly a black 4 legged creature appeared from under the car. This... thing... scurried off into the distance, and it looked like gristle with legs. I swear I've seen charbroiled meat that looked more alive than this thing.

We affectionalely named the beast "Beef Jerky", and joked that he was under that car stroking a ring, whispering "My precious". He was Gollum meets charcoal, and he made me sad/happy. I was sad that we were witnessing an animal that was so beaten down and void of love that he was literally wasting away, and I was happy that I got to see something that was so ugly any description wouldn't do it justice. I know it sounds cruel of me to ever be happy about something like that, but c'mon, how many times in your life do you get to see creatures that are the things of myths and legends?

I'm obviously not a card-carrying member of PETA, but my heart really went out to this dog. He was a microcosm of his community; poor, hungry and in desperate need of help. That was the most tragic thing about Beef Jerky... he needed more help than we could give him... just like the community from whence he came.