Ah, Maybe Just a Little Bit

I dont consider myself a hard-case, in fact I try not to be, and although I am fairly in touch with my emotions theres not a lot that makes me want to bawl like a little kid. Call me jaded, maybe I am.
But some things definately do choke me up, bad.
I already talked about one thing that does already today - the un-asked for heroism of the men and women who climbed the stairs into hell at World Trade One and Two on September 11th, 2001. I'll never be ashamed to admit that I have cried thinking about them. I was in a Emergency Response to Terrorism class a year ago with several hardened medics, cops, former military and other "tough" people and on the anniversary of 9/11 (it was a Saturday class) we watched one of the HBO documentaries about the horrible events of that day. There wasnt a dry eye in the room, and there shouldnt have been.
The other things that choke me up are kids and dogs (or pretty much any animal).
Normally, I'm not really sure what to do with kids - and I love my dogs and other animals, dearly, and would kill anyone who hurt one of them as fast as I would kill someone who hurt a human family member. But other than that, I'm not one of these people who goes to pieces just at the very being of kids or animals. Nor am I one of these particularly nutty animal rights activists. I eat meat, I am partial owner of a cattle ranch, I hunt occasionally, and I have no problem with it (although I believe it is important to respect the life I am responsible for taking).
But there are times when I get torn up about kids and dogs, in times of great suffering, great sadness and displays great strength.
Somewhere in the region of U-Go-Crazia (Bosnia/Herzegovina, Serbia, Etc.) during a massive bombing attack a tiger at a public zoo got so scared he chewed off his own paws and had to be put down. We cage them, treat them as if they have literally no brain, and then we wonder or call them "stupid" when animals, alone and isolated as they are in our "care", do things like that. It makes me sad and angry to think about that poor tiger - such a majestic, powerful, animal reduced to that.
In more recent days, in the aftermathof hurricane Katrina, I have heard things that made me cry like a little girl.
I heard on TV about a Six year old boy in New Orleans who led a small group of children in a hand-holding chain, only one of them a sibling of his, to safety and to rescuers all by himself, because he was seperated from his parents. A child so young, shouldered with such responsibility - he must have been so frightened, so unsure about the entire world - and he did it anyway, he took that responsibility and he lead. A six year old child. I know adults who couldnt do that, who would fall apart under those pressures.
And then there is the picture I've attached to this post on the upper right. Thats from New Orleans, at a gas station. That dog had been there for days, standing vigil over the body of its master. People say animals dont have souls, and cannot reason, much less love - but if that is not love and devotion, I dont know what is. A dog is smart enough to be cutthroat and go to the first hand that will feed it, I've been around dogs all my life and will guarantee you that - but that one didnt, alone and hungry. Thats such a sweet face, and such a sad knowing look. And god only knows what will happen to him or her - I hope one of the rescue groups down there picked him/her up and has given it shelter, and love and maybe even a new home, new family.
Fuck the people who say animals are dumb, soulless, un-reasoning creatures - fuck them all to hell. I know better. I dont wish to think better, I know better.
That picture makes me cry - and I almost didnt post it because I didnt want to have to see it again. I closed the page I saw it on as soon as I saw it - and then reopened it and took a good long look and decided to post it. Its important.

~Cowboys dont cry,
Ah, mebbe just a little bit
Sometimes dirt get in your eye...~