I get really fucked off at my father + stepmother when I take the family dog for a walk. Somehow I can forgive them their negligence towards the children. The kids have siblings, they have an external support system, they can process, they can eventually create lives in some way separate from their caretakers. But the dog, his existence is a product of their negligence that cannot in any way realize that any discomfort he is feeling is not his fault, he can't come to understand and forgive, he can't seek meaning in their behavior beyond himself, he just is made to feel constantly bad. Ugh. I can't deal with it. And all their well-intentionedness, which is something of a mitigating factor when it comes to kids, is utterly moot when it comes to the dog. I can't stand it. It makes me right angry.