Gutter Run: Remy Ong vs Dog

National Bowler Remy Ong made news when he was involved in a traffic accident, fatally wounding a pregnant dog. Witnesses said he made the hit-and-run with an impact that left his number plate at the scene of the crime. People at the scene attended to the dog but the pooch faded away 20 minutes into her suffering. One of the witness posted the photo on Facebook where it went viral. I believe escalated failures (on Remy’s part) led to the furore online.

• Failure to keep a proper lookout while handling his Porsche when he claimed to be going at 40 km/h.
• Failure to stop, check and remedy upon hitting the canine, instead, carrying on irresponsibly.
• Failure to establish good faith when he returned  an unbelievable, garbled account, challenged by witnesses and the evidence of his fallen plate.

Some people have an opinion that it is just a dog, and that just like other roadkill, it is common, and the anger is disproportionate. They’ve missed the point. People aren’t just furious because it’s a dog, especially a pregnant one. What stoked the flames is the unkind way we treat lesser beings, or subjects that offer us no value. Especially coming from our ‘heroes’. Because how we treat others exhibit our inner character, and moral substance. In this revelation, there was disappointment and disgust, in what was possibly perceived as “the callous attitude of an elite”; a fall from grace. To contrast, it is the weight of his character that makes Linsanity so attractive, beyond his brilliant sportsmanship, he represents an ideal, one of humility and graciousness. The opposite naturally invites antipathy, and unfortunately it took the lives of something very helpless to illuminate this.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. – Gandhi

Leave the torches and pitchforks, bring compassion.