I liked the starfish story, SPD.  Point taken.

One more.... and then I'll drop it.  Walking Alfie yesterday morning....along one of our regular routes.   There is a home with a couple and one little girl....perhaps 4 or 5 yrs. old.  They recently acquired a new puppy....a Beagle.  As we walked by the girl was out in the front yard, alone with her new puppy.  Puppy was doing its jobs and then wanting to be playful with her.....like puppies do.   But I think the child was not all that happy about having to take puppy outdoors and wait for it to finish its duties.  She had a stick in her hand and....until she spotted Alfie and me approaching, it looked like she was about to start hitting the puppy.  But she stopped when she saw us.  The question ran through my mind....what should I do if I witnessed her abusing the pup?  Say something directly to her?....Go to the door and say something to the parent?....Just stand there and glower at her? (I've got a pretty mean glower that I used to control my 3 boys with)....or do nothing and just call the city animal control?   I've already got myself in dutch with a neighbor who leaves his little Parson Russell Terrier outside in all kinds of weather.  Last summer daytime highs were getting to 100+ degrees and that little dog was left out in it all day long.  I offered to check on him and fill his water dish during the day when they were gone.  Boy did he ever jump down my throat....informed me that his wife was a stay-at-home mom.  At home all day....and that they loved and took care of their dog and that I was sticking my nose in their business.  He was really mad and literally shouting at me right out side my front door.  My motivation was good.  I do not feel guilty.  Dogs are especially vulnerable to high temperatures.  Their only cooling mechanism is through their tongue when they pant.....and, I guess, to a certain degree the pads of their paws.  They do not perspire as we humans do.  I could also add that they often leave the dog outdoors all night during summer and he barks at anything he thinks he sees or hears during the night....and our bedroom is on the corner of our house facing their yard.  Ever try going back to sleep after being wakened at 3 to 4 AM?   Was I being nosy?  In either case a dog-loving person can get into hot water for getting involved on behalf of the abused animal.  I guess, probably, the best move is to just call animal control or the Humane Society.  They will normally not reveal who reported the incident to them and that would preserve peace among neighbors.   Oh yeah...now the little terrier has a friend that his family acquired for Christmas.  Same breed.  Just as noisy...maybe more so.