Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I love Pittsburgh.  Only here could a jackass like Kenneth King get sympathy for threatening to “shank” a dog.  King, a resident of the Mexican War Streets, walked past a canine unit at the Cedar Avenue Sunoco.  The K-9 dog, Benny, barked at him. From inside the car. Mr. King responded to the bark.

The man screamed “shut the (expletive) up or I will shank you,” according to the report filed by Benny's handler and partner, officer Ron Absten, who indicated the threat was directed at the dog. Mr. King also said “I hate dogs” and pulled a silver knife out of his pocket.

King was arrested and charged with taunting a police animal and landed his sorry ass in the County Jail b/c he couldn't come up with $100,000 bond.  Apparently, tonight his bond was reduced to own recognizance and he's been sent off to anger management classes. 

Did the police overreact by arresting and charging him?  Perhaps.  Did Judge Riccardi get a little overzealous with the bail?  Perhaps.  And, yes, those circumstances warrant a closer look, especially if there was racial bias involved. 

What everyone seems to overlook is that Mr. King threatened to shank a dog that barked at him from inside a car.  Even if you overlook the sheer degree of idiocy required to threaten a police dog, there's the fact that he threatened a dog.  For barking.  Inside a car.  Now how come no one is talking about that overreaction?

Hmm. Here's my favorite (well, second favorite) part:

Mr. King's parents, Keith and Annette Cash of the North Side, told KDKA-TV that their son was returning home from his job as a cook, has no criminal history and poses no threat to anyone.

Umm, on behalf of dog owners throughout the Northside, I'd like Mr. and Mrs. Cash to clarify how they get from “shut the fuck up or I'll shank you” to poses no threat to anyone? Are you fucking kidding me?  I can't even begin to imagine how deluded these parents must be to completely downplay the fact that their son threatened to shank a dog. 

I'm not sure who needs more of a wake-up call — Mr. King or his parents. 

This is my favorite part, courtesy of MacYapper.  His colleague Valerie McDonald Roberts tips him off to the inside scoop.

Here's what Valerie's sources tell her.
King was with his white girlfriend. Don't know if that triggered any particular emotions in the Pittsburgh police officer or what. I'm just sayin.'
He gets out of his car to go to the Sunoco next to the Poor Man's Giant Eagle on Cedar Avenue on the North Side, a service station frequented by MacYapper.

Suddenly the dog, inside the police car, starts barking at him. He yells at the dog, possibly in an apparent attempt to show off for his girlfriend.

Then the cop comes out of the Sunoco station and says “I'll let the dog out,” to the kid. And the kid says something like “oh yeah, we'll I'll shank him,” or something similar, which is a far cry from the guy actually threatening the dog directly.

Valerie says her sources describe this kid as pure as the driven snow. Sounds like we have a cop out of control here folks.

Sounds like we have a 23 year old whose parents had no control over him.  What kind of grown adult yells at a dog to impress a girl?  Is she a member of the Michael Vicks' fan club?  And, once again, we return to the question of what kind of grown man threatens to shank a dog? 

Here's what I think.  If my dog is in the car and Mr. King walks by, she's going to bark. That's what dogs do. They bark. If you don't like or feel afraid to walk by a barking dog, cross the street.  Turn around.  Act like a grown adult. 

Threatening to shank a barking dog is an overreaction. Threatening to shank a barking police dog is an overreaction and possibly a sign that you are one of the most stupid people in the City.  Dating a girl who thinks threatening to shank a dog is impressive pretty much guarantees another generation of stupid, overreacting jackasses.

What do I think of Mr. and Mrs. Cash?  I think they should call up the mother of Jamarow Trowery, the Penn Hills man charged in the shooting and mutilation of a 4 year old dog.  He cut off the dogs paw and then tried to decapitate it.  Then he bragged about it.  Did anyone pay attention when he was threatening to just “shank it”?  Did they dismiss it?  Did they defend him?  Who missed the boat on that one?  His mother?  His Recorder of Deeds?  Who?   I'd hate to think what would happen if my dog barked at him through my car window and there wasn't a police officer standing nearby. The problem is that someone probably pooh-poohed it because Jamarow was a nice young man or a good father or he didn't really mean it or some other such bullshit.

Dogs aren't disposable commodities. They are living creatures capable of fear, pain and anguish when maltreated by those who reduce them to playthings for their own amusement.  It is bad enough I have to drive my dog to the freaking dog park because of the jerks in my neighborhood with untrained, off-leash dogs who delight in chasing smaller animals.  It is bad enough I cannot leave my boys unsupervised in my own fenced-in backyard.  It is bad enough that I can do nothing while a neighbor breeds pit bulls for fighting.  I shouldn't have to worry about letting my dog ride with me to the library b/c some Kenneth King wannabe gets a little hissy up his ass when she barks “hello” at him out the window.

Shame on Mr. and Mrs. Cash for turning a blind eye to a real problem.  Maybe they should spend a few moments reading up on the connection between animal abuse and family violence.  Maybe they need to bitch slap their son into reality and teach him to have some respect for himself and for other living creatures.