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"Nature is often hidden,

sometimes overcome,

seldom extinguished."

— Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

I read the newspaper with great interest. A few stories jump out, either at me or my mother: These are stories about people tormenting animals or keeping them in conditions not fit for any living being. It is well documented that the vast majority of humans who enjoy hurting other species go on to more interesting prey — us.

Several examples come to mind: Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and that great humanitarian Adolf Hitler. All liked to harm puppies and kittens when they were children. Sometimes it's a stretch to think of these men as children, but there you have it.

Some experts would have us think there are many more men who follow these pursuits than women. That seems to be the case, but there are exceptions. I don't know much about Lizzie Borden's past with animal life, but she evidently "took an ax" and made use of it.

There was a recent piece in the newspaper about an ongoing investigation into a region in Russia that helps well-known folks out if they aren't very good hunters. Leonid Brezhnev had poor aim in his later years. Surely, you remember him. Hunt organizers would get bears drunk on vodka and tie them to trees, so he could shoot them. What a guy!

Recently, they have also made things easy for King Juan Carlos I of Spain. He has the reputation of being rather humane in his running of the government, after being under the tutelage of dictator Francisco Franco.

He is a year younger than I, and should have acquired some sense. Now that he is only a figurehead, he likes to have pet bears gotten drunk, then forced from their cages so he can kill them. One wonders what else he does for fun.

There are times when I'm amazed at the sheer number of people who perpetrate horrors upon other living souls. Lest you think I'm a bleeding-heart member of PETA, I'm not. Show me a perfectly done steak or a crunchy BLT and I'll follow you anywhere. But torture my dinner? No thank you.

Most of us live with other animals, cats and dogs being the most popular. People tamed those two species thousands of years ago, much to our advantage. These animals are not stupid. Oh, I suppose there are dumb felines and canines. There are certainly some dense people around.

My cat, six-toed Katie, has shown an interesting ability to learn and display her sense of humor recently. She steals socks and puts them in the shower, waiting for me to turn it on. I know she's giggling. A few weeks ago, Katie learned to flush the toilet. She doesn't actually use this piece of equipment, but she likes the sound of the water.

She flushes with a heavy pull of both front paws, then puts her ear to the tank for the lovely rush of water. Katie has a litter box, about which she's fastidious. The toilet paper roll is directly above the box. When she has used her facility, she unrolls a large quantity of paper in order to cover it.

Bailey, my beloved brown mutt, is now displaying what I can only call an anomaly. My two previous dogs were purebred Welsh corgis. Pembroke Welsh corgis have a peculiar dark X on their backs. Legend has it that this is where the fairies attach their saddles when they ride the little dogs at night.

One day in the past month, we noticed something odd about Bailey's coat. You guessed it. He has the dark X across his back. There is no mistaking it. I have no idea how those fairies found him. They must have to use some sort of stepstool to mount, as Bailey is quite tall. I don't question these minor miracles; they are accepted as gifts.

So when we hear of the cruelty of humans upon other species and upon their own environment, we mustn't despair. We must remember that Mother Nature has the winning hand.

By Lee Reynolds