A Refresher Course in "Life's Not Fair"

First, the "disclaimer" - The following depiction of events comes from the heart.
I do realize that in the whole scheme of things (re: Life) this is really "no big deal."
Lord knows I don't want to take away from anyone's suffering, losses, etc.
I am, however, a mother, and my children have been hurt. I am guilty of tunnel vision
where my family is concerned and they are MY "Life."

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Life's NOT fair... and yes, I know better than to expect it to be.

Last Sunday evening I sent my 10-yr old son out to feed the cat. Moments later he and my 7-yr old daughter were screaming and crying hysterically.

Our 10-day old kittens had been killed by our neighbor's dog

and were scattered over our driveway in various states of mutilation. The neighbor's two dogs were running loose in our yard.

Where do I begin? My thoughts (in no particular order)

• Our family is devastated over the loss of the kittens. They were just beginning to open their eyes and the kids had already named them.
• There is nothing I can do to erase what my children saw.
• I can't make the hurt go away for them.
• I won't forget holding my sobbing son as he railed over the injustice and how the dog "showed no mercy" to the kittens. Nor will I forget hearing both kids repeatedly ask me "Why?" And of course, I had no answer for them.
• The neighbors know their dog is vicious. They told me in December their dog would kill my cat if the dog were to get out and the cat was around. Their dog got out quite a bit.
• The dog was running wild and charging toward Ken and Christopher. There was no doubt in my husband's mind that if he hadn't been there, Christopher would have run from the dog and the dog would have attacked him. Ken got Christopher behind him and they stopped where they were. I believe Ken's size and his confident manner kept the dog at bay. The dog's behavior was frenzied to say the least.
• It is because of this dog that my daughter doesn't like to play outside. Even in the fenced-yard. Now I'm not comfortable even letting them go out in the front yard, across the street to get the mail, or walk to their friend's homes.
• The neighbor has 2 young sons. I can't understand why they insist on keeping a dog with its nature. The fence doesn't keep it contained so they added an electric fence - apparently that's not working well, either.
• We listened as our cat meowed/cried outside our window that night. She was in the spot where she had the kittens and we set up their secluded home.
• I hurt for my husband who had the task of gathering and burying the kittens. We were trying to act quickly and keep the scent from Mischief who was looking for the kittens. I kept the cat away and Abbey and Christopher took turns holding the flashlight so Kenneth could get the grave ready.
• The neighbor's reaction... "Oh, I guess we forgot to turn on the electric fence."
• Since we didn't see the dog attack our kittens, NOTHING is going to be done by the authorities. Our neighborhood rarely has dogs running loose so this was a no-brainer, all things considered. If we file a report, the neighbor will be fined for their two dogs being loose - about $165 each.
• BUT - since they claim our cat goes on their property (near that dog?), Animal Control will fine us for our cat not being contained or on a leash. It seems our county has a leash-law for dogs AND cats. We would be fined additionally because our cat doesn't wear a collar and rabies vaccination tag. This was intentional as collars aren't safe on outdoor cats and can cause the cat to be hung. So, the bottom line...both families received warnings concerning the pets.
• Our puppy was spooked by the experience, too. Our gate is right next to where the kittens were kept and Izzie was outside at the time. We didn't notice anything with her that evening but the next morning when it was time to go out she didn't want to leave her crate. Normally she makes a mad dash to the door! She also cringes a bit now when she hears the bark of a large dog nearby.
• Nope, Life's NOT fair... I'll bet you already knew that, though.