I probably shouldn’t admit this, but when I was about 12-13, my dad shot our dog and I turned out fine*
*not fine, but the dog is just the cherry on top of my mental health sundae
I'm sorry
As retired therapist, and trauma survivor, how parents treat the pets is a major thing.
If a child sees a parent beating or neglecting a pet, even if not blatantly abusive, it creates a perception of how child may be treated. Even if parent are not abusive.
Before I was married or had kids I adopted a wonderful but very difficult and potentially dangerous dog. I had him for years with kids and had to be very strict and careful. It was less than ideal. When he passed away we got this floof that is as cuddly as it gets
That, and also it appeals to the "fuck your feelings, snowflake" mentality of their base, and the tiny hard-on they get from pulling a random trigger. Any trigger, on anything in their path. Understand this: With the modern GOP, ***The cruelty is the point***
