The dog barks through the fence at the empty street. It barks at every person who walks past the house as well. But now maybe it's just barking for something to do, or to get attention. The response comes from an open window: "Shut up, Barley!" The dog falls silent for a while, apparently satisfied by this interaction. Yet this is all the dog gets. It's outside 24 hours a day, and the only company it has are yelled phrases like "shut up." Yet its owners are capable of love. They have a small child who they clearly love very much. Perhaps they have only so much love to go around, between their baby, their spouse, the demands of a working life, the exercise routine the slightly overweight mother does with the TV—punching, stretching, her weight belt bouncing frantically. But maybe they are just assholes. Why not put the dog up for adoption? It's clearly just a nuisance—who enjoys constant barking? Yet this would necessitate admitting their own shittiness at the relatively easy task of caring for a dog. It takes a strong person to admit their failings. These people seem weaker than their fucking baby.

—Anonymous