The village idiot of Las Vegas encounters a homeless guy and his dog..

If it wasn't for the summers, I would say Las Vegas is a great place to be homeless. If there ever is a good place to be homeless that is. With that said, I have been living in Las Vegas the last eight years. And I always see the same thing this time of year - homeless people abound - even in the nice parts of town. After a while they become a part of the landscape. The derelicts, the dregs of society, the panhandlers...given enough time they grow on you. Throw an animal in the mix and it really begins to tug at your heart strings.

Yesterday I pulled into my neighborhood 7-11 and noticed a dog tied to a large backpack and the backpack in turn was tied to a trash can. I get out of my car and walk up to the dog. The dog looked horrible! It was mangy, skinny and scared.

As I am standing there, a lady comes out of the store, walks by the dog and reaches down to pet it. The dog snaps at her. I then tell everyone to leave the dog alone. It was obvious he was frightened. A few moments later the owner of the dog comes out of the store and sees us standing next to it.

"Are you guys fucking stupid? You shouldn't mess with a dog that is tied up. Leave him alone!" The guy was homeless and I'm  guessing the only things he had left in life was his backpack and the dog tied to it. He was bound and determined to protect both! A lot of people would have been taken a back by his statement, not me. I was more worried about the welfare of the dog. So I ask him when was the last time the dog had something to eat. He looks at me and says. "It's been a while, I was going to give him part of my hot dog." After hearing this I tell him to wait for a moment. I then go into the store and buy a can of dog food. I come back out and give it to him - his mood changes drastically.."Thank-you man, I appreciate it. You are very kind," he tells me his dog is named Petey and the two of them have been on the streets the last couple months. After a few minutes of listening to his hard luck story, I respectfully tell him I must go. These were my parting worlds - "Whatever you choose to do in your life? Make sure you take care of your dog. It sounds like he is the only friend you have left."