Odessa

Try telling any pet owner that their beloved "child" is just an animal. Now try it when that pet is dying. Officer Paul Stephens of San Marcos Police told Michael Gonzalez just that after Mr. Gonzalez was pulled over for speeding.

From the Houston Chronicle:

The patrol car's dashboard camera showed Stephens telling Gonzalez: "It's just a dog. You can buy another one. Relax."

Officer Joyce Bender arrived and approached Hernandez on the passenger side of the car. When told Missy was choking, she took the dog and tried to clear its airway to allow it to breath, but failed, Narvaiz said.

At that point, the officers believed the dog was already dead and Stephens issued the ticket. The incident lasted 17 minutes, Narvaiz said.

Officer Stephens has supposedly been verbally reprimanded and the Police Chief has sent a letter of apology to Mr. Gonzalez. People have threatened Officer Stephens and his family. Threats to the officer's family are ridiculous, but I can understand frustration with the officer himself. The gun on his hip and the weight of the law and that makes the rest of us feel a bit helpless.

The officer had plenty of the options, like escorting them to the clinic himself and writing the ticket there. In fact, the husband pleaded to have the officer let one of them continue on with the dog. Detaining an obviously upset couple for 17 minutes is cruel.

Did Mr. Gonzales deserve a ticket? Yes - he was driving 95 mph. I don't care who you have in the car, you better have a machine gun firing at you from behind to be driving at that speed. He was not in his right mind and the officer could have just reminded him of that.

I don't care if you have a pet or not; if you love animals or not. Do not underestimate how much someone cares for their pet. It doesn't matter if the pet is old or young, it is still family to many people. Hopefully Officer Stephens has learned that lesson.

Don't ever say to the owner of a dying pet: "It's just a dog/cat/horse/gerbil. You can get another one". Why? Because it won't be THIS one.

P.S. To the mean spirited commentators at the Houston Chronicle web-site - You people make me happy to live no where near Texas. I will never visit your state unless someone hog ties me a drags me there.