Dear Nica Times:
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were enjoying an evening of our honeymoon in an outdoor bar on the main street in Granada.
At one point, we saw a man riding a motorcycle being chased by a dog.
A few minutes later, the man – clearly drunk – came towards a table near ours with a wooden pole and began attacking the dog, who seemed sweet-natured as several people had been petting him during the evening.
We were shocked and horrified. The man left and went into a nearby restaurant, where we had eaten the night before.
A few minutes later, the man – instigated by the owner of the restaurant – came out again with the pole, but this time, instead of attacking the dog that chased him, he savagely attacked a small street dog that had been sleeping in front of his restaurant. He repeatedly beat him on the face and back.
The cries that came out of the poor animal were heartbreaking and unforgettable.
We, along with seemingly every other person on the street, were appalled and disgusted by this display of brutality.
The owner and the man were clearly pleased with their acts, but a group of people sitting at a table felt differently and left without paying the bill, and we congratulate them for this.
We don’t know if the little dog survived, and if he even had anyone to take care of its wounds.
They say that a person’s true character emerges in their relationship to animals – and indeed much is exposed in how we treat the most helpless and fragile living beings that surround us.
We will forever remember the beauty, kindness, and generosity that we experienced in visits throughout Nicaragua.
Unfortunately, this business owner’s public display of cruelty left a very bad taste in our mouths for Granada.
James and Natasha Ellinger
USA and Switzerland
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