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Originally Posted by Proudhockeymom
Hello. I'm new to the forum and currently unable to post at the moment. You seemed like a reasonable member so I was hoping that you could post the message below on my behalf for this poor young woman.
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I live near that area and can tell you that it's not uncommon for dog walkers, joggers, mothers with strollers etc to be seen cutting through the cemetery or walking peacefully by themselves. Though I have no loved ones buried there, I for one welcome it as a constant presence is a deterrent to vandals, it keeps the coyotes at bay (a real problem in Roxboro and Erlton) and contributes to sense of community we have in the area. Being one of Calgary's oldest neighbourhoods, Erlton has 5 different cemeteries scattered throughout it, and while others may shudder at the thought, we embrace it.
As is usually the case, we have very few facts in the matter other than these: a strange man approached a lone female in a deserted cemetery, he followed her, and then took photographs of her and her dog which he posted in an attempt to publicly shame her. If this had happened to your sister, mother or daughter the reaction would likely be the same as my husbands, one that I can't post here.
In the photo she has what appears to be a white grocery bag in her right hand which I would have to assume was being used to pick up the poop. Only she and the photographer know for sure, and I find it very telling that he choose to run with the photograph he did as opposed to one of her potentially bending over to pick it up.
The reaction to this encounter is one that I'm sure no one expected. Thousands of people have viewed this, and hundreds have commented. The irony is not lost on me that a "public shaming" situation is being furthered by anonymous posters who use a fictional username and generic photo in their posts.
While others clearly don't agree, the fact that this young woman committed a minor by-law infraction (having a dog off leash in a cemetery) is of zero concern to me. To those screaming that this is "desecration" of a grave site, let me point out there is roughly 3 feet of snow covering the entire cemetery at the moment. I would suggest that you save your public shaming outrage for the true criminals. How many of you even care that thousands of bars will pour out thousands of vehicle driving patrons later this morning who have had multiple alcoholic beverages? Will you be waiting outside to capture their photo and post it? How many of you have camped outside of the Calgary courts and published photos of convicted rapists, wife beaters, pedophiles and thieves as they walk out?
I think we all need to take a deep breathe and allow for a little perspective in this situation. A cursory glance of this thread shows dozens of posters calling her a b*tch, some telling her to kill herself, that she deserves to die, and in one case that she should raped.
This young lady looks to be my daughters age and my heart breaks for her. In this situation the shame I feel is for the public, not for her.
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