For some reason that post became truncated. I had written this too:

One day, in cutting through a park, I came upon a youngster - maybe 7 years old - hitting a tied up dog with a switch. The dog was cringeing but was not aggressive in any way. The kid's mother was over at the swings with another kid- maybe 100 feet away - and she did nothing; she didn't come over when I started talking to the kid nor did she speak.

I told the kid to stop it, that the dog will never learn to trust anyone if he hits it, and that it was important for a dog to trust. He said, belligerently, She's MY dog. I said, That doesn't matter. We're talking about the dog. You must not do that.

The kid gave up and went over to his mother and I went on home.

Later, of all ironies, I went to work as a secretary for her husband; I found out only later who the mother in the park had been.

They eventually gave the dog to a friend of mine and she was the most neurotic dog I have ever known.