Now you are being derogatory towards this homesless person by calling him a "bum"? On one hand you are trying to be compassionate and on the other hand, calling him a "bum"? That's contradictory.
You have nothing to be afraid of. Just merely pointing out that if the dog is skinny and homeless--how can one say that this dog is being well-taken care of?
If you see what I work with on a daily basis--it's enough to make one's skin crawl. And a little more conservative.
Would I trade it? No.
[Mod's Edit - Previous quote removed thus enticing/provoking]
Again--you're wrong.
I have compassion for individuals that take responsibility for their own well being, whether it's living in a shelter or living in a mansion. However when one is homeless and can't take care of themselves, why jeopardize the health and well being of an animal which clearly shows is what this guy is doing?
and what psychological ailments is that, for example? The only psychological ailments that dog suffers are mostly extreme trauma such as severe abuse for long period of time. They do not get something like Stockholm Syndrome or Munchhausen Syndrome.
correct. animals think INSTINCTIVELY as programmed by their DNA with million years of evolution. If the dog is hungry and his owner is not providing enough food, the dog will simply leave or even maul him if the situation is very dire.
and what psychological ailments is that, for example? The only psychological ailments that dog suffers are mostly extreme trauma such as severe abuse for long period of time. They do not get something like Stockholm Syndrome or Munchhausen Syndrome.
correct. animals think INSTINCTIVELY as programmed by their DNA with million years of evolution. If the dog is hungry and his owner is not providing enough food, the dog will simply leave or even maul him if the situation is very dire.
if the dog is being harmed/abused, the dog will simply run away or bite. I have rehabilitated a giant boxer dog suffering from severe abuse. He was very afraid of male people because he was frequently splashed with hot water and was beaten on regular basis by a male owner. Whenever the male person approaches, he cowers to the corner of his pen as if he thought he did something wrong. It took him a while to warm up to me and it took me only 30 min.
and that is not always enforceable nor reported. Beside - this case? the ASPCA officers are not going to waste their time with this. There are only about a dozen ASPCA officers for entire city. Sometimes they drive out of town to respond to complaint which can take up their whole day while there are dozen of pending complaint cases to tend to. Animal Cops are severely limited with their lack of manpower and resource. It's very difficult to prosecute it as well. Cases like Michael Vick and New Jersey cat hoarder? it's rare. That's why in most cases of animal cruelty - the owners just sign the legal document to surrender their pets to state and to appear at court (which most never went). and most of time - the owners would act dumbfounded and deny that the dogs belong to them. The state simply confiscated the animals and they usually end up being euthanized. Like you said... fact of life.....
that's where skill and training come in. I was given a Level Yellow (meaning I was allowed to handle a more difficult cases with possible risk of biting). There's level white, blue, yellow, red. He only warmed up to me (as in cautiously approaching me) and that was a great improvement. What would be considered a great accomplishment is him wagging his tail proudly and barking whenever a person comes by (regardless of gender).You're the "animal psychologist."
As for the bolded part--I don't believe you considering that it takes 30 minutes for a dog that has been abused for many years to "warm up" to you.
I wasn't born yesterday you know.....
Unfortunately, I left before I saw the end result because I was hired by my current employer - here I am. I'm curious to know what's he up to. I surely hope he wasn't euthanized because with his trauma and size - that's usually not the traits that the potential adopters are interested in. 
i can imagine!!!!
they are too big but still cute... 
They are too heavy when I want to pick up for carry and hug...
