ANGER
ON A RAMPAGE

Topics: Anger; Enemies; Fighting; Grudges; Jealousy; Revenge; Self-control; Temper; Violence

References: Genesis 37:3–4; 1 Samuel 18; Proverbs 14:30; Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:26; 1 Peter 2:1

A guard dog ransacked a teddy bear museum in western England in the summer of 2006. Barney, a Doberman pinscher, went berserk, shredding about a hundred of the bears on display. Worst of all, Barney destroyed Mabel, Elvis Presley’s teddy bear.

Mabel belonged to an English aristocrat, Benjamin Slade, who lived close to the museum. He had reportedly paid $75,000 for the bear at a Memphis auction, then loaned it to Wookey Hall Caves, the teddy bear museum. The museum’s general manager, Daniel Medley, said, “I had a very embarrassing phone call with the owner. He’s not very happy at all.”

Barney’s handler, Greg West, speculated that the dog went crazy because of a “rogue scent.” Or it could have been pure jealousy. “I was stroking Mabel and saying what a nice little bear she was,” West said.

West spent several minutes chasing Barney before he could wrestle him to the ground and end the carnage. Photos of the dog after he had been quieted show him sitting on his haunches and looking contrite. No dogs are allowed now at Wookey Hall Caves.

What are the triggers that send us into a rampage? What releases our anger and desire for revenge? Is it jealousy over the strokes that someone else got? More important, whom do we damage when we lose control? More than likely, it’s something more valuable than a teddy bear.

—Lee Eclov, “Jealous Guard Dog Destroys Valuable Teddy Bears,” PreachingToday.com; source: Alan Cowell, “Doberman on Guard Duty Whacks 100 Teddy Bears,” The New York Times (August 3, 2006)