The “Salt Lake City Paw Tribune”, a local newsletter for pet owners and animal lovers, recently highlighted an unusual petsitting experience involving a man named B.O.B. and Benny, a massive St. Bernard belonging to Salt Lake City resident Rodney Bell.
In his glowing review, Bell admitted that he wasn’t sure what to expect when he hired B.O.B. through a newspaper ad: “He showed up with this rugged, wild look—scarred face, bark-like skin, and leaves in his beard—and this earthy, piney scent. You don’t exactly expect a guy like that to be your top candidate for dog care.”
Bell later learned that the heavy burn scarring across B.O.B.’s face was from a traumatic incident. When asked, B.O.B. mentioned being attacked by a group of teenagers who set him on fire for fun. “I don’t know if I believe him entirely,” Bell wrote in the article, “but whatever happened, it left its mark. The man’s been through something.”
Despite this, B.O.B. displayed an impressive bond with Benny, earning the massive dog’s immediate trust and affection. Bell noted: “When I returned from my trip, Benny looked healthier and more energetic than I’ve seen him in years. B.O.B. didn’t do anything flashy—he fed him, played with him, and kept the place spotless. For a guy who looks like he wandered out of an enchanted forest, he’s surprisingly dependable.”
While Bell sympathizes with B.O.B.’s scars and difficult past, he didn’t press him further about his story. Instead, he wrote: “What matters is the man treated Benny like family, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.”
The newsletter’s readers have been buzzing ever since. Some comments praise B.O.B.’s dedication and resilience, while others speculate on his unusual appearance and mysterious backstory. Several locals have asked for his contact information for their own pets. Bell’s final note sums it up well: “Don’t let the bark fool you—B.O.B. is all heart.”
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We swear to secure our people against the wickedness and evil of the invisible world.
We swear to aid the afflicted.
We swear to stay ever vigilant and seek out the abominable witchcrafts committed in this country.
We humbly pray to be blessed by God to hold all those who consort with the Devil accountable. Amen
—Opening and closing prayer for Sons of Salem meetings.
The Sons of Salem is a loosely-organized conservative populist movement in the United States that preaches violent opposition to anything they perceive as witchcraft, demonic, or monstrous.
Blowhard podcaster Ted Gundy and former general of the mercenary group “Hognose,” Roland Rush, founded the movement in 2010 after a series of violent werewolf attacks and unexplained, supernatural murders in Tennessee. Memberships grew quickly, stoked by Ted’s fiery doomsday rhetoric on his podcast "Truth Seekers" and the aspiration of the masculine power embodied by Roland.
Although they speak of duty, honor, and maintaining the “natural order” of things, the Sons of Salem are driven by fear. They collect guns and appear at protests en-masse as a way of easing the all-consuming terror of their powerlessness. At the same time, they have conditioned themselves to respond to fear with “strength” (read: violence).