I can't but help thinking that if the dog had lost how much condemnation there would be of this man but we get jokes since he lost.
Maybe "condemnation" is the wrong word but I get the feeling if the dog died this would be treated with more tragedy than humor. I'm not saying we shouldn't feel bad when a dog dies tragically but this guy sounded like he was going through a very rough time.
He had a wife, a dog, and a large supply of moonshine. Maybe his life was rough, but not rough enough to kill himself!