Who is this dog?

Do you think it's Leonard? 


Do you think it's Conrad? 


This looks exactly like Charlie, so it must be him, right? 


All these pictures are of a dog named Molson... 

Molson was picked up running at large a few days ago in Cow Bay. I got an email last night from Amy Slaunwhite who volunteers at the SPCA because the likeness was unmistakable - this is a littermate of Charlie and Leonard - and also Conrad and Solie who we also know. Conrad and Leonard both came from the back yard breeder, but Charlie and Solie came from the SPCA when they were 3 months old - also caught running at large. Molson has obviously had a different life than the 4 littermates I know. His teeth show very poor nutrition, his fur is orange on the ends so he's been an outdoor (probably chained) dog and he's not neutered (which he will be very shortly!). But he's got the littermate personality. He's going to be an absolutely awesome dog for whoever adopts him. I envy whoever gets him - he's got Charlie's calmness and Leonard's size. He was totally affectionate, obvioualy housetrained because when I had him outside he took a nice big dump, and knows basic commands like sit. And he loves cookies. So you're going to need plenty of them because he's really skinny and I think he's going to need a lot of making up love time.

And you're also going to have to stay in touch with his family. Family is important. Especially when it's Charlie, Leonard, Conrad and Solie - they make a lovely picture! Imagine the picture that set of quintuplets will make!

Oh yeah - and their birthday is November 1st - they're all going to be 6 years old - what a birthday present that would be for Molson - a new perfect home! Can you just imagine?

Eddy the super bouvier triumphs once again!

I went to visit my favourite former foster dog tonight - Eddy - she's been sick, but has made her typical amazing recovery. She went from not being able to walk a couple days ago to resuming her dinner dance tonight. She is such an awesome dog. But she always seems to be so close to the edge of death because of the horrible life that she's had (she was a breeding bitch in a puppy mill) that every day is a miracle and it's impossible to not micro-manage all her little twists and turns and think that every time she gets diarhea that this is the beginning of the end. But Eddy will continue to outwit us for a few more years I think. She's got a lot of oomph yet. I know that I need a lot more cuddles from her, that's for sure!


Eddy and her Mommy - "please you're hogging my shot Mommy!" 


"Now that's better - you give me love, and former Mommy shoots me from my good side!" 


Buttercup was NOT impressed that I was daring to give love to a dog other than her - after a very long time she deigned to allow me to show some attention to Eddy. I will be forever in Buttercup's debt. 

Waging Peace: The Power of One

This came through my inbox this morning and it sounds very interesting. I think I'll go. Feel free to crosspost!

Saturday, November 6, 2004 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Room 305
Weldon Law School, Dalhousie University
6061 University Ave.
Free. All welcome!

Rae Sikora will be speaking on who and what do you care about? Live a life that reflects this caring and affects the entire world. Go beyond caring about those who are part of your home, your community, your species. Think you are too busy to wage Peace? Think again....it takes no extra time to wage Peace. The Power of One works for busy people, too!

Rae has been a spokesperson for animals, the environment and human rights for over 25 years. Her innovative programs have been changing people's vision of what is possible to create in our lives. Rae has worked internationally with participants ranging from teachers and students to prisoners. As co-founder of the Center for Compassionate Living and the International Institute for Humane Education, Rae created interactive critical thinking tools that are now being used by teachers around the globe. She holds degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Environmental Education from University of Wisconsin. Simply Enough (www.simplyenough.com) draws from years of experience at helping individuals and groups see how implementing changes locally can bring about change globally.

During Rae’s visit to Nova Scotia, she will be presenting at universities and high schools. She is currently living in Sweden.

Hosted by the Nova Scotia Humane Society. This project is made available with the assistance of a grant from the Frederic McGrand Fund, administered by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.

For more details contact: 902-543-2535

Who's Shooting the Seals off Sambro Head?

There are 3 dead seals at Conrad's Beach. The scuttlebut is that the fishermen are shooting them because they think that seals eat too many fish. In the past fishermen were allowed to shoot seals. I don't know what the law is now with all the animal rights laws going on with the new world order. It just seems very strange that there's 3 dead seals on one small stretch of beach. 2 have been buried and one I guess was just too big for the old couple who buried the other 2. One of the 2 is buried really shallowly and the dogs had a great time rolling in it today. I think rolling in stinky stuff is part of the fun of going to the beach, so I let them do it. Does that make me a bad dog owner?

Anyway, that's not the point of my post. The point of my post is that it's not only the seal hunt off Newfoundland that you've got worry about if you're worried about the seal population dwindling. It's fishermen everywhere that seal's live and eat their perceived livelihood. This beach is a 10 minute drive away from Halifax, Nova Scotia.


Yummmm....freshly buried dead seal - nothing better to roll on - you not only get greasy - you also get completely covered in sand... 


This is what a dog looks like just after he's just gotten up and shaken himself off after rolling on freshly buried dead seal... 


The seal's reason for dying? 


This is her the day she washed up on shore - September 12th - there were no marks on her except for a "mysterious" hole down near the bottom of her body... 


The head of a long dead seal 


She's just about ready to pop now - her skin's just like the skin on the white meat of perfectly cooked turkey 


This is Buttercup covered in seal oil - I think she's a little pissed the seal hasn't opened up yet so that she could crawl inside and roll around. I am personally happy that hasn't happened yet because that makes the drive home 10 times longer than it really is... 

Category: [Sealing]

No one died - including humans at the pit bull demonstration!

As it turned out some brave souls defied the pit bull ban imposed by the pit bull lovers and brought their dogs to the demonstration on Saturday and guess what - nothing happened! Everyone was well behaved - the goombah's who could have showed up with their cigarrette butts to put them out on the backs of the dogs, the dogs themselves to fight with each other, and the owners who objected to breathing the same air with other people's canine life companions.

I for one am forever thank-ful to those people who DID bring their dogs. I think those are the people who are the true fighters for the cause - willing to bring their dogs out into the light of day to show Michael Bryant what he's fighting against and what he's going to be killing - so he can actually see and feel what the blood on his hands is going to look like when his law comes to fruition. Bravo for those 12 dog owners I say.

Follwup on my protesting the protest

I have gotten a lot of feedback on my post last night about the pit bull ban protest tomorrow in Toronto not being dog-friendly.

I'm going to say something here that will probably alienate a whole lot of people, but I believe it to be true, and people should really sit down and think about it. Really think about it, and really decide for themselves whether or not it's true. Because I really think it is.

There's 2 types of pit bull owners. And not just pit bull owners. Bully type dog owners - that's all kind of "perceived tough dog" type owners - you know the kinds I mean - any kind that is currently under the gun of breed bans. One type of that dog owner believes that any kind of dog who is well socialized and well trained can handle any kind of situation - including being around other dogs off leash. Then there is the other kind of bully dog owner (who seems to be in the majority, unfortunately) who believes that all these dogs should NEVER be off-leash, and should be never socialized around other dogs. THAT'S why tomorrow's demonstration is a no-dog's event.

People have emailed me to say that they're worried that there's going to be anti-pit bull people there who are going to harm their dogs. Well unfortunately in today's world we have to deal with that everyday anyway. It wouldn't happen just tomorrow. It's happening everyday. Dogs are targeted everyday - and it's not just pit bulls. Dogs are being poisoned, kicked, yelled at, abused, put on short chains, and murdered everyday - and that's by their own owners! The weakest and easiest targets are the things that are hurt the most - so dogs are sure to get kicked the first. And as one of the emails this morning mentioned - my Daisy has a nice long scar on the back of her head (8 stitches on the back of her head from a guy hitting her with the metal end of a leash last winter at Seaview park) to show for it. You never know what's around the next corner for your dog.

But back to my theory on pit bull owners. And there being 2 types. With one type being the type that says they should never socialize with other dogs and they should never be off-leash. That to me is the scariest part of what I'm learning about pit bulls. That it's so untrue except for the fact that people CREATE it. And there's 1000's of websites out there now that preach it. So maybe it'll be a good thing that the breed disappears. I don't know. I think there are a lot of pit bull owners who are their own worst enemies. I can give you a ton of websites that say the above stuff, but I can only give you one website that says what I believe to be true, and the website that I believe to be true is SO compelling and so well thought out and so articulate that I can't believe how anyone could deny it. So I will give you some websites and let you make your own decisions. To me, a whole species depends on it, really. And the blood will be on your hands. Because if you demand to keep sheltering these dogs in your basements and your back yards and your living rooms and you don't show them as the good dogs that they are and bring them out into the light of day and be proud of what they are and feel confident enough that they aren't going to "show their genetic heritage" and start spontaneously fighting with another dog - because you don't have control over them, or you're too worried that sonmeone is going to put a cigarrette out on their backside - which if someone did to one of my dogs - I can't tell you what would happen next!

But to me, this issue is HUGE. It's more than about just a demonstration. It's about a way of life. It's about access to places. It's about being able to take my chosen life companions with me where I want to go. If I wanted to go to that demonstration tomorrow I couldn't - because it's people only. And it's a dog event! End of story. The bigger picture is the eradication of the pit bull dog and the media being able to get video of 2 dogs fighting at the demonstration - well they can go to any dog park and get that, so - so what. That's irrelevant.

Because to me you can win the breed ban battle - but if you can't take your dog anywhere after that - what's the point in having them? It's not much of a life for them. It wouldn't be much of a life for me anyway because I won't go anywhere if I can't take my dogs with me.

The picture here is that once again the dog world has lost.

Here's some websites where you can look and see what I'm talking about pit bull people:

This is the best one:

from "Pit bulls on the web":
Responsible Pit Bull ownership

The "genetic whisper."

A Common Sense Approach to Dog Parks and Pit bulls

PIT BULLS AND DOG PARKS

This website I'm going to include because this lady is supposedly "highly respected" in the pit bull world - I couldn't believe when I was exploring her website one night when I came upon a large section of her site that explains in great detail how to set up your back yard so you can CHAIN YOUR DOGS OUTSIDE AND WHY IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!!! (and I meant to holler that) I could not believe it. So I give you this link so you can go look for yourself...

www.workingpitbull.com

So now on to the website that I think is the only one that speaks the truth - and for those who know me it will be no surprise. It is the Goodpooch.com website - which is a Canadian website run by Marjorie Darby. I will direct you to the page that directly addresses this topic:

One that I particularly like is: The True Meaning of Socialization but her page about pit bulls is here

It was from her website that I made the pamphlet for Seaview park on "appropriate dog park behaviour" which I thought turned out pretty well.

Anyway - you can make your own decisions.

Rudy the farting pug was in fine form last night! 


A More perfect face you'll never see... 

It's happened again - A Dog Event that DOESN'T ALLOW DOGS!

A couple days ago I sent around an announcement about a demonstration that's going on this Saturday in Toronto about the proposed pit bull ban in Ontario. At that time there was no mention that it wasn't going to be non-dog friendly. But today another announcement came through from the "Dog Legislation Council of Canada" who I was initially involved with, but I had so many fights with the management because I could never bring my animals to any of the meetings - and I refuse to do anything if I can't bring at least one of my dogs with me - what's the use of doing anything dog related if it's not dog-friendly? To me it's hypocritical.

Especially things of this nature. Especially things like a demonstrations about pit bull bans. One would think that they would want all their pit bulls and bully dogs there acting like the perfect ambassadors that they would be. But the thing is that their excuse is that they don't want their dogs there because they're too scared there would be a fight and it would look bad on them. They don't want to have anything reflect badly on them. Which is bullshit. Bullshit. I can't tell you how angry this makes me every time they do this.

I fight so hard to keep dogs out of the back yard and basement and these people just give lip service to it. When it comes right down to it that's where they obviously want their dogs to be - because that's where they continue to keep their own dogs. And that's where they want you to keep your own dogs too.

I can't tell you how disappointed I was today to find out that the demonstration on Saturday is going to be a "people only" event. It would have been a perfect opportunity to show the country what lovely and well-mannered dogs pit bulls, rottweillers, am-staffs, boxers, labs, poodles, and any other dog that showed up at the demonstration - are - and how well they all got along - because they were all there with their RESPONSIBLE OWNERS.

Unfortunately we won't get to see that now. All the dogs will be at home. Alone.

I'm fucking sick.

Examples are perfect sometimes - re pitbulls

This came through my inbox today and I think it's brilliant - I have at the top of this blog that anything here is free to be cross-posted, so I don't need to say it again here (but I just have - so feel free to cross-post this!)

Breed Ban IQ Test

1. If you were the sheriff in your town and you learned that Toyotas were disproportionally involved in more accidents than any other model, would you
(a) ban Toyotas and confiscate the Toyota of anyone caught driving one, or
(b) arrest the drivers responsible for those accidents?

2. Which course of action in Question 1 do you think would
(a)inconvenience the fewest number of people,
(b) be the more efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and
(c) be more effective in preventing future accidents involving Toyotas?

3. If your answer to Question 1 was
(a) -- ban Toyotas -- and the sheriff's department learned that, by a statistical quirk, drivers of confiscated Toyotas were perpetrating further accidents by driving, say, Hondas, would you then ban Hondas? If not, why not?

4. If your answer to Question 3 was, "Ban Hondas, too, dammit, something
HAS to be done," then would you propose a ban on ALL car models with names
ending in "a," such as Kias and Mazdas, reasoning that all these brands
are pretty much bred for the same purpose? If not, why not? If so, how would
you deal with car brands that end in the SOUND of "a," such as Chevrolet?

Test created by Paul Glassner, SF/SPCA

A picture of a rainbow over the arm! 

There was a bit of a rain storm and there was a huge rainbow over Halifax for a second - I was driving down Herring Cove Road and took this picture on the corner of Herring Cove Road and Cowie Hill Road when I was driving to my parents for supper. I was too lazy to get out of the car though because it was raining and I'm so sweet that I would've melted if I would've gotten out as well... hence the water on the windshield.

This is how silly Ontario is

This article appeared in Toronto's "Star" Newspaper on August 30, 2004 but I just found it yesterday. I have to disagree with what the article says because I know tons of women who own pit bull dogs. I myself own a rottweiller mix, and I definitely don't own her so that I can look tough. I own her because no one else would take a chance on her. And I can pretty much guarantee you that the percentage of pit bull dog owners in Ontario who own them for that reason is going to be rising exponentially over the next few months as they are dumped in shelters or abandoned on street corners because the goombas who DID get them to look cool get rid rid of them. The dog holocaust that's going to be happening in Ontario - and maybe across the whole country is going to be scary - media frenzy is powerful.

But actually - maybe I do agree with this article because it is the owners and not the dogs who are the idiots usually. And it is the OWNERS you should fear and not the dogs. And it is the owners you should be putting legislation in about, not the dogs in general.

I agree that there are dangerous dogs out there - but you don't need to annihilate a whole species of animal to make yourself feel better and more safe. Especially when the dog bites are going to continue - even without pit bulls on this earth. How will you feel when you have all that dog blood on your hands and children are still dying? Because that's what's going to happen.

Anyway, so on to the article I found - and I've also included a picture of Lucy the pit bull puppy that I helped place a couple weeks ago that I took last night at Seaview. She and her new owner are completely in love and Lucy is just getting cuter every day. When you look at the picture I think you'll agree. This dog is the same one that they're going to be putting to death in Ontario. And here too if the ban comes here.

Aug. 30, 2004. 06:15 AM

We fear pit bull owners, residents say
`Don't mess with me' the message
Experts urge municipal action

CURTIS RUSH
STAFF REPORTER

Pit bull owners are mostly young, brash males with an attitude, who strut like they own the sidewalks, say some dog owners who feel terrorized by pit bulls in the area of Isabella and Church Sts.

The underlying message, they say, is: Don't mess with me or my pit bull.

Dog owners interviewed yesterday in the area where a savage pit bull attack occurred in a back alley early Saturday morning — in which a 25-year-old man who was walking two pit bulls for their out-of-town owner was mauled by the dogs and sent to hospital with extensive leg, back and arm wounds — weren't mourning the loss of the two dogs, who were destroyed by police.

Dog owners, along with experts in animal training and safety, said that, as dangerous as pit bulls can be, the owners are sometimes the main problem. "Guys who want to look tough and want a macho-type dog sometimes get a pit bull, and they have no idea what they have," said Liz White of Animal Alliance, an organization committed to the protection of animals through political action and education.

She doesn't advocate banning pit bulls but wants to see municipalities exert more control so that "irresponsible breeders don't sell to irresponsible buyers."

White would like to see the owners rather than the dogs licensed, "But I don't think that will ever come to fruition."

Naomi Kane, a trainer and chair of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Trainers, said the incident on Saturday "makes her sick."

She said some owners of pit bulls "like the idea that their dog is scary. It's like walking around with a loaded gun in the hands of a 5-year-old because they don't know what they've got."

Some dog owners interviewed yesterday believe that pit bull owners choose the dog as "a status symbol" more than as pets or even guard dogs.

Sylvia Mina, 30, characterized pit bull owners in the area of Church and Isabella Sts. as "tough boys with their tough dogs."

"You don't see women walking pit bulls," said Chris Pegg, 43, who has two Jack Russell terriers. "I see a woman with a German shepherd, but that's probably for protection."

Don Knox, 49, who has a Rottweiler, said his type of dogs are "bred to protect," not to attack.

"I would never get a pit bull."

Many said the dogs should be banned.

Yesterday, most dog owners said that the type of dog often reflects the owner's personality.

While police have not identified the pit bulls' owner or victim, witnesses described the owner as abrasive, and several reported having had run-ins with him over failing to control his animals' aggression on walks.

Artist C.B. Johnson told the Star on Saturday that one of the pit bulls chewed up his $400 art portfolio, and the dog's owner never so much as apologized.

Another, Denis Powell, said he called the police about the owner, but nothing came of it.

"Pit bulls are a status symbol for their owners," said Erwin Weinhofer, 60, who was walking his 5-year-old German shepherd mix, Libby. "Like the dogs, you never know about their behaviour."

Paul Adams, 50, of Kitchener also believes the dogs reflect the owner's personality.

He has a boxer, Jeopardy, who is 4.

"She's extremely loyal and loving, like her owner," Adams said.

People who own pit bulls, he added, are "like guys in their hot cars."

The pit bulls who died in the attack on Saturday were described by witnesses as large, weighing about 41 kilograms each and having thick, studded collars.

Matt Howell, 24, who was walking his Doberman-German shepherd mix, said "I never blame the dog when this happens. I blame the owner."

Asked if his dog, Gidget, reflects the owner's personality, his companion, Danielle Johnson, said, "Totally."

"He's happy, but he knows when it's time to take action, and he's super-confident."

Luke Curtin, 28, who owns a beagle named Socrates, described pit bull owners as having a "macho" demeanour.

The message these dog owners send out, Curtin said, is "respect me, I've got a big dog, so piss me off and I'll let him off the leash."

But Zandra Pernica, 26, who was with Curtin, said she took Socrates to a park earlier in the summer and a pit bull started to bite the dog. "My dog was a little hurt, but (the pit bull's owner) was very apologetic and offered to pay the vet bill," she said.

So, what do you do if you feel you are in danger of being attacked by a pit bull?

"Call 911," said Staff Sergeant Norm Marshall of 51 Division.

But will police do anything? "Sure, if the dogs are running at large," he said.

"We instruct the owners to put the dogs on the leash or if they don't, we can cite them under the city bylaw."

Lucy the pit bull puppy 

My Submission to the Public Hearings in New Brunswick on Bill 55 - Restricted Dogs Act

So I sent my letter to the head of the committee (Jody Carr - jody.carr@gnb.ca) and the MLA who put the Bill forward (Kelly Lamrock - kelly.lamrock@gnb.ca)in the legislature about the Restricted Dogs Act in New Brunswick. I got an email back this morning from "the Honourable Jody Carr" - who's the head of the Committee and he said "thank you very much for your letter and submission. As chair of the committee, I will ensure it gets distributed to all members of the
committee. thank you again. Jody"

I thought that was nice. Do you know he was born in 1975? I have socks that are older than him.

Anyway - here's my letter: http://users.eastlink.ca/~joansinden/Bill55_and_Daisy.PDF

Thursday October 14, 2004

dogkisser@gmail.com

the Honourable Kelly Lamrock, MLA
the Honourable Jody Carr, MLA
New Brunswick Legislature
Fredericton, New Brunswick

Dear Sirs,

I am not a resident of New Brunswick but of your neighbouring province Nova Scotia. I felt compelled to write to you and tell you about my dog Daisy who is a stunning and beautiful creature, but who’s tortured past might be repeated over and over if your proposed bill is passed.


Daisy shortly after I got her

My dog Daisy is a formerly chained dog. A formerly ticking time bomb.

Daisy came from a native reservation - Chapel Point - in Cape Breton. She spent the first 3 years of her life chained to a dog house in someone's yard down there. She had 3 litters of puppies in 3 years. Her owner moved away and the owners mother got tired of feeding her so the mother called a rescue to come pick Daisy up and she eventually ended up at my house. She arrived completely emaciated, just after having her last litter of puppies, totally unsocialized, totally and absolutely starved for human attention, not house trained, with no self-confidence and full of fear about absolutely everything - and completely over-aroused about everything. Thank-dog she had a nylon collar on because if it had have been a chain collar it would've been embedded it was so tight on her neck. When I took it off she ran around the house for several minutes. She's still really sensitive when you touch her neck. I had to loosen that collar about six inches in order for it to fit properly. No one had noticed that it was literally choking her.

A dog who is chained for 24 hours a day 7 days a week is bored, depressed, deprived of all her natural instincts and also doesn't have protection from ANYTHING. She has no protection from any dog that wants to have his way with her, she has no protection from kids coming by and throwing rocks or sticks - she can't protect herself and she knows it. So a kid coming by and petting her would probably be the exception rather than the rule in today's world, and would probably be pretty hard to handle for a dog that's chained up. Their territory is so small that after awhile they can't handle having anyone coming into it - for good or for bad - all they know is that they have to try and feel safe at all costs.

Formerly chained dogs are a whole different type of dog that comes into rescue. They're different than stray dogs because their need for human affection is huge. Daisy absolutely had to sleep in the bed with me. She still does. If she could sleep on top of me she would. She follows me everywhere. With all the problems I've had with her - her saving grace has always been her beautiful recall - she always comes whenever I call her. She is always so happy that I'm looking for her.

They also can't stand a lot of arousal. They become overwhelmed really easily. Daisy can't stand things moving past her quickly - whether it's dogs running by her having a chase, or bicycles, or joggers - she just can't handle it and she has to lunge to try and stop it. Sometimes those lunges end in bites which is super dangerous for her since she's a black and tan dog and with all the hysteria going on currently I'm really trying to manage her very carefully. I'm trying to keep her safe. I think they can't handle the arousal because in their former chained lives there was never anything going on. There was the dog house, there was the yard, there was the mud, and there was them. And that was it. 24 hours a day. All the time. That's why they become so bored and depressed, and then angry and vicious over time.

But she also exhibits the most joyous demeanour of any being that you can imagine. When she runs at full speed, or she's coming towards you tossing a toy in her mouth hoping that you'll play with her, or when she's got her head stuck out the car window and the wind's in her ears - her spirit is infectious and you can't help but share in it. And it's because of that that I'm forever grateful to be sharing my life with her.

And almost all formerly chained dogs are exactly like Daisy. They have the same problems and the same exquisite beauties.

To leave a dog chained to a dog-house or in a dog-pen is to squander a sentient beings life because you're searching for an easy answer to a complex question. It is a super lazy way to deal with a problem of dog ownership. If you have to put your dog outside and the area isn't fenced then you go outside with the dog. It's as simple as that. A dog is like a 2 year old child and you wouldn't tie your 2 year old child outside. Well actually - people do, and that's when tragedies like dog bites because of no supervision of children and dogs happen.

Legislating dogs to be chained or penned when outside is no answer. That was made blatantly apparent by the husky attacking the child at the native reservation in New Brunswick September 28, 2004.

That dog owner WAS following the rules of the reservation by chaining the dog outside and not letting the dog roam free.

What is interesting is the fact that if that child would've run out into the street and been hit by a car that child's parents would've been held responsible for not supervising the child. But since the child was bit by a dog it's the dog's owners who are held responsible - but where were the child's parents? Why wasn't the child being supervised?

That dog was exactly like that child - neither should have been left outside unsupervised. That's the tragedy. They should both have been inside with their families.

I can tell you that Daisy right now is inside here right next to me within a hands reach so that I can reach out and give her a scratch if I need to. Right where she should be. Daisy is now safe from being chained outside and forgotten about ever again. She will not be discarded. She's a highly valued member of my family who I've made a birth to death committment to.

My point in writing to you about Daisy is that if she was still tied to the dog house on that native reservation in Cape Breton she WOULD be a dangerous dog. Because of the type of owner she had – no supervision, the fact that she was completely abandoned and discarded in that yard with no one to care for her – she WAS a ticking time bomb. Your Restricted Dogs Act will CREATE ticking time bombs, not take them away. I guarantee it. The key to good dogs is good and responsible dog ownership – not chains and muzzles. Please look at all the Daisy’s in people’s back yards as you drive through your constituencies and think about what I’m saying in this letter.
Unfortunately there's still thousands of chained and penned dogs out there and wandering equally unsupervised small children who are all horrible incidents just waiting to happen.

There's also several governments thinking about legislating acts that would make it the law that when a dog is outside that it MUST be chained or penned! We want the lives of our dogs to become better - not worse! There's also governments who are putting legislation forward that is LIMITING the amount of time that dogs can be chainend outside to 1 hour a day (Texas and Kansas are 2 States that I know for sure) - now that's good news!

"Lawrence Kansas Commissioners put limit on how long animals can be chained"
http://ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/174425

Tethering ban gets approval - Big Spring Texas
http://www.bigspringherald.com/articles/2004/
07/28/news/news03.txt
The culture change of chaining dogs has to start somewhere - maybe it can start with you.


Daisy today

Daisy has her own page on my website as well at http://www.geocities.com/joan_sinden/daisy.html with more pictures if you want to check it out!

Thank-you for taking the time to read my letter!

Sincerely,

Joan Sinden
Halifax, Nova Scotia
http://www.geocities.com/charlieloveshalifax/
http://www.dogkisser.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving Supper

Thanksgiving at the Sinden household - Buttercup took the picture! 

Can you believe this is the first time I've ever made mashed potatoes in my life? I have somehow made it to the age of 38 years and never cooked mashed potatoes myself. I have served potatoes that have been mixed with fresh garlic and butter, then gone through a food mill, piped onto a cookie sheet and put in the oven so that they turn a light golden brown colour; I've served spatzel instead of potatoes with osso-buco - but I've never actually performed the act of mashing potatoes myself. That's what happened when you're married to a chef for 14 years. Every once in a while he'd say "Do you want me to show you how to do this?" and I'd say "Why?" Now I know why.

Daisy Napping

They say that when a dog doesn't feel comfortable or safe that they'll curl up into a tight ball. When I first got Daisy that's how she was whenever she wasn't moving - always curled up - they also say it's a signal of past abuse. When we'd sleep in bed I'd sort of just surround my body around hers and over the months she just slowly started stretching out until now she sleeps fully extended. I think she's finally burned out her last bits of insecurity. And it's showing in every aspect of her life. She hasn't bitten another dog (and by biting I don't mean biting to hurt I mean nipping at the end of a lunge - if she actually bit dogs she'd be dead by now).

I thought I'd include a "before and after" picture - it's quite comical actually.


Daisy curled up in her chair 


How Daisy takes a nap now... 

My "Extended Multi-Species Family"

It's been all about the dogs lately so I thought I'd post a couple pictures of the rats and fish tonight. Here's a picture of Mrs Dingle in her new hammock. She really seems to be enjoying it.


Mrs Dingle in her hammock 

Here's Jada in her own nest box - Mrs Dingle can't fit in it so it's the place that she goes to get away from her - Mrs Dingle doesn't have anywhere to get away from Jada though, which is too bad - Mrs Dingle's the boss and is always kicking Jada out of the big nest box, so it probably works out pretty good.


Jada relaxing in her nest box - Mrs Dingle can't fit in it! 

Here's Mr Betta in his 20 gallon paradise that he makes very good use of. The plants are growing great guns.


Mr Betta continues to live and flourish in 7th heaven... 


Sometimes I swear he's looking at me... 


I mean he's definitely looking at me here!