A Comment to My Post about Best Friends

My Good Friend Angela has a blog called "The Doghouse" and she wrote a post a couple weeks ago about bans on Pit bulls" that she commented about in my post below about in response to my post about Best Friends.

Here's her comment:

Heya Joan,

Here's what I wrote on things a few weeks ago:

http://doghouse.blog.com/

You might not like that either...

I'm still trying to digest the Best Friends thing...not sure what is going on with them.

I would never ever support BSL and if my blog comes off that way then it is misunderstood.

I totally agree that bad owners make bad dogs but I also think that not every living being is well balanced by birth. So, we have schitzophrenics, etc. and how do we deal with them? And we can't even diagnose dogs...but I disgress.

It's such a complicated issue but there is just no way anyone can ever take a friendly dog and look them in the eye and say you have to die because of what breed you are.

Man I hope things get better.

Whatever happened to Petey?

ang & nelly

Here is what my response to her was...

Well I'm pissed off #1 because the service I subscribed to that was supposed to tell me when you posted to your blog - hasn't been telling me that you've been posting to your blog!

But I've also got a lot to say about that blog posting too! Whoa boy, hold me back. All in good nature of course - you know that we are just having intellectual conversation and that this is all for the betterment of dog culture, right? I can take it if you can take it.

You can give it right back to me toute suite. But here is what I think.

I think perhaps the reason why you're still digesting the Best Friends stuff is because you implicitly agree with it - you just don't realize it yet. You ARE supporting BSL - and I'm not misunderstanding you - you are just supporting a different kind of BSL - you are supporting a type of BSL that is very sneaky and sly. It is a kind of breed extermination that involves just not breeding a type of dog anymore.

By saying that the breed is too "aggressive" or "not necessary" - "why would anyone WANT to have that kind of dog?" Only people of ill repute and drug dealers want that kind of dog - so the way to not have dog bites and let the dogs get into those people's hands is to just not let anybody breed them anymore - and case solved! That is easy!

Well I'm sorry to tell you - but that is breed extermination. And it does exactly the same thing as breed specific legislation.

You say in your posting that "we don't have any strategy for dealing with really bad owners" - but we actually do. Legislation already exists just about everywhere. It's just that it's not actually enforced. If legislation as it currently exists were actually enforced, and legislation that's been successfully put in place in
lots of places were put in place in other spots - BSL wouldn't be needed. If things as simple as leash laws, anti-tethering laws, spay and neuter laws - if those THREE things were done - no one would ever be mentioned. Not even to mention registration of dogs.

There are model cities - the Calgary model is brought out whenever successful cities are talked about. Look that city up to see what can be achieved - and it was done - and without any kind of BSL. And it is making the city of Calgary a TON of money every year. And everyone is happy - and they have literally - HUNDRED'S of off-leash parks.

And I'd be willing to bet that they're chock-a-block with pit bulls.

Unlike what you said in your blog posting. Which made me a bit ill actually, Angela. That really was very biased. There is SO much stuff out there now about how pit bulls really have no dog-dog aggression built into their genes. Have you never been to goodpooch.com? I really thought you would've been more educated about stuff like that - I can send you a ton of links about pit bull stuff if you'd like - or maybe I'll send them to you anyway! haha!

But the whole point of that Dangerous Dogs Summit is exactly about what your post is about - is that some DOGS are more dangerous than other DOGS - which is wrong. That is so ORWELLIAN - Everyone is equal - but some people are more equal than others. I think that's been proved wrong about humans, hasn't it? Well I believe the same thing about dogs. (.......all dogs are equal......)

I absolutely cannot condone anyone saying that it's okay to ban or limit the lives on one breed of dog - "pit bulls" - which we all know isn't even a breed, but a type of dog - and Angela - you own a dog that in Ontario would most probably be killed if it went into the shelter system because it has characteristics that are somewhat consistent with a pit bull type dog - so Nelson would probably be KILLED if you tried to visit Ontario Canada right now. How can you even talk about stuff like this and agree with "pit bull" management policies so lightly?

Joan

ps: The picture at the top of this post is a picture of Nelson

Absolutely AWFUL News from Best Friends!

Everyone who has spent any time on the internet in the last couple of years knows about the dichotomy of PETA - that they try to advertise themselves as being an animal rights organization that is out there saving animals and doing good political things for animals all over the world, and trying to get people to become vegetarians - because even cows have feelings and we shouldn't eat them - and that is SUCH a good thing - how can anybody put PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) down? Well... they are also a political organization that doesn't believe in pet ownership at all - they think that having pets is the same thing as having slaves in our house - and that domestic animal ownership should be phased out - and animals used on farms should be set free. They also think that certain breeds SHOULD be banned of the face of the earth - ie PIT BULLS - because they ARE inherently dangerous according to PETA - and therfore once they are all gone - we won't have any more problems. PETA actually DOES have a hidden agenda behind the facade of their hippiness, hippness, and flower power. They are actually NOT a good organization to promote and give money to .

But Best Friends Animal Society - they are one of the stalwarts of the animal rescue world - they are STAINLESS - they have always risen above the fray it seems. They could always do no wrong and always seemed to have the right position about everything.

That is - until now. I have to tell you that Best Friends made me cry today I was so heartbroken by what they wrote about their upcoming "Dangerous Dogs Summit" coming up in October. I have written A LOT here about breed specific legislation - that it's not just about pit bulls - that it's about all dogs. It's about respect for all dogs because pit bull isn't a breed and it's impossible to really tell for sure if a dog really is a pit bull and so many types of dogs look like pit bulls and if someone wanted to they could just label your dog incorrectly - and in a backwater no wheresville - your dog would die.

It also allows a hysteria around dogs to build - and there is a growing hysteria about dogs today. And it's unnecessary. But that's not the point of today's post. Today's post is about 2 separate press releases put out by Best Friends about the upcoming summit.

One of them talks about how BSL has failed and what can be done about it? How can the pit bulls be saved? Well Best Friends is going to talk about. Come to the Dangerous Dogs Summit.

The press release on one page is reallly positive - it says things like:
-Examine the failures of the current models of breed-specific legislation
-Explore the psycho-social causes of the problem
-Compare legislation that’s worked in other countries
-Draw up innovative laws
-Launch a grassroots campaign
This summit is for everyone who wants to focus on the root cause of the problem. By the end of this summit you will be able to create positive change in your community.

Now that's a summit I'd think about going to!

But then on another press release - boy, oh boy, it says:

Dangerous Dogs - They are a problem, and we need to address that problem right now

(It talks about a pit bull that killed another dog for a couple paragraphs which allows then to say "Not all pit bulls are bad, but because of their breeding they do have a higher percentage of bad than do most breeds.", and then it goes on to talk about how Denver is killing pit bulls every day and how BSL has been enacted across the country - and then it says:)

Best Friends has a three-point plan - Best Friends is putting together a national initiative that addresses the basic problem of people breeding aggressive dogs:
? It acknowledges that there are dangerous breeds, and that aggressive tendencies have now been bred into their genes.
? It includes legislation making it illegal to breed aggression into dogs.
? It goes after the people who are breeding aggressive dogs, rather than simply the dogs themselves.

All three of these things have already been done in Europe, and those measures are working.

So what does this mean? Best Friends wants to kill dogs. Plain and simple. Best Friends is saying that not all dogs are equal - what people who have been fighting for - some for as long as the last 20 years - in the anti breed specific legislation community - is the fact that ALL DOGS ARE EQUAL. Period. THERE ARE NO BAD DOGS. There are only bad owners. And that is the only thing you can legislate.

For some reason Best Friends seems to have forgotten that they do not have to invent the wheel. Do they need to make a whole bunch of money or something? There are models working in tons of places that have been in put in place that when they are enforced do actually work! When laws are enforced that already exist - you don't need BSL, you don't need dangerous dog summits, you don't need all this bullshit. You don't need all this hysteria. I am absolutely sick about what Best Friends has written. It is so unncessary - they are only adding to the problem with this summit - not helping it. I am SO disappointed. It is so sad - they say that Cesar Millan has set back the dog training movement by 20 years because of his "old school" training methods - well Best Friends has set back the anti-BSL movement by 20 years because of this "Dangerous Dog Summit".

SHAME ON THEM

OT: Some News Items Stop you in your Tracks

I was reading the paper tonight - well catching up on the last few day's papers because I hadn't been able to read any small print when I came across this piece - you'll probably have to click on the picture itself so that you can bring up the jpg picture in order to read the actual print - it's about this lady who died a few week's ago from breast cancer and was kept alive by modern medicine so that she could successfully give birth to her child. But imagine the pain that is going on in the head of her husband - the father of this baby in this photo. He has lost his wife and his child has just been born. He is grieving his beautiful wife and witnessing the birth of his beautiful child. I can't imagine the emotion that he's going through. Saying good-bye to his wife and hello to his child. Which do you do first. This is a photo that should be stuck on a person's fridge to remind yourself that day to day pain is nothing compared to struggles that some people face.

I talked last year about about a picture I'd found of a child that was being watched by a vulture in Africa that had really affected me - well this is another picture that has really affected me. Photos really are amazing sometimes. Almost as amazing as dogs.

A cute picture of Teddy

This is a cute picture of Teddy that was in my camera. I think he likes to pose. What do you think?

So much stuff to update!

I've been under the weather the last few days with a pro-dome, headache, and post-dome - and I think I'm heading back into another pro-dome, so I better type fast!

First for the good news!
That neat on-line doggie expo/seminar that I listened to over the week garnered me some free stuff! I entered Daisy's fabulous picture in one of the photo contests they were having and she won! How could she not, though? haha! I won a book that was written by one of the experts who was presenting during the weekend and a cd - so when I receive my prize I'll post again what the stuff actually is. I'm excited. I never win anything. I did get links to a bunch of new blogs that I'd never heard of previously though that you should check out though - here are some of them:
http://fosters-forum.com/cat-n-scratch
http://www.animaltalknaturally.com
http://www.bark-n-blog.com

From time to time you're going to see this guy or some derivation of this theme pop up for absolutely no reason whatsoever except for the fact that it makes me feel better. Very passive aggressive of me. In breeding and line breeding has gotten completely out of control these days. And we're all made to suffer for it.

Charley's Mom and Delta, Oscar, and Duncan't Mom left a comment after they saw my video of the dog's at Conrad's beach that they wanted directions to get there so they could take THEIR dogs there too. You've obviously never driven with me - because I get lost everywhere I go! haha! I'll give it a try though. Conrad's is actually attached to Lawrencetown beach - so if you know how to get there - disregard these instructions and head for Lawrencetown beach - but BEFORE you get to Lawrencetown beach - look for a street sign that says "Conrad Road" - turn right there - and at the end of that road is Conrad's beach.

If you don't know where Lawrencetown beach is - it's over in Dartmouth. You need to get yourself a map and find the "Cole Harbour Road" - if you take it outbound it turns into highway 207 - Not very far out - about 10 minutes - you'll see a community centre on your left. Once you see it - it's too late. You've already gone by Conrad's Road - because that road is directly on the right! haha! Sorry - you should've slowed down there so you can turn right. And at the end of Conrad's road is the beach. No one goes there to go to the beach because it's full of seaweed and junk and the rip tide is so awful and the water is too cold and Lawrencetown is right next door. So take your dogs there and have fun!

Here are a couple pictures of the dog Shiloh that I talked about a couple days ago - he has been living in a cage for the last 6 years - these pictures are with his new family and with his foster saviour dad Jeff. So far he's doing super. And he's free. Isn't that awesome? Maybe there is a God.


On the "God" note - I was reading a book review that struck me that I had to share for the more airy fairy readers. It was a book review of a book called "Lessons from Lucy about Loving God" and it reads: theologians such as St. Augustine and St. Francis have declared taht God speaks through His creation. Author and journalist Wendy Murray Zola agrees: "I believe dogs are angels of a sort...They have lessons
to share, if we allow ourselves eyes to see them." Lucy, a sixty-pound Lab-Boykin Spaniel mix, has a divine way of reminding Wendy to slow down, reflect, and enjoy the sublimity of God's creation. Likewise, when we allow ourselves to see our pets as heaven-sent messengers, we will experience our pets and our lives with a deeper appreciation. Beautifully illustrated by Carla Sonheim, this book shows pet lovers a
new way to learn from God's angelic, four-legged teachers."

I love the line "God speaks through his creation" - how can you shackle and abandon and kill any living that God has created so that it can speak to you? If you believe in God and you have a conscience - how can you do it? I don't understand. I'd really like to ask someone who DOES believe in God and who HAS abused an animal how they've reconciled the two.

How would you like to live in a 3'x4' cage for 6 years?

This is the story of Shiloh - a mostly blind australian shepherd who lived in Milan Tennessee who was discovered living in a veterinarian's office by a lady named Phyllis a couple months ago. He'd been living a 3 foot by 4 foot cage for the last 6 of his 7 years. He'd been left there by his owner when the owner had become too ill to take care of him. Shiloh was too healthy to be put down, but the veterinarian didn't think anyone would want to adopt him since he was blind - so there he'd sat for the last 6 years. He's only been out of the cage to pee and poop. Can you imagine?

There are billions of people on this planet - and every one of us has different ideas about things - and different ideas about what is humane, and what is cruel, and what is alive, and what is sentient, and what is food, and what is a pet, and what is livestock. 100's of different cultural traditions, regional differences, religious beliefs, there's so many things that come into play when you talk about companion animals and how to treat them. The veterinarian who kept Shiloh in a cage for 6 years truly thought she was doing the right thing - she kept him there in the hopes that - someday - someone would come along who wanted to adopt him. And I suppose someone eventually did. Phyllis discovered him there, didn't she?

She is one of those people who is the exception to the rule where she lives - she lives in rural Tennessee and is a rescuer - one of those people who lives in a place where cock fighting and pig baiting exists and she still believes that all life is precious. And when she saw Shiloh living alone and helpless - she knew she had to save him. That she couldn't just walk by his cage and leave him there.

It took her more than a month - and it took it a lot of people, and the power of the internet, and a lot of people who have never physically met - but yesterday, September 23rd, 2006 - Shiloh left that cage - and for the first time, maybe ever - he stuck his nose out of a moving car - and he breathed very deeply.

How many Shiloh's are out there? Through no fault of their own - dogs - companion animals that are born to be - hard wired to be part of a group of animals - are sitting in cages and chained in back yards all by themselves for years on end. And there's no Phyllis walking by to discover them - and the onese in back yards have no recourse whatsoever. My heart aches for them.

Once Shiloh's eyes have been taken care of - he'll be available for adoption. He has glaucoma, and it's unknown what the status of his condition currently is - he's going to be going to an Ophthalmologist in the next couple of weeks. If you want to read more about him and follow his story - you can go to http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6968261

Buttercup, Teddy, and the Teddy bear toy today

What do you want ME to do with this?




Are you saying that Teddy has my toy and he's directly behind me?


TEDDY - that toy is MINE!!


Here I come with the toy - here I come!!!


That fan-damn little white dog just came by here with her toy making all kinds of noise...I was trying to take a nap. And now I'm awake.

Virtual Dog Expo going on this weekend

I've been listening all afternoon and evening at this "Virtual Dog Expo" on the internet - it's been pretty neat actually. I went on it because Tammy Grimes was supposed to be there - but I guess she chickened out for some reason - but I've stayed on and listened to the topics going on. It's been fun - you should go and listen too. I'd say it's the wave of the future - totally interactive internet stuff - except for me, because I don't have a microphone - but that's okay - no one wants to hear MY voice!

I will be updating this post shortly though because one of the speakers I MOST wanted to hear was Barbara Haywood from "My Dog Votes" - and I DID hear her and made some notes - and I'll post here what she talked about a little bit. Once I have it typed up I'll post it here...

Video of the dogs at the beach

I had a horrible day today on many levels - so I wanted to end today on a positive note - because that is actually the kind of person I am - and I wanted to also end if focussed on the dogs - so here is some video of the dogs at Conrad's beach on Wednesday. I think you're going to enjoy it. I certainly did. It is pretty awesome as far as I'm concerned.

You can also go to YouTube and watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueRhdZZTwh0

Dogpolitics.com got the better of me!

Oh boy, I'm in a mood now. My dander is up - and I don't even know what dander is. Maybe the word's supposed to be gander. I don't know. But there's a post on the dog politics blog - "My dog Votes" that has really got me going - and I left a comment at that post that I know she's not going to let go through - so I'm posting it here so that it shows SOMEWHERE.

So here it is:

I left a commentI am so mad at you I feel sick. That you would write such a vindictive rumour fuelled post is ridiculous. I have no doubt that my comment will not make it to your comments section since it is so highly moderated - so I will also post it to the DLCC list - which is also moderated - so I know it's also not going to make it there. So I'm also going to post it to my blog - which I OWN, so it will surely show up there, and I'm also going to post it to the DDB list - which "I" moderate - so it's going to show up there TOO! You have done nothing but personally attack the organization of DDB and Tammy Grimes - slander her, and take the focus off of what SHOULD be the focus - DOOGIE, and the abusers! And saying that DDB has a hidden agenda and a list of places around the country of homes where they want to take people's dogs. Can you imagine? I have to tell you right now that I am ASHAMED that I have glued a "My Dog Votes" bumper sticker on the back of my car - that I have BESMIRCHED my vehicle with your logo! And if I had have known that you owned the copyright to the "Candlelight Vigil for dogs" - I certainly would not have organized one in the city of Halifax Nova Scotia last year! All the time and effort so that YOU could have the glory? Does everyone else know that YOU own the rights to the Candlelight vigils for dogs like you so eloquently state in your post today?

This whole thing about the "could your dog be next" - that is SUCH ridiculousness! YOUR dog will only be next if you keep him outside and chained and unattended. Do you do that Barbara? Do you leave your pit bull unattended and chained and abandoned in your backyard like Doogie was? No? Well then - you have nothing to worry about from us!

And may I say once again - Doogie is/was not a piece of evidence that should be thought of the same as a car or any other thing that was in the back yard he was removed from. He is a living, sentient being who could not move - he had lost the ability to reach his empty water dish and empty food bowl. Within a few more hours he'd probably have started have little seizures and just quietly died. And none of this melee would be happening. Please read my other posts about this topic to understand my ideas on this topic:

What would you do with your lifetime of experience?

Follow-up to my Tammy Grimes post?

Pittsburgh Post Talked about Tammy Grimes

I'm going to have a heart attack I feel so sick by what you've written.

Pittsburgh Post Talked about Tammy Grimes Today

Today there was a teaser article in the Pittsburgh post about an online chat that was going to be happening and the topic was what Tammy Grimes had done with Doogie who I've talked about here previously - and there was a sentence in the article that I HAD to write to the Editor of the newspaper about. I haven't written a letter to an Editor lately - so I was due!

Here's the article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pets/

Woman takes dog rescue into own hands, is arrested

Thursday, September 21, 2006

By Linda Wilson Fuoco
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The tale of a Doogie, aka Jake, has been making the rounds of Internet sites and e-mails. Perhaps you've seen them.

Doogie/Jake is a dog chained outside 24/7 in East Freedom, Blair County. He's been abused and neglected, and no one paid any attention. For several days, he lay, unable to move, and no one helped him. A frantic neighbor repeatedly called police and the humane agent of a local shelter and still no one came to his aid. This is the information disseminated in e-mails and on the Web site, Dogs Deserve Better.

Tammy Sneath Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, went into the yard Sept. 11 and took him to a veterinarian. She was arrested on charges of stealing the dog, which she calls Doogie. Her preliminary hearing is today.

Dog lovers are howling in protest.

The organization Ms. Grimes founded wants to make it illegal for dogs to be tethered outside 24 hours a day. Her supporters are urging animal lovers to inundate the police, the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society, the district judge and The Altoona Mirror with telephone calls and e-mails decrying Doogie's plight. They want Ms. Grimes to go free and they want Doogie's owners to be charged with animal cruelty.

But there are at least two sides to every story, and the e-mails tell just one.

The owners, who call the dog Jake, say he is 19 years old and in failing health. They say he wasn't getting up because of severe arthritis. They want him back, they said in an interview with The Altoona Mirror.

The Freedom Township police who charged Ms. Grimes say they never received reports of a dog in dire straits. They've never seen Doogie/Jake, so they cannot assess his condition. Ms. Grimes will not produce the dog and will not tell police where he is.

The humane agent who normally investigates these kinds of cases said he received two messages on his answering machine Sept. 11 while he was out helping the state dog warden respond to reports of dogs running loose and attacking children and livestock.

Paul Gotshall works 40 hours a week for the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society, investigating animal abuse allegations. He never before had complaints about Doogie/Jake.

Mr. Gotshall said he and the shelter were getting hate mail and telephone calls.

You can read stories about the case at www.altoonamirror.com. To me, a professional journalist, it looks as if police reporter Mark Leberfinger has interviewed everyone and presented all sides of the story.

The bottom line is, there are laws that protect dogs and laws that protect dog owners. The police and the humane agent would have had to follow the law to investigate abuse allegations. Ms. Grimes had no authority to seize Doogie/Jake or any other dog.

To put it another way, what if someone doesn't like you or doesn't like the way you care for your pets. Would you want them coming onto your property to steal the animal?

Stay tuned. This story is far from over.

***************

Here's my letter to their Editor:

Regarding your Pets column on September 21st - http://www.post-gazette.com/pets/ - Woman takes dog rescue into own hands, is arrested - (I will have to admit that I am a member of Dogs Deserve Better but) - there was one line in that article that
really struck me.

"What if someone doesn't like you or doesn't like the way you care for your pets. Would you want them coming onto your property to steal the animal?"

I personally have NO worries about someone coming onto my property and stealing ANY of my animals because my dogs are WITH me ALL the time when they are outside - or they are INSIDE with me, or INSIDE when I'm gone. They are never OUTSIDE available to be stolen!

Someone would have to overpower me in order to steal them when we're outside - or they'd have to break into my house in order to steal them. End of story. I am aware of their whereabouts at all times.

Unlike the owners of "Jake" or "Doogie" - who had left him alone to die on the muddy ground unable to move without food or water for 3 days - leaving their neighbour to cry uncontrollably while Tammy Grimes did the only thing she thought she could humanely do. Which was to do what she did.

Man, some people just don't think things through before they write them and publish them - or maybe they don't think it was a problem that Doogie was tied out and dying in that back yard?

Fleas, Guysborough, and the Beach

I was supposed to go up to Guysborough today to bear witness to Lloyd Hines losing his case against Zeus and Sandy in his quest to have them killed (stay tuned for a future post explaining that sentence!) - but Hines got another postponement so instead I got to take the dogs to the beach.
We went for a long walk at the beach because las night I discovered fleas on all the dogs and all the cats - yuck! The dogs have never had fleas on them before - so I was beside myself with grossed-out-ed-ness.

They'd been scratching for awhile and I couldn't figure out what it was - I didn't really think it was fleas since they'd never had them before - but last night I put the flea comb through them - and there they were.

So how much does it cost to buy flea stuff for 4 dogs and 3 cats? $210.87 That's a pile of money for an awfully small bug, isn't it. Shit, that's a pile of money. Toast with butter for all my friends.

A New Video from Dogkisser

This one is actually a video - and it's a message at the end too! This will be the first time most of you have actually seen the dogs moving and interacting together - Teddy's even in there at the last second looking up at the camera saying - what's going on? Should I attack someone right now? Watch for it! haha!

Introducing my first movie...

Of course the star would have to be Buttercup!

Follow-up to my Tammy Grimes post

Dog people are weird. They really are. I have no idea why. For some reason when you need the support of your compatriots the most - that's the time that the worst back stabbing will happen. You can almost set your clock by it.

And so it's happening with the head of Dogs Deserve Better Tammy Grimes. All kinds of questions are coming up surrounding her saving the dog she named Doogie last week that I wrote about a few days ago - and I am going to write here tonight to set my mind at ease and answer the questions because I believe in Tammy and the organization 100% and remain unswayed by the nay-sayers.

First and foremost I'd like to say - shame on anyone who'd slander and talk down a lady who's life has been completely dedicated for the last five years to saving the lives of chained and tethered dogs. Her house has been completely dedicated to fostering and rehabilitating dogs that have come to her - she even took in with no questions a blind formerly chained dog that I found in West Virginia who turned out to be a complete love bug who would have otherwise died in a shed if it wasn't for Tammy. She also went down to New Orleans last year and helped with the dogs and the recovery for 2 weeks and lived in a tent because she felt it was her duty to do that - just like every rescuer felt like it was - but she actually WENT AND DID IT.

So anyway - on to the allegations and my disproving of them - there were 3 dogs on the property that Tammy went to - why did she only take Doogie? Well - Doogie was the only dog who was dying - and Tammy is not a dog thief, is she? So why would she take the other 2 as well? She's not in the habit of stealing other people's dogs - that's why she left the other 2 I'd imagine. They were not in dire distress - they were not DYING.

The Freedom Police says that they were not contacted by Tammy before she took the dog. When you have issues about neglect and dogs - do you call your Police department? No, you call your Humane Society. So that's why no calls were made to the Police department. The Humane Society WAS called - by the neighbour of Doogie's owner - and the calls went unanswered. The Humane Officer was found - when they took Doogie to the vet - and Tammy tried to turn Doogie over to him then - and the Humane Officer refused to take him then - he said to have him seen to medically and then to call him on his cell phone with the results. And then this whole debacle has resulted from that.

One person has reported talking to someone at the Freedom Police station who has said that Tammy was not picked up at her home by the police but did in fact drive herself to the police station and has completely fabricated the story of being driven to the station by several police cars. Well to this - all I can say is that I believe Tammy's story because she has written it quite in detail on her webpage about Doogie at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html - where she says that 4 police cruisers arrived at her home at around 9:30pm to take her into custody.

I have to say that the whole time I've known Tammy she has always counselled everyone to follow the law - to never steal or take a dog, no matter what. We are not above the law. Tammy and the DDB group do NOT feel that we are above the law or arbiters of the law. I am convinced that Doogie must have been in an exceedingly exceptional circumstance.

There are our laws - but there are also God's laws. And you have to stand before both. Which ones are you willing to suffer the consequences of?

If your dog has bone spurs do you let him lay on the ground, or do you buy him a pillow?

If your dog is 19 years old do you leave him alone for 3 days in the back yard or do you let him lay on a blanket in the kitchen so that he can be comfortable in his final hours?

The problem with our laws is that it's hard to charge someone with abuse and negligence when it's actually just the way they've always treated those animals that live in the back yard that they throw food at every couple of days.

But it's very easy to charge and arrest a person who comes and takes away the animal when they see that the same animal is in severe distress and just about to die and would like a few moments of comfort and love before it does kick off and she would like to be the one who is blessed with giving him that gift. If that's a crime - shame on all of us.

Last Night was the SPCA's Cause for a Paws!

Sorry it's taken me a whole 24 hours to post about last night's event - I guess it tired me out more than I thought it would! haha!

I think the organizers of the SPCA event were probably happy with the outcome of the event. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch. The food was wonderful, the auction items were great, the room was lovely - and the fashion show was awesome!

Halifax was all atwitter last night with the fashion show. Everyone felt like they were in New York city and Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadetter Peters were just about to walk into the room. All the dogs were very happy to be getting all the attention I think and it was all for a good cause. I was happy that the dogs were in a spot where you normally wouldn't see them - inside a hotel where food was being served - so I was happier than a pig in shit.

I got a couple of auction items and now will have very shiny shoes thanks to a new shoe shine kit, will have clean dogs thanks to 4 free dog washes at Metro dog wash, and will be better prepared at night thanks to a nice flashlight from the Halifax Port Authority.

And the dogs enjoyed a piece of chicken that I stuck in my bag that got all nice and mushy by the time I got home last night. Yummy!

I took so many pictures that I posted them to a web album at http://dogkisser.ca/SPCACauseforaPaws2006/index.html if you want to check it out. Be forewarned - the pictures there are VERY cute!

Our President Lisa Murphy gives her opening remarks
Can you believe the smile on this model?
This has got to be the cutest dog in the world - don't tell Buttercup I said this though!
Oreo the english bull terrier was the star of the show!
Perfection on the runway!

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Ontarioans are FUNNY!

You would think that the government of Ontario - and most certainly the elected officials there - would be trying to put their province in the most positive, gracious, welcoming light when the world's light is shining on them. (With the Toronto Film Festival going on right now and the biggest movie stars in the world in the city there right now).

But leave it to the province of Ontario to threaten arrest to one of the world's biggest movie star's because he - GASP - smoked a cigarette - BEFOULED THE INDOOR AIR - of people attending his press conference - and thereby breaking the law of the province of Ontario. And it was all captured in photographs and videotape - so the evidence is irrefutable.

Poor Sean Penn. If dog's who bear the characteristics of pit bulls thought they had it bad because Michael Bryant had it in for them - imagine what the Ontario Health Promotion Minister could do once he got going! My oh my....

ps: Once again, may I say I'm VERY glad I live in the land of the free - also known as NOVA SCOTIA!

Here's the article from today's Chronicle Herald:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/528223.html

Ontario wants Penn to butt out

By KEITH LESLIE The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Hollywood bad boy Sean Penn should be charged with violating the province’s smoking ban after he puffed his way through a news conference promoting his latest movie at the Toronto International Film Festival, Ontario Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson said Wednesday.

Photos of Penn enjoying a cigarette during the news conference have been splashed across local and national newspapers since the actor arrived in Toronto last week for the annual festival.

"No one is above the law, whether it’s Sean Penn or someone at the local tavern," Watson said.

"Sean Penn’s a great actor, but quite frankly . . . mif he was smoking and in breach of the law, he could be charged, and he should be charged."

Watson also said public health inspectors could be doing a better job of enforcing the controversial ban at film festival venues, where Penn and other stars have often been seen with cigarettes in hand.

"If we know that there are continuous annual re-occurrences of problems like that, perhaps the Toronto Public Health Unit should be more proactive," he said.

"I certainly would hope that the Toronto International Film Festival would remind (movie stars), in a not-so-subtle fashion, that guests coming here shouldn’t simply go out and (thumb) their nose at our laws."

Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said it was up to organizers of events like the film festival and the managers of the host hotels to ensure guests were aware of the smoking ban, and to make sure it was followed.

"Before we go out talking about enforcement officers and whose uniform is going to be on the scene, we need to first ensure that the managers of these events and facilities comply with their obligations under the law," Basrur said.

"(Penn’s smoking) has certainly been an item of significant attention . . . and I expect Toronto Public Health to follow provincial protocols in investigating."

Film festival organizers said Wednesday that they do make sure visiting stars are informed about the smoking ban.

"The festival and our hotel partners make every effort possible to ensure that our guests are aware and respect Ontario’s smoke-free act," said TIFF spokesman Denny Alexander.

"We apologize that our moderator did not address this issue during (Penn’s) press conference."

Reporters at the Toronto festival attempted to ask Penn’s wife, Robin Wright Penn, about his smoking during an event Wednesday to mark her new movie, but the moderator cut off the question.

Charges can’t be laid until the health unit receives an official complaint about Penn’s decision to smoke at the Sutton Place hotel, which hasn’t yet happened.

Toronto city Coun. Joe Mihevc, a member of the city’s board of health, said Wednesday an investigation was underway and that either Penn or the hotel could be charged.

What would YOU do with your lifetime of experience?

Imagine that you had an eccentric love for old wooden rocking chairs. You knew what all the many and varied styles there were - and there's a ton of them - windsor, shaker, adirondack, empire, canadian - the list is endless. You can spend countless hours lovingly restoring chairs that you've found in other people's garbage and at yard sales.

People think you're crazy for wasting all that time and money on those stupid things - but you see the innate beauty in them. Each one is special and says something to you, and you've never regretted a moment, or a penny that that's gone to them.

You'll even admit that some of the chairs in your collection have come from people's backyards. They were just rotting away back there - so obviously the people didn't want them, right? So what if they were somebody else's property. The people probably didn't even notice they were gone - and if they did, they were most likely happy to see the garbage gone. It's kind of embarrassing to have garbage laying around in your backyard anyway - it brings down the neighbourhood.

Now imagine for a second that instead of a rocking chair - what is in that same back yard - is a dying dog. It's still property. There's no difference in the eyes of the law between a rotting rocking chair and a dying dog. You can be arrested for both.

This week - Tammy Grimes, founder of the multi-nation organization - Dogs Deserve Better - an anti-chaining group - was arrested in Altoona Pennsylvania - because she received a call about a dog that was dying in someone's backyard. He had been chained there his whole life - abandoned there, and he was dying. And could she please save this dog. And Tammy did something. She saved him. And she was arrested by the local law enforcement.

Previous to her arrival the local Humane Society had been called several times, the dog's owner had been pleaded with to take proper care of the dog - all the proper avenues had been walked - and still the dog lay dying in that back yard.

His name is Doogie. And it's his picture at the top of this post - with Tammy Grimes. It was Doogie's human neighbour who called Tammy for help. She couldn't stand it any longer after trying everything else she could think of - and she called the one person that she thought would not walk away from this dog. Who would realize that this is an actual living, breathing being. Which Doogie is - who deserves to at least have - hopefully - a few days, or weeks - of unconditional, indoor love.

So Tammy did the thing that she knew was going to have the worst consequences for herself - and the best result for Doogie. She picked him up off the ground he was dying on - and she took him to a veterinarian - perhaps for the first time in his life - and saved him.

We have ALL walked by too many things in our life that we later wished we'd have saved. We regret our non-action. There are some people in this world who have done that one too many times and have decided that they will do that no longer. Tammy Grimes is one of those people.

I have been in awe of her for several years now and I continue to be. Her actions this week with Doogie are heroic and she should be treated as a saviour - not as a villain.

Doogie is NOT a rocking chair. He is NOT a piece of property. He is a living, breathing sentient being that was abandoned and tethered in a mud pit and left to die. He was suffering, and now he's not. Thanks to Tammy. Thank-you Tammy!

You can view video of Doogie before Tammy rescued him at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9t1rv4pj4 - the crying you hear in the background is the neighbour that called Tammy

You can view video of Doogie after Tammy took him to her house - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8wxGP1N7QQ

A page for updates is on the DDB site at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html

Her story is told on the Best Friends web page and on their law page

Teddy Bears and Fish

My fish tank is chock a block with babies. Baby platys and baby guppies. These pictures are of a mommy guppy who's giving birth in some java moss - you can just make out her head in the photo, and then another picture is her before she gave birth with her big tummy - very typical is the fact that directly behind her is a male guppy chasing her still trying to give her a poke! And then the other picture is of a platy baby - the little orange fish.









I also came across a very funny article today about a guard dog in England that gives proof to the idea that dogs should NOT guard things that they find DELECTABLE.


Dog destroys £40,000 Elvis teddy

Security guard Greg West does not know what made Barney do it

A £40,000 teddy which used to belong to Elvis Presley was among scores of toy bears destroyed when a dog meant to guard them went on the rampage. Dobermann Barney was looking after the rare Steiff bear, named Mabel, which had been loaned for an exhibition at Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, Somerset.

The dog ripped the head off the bear and attacked scores of other teddies.

Barney's owner could only suggest that the bear had a rogue scent on it - or that Barney had become jealous of it. The bear, made in Germany in 1909, was bought at auction in Memphis, Tennessee, by Somerset aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade.

Heads pulled off, arms, legs here and there, it was a total carnage really Daniel Medley Wookey Hole Caves Wookey Hole general manager Daniel Medley told the BBC: "About 100 bears were caught up in this frenzied attack, some were merely little chews, whereas some of them had some quite devastating injuries.

"Heads pulled off, arms, legs here and there, it was a total carnage really. I've never seen such a mess, there was stuffing, fluff and bear bits everywhere."

'Model dog'

Barney also caused an estimated £20,000 damage to other bears in the collection. Other teddies worth about £20,000 were damaged Security guard Greg West, who was on duty at the time, is at a loss to explain what happened to make Barney go so "berserk".

Mr West, 36, of Totterdown, Bristol, said: "Barney has been a model guard dog for over six years. I still can't believe what happened.

"Either there was a rogue scent of some kind on Mabel which switched on Barney's deepest instincts, or it could have been jealousy - I was just stroking Mabel and saying what a nice little bear she was."

The attraction said Barney's future with them was "uncertain".

Responses to Last Week's Lisa Murphy Letter

There were some comments to last week's letter of Lisa Murphy about the "free to good home" letter in the Chronicle Herald that I feel I have to comment on. I'm pretty sure that Lisa would want me to comment on them - even though I will say right here that these are MY opinions only and the thoughts of no one's but my own. I don't speak for the Nova Scotia SPCA or anyone else. I am just a private citizen - but I am pretty sure that I am right! haha! And that Lisa would agree with me! So here we go...

Unfortunately the SPCA isn't much better. Instead of spending much needed money on spay/neuter program they spend thousands of dollars on a single dog to send it to PEI. Pathetic. Prevention would be better.
A real animal lover

When this comment came in, I wanted to chew on nails. Especially the last line. When people say shit like that, that always gets my goat. "Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others." That person saying that makes their previous comment make more sense, don't you think? "A real animal lover" Obviously an animal lover of only perfect animals, though. But I digress. The 2 pictures below are of a boxer that was left for dead on the side of a road - Nellie - who was fostered by a good friend of mine - Lisa who owns Delta and Oscar who you see every once and a while on this blog, was a beneficiary of some of those "thousands of dollars" that are "wasted on a single dog".

Those "thousands of dollars" come from a fabulous thing set up by the Nova Scotia SPCA called the "Cinderella fund" - it's a completely separate chunk of money - and fundraising is also done separately - so it's not taking any money at all from spaying and neutering - all it's doing is saving the lives of dogs like Nellie, and other very worthwhile animals.

Look at the first picture of Nellie. She's very close to dead. Look at the second picture. She's very much alive. The Cinderella fund, Lee Anne Tibbo, the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital, Lisa Davis, Lisa Murphy - who spearheaded the Cinderella fund - and countless other people helped that "one" animal. And I think it was worth it.

All life is precious. I can only hope that someone would do it for one of my animals if they needed it. Wouldn't you hope that they'd do it for one of yours if they found it abandoned on the side of the road?

Sinden Birthday Party and Shelburne, Nova Scotia

Yesterday was a no-dog day down in Shelburne. The things you have to do for your family, eh? It was 3 birthdays in one. Shelburne is a lovely little town down at the left hand tip of Nova Scotia, almost as picturesque as the part of Nova Scotia as I live in. Well, since I was there yesterday - it became as picturesque as the part of Nova Scotia that I live in! haha! In fact, I think that there's been world famous photographers who love that part of the province. It ranks right up there.

I didn't take pictures of them - but I got TWO lovely buoys from right in front of my brother's house - of which the pictures below were taken. What a haul. It was a banner day. I also put a web album on line at http://sinden.ca/sindenbirthdayparty/index.html of the day's festivities from my friends and family. The pictures turned out pretty good since I'm not in any of them. I hope you will indulge me since they also don't have any dogs in them.

This is what a nice house and yard look like.
A true party animal

Shelburne harbour from outside my brother's house. Buoy booty Central

The REAL Reason Condoleezza Rice is coming to Halifax and Nova Scotia on September 11th

Is it because she is having a clandestine affair with Foreign Affairs Minister Peter McKay? (I don't think so, somehow).

I think it's because she realizes that Nova Scotia is the safest and most beautiful place on earth - as I've said before - it's shangri-la here. And she's proving it to the world by coming here on such an auspicious and life altering date. Why would she come here on a date that is so important to Americans? Why wouldn't she go to New York City? Or show good faith and go to a Muslim country? Instead - because there's so much turmoil, unrest and chance of terrorism on this coming September 11th - she's going to come to a place in the world least likely to have anything happen. Shangri-la. Nova Scotia. The place where I took these pictures tonight at Conrad's beach.

Bravo to Lisa Murphy!

This picture appeared in the August 31st edition of the Halifax Chronicle Herald on the front page of the Mail Star section. The caption below it read - "Zachary Moncion, 6, holds one of two remaining kittens he and his family wanted to give up for adoption, outside their Brunswick Street home in Halifax on Wednesday. Zachary said he gave away one of the little felines quickly but the other two might be more difficult to place because they were less friendly and didn't like to be held much."

I'm sure that just about every animal lover's jaw in the whole of the Halifax Regional Municipality's jaw dropped to the floor as they were eating their toast and crumpets that morning. Ugh! This is 2006 - not 1956! Normally I'd have headed straight to the computer to write my patented letters to the editor - but I'm a dog person and I really try to stick to my one subject - I think that's why I have such a high percentage of letters that get published - so I didn't write in - but I hoped someone else WOULD. And lo-and-behold - someone at the very top of the animal rescue food chain (philosophically speaking) did! Lisa Murphy - who is the President of the Nova Scotia SPCA wrote a super perfect letter - and here it is:

Bravo on a SUPER Job!

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Letters/526746.html

'Free to good home' not responsible

By LISA J. MURPHY

A really cute kid shilling "free" kittens in a wagon. Great photo-op,
yes (Aug. 31)? The Nova Scotia SPCA says no.

The phrase "Free to good home" (FTGH) sounds like fingernails on a
chalkboard to animal welfare workers. "Free" is too often seen as
"worthless" in the eye of the beholder.

Though many people have good intentions when they advertise a cat or
dog as FTGH, this is how some people will see that "freebie":

FREE bait to train fighting dogs;

FREE snake food;

FREE to live in a cage and produce litters and litters of kittens to
sell for profit;

FREE money from the research lab (yes, this still happens in Canada);

FREE torture victim;

FREE animal No.135 that the "collector" can't afford to care for.

Don't kid yourselves: This happens daily right in our own province.
The little boy in the photo cannot be expected to think of these scary
things, but shame on Mom or Dad for sending him out to "get rid of"
these kittens to anybody who wants one. What does that teach him about
responsible pet ownership? What does that show him about the value of
living creatures in this world?

There is a lesson in commitment to be taught here, about the
commitment of caring for an animal whose life depends completely on
us. It takes effort, patience and persistence to find the right homes
for unwanted animals, and they have no one but us to look out for
their best interests.

In 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote (in the The Little Prince),
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." FTGH is
not responsible. Failing to prevent unwanted litters by neglecting to
alter your pet is not responsible.

We can only hope that the mother cat is now spayed. If she isn't,
please give us a call before the wagon is full again.

Lisa J. Murphy is president, Nova Scotia SPCA.

I'm happy to say that I know her a little bit! haha!

Last Week Daisy Helped Teddy and Herself

It's interesting how all of the sudden one dog will stand in the middle of a room and demand to have attention paid to them.

Maggie Carruthers - who is the animal communicator who graciously comes to my house from time to time to help me with my dogs and their ongoing issues - has never really worked with Daisy in all the time I've had her. Daisy just hasn't been interested in talking. She's got a lot of love to give, and her joy of life is limitless, but it's always been pretty obvious that she's convinced that her cushy life is going to end at any moment.

Her first 3 years of life were tied to a dog house on a native reservation in Cape Breton and at the end of she was left to starve to death as she gave birth to a litter of puppies and for some reason she's never been able to let go of it. But last week when Maggie came over she plunked herself down in the middle of the stuff we were doing - which was supposed to be making some pillow type things for Buttercup and Teddy to lay on that was going to give them energy to further work on their own personal issues when we weren't around - and Daisy decided that she was going to not only help with what we were doing - but she was also going to release some of the stuff she'd been holding in.

So it was a great evening all around.

For some reason it's taken me a whole week to get back and look at the pictures. I have no reason why. But here they are. Daisy is a such a special girl.

Dog Legislation Council of Canada AGM

I was super privileged to go the first ever annual general meeting of the Dog Legislation Council of Canada yesterday in Dartmouth. It was held at the end of the Halifax Kennel Club weekend since several members of the Council were in town for that and several other members just happen to live here.


Unfortunately not enough members were present to have a quorum - but lots of interesting stuff was talked about none-the-less. Needless to say, I pretty much kept my mouth s-h-u-t. I only opened my mouth to stuff in as much of the free food as I could fit into my body in the time allotted. I did however sneak in a couple of pictures - mostly however of the dogs present - because that's what I care about - haha!

Suffice it to say that the DLCC has been, and will continue to be the most important organization in this country of ours (that being CANADA) that is keeping us all in the know and at the forefront as a base of knowledge of all things anti-BSL, and as a first responder when a community starts to make noises that they are thinking about passing legislation that smacks of BSL. The DLCC will be there with bells on to give solid, lucid, concrete, irrefutable, information that will knock the socks off of any government organization thinking of passing any kind of back-water, 19th century legislation. Guaranteed. IMHO of course...

Before we left for the meeting Pickle the english bull terrier and Ursa the rottweiller had to show us just how fierce and dangerous they are! Pickle likes to suck on all the dog's ears and stick her snout in all the dog's mouths. This is how her sister Ursa reacts. With the widest of rottweiller smiles - she can ALMOST fit Pickle's face in her mouth!

Harry the golden retriever also wanted to let us all know that it's not about pit bulls and rottweillers - it's also about him - because breed banning is about RESPECT for ALL dogs. Harry is staying with Ursa and Pickle at the moment.

A long shot of some of the humans at the AGM meeting...

You got any of that steak I've been smelling?

You must have some steak, eh?

I am never going to get me any of that steak!

Yeah, I just had some steak, and man, it was good...I heard it came from an organic farmer up in Bible Hill! It was worth it too!
There was a big bonfire at the after-dinner festivities - I didn't know they got it started with this bottle of Hennessy though! haha!

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