Here are some more pictures of our rally on August 24 in Toronto, taken and posted online by the irrepressible Liz.

Thanks to everybody for organizing, attending and recording Saturday's Gathering of Beagles 'Pit Bulls' Witches Ontario dog owners who want their rights back.

Ya did good.

There's been a lot of buzz over the past week or so about the BBC special program on conformation dog breeding.  The program focused on what a disaster it is for many dogs and breeds. 

I think it was Terrierman who got the ball rolling with some typically entertaining, snarky and well-researched items about show breeding and how it affects dogs, often negatively.  It's a bit of a thing with T-man.

He posted links to the show, Pedigree Dogs Exposed, which I haven't yet viewed.  It created quite a stir in the UK and had the Kennel Club issuing press releases in advance of its airing on television.  Details here.

Pet Connection had an outstanding piece the other day about the problems created through allowing gene pools to shrink.

Today,Lassie, Get Help has an intelligent, well-written post entitled A Conspiracy of Dunces.

Indeed.

I'd rather get a healthy mutt from a farmer out here for fifty bucks than buy a pig in a poke at a pet shop, over the internet or at a fleamarket (heh).  I'm also a big fan of healthy, happy purebred dogs - when you can find them.  And I've adopted my fair share of shelter dogs, too, some easy, some challenging.  I'm no dog snob, in other words.  I love 'em all.

The tiresome meme of the AR crew, that getting a puppy spells death for a shelter dog is not only completely unfounded but laughable - is that Peta's excuse for killing almost 100% of dogs they take ownership (heh) of and is that the HSUS's justification for supporting the mass killing of healthy, adoptable homeless pets in shelters? 

It's all because somebody got a nice healthy pup (mixed or purebred) for their kids?

I'm sick of all these experts and their constant nagging - can we go back to when getting and owning a dog was no big deal, when we didn't overanalyze everything, when we weren't bombarded relentlessly with slogans and propaganda by those with a corrupt agenda?

Can we, huh, can we, pant-pant wag-wag?