caveat

PET RENTAL BUSINESS MAY BE BANNED IN BOSTON

Selma — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:49:00 -0400

The business that rents dogs to people who want to take one for the odd walk is having trouble setting up in Boston.

The California-based firm is now facing hurdles to its planned expansion in Boston, according to The Boston Globe, which reports there is a city council meeting this afternoon to discuss a ban on pet rental services.

"This promotes dogs as disposable items," said Bryn Conklin, an animal protection specialist at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

I don't think it promotes them as disposable but it certainly turns them into commodities. It also reinforces the misconception that dogs are like windup toys - just take them out and they'll act like little robots. Do the people who rent dogs have to demonstrate any experience or is just paying the fee enough?

A local trainer had this to say:

"Dogs need stability in their lives, they need a long-term commitment, and they need a secure environment," said Ray McSoley, a local trainer who called the company a "four-legged escort service."

Here's the article at the Washington Post with a link to the Boston Globe story.

HERE'S THE BUZZ

Selma — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:38:00 -0400

I'm thinking that maybe these little guys

will be the ones to finally push 'pit bulls' out of the news.

In fire-embattled California, a woman was trapped in her house while angry bees stung the life out of her 15-year-old dog and injured her other two dogs. She did nothing to save them. Here's her rather bizarre comment on the incident:

"God was looking out for me that day," Linda said, "because I called four different exterminators and none of them could come out for four or five hours and I was trapped in my house watching my animals die."

So, which of the multitude of available gods do you worship, Linda? Loki?

I can't help but wonder if locusts are in short supply this year.

In other news, 12 million ~~flying tactical assault weapons~~ bees escaped from a truck in New Brunswick. The Toronto Sun has this as a breaking front page story on their website.

Keep 'em coming, boys.

To learn more about bees, visit the University of Maine's Info page.

WALLACE WON'T BE THERE

Selma — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:25:00 -0400

Because the Ontario government can't or won't pull its head out of its collective ass. But then, why should it, since the lemmings re-elected it anyway?

Wallace in Action, Kansas City MO Sept 2007

FRISBEE FUN(DRAISER)!

Improve your disc throwing skills or learn a fun new sport with your dog! We are offering a seminar in the morning followed by a Fun Disc Trial for cool prizes. During the BBQ lunch clinician Katherine Ferger will wow us with a freestyle demonstration!

Katherine and her 3 year old mixed breed dog Tallulah are Canada's first ever team to achieve the title of Disc Dog World Champion. They won the 2007 Skyhoundz Disc Dog World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia in the Microdog Division.

Her dogs Zelda and Fable are also Disc Dog World Finalists, and Tallulah went on join the first group of five Canadian discdog teams who qualified for, and competed at, the 2007 USDDN Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky.

Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008

Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Location: Holland Landing

Snowmobile Club/training hall

Street: 61 Cedar St

City/Town: Holland Landing, ON

View Google Map

Costs: $50 for working spot (only 10 available)

$20 for audit spot

$5 for each trial entry

Proceeds to go to The Dog Legislation Council of Canada and the York Region SPCA.

ALL DOGS WELCOME!!!!

(except Wallace)

Contact: Karin at DogSmart Training

apfel at sympatico DOT ca

Bonus!

TTL Action Photography will be there to take photos!

FROM THE LAND OF THE FREE

Selma — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:32:00 -0400

From the comments on one of my Ohio posts:

We have posted a couple of responses to these letters at our blog:

http://pitbullrescuecentral.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to circulate. We need to stop the flow of misinformation.

Also from the comments at the same post:

Check our response to Councilwoman Thompson's raving lunacies at helpfido.blogspot.com.

Please feel free to cross post. And please add us as a favorite!

Thanks- your friends at HELP FIDO.

Sorry for the delay in getting those posted, I really have been busy with something important and large this week. I've added the PBRC blog and the Help Fido blog to my roll under Man's Only Friend.

Note to PBRC and other 'pit bull' rescues/support groups: Some of your content was taken out of context, no doubt. However, we have to be careful about what we put out there always keeping in mind that both the good and the evil among us can access and use the information to suit their purposes.

Case in point: The statements around aggression in dogs are unsubstantiated by any scientific authorities to date. There is no evidence that any breed, or in the case of most 'pit bulls', mixed breed, of dog is born with a tendency toward same-species aggression. Also, according to the experts, there is no difference between aggression towards other animals and aggression towards humans - it's just a matter of unchecked escalation. The most obvious explanation for this is of course that People Are Animals Too(c).

Is there same sex aggression among dogs? Absolutely. Is there a greater tendency towards aggression when owner expectation or behaviour reinforces it? Indubitably. Is there any genetic basis for most of the popular statements about dog aggression and how it arises? None, barring disease or disorder, ie, while it would be possible to breed a line of dogs exhibiting a psychopathology, it would be difficult and ultimately pointless.

All dogs tend to be naturally unafraid of humans, or friendly towards humans, which is the same thing. It's the nature of the beast and it explains why they've been with us for many millennia - around 50,000 years according to the latest information.

Other generalizations which are common among supporters of 'pit bulls' (and other types), for example that 'pit bulls' love people and were selected for this quality, are great with kids, etc can be just as harmful. No matter what the generalization, by differentiating 'pit bulls' or any other kinds of dogs based on tendencies or behaviour for which there is no evidence other than the anecdotal kind, you are isolating the dogs, making them different and attributing qualities to them that are not supported by the research to date. You don't take any dog out of the box, wind him up and get the finished product whether he's a Chihuahua or an Irish Wolfhound.

That's what the bad guys do, generalize and make statements founded on minimal anecdotal evidence - it's just the other side of the coin. So yes, they will cherry-pick from your information and use it to their advantage. Be careful what you put out there and be able to back up your statements with references if need be.

This issue is a matter of concern. While we fight tooth and claw through the courts and elsewhere at great financial and personal cost to prove that so-called 'pit bulls' (which don't technically exist) are the same as other dogs, some of the groups which are onside with our cause are providing the enemy with ammunition - even though they have the best of intentions.

****

There was a fatality in Florida this week. Since I doubt that the story will get the typically wide play that a death reportedly caused by another shape of dog would merit, I'll do my part to get it out there.

Brent posted the news and his take is, as always, a good one.

Luisa has a good post about the story which focuses on some of the comments by readers of the news item in Florida. Her piece points out how an already ignorant public has been propagandized (and thereby rendered more ignorant) into believing all the nonsense about 'breeds' of dogs by a lazy, pandering media and self-serving government drones.

No need to gild the lily, they've got it covered.

****

As always, if you want to keep tabs on what the trogs are plotting, No Pit Bull Bans is a great source for upcoming anti-dog owner legislation. I check in there regularly.

Later (I hope).

A FEW THINGS

Selma — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:58:00 -0400

I just found out about a great site, Pet Defense. Thanks to S. Kennedy for the link.

http://petdefense.wordpress.com/

Be sure to read the entries on AB 1634, California's horrendous enlistment into the AR extinction plan. It's been the talk of the 'sphere this week, since the original piece of garbage was rewritten - but not for the better. We'll have to keep tabs on this one - California is easy meat for militant animal rightists and other fad-carrying propagandists - it's all about stroking the egos of the manipulees. My links go to the Pet Connection and the marvellous Lassie Get Help.

Brent over at KC Dog Blog has an interesting post regarding Kansas City's failed mandatory sterilization law. Despite the numbers, the City is trumpeting the success of the program and appears to have also brainwashed local media - who have access to the same figures that KC has.

This reminds me of a passage in a book I'm reading. The thesis of the book is that emotion plays a major role in decision-making, overriding logic and facts, which is why arguing dispassionately and rationally aren't working for us:

"What [Lyndon] Johnson and [Dr Martin Luther] King both intuitively understood is what colleagues and I demonstrated with brain imaging forty years later: that arguing about the rationality of rationalizations is attacking the wrong target. Rationalizations are the post hoc smoke that billows from emotional fires. In our study, only after partisans had come to emotionally biased judgements did we see any activation in circuits usually associated with reasoning, suggesting that they had begun to develop rationalizations for their emotional biases. You can systematically debate the fine points of these realizations, but you're wasting your time.

You don't put out a fire by waving at the smoke. You put out the fires. And if someone keeps starting those fires, you put out the arsonist."

--Drew Westen, The Political Brain, p. 351

Words to live by.

More later, have to get on with my big project.

BIG PROJECT

Selma — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:12:00 -0400

I'm doing something which will take a few more days to complete, hence the lack of communication.

I can't wait to finish it.

Stoopid work.

DID YA MISS ME?

Selma — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:59:00 -0400

Whew! What a week.

My modem got zapped in the big storm here last Sunday night. I got my new modem on Tuesday.

However, it didn't work because my network adapter was also zapped.

I got a new card, installed it but it still wasn't working.

Finally back online today.

I've missed a lot this week (mostly not having Google) so have a lot of emails to go through, etc.

It's great to be back.

OHIO BAN FANS USE MEDIA TO PUSH THEIR AGENDA

Selma — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:19:00 -0400

KC Dog Blog has a good 'un this morning.

It's all about the Councillors in Ohio towns and the depths to which they are sinking in order to spread their tainted message. It's kind of funny that they are writing letters to the editor, since local media have already proven themselves to be onside.

Two Ohio lawmakers are using the letters to the editors in their local newspapers to sell their ideas on banning 'pit bull' dogs in their cities...and when you dive into the logic, it's a bit scary.

KC, my man, you're a master of understatement.

It's downright frightening.

SOME NOTES FROM WOOFSTOCK

Selma — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:17:00 -0400

I didn't notice until Lori pointed it out that there were many intact dogs at Woofstock.

It's unlikely that the owners are all into neuticles, based on the general level of knowledge displayed by the majority of visitors.

It stands to reason that if there are a lot of intact dogs, then there are likely a lot of intact bitches. Welcome to Kijiji World.

Only a small minority of dog owners visit Woofstock, so it's not possible to generalize across the population but it was interesting to note.

There were many odd-looking little dogs - snipey, frail and roach-backed with dull, sparse haircoats of indeterminate colour.

I guess these are the 'designer dogs' which are popular with the dedicated followers of fashion in the 21st century pet ownership community.

They are a sorry-looking lot indeed. My two Toy dogs are robust, lively and healthy-looking - confident, even, albeit aloof with strangers, as they should be.

Of even greater interest was the preponderance of mastiff types. In 2006, we saw two Cane Corsos, one owned by a friend who droppped down to visit our booth. This year, there were about two dozen of them, along with a good complement of Bullmastiffs, Rottweilers and Dobermans - many of them pups. We saw Presas, Neapolitans, English Mastiffs, Dogues de Bordeaux. One guy had a Tibetan Mastiff who wasn't too happy with the heat. There were quite a few backyard-bred Bernese Mountain dogs - sure, buy a pet shop Bernese and let us know how that works out for you. Lots and lots of Danes.

There was still a good turnout of DOLA dogs, some muzzled, some not but it was quite startling to see how many people had the big guys this year - and how many were totally unsuited as owners of those types. There were small people being dragged along by dogs bigger than they were, nervous people transmitting anxiety to their dogs, people using prong collars incorrectly (can we get rid of those things except at training schools?) thereby tormenting their dogs - you name it, we saw it.

Two mindless bimbos stood in front of our booth - one had a supposed 'pit bull' and the other had some kind of mastiff cross that was probably a Presa mix. The latter kept referring to her 'pit bull'. Right. They were snickering a lot and acting strange.

Anyway, when they arrived, the big, adolescent intact male was wearing a muzzle. Every time the handler (I had the feeling he wasn't her dog) took it off he lunged at other dogs. She had the prong collar on incorrectly which wasn't helping but the dog trainer in the booth next to us showed her how to use it properly.

We wondered if it was some kind of setup - by AR, the AG or media, since they loitered in front of our booth for quite awhile and kept talking about 'pit bulls' and deliberately letting the big mutt lunge at other dogs.

You meet all kinds of weirdos at Woofstock, I tell you what.

I guess when people can't get cute, easy to own, longstanding companion dogs such as American Pit Bull terriers, Staffordshire Bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers, they turn to larger, more imposing dogs to keep up with the coneheads in their neighbourhoods.

There are people who own dogs and there are dog people - and never the twain shall meet. There's nothing wrong with mastiff breeds, I love them, it's just that they require more experienced owners due to their size and the cost of maintaining them.

As I said in one of my initial letters to Ontario's Attorney General, long before the first draft of the infernal dog ownership ban was made available, when you see what people will turn to if you bring in this misguided legislation, 'pit bulls' will be the good old days.

Man, it's hard to be right when you'd much rather be wrong.

ASSOCIATED PRESS LAUNCHES COPYRIGHT SUIT AGAINST BLOGGERS

Selma — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:58:00 -0400

Associated Press is suing the Drudge Retort, naming a few bloggers and one commenter on a blog, in a lawsuit which alleges that excerpting phrases and linking to AP articles is not Fair Use.

Good luck with that.

In the meantime, let's all boycott AP - it's not as though they're the only newswire out there after all. I won't be linking to their stories or pictures from now on.

If you want to comment, there's a petition going over at Unassociated Press, along with the details. You can also hit the Boycott AP banner shown on my upper left sidebar to visit the site. Banner styles are available for copying at the bottom of the page.

Here's some interesting info about how AP operates from The Impolitic.

Incidentally, deeplinking is not a copyright violation in Canada - yet. Keep your eye on the Feds though, they're monkeying with our copyright legislation right now.

Michael Geist (left sidebar under Mixed Bag) has lots of good info about copyright issues in Canada.

Help spread the word about the AP boycott!

Via Dependable Renegade

OHIO: COMING OFF THE KOOL-AID?

Selma — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:14:00 -0400

If so, it's way past time for that.

Whitehall, Ohio looked at a 'pit bull' ban and rejected the idea. The Councillor behind the scheme was Jacquelyn Thompson, an individual who seems to have some issues and I'm not talking about 'pit bulls'.

Some of her wild and crazy statements are redolent of Nelson, Bryant and of course, the animal haters at Peta. Here's a sample from the story at KC Dog Blog:

"Meanwhile, the woman who proposed the ban, Jacquelyn Thompson, seems like quite a trip and has seemed to have lost her grip on reality a bit as she ranted about pit bulls as the "new order" of evil in society and "tools of terror'. "

Fortunately, Ms Thompson, a new Councillor, has been left out in the cold as the proposal was rejected by saner heads at a recent meeting.

"That's the way I wrote it, the way I intended it, and the way I'm leaving it," [Councillor] Bailey said.

Ohio Revised Code stipulates all pit bulls are vicious dogs. The words "pit bull" appear nowhere in Bailey's breed-neutral ordinance, but rather refers to Ohio law. Bailey maintains his reference in the local law to the state law effectively addresses pit bulls.

However, Thompson and LaCorte said they think otherwise.

"You made sure the words 'pit bull' were not in here. ,,, I do not think it would be a bad thing to say 'pit bull,' " LaCorte said.

Thompson said inclusion of the words would "spell it out" for all the city's residents.

Thompson's failed measure grandfathered only one pit bull per household and prevented any new pit bulls, or other vicious dogs, from entering the city. Bailey's ordinance does not address the number of dogs, rather it simply allows the existing law -- of no more than three dogs of any breed per property -- to prevail.
<snip>

I'm liking Mr Bailey very much:

"Bailey said the goal of his ordinance is to educate people about the proper treatment of animals as much as it is to protect the public.

"This ordinance is a tool, not a weapon," Bailey said."

So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Thompson - or maybe that's the problem. The full report is available here.

In other news, the Ohio statewide ban proposed by Tyrone Yates, which is now being pulled, engendered some interesting discussion.

One thing that mystifies me is why they ask dog wardens their opinion about particular shapes of dogs. To say they usually see dogs in unusual circumstances is a bit of an understatement, so their view will be skewed, much like the outlook of those involved in rescue, who think there is an epidemic of abuse, neglect and pet overpopulation.

I call it Snapshot Vision.

Here's a sample of what I mean, although this dog warden seems to have a head on her shoulders, unlike some others in Ohio I could name - if I wanted to give them vanity search satisfaction:

Vinton County Dog Warden Sheila Brooks estimated that about 30 percent of the county's dogs are pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

While not fully aware of the bill's ramifications, Brooks attested to what she's found to be the prickly nature of some pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

"I'm not very trusting of them because you never know what's going to set them off," Brooks said. "Dog wardens everywhere have difficulties with these dogs."

But when questioned about the supposed viciousness of the dogs, Brooks wasn't ready to point at any one factor to explain their behavior. The issue of whether the dogs' alleged aggressiveness is a product of breeding or environment is one not easily settled, according to Brooks. "Any dog has the potential to be mean," the dog warden said.

"But, when they have the reputation behind them, you learn to be a lot more leary."

Well, yes, the reputation is the whole point, isn't it? It's leery by the way but I shouldn't quibble.

State Rep Evans, who is actually a personal friend of Yates's, had this to say:

"Perhaps following the AKC's advice, many calls were made to Rep. Clyde Evans' office. Evans, who represents Ohio's 87th District, of which Vinton County is a part, said pet owners shouldn't worry about the bill. "In my six years in the legislature, it's one of the most ridiculous bills that has been introduced," Evans said during a telephone interview Friday.

Evans, who counts Yates as a personal friend, said the Cincinnati area representative "Put a bill out there that's not going to go anywhere," adding that the matter will likely fizzle after a single hearing.

"They are not by their nature an aggressive dog," Evans said of pit bulls. "They have been taught to fight."

Overall, the report is pretty good - here's a link.

I've heard there's a good group of people in Ohio who recently got together and are ready to kick ass and take names. They have credentials, knowledge, connections and the will to win.

We'll be watching and cheering them on from up here in Ontaristan.

EVERYBODY SING

Selma — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:13:00 -0400

For two minutes and 58 seconds...

WOOFSTOCK: "TWO DAYS OF HEARTBREAK"

Selma — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:11:00 -0400

Update: My buddy Soche has a good take on the event.

--------------

So, we did it. And it really is Two Days of Heartbreak which is Lori's very apt description.

We raised some money. I guess about 100,000 people pass through.

The Scuttlebutt, which is just hearsay:

Somebody stopped by to let us know that Guelph is discussing adding German Shepherd Dogs to their list of banned breeds. Needless to say, I was thrilled because it might help us to raise money, awareness and support.

Somebody else said that THS is adopting out known biters who are being returned and re-adopted, sometimes repeatedly. Worse, they are being sent to other jurisdictions. This was from a longtime (former) volunteer who isn't too happy about their MO.

As I say, hearsay, so don't flame me. Try a blue-flamer instead if you are determined to stage an incendiary sound-and-light show but don't wear polyester the way Harry did while playing to the gallery on his way down the College subway steps in 1967. Heh.

Woofstock is a dog-unfriendly event. There are no trees. There is no grass (grass - singular or plural?) The festival is supposed to be for dogs but not much thought seems to go into the design or the setting of the event.

I plan to advise them (since my friends the dogs are concernd) that they should a) move it to a park setting and b) hold it in the Fall.

We're not sure if the Bulldog from Saturday made it. On Sunday, another Bulldog was in dire straits and we thought the poor ol' Kijijji special was going to peg out right in front of us. He was a white dog and he couldn't walk anymore and his skin was bright pink under the hair. Luckily our member Steph who is an RVT was able to counsel the owner about cooling, etc. In other words, she read the Riot Act to the twit who was dragging the poor dog around despite his obvious distress.

I'm told the vet tent was busy all weekend, lots of heat stroke due to our tropical weather conditions. It is not widely known that our summers are positively brutal. We sometimes get hot, humid air with no rain for weeks. Some people go to Papua New Guinea for relief.

We met some good people who sought us out and stopped by our booth. Some of them can help us to get some facts out there and let's face it, we need all the help we can get.

It was somewhat funny when one of the Attorney General's staff lawyers who is junior counsel on our case appeared. He was immediately outed and I mentioned that unfortunately the My Ontario Includes 'Pit Bulls' button that he had purchased from me at the booth in 2006 was no longer available. You should have seen his face. Or not.

When he bought that button two years ago, I was imagining them all sitting around the conference table, shades drawn, calls held, door locked, observing it and listening for ticking sounds.

We all introduced ourselves to this young pup (who isn't even on the Sunshine List) so that if he was wearing a wire our names would be available - who's afraid of the big bad pusillanimous poltroon, eh? You're playing with the Irish now, my man, and why do you think The Troubles have lasted more than 900 years?

Ban this.

So that's it for now. My dogs are stressed out too because I obviously didn't take them with me into 90+ temps with high humidity and multos de troggos. I made the mistake of boarding them at my new vet clinic and they did not have a good time - I can tell. So, I guess it's all the way up to Brucie's from now on. They like it there.

Two days of heartbreak squared, eh?

More later - pictures at eleven.

WOOFSTOCK THIS WEEKEND

Selma — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:12:00 -0400

Oh boy, we get to work at Woofstock fundraising for the court case against Ontario this weekend.

It will be 32 C, which is 90 F with hiigh humidity. Even better, where we will be on Front Street there's nothing but pavement.

Oh well, that's the way it is in this man's army. If you're in TO, drop by our booth and say 'Hi'. We like to meet our friends.

Needless to say, I won't be blogging.

Have a good weekend, everybody!

SUBSTANDARD 'DESIGNER DOG' BREEDER BUSTED IN TORONTO

Selma — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:32:00 -0400

The Toronto Sun had an article today about a puppy miller in the West End of Toronto.

He was selling 'designer dogs' (aka mutts) over the internet. I was a bit surprised at these comments by Lee Oliver of the Toronto Humane Society (my emphasis):

"People are taking advantage of designer dogs," THS spokesman Lee Oliver said. "We have had so many of them brought to us once people realize the work involved."

Well, of course, what would you expect? The word 'designer' is a bit of a hint. Nobody is interviewing prospective owners to find out if they are capable of maintaining a dog properly and understand what they are getting into as far as commitment goes. That only happens with reputable breeders and outfits like the THS and other adoption agencies.

Oliver said officers are witnessing a new trend in which animals are being bought and sold on the web.
"This is completely new," he said. "In the next five years there will be an explosion of puppies being sold on the Internet."

I don't know what constitutes 'completely new' but it's been going on for years now - since the Web went retail.

I note that pet stores aren't mentioned but where do people think those pups come from? They are from the same kinds of places as the internet pups. The only difference with web dog-sellers is that they don't need a bricks-and-mortar operation. They don't have to hire staff or pay other overhead costs and best of all, the money is tax-free. Another plus is that the way the dogs are being treated is kept away from public scrutiny.

It's kind of ironic that the Toronto Sun, which ran this as a lead item, carries advertisements from PJ's Pets - who sell 'percentage' (as they call them) dogs to complete strangers.

I guarantee that there is not one ethical breeder or adoption agency that will hand over a dog to any Joe Bleaux with cash or a credit card, no questions asked.

Nor is there an ethical breeder or shelter that will send dogs to an unknown fate.

Not a single one.