Miscellaneous Stuff

NaNanites Unite!

Yes that time of year has descended and I'm deep in the depths of my madness. 23,000 words and counting.  I sneak it in every where I can.  Thanks to my dog, cat and family I eat and remember to go to work.  But I must write! 

My Brain Hurts!

An exciting note!  Quizz & I have received an award!


 
Thank you Dozer, Peepers, and Dozer's Mom.  
 
Quizz is very excited ...  hey
 
afk;hertgiohtg;'/xujhtg6az' tujxcvi9pser6h bjklt64w56 n@w56

 

That was Quizz saying hello and Thank you!  I have to translate due to his lack of opposible thumbs he must type by nose.  Now I have to clean the keyboard. 

The cat is jealous.  I suppose I'll have to get him his own page, but the content will have to be carefully negotiated.  Apparently he has grand world domination plans.  More on that later.

The War of the Leaves has commenced.  I will be victorious or some how find a way to open a portal to an alternative universe to dump those things.  The dogs enjoy them, but I'm over them already.  Do you think I can send them where the lost socks go?  Mmmmm.

Must get back to my writing.  NaNoWriMo and Beyond!

More Attempts to Regulate Pit Bulls

So Omaha has decided to punish dogs instead of irresponsible people.  Let me clarify, with the help of the local Human Society, the great city of Omaha has decided that all pit bulls, American bulldogs (because they share the same characteristics as pit bulls), and any mixes will, effective January 1, 2009, have to wear muzzles while walking in public places.

 

The only way to circumvent this piece of legislation is to go to special behavioral assessment by the Humane Society of Omaha to determine whether or not the dog would be exempt from the law.  This behavioral assessment would not just happen once but yearly at the cost of $75 initially and $50 for every year thereafter.  These costs are on top of the harnesses, insurance, muzzles, and a myriad of other costs that the legislation is piling on the owners.

 

The good owners are being punished for the deeds of uneducated, irresponsible bully breed owners. 

           

Wow, sounds to me like Omaha just started registering races for genetic purity.  I know that this sounds incendiary, but the days of people kicking in doors and raiding homes for breeds deemed inappropriate won’t be all that far away.  

 

Breed Specific Legislation of ANY kind is DISCRIMINATORY, whether it is animal or human.

 

            I am disturbed on a deeper level that the Humane Society is participating in this heinous legislation.  Their mission statement on their website says “The Nebraska Humane Society acts as a voice for the animals, and through them, enriches the communities we serve.” So they are picking and choosing the animals they will have a voice for.  What arrogance.  (Please Note: The Humane Societies are independently run and have no national over-sight structure. So my comments are directed solely at the Nebraska Humane Society.) Why aren’t they speaking for the pit bulls and educating the public?  Instead, they have backed a piece of legislation that will effectively reduce what they consider an ‘undesirable’ dog in their community.  The Nebraska Humane Society will determine if a dog 'looks' like a pit bull or has the characteristics of a pit bull, it will be subject to the legislation.  So the quality of life of an entire segment of dog breeds fall into the narrow gaze of biased observers who won't be able to be fair in their judgements. So much for being a fair voice. 

 

            Oh. Apparently the Nebraska Humane Society isn’t fair. 

 

Are they that hard hit by the economic down turn that they have to make money this way?  According to their own numbers they estimate 6,000 pit bulls in the Omaha area and only 1,400 are registered.  Apparently, this will be a great source of steady income for them. 

 

The ironic thing is that a dog is a dog.  They have good days and bad.  They don’t necessarily like to be approached or touched all the time.  People look at a dog and say “Oooo, what a cute dog” and immediately make-a-move to pet the dog.  They rarely ask the owner for permission or observe the dog for warning signs. 

 

So when the dog snaps and bites, the people freak out.   A responsible owner will immediately ask a person not to approach their animal and wait for proper introductions to be made.  That being said, a person walking up to a dog needs to ask for permission to approach the animal.  This is simple common sense, but given the BSL going on common sense has been replaced by governmental interference and lack of responsibility.

 

Breed Specific Legislation is never the answer.  Responsible pet ownership is.

 

The Interloper!

My name is Quizz. If you haven’t read my page, I am the adorable dog of the owner of this blog. I am taking over. My owner rants about many things on this thing called a blog and I feel that I must do my part.

 

[caption id="attachment_189" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My Adorableness"][/caption]

I have a bone to pick with my Mom. Last night she took me to visit my favorite little humans. She calls them her nieces. They give me scritches, feed me cookies and treat me the way that I should be treated. They always come over to my house. This is the first time I went to their new house. Boy does it smell really cool! And there are things called horses there. They are HUGE! But mom won’t let me anywhere near them. Sigh.

There is an interloper! (I had to ask my Mom what that word meant, I liked it!) Everyone said he was cute and I had to be nice. Nice! I’m always nice. Anyway, this is the interloper (Don't let his supposed cuteness fool you, he's a menace! My mom says something about payback but I don't know what she's talking about.)

 

[caption id="attachment_202" align="aligncenter" width="285" caption="The Interloper"][/caption]

All he did was jump around and bark at me. Then! Then, he started eyeing my tail. He nipped here and there. I’m telling you! Can’t a dog be left in peace! My tail of all things! A dog’s tail is sacred! I had to hide my tail and keep my tail away from him. Until I got distracted and CHOMP! The little thing got me!

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Eyeing my Tail"][/caption]

Of course, I’m bigger. I went WOOF! The interloper went off to the corner and all my people came to my rescue, they knew what had happened. But I knew that it was a puppy. So I forgave him.

[caption id="attachment_205" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Peace for Now"][/caption]

BUT, we’ll see where that takes us. I’m keeping my eye on him.

A Dog's Courage

     Once more I am astounded at the great capacity that human being have for cruelty and compassion. I was lead to the Montgomery Alabama Humane Society website for an unrelated story regarding the seizure of 27 pit bulls from a possible fighting ring. The investigation is on going. In the left hand corner was a link with a picture of a truly damaged looking dog with the caption of See How Louie’s Doing. I was unable to resist. I clicked.

     And my heart broke at the pure viciousness of the act of one selfish individual, who through a complete act of delibrate cruelty irrevocably changed the life of a dog, and ruined his own life because of his immaturity.

     Because this individual was ‘denied’ the use of his parent’s vehicle, in retaliation he doused the parent’s dog, Louis Vuitton, with lighter fluid and set the dog on fire.

     Louis was brought to the Montgomery Humane Society with 60% of his body covered in burns, his nose, eyelids and ears sloughing off and his toenails and the pads of his feed completely burned to where he couldn’t stand on his own feet. But he couldn’t lay down either because of the rest of his burns.

     Here’s the kicker in all of this. You would think that Louis would become afraid of people. He would snarl and snap. Bite and lash out from the pain at his care takers. No. He wagged his tail at his care givers at his first examination. He has been a trooper through his treatment. His burn wounds are healing and his temperament has not changed. He proved to be an amazingly resilient example of the extraordinary well of courage & love that a dog has.

     The Montgomery Humane Society staff have been stellar examples of the other end of the spectrum of the perpetrator of the act of cruelty that put Louis in the hospital. The MHS staff have cared and loved this dog and reinforced that the world, while it can be scary, is not a bad place.

     The person who committed this heinous act is in jail awaiting trial. I won’t revel in his capture, because I don’t believe that anyone should celebrate the ruination of a life. His thoughtless selfish act destroyed any trust his parents could ever have in him and destroyed his own life. I can never understand what causes the need to hurt another creature, human or animal.

     If you go out to the site and you see pictures of Louis, some people will say why not let nature take its course and let the animal die. If you are one of those people, I can honestly say that you have never known or acknowledged the unconditional love that a dog can give you. Or the unconditional love that a pet can provide you.

     It is not that we humanize the animals, it is that they make us more human and help us keep the gifts of love and compassion in our lives.

Dictator Deposing & Other Pleasant Thoughts

Oh Goody!  Foxnews.com just cited “a veteran Japanese expert on North Korea” has declared that Kim Jong Il is really dead (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,418205,00.html), and has been dead since 2003.  According to this experts sources the man died of diabetes related complications.  But due to his paranoia about threats on his life, he had four stand-in actors that would go to events in his place.  So the person who has been representing North Korea on the world stage is an impostor.  Of course the 'expert' is pushing a book.

 

Don’t get me wrong, the world would be a better place without the man.  His selfishness has impoverished and starved his people.  His greed has his average citizens living in standards that are unfathomable to most of the industrialized world.  The favored few are feted and given perks that are lavish and gluttonous in comparison to the rest of the country. 

 

Frankly, I see this 'death' as wishful thinking on the part of a person who wishes that an era was over.  North Korea represents a threat in the Pan-Asian arena.  Not because they are a vast army.  But because they have a selfish, pompous mad man who plays dice with the lives of his people, Kim Jong Il is crafty and seizes every opportunity that the more well behaved nations of the world provide him.

 

He is dangerous because he is irresponsible enough to use nuclear armament to get his way regardless of the cost. He possesses processed uranium which allows him to have a say in United Nations.  Every time things do not go his way, like a spoiled brat, he breaks his word and starts to take the steps to processing weapons grade uranium.  That gets the world to back down and he once more gets what he wants.  

 

Whether the man is alive or dead, that really doesn’t matter.  What matters is the health and well being of the North Korean people.  They starve as their leaders grow fat as pigs. 

 

Pit Bulls in Lipstick

Pit bulls in Lipstick, what a thought. When Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin made the comment, “I love those hockey moms. You know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”

I thought to myself well wouldn’t that be a sight, a bunch of pit bulls driving mini-vans or SUV’s, coiffed and adorned with lipstick taking their charges hither and yon. You have to admit that your funny bone has to be tickled just a little. And if the pit bulls had opposable thumbs and driver licenses, they’d do it too!

I think she meant the traits of tenacity and endurance when she referred to the pit bulls. Perhaps, she is familiar with the breed. They have been a family dog, working dog and was have even been honored as heros.

But like most things or people who are tenacious and stubborn, they have a tendency to be misunderstood and labeled ‘difficult’, ‘high risk’ or even ‘dangerous’. I hope that as Ms. Palin is taking the national stage, that she will remember that pit bulls are not only tenacious and fearsome looking, but they are more than meets the eye. They have a dignity and gentleness that is seldom acknowledged by their detractors.

Ms. Palin may be ready to fight during this campaign, but I hope that she exhibits grace and dignity as she embarks on this journey.

Mud-slinging and Politics

In one of the dirtiest sports on the planet – politics, I applaud Barack Obama for telling people to lay off Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin’s family.  Please note that I am not endorsing either candidate.  To be perfectly honest, as of yet, I’m not sold on either party.  But a line has been crossed, when people feel free to start taking pot shots at the various candidate’s children.

 

A candidate’s spouse knows the score is when they get into politics and work with their respective mates to groom themselves to the image that they want to create.  But when children enter the picture, all bets are off.

 

Children are still learning and developing; they make good decisions and not so great decisions.  When thrust in the public eye, their every move scrutinized and magnified, their every emotions and actions called into questions by people who have no right to judge them, some hold up under the pressure and some fold.

 

These children need to be protected from the media and declared off-limits in the slings and arrows of the political campaigning.  If the politicians choose to have family photo ops or showcases that is their prerogative, but it still doesn’t bring the children into the line of fire.

 

So as the mud starts flying keep the children safe and out of the line of fire.  They’ll be eligible soon enough when they reach the age of majority.