May you live in interesting times

It seems like all I post these days are things other people have written and this time isn't any different. However, I feel I at least owe myself an explanation about why I am doing this.

Well, here goes. There is an reputedly old Chinese curse that goes something like this, "May you live in interesting times; May you come to the attention of those in authority; May you find what you are looking for". I feel as if we are all living in the middle of that curse. Certainly books will have some interesting reading about this period in history.

Which leads me right back to the reason why I keep posting things written by other people. I'm a dog trainer. I've always been a dog trainer. I earn my living working with dogs, writing about dogs. My days are spent training, playing, hanging out with and just in general totally immersed in things related to, for, with and about dogs. Hummm...to a non-dog person I guess that must sound very unbalanced, I however, find it to be a very balanced life. I know I am not alone. I know there are others who live the same way and the article to follow tells about some of them.

So my real question is this, "Why are the majority of people in this country, all of whom own at least one animal, allowing a small, loud, hateful group of beings to take their animal from them? Not just take your animal, but kill it and then make it impossible for you to have another animal.

Understand one thing, this is a thing written in stone and will never change. The animal rights movement is not about animals and it certainly isn't about rights. It is all about getting rid of animals. It is all about forbidding any interaction between humans and animals. It is about taking away you fourth amendment rights which say:

Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Think I don't know what I'm talking about? Check out what is happening in New Mexico, California, Florida, Texas and dozens of other places around the country. Those new animal control ordnance's that you haven't bothered to pay any attention to have been written to trample your fourth amendment rights in the mud. And now on to doing away with more jobs at a time when jobs are tight and getting tighter.

Greyhounds – What’s the real story??

The Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners got a call from both Greyhound tracks in Mass. They wanted us to come see their operations, their dogs and how the dogs are treated. The Mass. Federation is made up primarily of dog show people, dog club members, dog trainers, dog experts, dog training clubs, pet owners but no Greyhound racers. I have raised, owned and loved dogs for over 50 years. I am a senior conformation dog show judge with the AKC. I know more than a little about how to care for dogs, bond with them, handle them, encourage them. I have attended many dog related events but of course I was curious to see first hand the intimate and behind the scenes workings of the track, especially in light of the multi-year campaign by animal rights groups who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to end Greyhound racing in Massachusetts.

Mass Federation Members toured both tracks. Here’s what I saw at Raynham. I saw dogs in extraordinary physical condition. As a dog person, I know how much time and proper exercise it takes to get a dog in top condition and muscle tone. Professional athletes would be impressed by the conditioning of the dogs. This doesn’t happen by ignoring the dog. It means getting the dog a great deal of exercise and spending a lot of time with the dog. We went to the restricted area where dogs are kept before a race and saw a room full of contented dogs waiting to go out to race. When a race was called, the dogs going out got very happy tails. They knew they were racing and were excited. The young employees of the track that put racing numbers on the dogs were gentle with them and handled them with obvious affection. Watching the dogs chase the mechanical rabbit was amazing and a pure joy. It was so exciting watching as this is the culmination of centuries of careful breeding and selection to produce these amazing athletes.

I was also taken to the restricted area where the dogs come after a race. This is right behind the track vet’s office. When dogs come off the track after a race, they are rubbed down, their feet are washed of sand, they have eye wash in their eyes on the chance they may have gotten dirt in an eye. They get a big drink and a look over. Some get a wet down on the spot. They are cooled down and tended too. There are hugs for dogs and “atta boys.” There are more happy tails.

We met two of the veterinarians that share duties at Raynham, Dr. Durniok and Dr. Caldwell. We asked about all the reports being broadcast of injuries and cruelty. They had no knowledge of any cruelty. They did say there are some injuries. In the event of injuries, there is a vet there. Most injuries are not serious. Dogs with an injury are almost always rehabilitated. No adoptable dog is destroyed. The track has an office inside the entrance where people can inquire about getting a retired racer as a pet.

Injuries that occur you could see in many professional sports. We know of the injuries in Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball. People and dogs engage in sport for the pleasure it provides. Given their choice, the Greyhounds would, I am sure, prefer to chase live prey. But they are cheerful enough to chase a mechanical rabbit. Their greatest joy is running and chasing. They have strong built in prey drive. They are hard wired that way. That’s because they are dogs. They aren’t four footed people engaged in ethical debate about whether they would choose to chase a mechanical rabbit, kill prey or whether they enjoy it. They do what they do with joy, determination and instinct.

Henry Chin, a breeder, trainer and owner of Greyhounds escorted us to the restricted area where the kennels are. Henry has assistants and we met a charming young girl whose affection for the dogs was obvious. She loves her job and she loves the dogs. The kennel was mostly quiet when we walked in. There were contented dogs in extremely deep shredded paper bedding all denned in. They were doing what my dogs do most of the day – snoozing in comfort, digesting a good meal. When they stood up, it was apparent their cages were much larger than many boarding kennels would use. They were a happy and contented lot. We saw boxes and boxes of dog biscuits everywhere. We saw big, roomy outdoor exercise areas. We met one dog recuperating from a leg injury. This happy guy popped out of his pen and greeted us happily, ran about a bit and voluntarily jumped back in his pen. I tried calling him out and asking him to get back in. He didn’t know me, but happily obliged, then promptly snuggled into his bed. All the dogs had buckets of water. All the cages were clean. The whole kennel was clean. We asked about reports on how often dogs got out. He said the dogs are out at least six times a day, which is more than many pet dogs get out. The dogs are in their pens but they all can see each other. They can be social. The girls go out together and the boys go out together but in different pens. Any dog that is not social with other dogs goes out separately. The dogs are never out unless someone is watching them.

Henry said he has tried inviting people to come see how racers keep their dogs. He said only two groups prior to us had come. The rest of the people listen to people who don’t come. So I am writing, as a dog lover, to tell you how it is. I asked Henry what he would do if racing ended in Massachusetts. He wasn’t sure. It’s what he knows. I thought about the hundreds of people who would lose their jobs, including the nice young people I met. I wondered if voters care more about purported animal cruelty claims they don’t examine or about the hardship on people who love dogs and who will lose their jobs in a depressed economy.

So why have the animal rights people so attacked the Greyhound industry?
Some people don’t like gambling in any form. But they won’t be ending casinos or other gambling forms. Other groups just want to end the purposeful breeding of animals and any use of animals by humans. It would seem if, over a long period of time, you call something cruel, people will begin to presume it is true. They won’t go to the track; they won’t examine the truth of the matter. When a group like MSPCA says it’s cruel, by George, isn’t that the case? The fact is that the Greyhound industry is highly regulated. Any problems that might have been there in the past aren’t there now.

The Greyhounds are well cared for, valuable and valued. They are well conditioned, happy athletes.

To me it is clear; a vote NO on Question 3 is a vote for the Greyhounds. It is a vote to preserve this ancient breed. It is a choice against extinction of these wonderful dogs.


Charlotte McGowan

Please cross post to Mass. residents

So if you live in Mass please vote NO on Question 3. To vote yes just puts you that much closer to being forbidden the ownership of a dog of your own. Then again, if you have bought into the "pet parent" or "guardianship" title you have already given up your rights of property and once the greys are gone your dog will be next. That's not a threat, that's a promise.

And I'll end with a couple of quotes to keep you company.

"It is time we demand an end to the misguided and abusive concept of animal ownership. The first step on this long, but just, road would be ending the concept of pet ownership." Elliot Katz, President "In Defense of Animals," Spring 1997

When asked if he envisioned a future without pets, “If I had my personal view, perhaps that might take hold. In fact, I don’t want to see another dog or cat born.” Wayne Pacelle quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt by Ted Kerasote, 1993, p. 266.

And they don't reproduce by breeding, but through brain washing:

I'm not only uninterested in having children. I am opposed to having children. Having a purebred human baby is like having a purebred dog; it is nothing but vanity, human vanity." Ingrid Newkirk, PeTA's founder and president, New Yorker magazine, April 23, 2003

Actually I suspect their chosen lifestyle has rendered them all sterile.

Something to think about

Wouldn't it be wonderful if instead of thinking and doing nothing the entire country were to actually step up and make this change? Or would it be?

This is an article written by Charlie Reese, a former columnist for the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. Very interesting perspective on the state of our Nation!



545 PEOPLE

By Charlie Reese



Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.

The House of Representatives does.


You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?
She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present f acts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hireand whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage th eir own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!


--Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.



What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you, though you appear to have several choices.

1. You can send this to everyone in your address book, and hope they do something about it.

2. You can agree to vote against everyone that is currently in office, knowing that the process will take several years.

3. You can decide to run for office yourself and agree to do the job properly.

4. Lastly, you can sit back and do nothing, or re-elect the current bunch.

Is it even possible to do a clean sweep and elect all new?

Student and longe line

This clip of one of my students doing first day longe line work with her dog is just to fine to not share. This is her second dog, so she is not a new comer to longe line work. What we are watching was taken toward the end of the lesson and the dog is really showing some nice focus. The only part I am unhappy with is that while you can hear me ask her why she did the about turn when she did, unfortunately you can't hear her response. Suffice to say, that she gave the correct answer to my question of why?

I don't think there is any way I can explain why it is so very important to do longe line work as the precursor to any and all training. One of the most important things it does is to give the dog a chance to "buy into" the idea of learning. The other thing of importance it does is to give both human and dog a chance to learn each other's rhythm in a non-confrontational manner. When the longe line work follows time spent doing the "sit on the dog" exercise both students have taken the time to find their center and are ready to focus on learning. What a great combo and a solid foundation for all that follows.

I have permission to post this and it is something that everyone interested in dogs needs to read and think about and then ACT.

The Truth be Known

Linda D. Witouski
September, 2008


Recently, I was confronted with a comment regarding the distribution of information regarding legislation to the dog loving populace that actually set my hair on fire. I'm sure it was intended to be quite innocent, however, with all of the information flowing across the internet highway, I found the comment to be most degrading to those that have been working in the trenches with legislation issues across the country, protecting those that won't protect themselves and felt it was a worthy comment to respond to. The simple comment that had me talking to myself for several hours was "The animal rights activists seem to be the only people out there with the resources to inform the public. Somebody needs to let the public know what's really going to happen to mans best friend!" So, for all of you out there that have this same thought in your mind, this is for you.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many of us, but not near enough, that have been preaching, writing articles, educating and literally begging for people to see what is going on around them, since the early 80's ! The onslaught of information has been escalating over the years and only recently, has anyone decided to actually pay attention. Kennel Clubs across the country have and continue to use the media and the internet to disseminate information - organizations hold seminars regarding the issues confronting the dog loving populace - the AKC sends out alerts, but not near as often as other groups that work in the legislation trenches.

Those alerts are non stop, daily and up to date. The internet is agog with information. There has never been a withholding of information or warnings - ever. It isn't the lack of information from our side - it's the apathy of the people who refuse to believe that the possibility of the demise of dog showing, breeding, and ownership could possibly exist.

It's those people that, when legislation is mentioned, respond with, "I don't get involved in that." or "I don't have time for that and it will never pass anyway." Those people that say, "I'm sure somebody else is taking care of it." "That could never happen here," are only kidding themselves and in all actuality, are assisting in endangering their passion and sport as a whole. The worst response being, "I don't believe any of that stuff" clearly indicates that people are not taking advantage of the information available to them and these people who simply refuse to believe or get involved, are a large part of the problem.

It's ironic that those very same people who don't have time - seem to have time to be on the computer in some chat group, discussing where the majors could be, or how many dogs they finished so far this year, or how many champion get their dogs have produced, and even go so far as talking about some other breeder in their breed, (especially if it's some rumor) but, they don't have time to take an interest in something that will eliminate all of the discussions on those chat groups? All of that - "stuff" - won't matter if everybody doesn't take the time to get involved in the movement to save their passion and sport - to save their right of choice - to save their dogs.

Laying the cards out on the table and holding nothing back

It's the inability of the dog people to work with others who share the same feelings, whether they are a hobby breeder or a hi volume breeder. It's the attitude and elitism that keeps those who share the concern to "save our rights" from working together on issues that could save our dogs, rights and our sport. It's the refusal to set aside issues of husbandry, breeding practices and selfishness that will cause the demise of the very sport that people are so passionate about. It's the constant use of animal rights phrases and descriptions such as "puppy miller" & "back yard breeder", names that were coined by the animal rightists to use against us, yet our own people use those same animal rights names for those who are their fellow breeders !

The animal rights crowd loves the fact that the dog owning, showing, breeding fancy can't seem to live in peace and harmony - it's one of their greatest weapons, created for just the purpose it seems to serve. How many times have we seen a fellow dog owner become engaged in problems, whether it is too many dogs or too many litters and need assistance (for a variety of reasons such as age, health, loss of job, confiscations, et al) yet, people, and people in the very same breed, don't bother to help - in fact, they sit and talk about it and refer to those people using animal rights terms and have even created their own AR term of "show millers".

We're supposed to help each other, not assist in running our fellow dog owners and breeders down. You may not agree with something they do or the way they do it, but they are still our fellow breeders and if they need help, in order to preserve our OWN integrity and rights, we should help as much as we can (and keep quiet about it) - but people don't.

The issue (and story) becomes compounded, (to the delight of the rightists) by spreading it further. They'd rather agree with those that are fully intending to get to your dogs at a later date, rather than help the poor soul whose dogs need help. We may not agree with their practices, but that is something to be considered later, once we have managed to solidify our position to continue to do what we do. All else will cease to exist if we don't start working together and put aside feelings.

People that know me, know I have been passionate about the subject for more years than they care to remember. and in those years, I have learned that there are those that simply choose to remain uninformed. It's not because the information is not available to them - they just don't care to become involved and don't believe it could happen to them or it "won't affect them". Others are concerned but don't know what to do or perhaps they really don't understand the severity of the problems, yet when offers are made to help educate people and assist them with truly understanding, nobody seems to want to participate. It is impossible to force people to be involved for they do have a right to make a choice...for now.

Relax - Somebody will tell you what to do

It's unfortunate that the choice may come down to having animals....or not. Without the concern & assistance from the dog owning, dog loving, rights loving, freedom of choice loving, competitive people, (and I do mean each and every one) - rest assured, somebody will soon be relieving the burden of your inactivity in legislation issues for they will be telling you how many dogs you can have, if any, what kind, where to get them, how many times you can breed a dog, if at all, what vet to use, how many permits you will need to own/breed a dog, at what age your dog has to be spayed/neutered, the type of living arrangements required, what kind of records you must have and who gets copies of them - the list will go on, making it impossible - monetarily, mentally and physically impossible - to consider owning any animal.

How will you feel when somebody knocks at your door and tells you that you must "get rid" of all but 3 dogs - which ones will you choose to keep and how will you feel watching the others loaded into a truck dispatched for some shelter? How will you react to five or six people going through your home, inspecting every corner and crack, because somebody called in a complaint about your dogs? How much can you afford for citations, lawyers fees, shelter costs and how will you ever recuperate from the heartache?

Forewarned is forearmed - sooner or later, somebody will be making your choices for you and when that happens, there is nobody to blame but yourself. The information and people to help you become involved are out there!

Supporting Legislation and AKC

I just returned from the AKC Delegate meeting and it's dismal. At this time last year, registrations were 1.5 million and currently, for this year, they are 750,000 and continuing on a downward spiral. The AKC has acknowledged that the future is becoming dim and the possibility of them remaining the reigning registry of the world may soon be history. Though that may not mean much to some of you, it should.

If the AKC continues to lose ground, they will also lose face in other areas, including having "clout" regarding legislation. The word of AKC and AKC breeders will mean nothing to legislators or the general public and AKC pups will be worthless, right along with AKC dog shows, titles and awards. Although some profess that they don't want to be "thrown in the pile with those other breeders", it's ironic that because of apathy, you will become just what you dislike. The end of the sport, and your passion for same, will be visible on the horizon. The choice will have been made for you.

Dog people tend to be their own worst enemy and sadly, doing a good job of it. You still have the freedom to choose to make a difference. I, and all the others that have been working to protect all dog owners in this country, hope you'll make the right decision.

The cards are on the table. Bet, Call, Raise or Fold - the choice is yours.

Linda D. Witouski
AKC Judge & Delegate
AKC SC Legislation Representative
Legislation Chair, BOD & Delegate - Myrtle Beach Kennel Club, Inc.
Legislation Chair - Miniature Pinscher Club of America, Inc.
Legislation Chair - Yankee Miniature Pinscher Club, Inc.
SC Camo Coalition Steering Committee
SC Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses
Legislation Editor & Investigative Reporter - National Pet Press/The Dog Press Co-Author - Monthly National Legislation Report
Owner: DogLegislation@yahoogroups.com
Owner: MinPinInReview@yahoogroups.com
Owner: SC Animal, Sportsmen & Wildlife Voting Coalition

1933 Law on Animal Protection

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter,and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

First you need to know that the artists want to stay anonymous out of fear of AR reprisals. You have permission to cross post.


Now having gotten that part out of the way I am going to cover a bit of history just to help pull the entire thing into perspective for everyone, please bear with me while I put on my history professor hat.

NAZI GERMANY AND ANIMAL RIGHTS
http://tinyurl.com/3urnt9
1933 Law on Animal Protection
(Signed into law, 11/24/1933)
It is also wise to remember to keep the 1933 Law on Animal Protection in its context with the other laws that were being passed as the same time and doing just a small amount of additional research shows that the Nazis did not just elevate animals to be on a level with humans, but actually higher than all but their Aryan race.

That same day (11/24/1933) the Nazis passed a Law against Habitual and Dangerous Criminals, which allowed beggars, the homeless, alcoholics and the unemployed to be sent to concentration camps.

And by 1939 the Nazi ovens would not stop burning for five years, eight months and six days. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana (1863-1952) The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905 and "A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." Robert Heinlein (1907-1988) The Notebooks of Lazurus Long.

There is a major difference between animal welfare and animal rights. It is wise to never forget the difference between the two. Today it is even more important to question just exactly were is this AR movement taking us. It certainly isn’t just about dogs and cats as pets. It never was about them. They are just a stepping stone on a path leading to what?

One thing is sure, the movement has now gotten strong enough and bold enough to take the next step. What is that, you ask? Our very food sources, is what. Our farmers, the source of all our food are now under attack. If they fall, just where do you think your next meal will come from and what will it consist of, or maybe I should just ask you if you are ready for a vegan life style? http://www.safecaliforniafood.org/node/9

The animal rights movement isn’t about animals and it sure isn’t about rights. For those who haven’t figured it out just yet, here it is, plain and simple. The movement is all about POWER. POWER in the hands of a very, very few and neither you nor I will be in that group.

Best Bailout Idea of All

A friend just sent this to me and I just have to share it will everyone. What better way than to put it on this blog. Read it and see it you don't agree.

This works for me ! ! Something that makes good sense.I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family? Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads Put away money for college – it’ll be there

Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car – create jobs

Invest in the market – capital drives growth

Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehmann Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+! As for AIG – liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t. Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.” But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam. Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Kindest personal regards,

BirkT. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic

PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it’seither good for a laugh or a tear or a very soberingthought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

What a wonderful dream, if only it would/could come true. Don't know about you, but the very first thing I would do after paying off all my bills would be to get myself new knees. Oh, yeah!!!!!

What does the AR movement really want?

I do have permission to post the following article. Please read it carefully, then go back and read it again. The author is saying things I have been saying for years. The most important point of all is to realize exactly what the AR movement is truly all about. I'll give you a hint...it sure isn't about animals.

We went, we saw, we learned.

We listened to Dr. Carmen Battaglia for 2 1-hour sessions on breeding better dogs. Learned about his "stick dog pedigrees" - an awesome tool. Later in the day he was hanging around and we had the chance to talk with him for maybe 30 minutes or more and pick his brain further. If you'd been there, you might have had that opportunity too.

I missed Andrea Ball-Morawa on Enrichment and Socialization for Adult Breeding Dogs, and Dr. Paul DeMars on Immunization-Parvo - Enteritis. And I wanted to hear Dr. Jerold Bell on Ways for Breeders to Improve Health in their Pups, but instead I ran into Patti Strand, who I'd never met but have corresponded with some and we chatted for about 1.5 hours. Neat lady. Scary stuff she has to say too. (More on that a bit later.)

In between each "headline speaker", Hunte Corp staff veterinarians gave "mini" lectures on various topics from parasites to vaccines to any number of other topics. There were also grooming demonstrations. And booths - food, equipment, toys, CLOTHES (for both humans and k9s.) various registries - AKC, APRI, and a couple of others. I picked up two cases of the Bil Jac mini treats that my dogs are wild for at an even better price than I bought them for in March. HA! My girlfriend got some Frontline for 40% off. (She had the patience to wait in line and I didn't. *G*)

On Saturday we did hear Dr. Bell speaking on Common Genetic Disorders and their Prevention. He had alot of good, basic information and I was impressed with the level of the questions he got at the end of his lecture.(He ran overtime because of the questions, but nobody seemed to mind.) We got a list of these,along with the breeds that have tests available for the disorder, where we don't have tests, where they think it's not just simple dominant or recessive but polygenetic or perhaps even environmental. Ya know what? I'd never seen that information presented that way (but I'm truly just digging further into genetics myself) and I was impressed with how many breeds can now breed away from some of their issues just by knowing who is a carrier and who is not - affecteds are pretty easily diagnosed. This is *simple* stuff. I'm fortunate to have a breed that doesn't suffer from a host of genetic issues, and the things we do have - umbilical hernias for example, are...minor when compared to say PRA or VwD, or liver shunts or other things that truly affect quality of life, or even,living at all. I suspect a test for carriers of umbilical hernias isn't gonna be showing up anytime soon so we'll just have to keep guessing when we breed...but more and more genetic answers are being found and eventually we'll probably be able to test for this too.

Then we listened to Patti Strand on Managing the Animal Rights Challenge. She told us that she believes if we don't take back control of the media from the Animal Rights faction in 10 years we will not own dogs. And I *believe* her. Not that I didn't think we had a problem you understand, but when she lays out her presentation and shows you step by step how the situation we face today came about...well, if you have any brains at all you get the shakes. She is a fascinating lady, and after the seminar on Saturday evening we went to dinner with her and had the chance to further discuss the issues. If you'd been there, you might have had that chance too. How many of you believe this fight is about animals? (It's a trick question...see if you can figure it out before I get to the end. *G*)

We listened to Dr. Chelsea Cohorn of Oklahoma State College of Veterinary medicine talk about the Herpes Virus and Brucellosis. Now *there* is some scary stuff. And just as an FYI - Brucellosis is zoonotic. IE, humans *can* catch this disease from dogs. (I knew that, but maybe some of you didn't. It's rare, but it's happened.) Dr.
Cohorn came with some pretty graphic pictures of what happens to puppies "born" to an infected mother...I'd call this the "horror" part of the seminar, but it really emphasized what a really horrid disease this is. ALSO as an FYI - our show dogs are at greater risk of infection than dogs who stay home. And there is no treatment, and no cure. Your ONLY choice to protect your other dogs (and maybe not even then if you aren't extremely lucky) is to euthanize the dog. And it takes 3 months of testing to clear your dog. ONE test is NOT enough. And because most of the tests have a fairly high rate of false positives...I began to wonder just how important that CH title was for me vs. losing my dogs. How many of you require a brucellosis test prior to breeding? And how many of you knew that ONE test isn't enough? How many of you will now require 3 consecutive monthly tests before breeding to either a bitch or a dog? And how many of you will effectively quarantine your dogs for those 3 months? No shows, no travel, no "outside" dogs, etc? (Outside means dogs that come in from "outside" your kennel/home, not dogs that live outside...just to be clear.) It was suggested that AI can HELP alleviate the risk...provided you know the DOG is clear before the semen is taken/used...but there again, you have to know for sure.

Again on Saturday the Hunte Corporation Veterinary Staff presented mini seminars between the main speakers.

And all of this was FREE. And if you were there, you'd have had a chance to learn all the things we learned. The professional breeders were there. LOADS of them. And unlike the conference I went to in March presented by MPBA, this one didn't count toward educational credits. This one is purely a voluntary affair with no other benefit to the attendees than the chance to LEARN. (Well, okay, and prizes. I won a
couple of dog toys. *G*) Why weren't there more "Show" people there???? Do you know it all? I tend to be a bit of a "professional student" - I enjoy learning. There's always something new to learn. And I'll take a free weekend anytime. *G*

I learned even more about the Hunte Corporations standards and their commitment to excellence in the puppies they buy and sell. And this ENTIRE two day event was about breeding better dogs. Everything that was presented had that idea at the "root" of it. There was even a display of puppies that Hunte Corporation had refused, along with a sign telling why - inguinal hernias, eye problems, down on pasterns, 1/2 inverted vulvas - the reasons were as varied as the dogs. I asked Mr. Hunte what would happen to the dogs and he told me they would find a good home for the ones they bought anyway so they could have them for the weekend, but some were loaned to them by the breeders and would be returning to them.

I spoke with members of the AKC staff that attended. Got some pretty kewl information from them too. Like...I'm gonna get to register my next litter free. HA. Bet that got some attention. Unfortunately for you guys, you had to attend and sign up. So you missed your chance...maybe there will be another chance later.

Who is more committed to breeding better dogs? I don't know, but I was impressed at the number of professional breeders there taking advantage of the chance to hear these TOP speakers totally free of charge. And I have to wonder that there weren't more hobby breeders there. Why not? Is it that you'd have to mingle with professional breeders? Do you think it might give them some legitimacy or something? Or that you might get "infected" (EUW, COOTIES. *G*) or something like that? Or find out that many of the professional breeders are at least as committed as you are to their dogs? I dunno about the rest of you, but *I* am not made of money and *all* that was required of me this weekend was that I be polite to perfect strangers. It wasn't all that hard. And I've decided to look at it this way:

I'm a car dealer. But I sell Maseratis, not Fords. For most of my family, a Ford is a
perfectly acceptable car - provided it's not a lemon. But for the people who really want a Maserati, a Ford just isn't gonna do it. And this weekend I saw *alot* of people committed to building Fords that aren't lemons (as in, the dogs they produce are healthy) and actually LOOK like Fords. I don't have an issue with this in the least...and I really don't get why anybody else does either. It's the FORDS that are gonna keep the AKC alive because it's for darned sure my one litter every 3 or 4 or 5 years isn't gonna do it, nor is my one or maybe 2 entries a month at shows gonna do it either.

Also, FYI. The friend I went with recently acquired a bunch of AKC Gazettes from the 50's and 50's. And there are a whole lot of articles in them on "How to make money breeding dogs." So if breeding dogs for money is your issue with professional breeding, well, you've got a dirty little secret to hide in your closet now don't ya? Cuz 50-60 years ago, the AKC was ALL FOR IT! You also realize most kennel clubs were started by professional breeders way back when don't you...KENNEL Club??? DUH.

My final comments are these: I know that there are a number of people that aren't going to hear a thing I've said. "Puppy Mills" are bad. Period. But for those of you who can step back from the emotions of the issue (emotions fostered by AR media propaganda), consider the fight we are facing,and can accept that many Americans truly are happy with a "Ford" for a car,well, I hope I've said things that might make you *think* instead of having a knee jerk reaction. Consider this: MOST legal, professional breeding kennels are not only regulated and inspected by the USDA, but also by their states, the AKC,and others. That's *alot* of inspections, more than most of us would be willing to accept. And MANY of them here in Missouri do it voluntarily for their "Blue Ribbon Kennel" program. And if you think keeping a kennel of 100 (or more) dogs is easy, think again. Patti Strand said the biggest issue is that urban America no longer has any connection to animals. 50 years ago 80%of Americans lived on farms. Today it's the other way around - 80% of America is urbanized. I know alot of people have pictures in their heads of the "horrors" of puppy mills - they exist and I'm not now, nor have I ever denied that. The professional breeders don't deny it either. Those of us on the "show" side of the house need to stop denying it exists among "us" too.

I've had this idea in the back of my head for awhile now and discussed it with Patti Strand last nite and she agrees. The AR movement isn't about animals at all. PETA, HSUS, ALF, Bob Barker, Oprah, the RSPCA in England, etc etc, don't give a rats patootie about animals. In fact, they really kinda hate them. This fight is about our PERSONAL FREEDOMS and WHO gets to write the laws governing all of us. Wasn't anybody else bothered by the law in Louisville, KY even PASSING? Not what it contained, although that was surely bad enough, but just how many personal freedoms were violated? And NOT ONE of those supposedly intelligent (I question this, but that's another discussion) people on the Council thought there was a problem WRITING A LAW like that and then VOTING FOR IT! (And thank gawd the law is being challenged in court - I do have some hope yet. *G*) Today we lose our dogs, our cats, our steak dinners. What do we lose tomorrow??? Better keep your eye on the ball here folks, because all those folks we're fighting right now over pets are con artists playing a shell game. The issue is NOT animals. It's just the battleground. And if we lose this battle, the war is surely lost. Either we wake up and fight with every soldier we can lay our hands on, or we lose. Us Vs. Them (where them is Professional Breeders) is no longer an acceptable frame of mind. Nobody is going to make you breed dogs professionally, you aren't gonna get cooties from them. And the few dogs a year we produce in our hobby kennels are no threat to their lively hoods either. NOR are THEY a threat to us. Remember,Fords and Maseratis.

I said it before and I'll say it again. I don't care why the professional breeders attended the seminar and sat through 2 days of educational information. They DID it. And if say 25% of them put some of these practices into operation in their kennels...and next year a few more, and the year after that a few more...there is soon going to be little difference between a hobby breeder and a professional breeder...except the professionals are gonna whup us on experience. You can't compare whelping one litter a year with whelping 20. Or 100. Or whatever the number is. And as they manage to improve their breeding stock both health and conformationally because of the things they learned...you won't be able to tell the difference between their dogs and yours.

Betsy

Betsy & Kevin Cummings
Tribute
Salukis (tribute@centurytel.net) Visit us at www.K9Stitches.com

Teaching a straight front

The dog in this video clip has a nice recall.She comes willingly and reliability every time she is called.This response carries over to her retrieves and her returns when jumping.What we wanted to do was to see if we could "clean up" the tiny, rather fussy things that happened when she reached her owner.

It just seemed to me that there were two different problems that actually appeared to be more than two problems.One problem was an owner problem and the other
was a dog problem.

The owner wasn't standing straight and while that may not make much difference
when the dog knows exactly where to focus, it is a problem when the dog lacks a focal point.

Of course, the second part was the dog.That lack of a focal point meant her sits
tended to shift back and forth between being lined up with the owner's left leg
and being lined up with the owner's right leg.Then there was, what I had taken to calling the fidget.She would come in and sit and then shift first one way and then another. Many times that shifting took her from a off center sit to a perfect sit,out of the perfect sit and into a crooked sit.

I am only showing three passes in the interest of time, but the difference
between when we started and how she is now doing is very pleasing.



As I'm sure you noticed we are using a favorite toy as a tension releaser and a reward. In this case, a Grinch is just the ticket.

Dogs killed for fun?

I have held off writing anything about this tragedy in the forlorn hope that maybe, just maybe, the Prince George's County Government would finally have the decency to step up to the plate and admit wrong doing.

I decided to add my blog to the growing number of blogs helping to spread this information for a couple of reasons. First, this so called "war on drugs" is a failed, money sucking, people harming waste of all our money. Second, how is it that those sworn to protect us are more and more often the very ones who are harming us? Third, since when does the ass-end of a dog traveling AWAY from you qualify as a threat to your person, Mr. SWATman? Okay, so I lied about a couple of reasons.

Now please go on to read what the Mayor of Berwyn Heights, MD has to say about what happened to him, his family and the two dogs he owned who were forced to give their lives in this "war".

The government-sanctioned animal cruelty perpetrated in Prince George's
County, Maryland is no better depicted than in the broken hearts of this
family...except perhaps among the seven hundred to one thousand times a year
family dogs are seized and killed under the county's failed "pit bull ban".

Below please find Mayor Calvo's first hand account of his harrowing ordeal.
One dog dead by the front door, the other dog hunted down by the
kevlar-encrusted SWAT in the kitchen....I am ashamed to live in the People's
Republic of Prince George's County, Maryland.
Adrianne Lefkowitz
Maryland Dog Federation
_______________________________________________
Mayor Cheye Calvo describes raid in e-mail to friends

Dear Friends and Neighbors-

Yesterday evening, as my mother-in-law prepared dinner and I changed clothes hurrying to head to a community meeting, a heavily-armed county SWAT team burst through our living room door and shot and killed both of our dogs. There were loud voices. In the sights of two high-caliber weapons, I was ushered downstairs in only my boxer shorts before I was bound and forced to kneel on the floor. My mother-in-law was bound face down in the kitchen. The dead body of my bigger and older dog, Payton, laid in a pool of blood on the other side of the living room.

It was some time before someone spoke to me other than to yell orders. I was told there was a warrant but was never shown one. After many questions and much anger, I was told that they had intercepted a package addressed to our house that contained 32 pounds of marijuana. The large, white box, which I just had retrieved from the front porch, sat unopened on a living room table.

The county police then proceeded to turn our house upside-down. I was moved to the kitchen, where I could see my little dog, Chase, lying in his own pool of blood. My mother-in-law watched them shoot him while he was running away. After about 90 minutes, they finally removed my restraints, which tied my hands behind my back. About the same time, Animal Control came to remove our dogs. Emotions overtook me; I broke down and sobbed.

They asked questions. Through my anger, hurt, and confusion, I answered them. Trinity came home from work a little after 8:00 pm, and they questioned her outside. We both were and remain in shock. It does not make sense, but shared what we could. About three-and-a-half hours passed before they acknowledged that they had found nothing to connect us to the box, but could not be 100 certain whether or not we were involved. The package alone was enough to arrest us all, they said, but they would not so long as we continued to cooperate.

Then they left. The broken front door remained open and unsecured. Blood from my dogs was pooled and tracked throughout the house. Our belongings were pulled from drawers, closets, and trunks and tossed about, piled in the middle of rooms and on tables and beds.

A Berwyn Heights officer on the scene helped me get the door shut. Just after midnight, I began to clean up the blood. We put a few things back. Trinity and I tried to sleep. Instead, we both laid there through the night as disbelief, fear, and anger played off one another. We try to make sense of it. They invaded our home and killed our dogs! That, above all else, can't be undone.

A friend came this morning to secure the door. People have begun to call, and the outpouring of friendship and support brings tears to my eyes. The media calls have begun, as well.

I wanted to get this out so that you at least hear the story from me. This promises to be a lengthy process, which will involve telling and re-living this story time and again. Hopefully, the healing will begin soon.

Warm regards,

Cheye

Management or training

Dog training shouldn't be just about management or a reliability to command.
It should be about setting rules, and giving the dog enough information so he can be come responsible for his own behavior during normal daily life while knowing to seek human guidance during times of unusual occurrences.

Just testing

This entry is nothing but a test. For some reason, I see to have angered the Lords of Blog and on Thursday evening they labeled me SPAM and said I could no longer post and that this blog would be eliminated within 20 days. So, having jumped through all their hoops I am hoping I have been turned on again. Otherwise, I shall have to go through the most unpleasant business of copying and moving a 3 year old blog. Not a task I much look forward to.

Animal Rights commentary

I had every intention of writing some commentary about this essay and then lost the "roundtoit" I needed to get the job done. Rather than continue to let it sit in my draft file I'm going to go ahead and post it. Everyone needs to read and think about what Mr Tyler has written. The day of the benign, little, blue-haired old lady in tennis shoes collecting stray cats and being viewed as the local town cat lady has passed. All those little ladies got run out of town by the new sheriff and his name is H$U$. In town after town all across the great nation the PETA scouts are out in huge numbers looking for the next town, city, county, state for H$U$ to attack.

Make no mistake, this is an all out war and right now the side that hates animals and humans above all is winning. Read and think about what Mr. Tyler has to say on the subject and then look at your dog/cat and wonder just how much longer you are going to be allowed to keep him/her.

May you live in interesting times
May you come to the attention of those in authority
May you find what you are looking for

THE STRUGGLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE DOMESTIC DOG by Anthony P. Tyler
--------------------------------------------------------------
With pet-related legislation on the rise, the debate regarding the ethics of animal
husbandry has reached a fever pitch.

We have witnessed the rise of an Animal Rights movement which has attained
a sizable political influence in this country. We have seen the emergence of a
multimillion dollar pet industry that has firmly entrenched itself in the American economy. As is to be expected when discussing the future of "man's best
friend," emotions run high all around the issue. With each side claiming the
moral high ground, will a compromise be reached that is in the best interest of
the domestic dog? Only time will tell.

In the mid 1980's, the Animal Rights movement was born. Their manifesto was
published in November 1987 in "Animals Agenda"magazine. The platform was
relatively simple, and a few of their tenets were as follows: Promote vegetarianism from a practical standpoint, outlaw commercial trapping as well as hunting for sport,
end the use of animals in laboratory tests and medical research, stop the use
of animals for human amusement (rodeo, circus, etc,) end the practice of factory
livestock processing, and bring about the end of the breeding of pet animals,
including those of purebred pedigree.

Today, in 2008, the Animal Rights movement is alive and flourishing.
Organizations such as PETA, and the HSUS have amassed massive financial "war chests" in the form of well-meaning donations from private citizens. Popular celebrities have championed their cause. Indeed, the very acronym "People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals" sounds, on the surface, quite appealing. Who doesn't want to see ethical treatment of animals? But lets scratch beneath the surface.

There have been many public outcries as of late alleging that the PETA
organization has in fact been euthanizing many thousands of perfectly healthy,
adoptable animals for no apparent reason. PETA has yet to refute these claims,
which would seem to lend credence to the widely held opinion that the end goal
of the Animal Rights movement in general, and the PETA organization in
particular, is to bring about the end of companion animal ownership as it is
known today, or "liberating the animals from the tyranny of human ownership," if
you will.

Celebrities who eat meat or wear fur are castigated, people who breed dogs
as a hobby are portrayed as cruel greedy individuals exploiting their animals
for a profit, and vast sums of money are thrown around backing legislation
beneficial to the overall "Animal Rights" cause.

One of the fundamental arguments of the Animal Rights movement is that
animals are not ours to consume. That animals, as living creatures, have the
right to free will. (Opponents of this position argue that because we humans
have the combination of opposable thumbs and superior cognitive skills, that
we are, by default, the dominant species and thus have the right to consume
animals.)

One of the most noteworthy flaws in the Animal Rights argument, is that
proponents of such are often in favor of the mandatory spay/neuter of domestic
dogs and cats, which will be discussed at great length later in this piece. It
would seemingly be difficult for someone to one the one hand, criticize the use
of animals for food with the justification that the animal does not "want" to be
eaten, and yet, be in favor of making an animal endure a painful
castration/oveohysterectomy that the animal most certainly would
not "want," if they even had the cognitive skills to comprehend such a surgery.

However, this hypocrisy seems to be alive and well in the Animal
Rights movement. As is the culprit behind most hot-button issues in today's society, it would seem that the Animal Rights movement seeks to impose their own ethics and view of what is right and wrong upon society in general. In and of itself, this
is not a bad thing- indeed, this is how the abolitionists brought about the end
of human slavery in this country.

On the other side of this equation, you have the pet industry. The fact
is that pets are profitable, from the "womb to the tomb," that is, from the
hundreds of dollars that some families spend purchasing a dog or cat, to the
high cost of premium pet food, to the rising cost of quality veterinary care, to
expensive trips to the dog groomer, boarding care/training classes, the myriad
of toys and products we buy our pets, to the $400 cremation when the pet dies,
make no mistake, pets have become an industry. As is the case with livestock,
any time a living being becomes a profitable entity, abuse is bound to exist.

Many of us are familiar with the term "puppy mill." This term usually
calls to mind a facility where dogs are kept in squalor in wire crates, treated
as a source of income and nothing more, and bred over and over until they are no
longer able to reproduce, and then disposed of. Commercial breeding operations
have become big business.

To deny the existence of these cruel, inhumane entities, would be
shortsighted and inaccurate. As human beings, we should be appalled
that our fellow humans are capable of such cruel treatment of another living
being. The reality of puppy mills elicits emotional reactions all around, and
understandably so.

Although they undeniably give a black eye to the entire pet industry,
commercial kennels and puppy mills are only a portion of said industry. Pets
have become an activity in and of themselves. In addition to the huge sum
Americans spend annually on pet food and pet- related products, many Americans
participate in organized activities with their animals such as equine dressage
events, dog sports such as agility and flyball, 4-H shows, or just socializing with other pet owners at an off-leash dog park. But for the sake of our discussion, lets
focus for a moment on dog confirmation shows. Many untold millions are spent annually on food, lodging, and gasoline as a direct result of the many confirmation shows licenced by the American Kennel Club that are going on nationwide, on any given weekend. Dog fanciers like to call this "the sport of purebred dogs."

The sport of purebred dogs, or "dog shows," and the contribution to our
economy that comes alongside it, could not exist without canine animal
husbandry. In order to have an animal that is competitive in said events, there
must exist a "show breeder" somewhere who uses their knowledge of canine
genotype, phenotype, and their years of practical experience in showing and
breeding dogs, to produce a dog that represents a good example of its respective
breed as defined by that breed's "breed standard."

Although there are exceptions to every rule, the endeavor of producing
a good show dog is seldom a profitable one. Factor in the expenses related to
showing a dog, and the factors involved in breeding a dog (health testing, stud
fees, veterinary costs) and most "show breeders" are overjoyed if they break
even on a litter of puppies. They do what they do out of the natural human love
for competition, and presumably, a love for and desire to preserve their breed
of choice. Never mind the emotional stress often involved in backing up the animals that you have bred for their entire life. This person is what we commonly refer to as
a "hobby breeder."

Rare is the ethical "hobby breeder" who makes a profit on their
endeavor. Even rarer still is the commercial kennel who makes arbitrary breeding
decisions (as opposed to informed ones) that has success in the confirmation
ring. While there are breeders who blur the line between "puppy mill" and "hobby
breeder," for the most part, you have the people who are taking advantage of
dogs for a profit, and you have the people who have a legitimate interest in
purebred dogs and treat theirs well.

In the case of both the Animal Rights movement, and the pet industry,
good exists alongside evil. Just like no rational person would be in support of
the unnecessary torture of laboratory animals for non-medical research, no rational person would be in favor of keeping dogs in squalor in the name of financial gain.

Thus, you have some aspects of the Animal Rights platform that are perfectly logical, and you have some aspects of the pet industry that are perfectly ethical. And then,
you have the "grey areas."

On both sides of this equation, there has arisen a subculture that is
bound and determined to adhere to an extremist dogma. I have seen Animal Rights
advocates assassinate the character of anyone who breeds dogs, portraying them as vile, greedy individuals out to make a quick buck. On the other hand, i have seen ANTI- Animal Rights individuals so bound and determined to fight the Animal Rights cause, that they will even defend the "puppy mill" proprietor as a "legitimate business owner." As you can see, dogma comes in many forms, and in any of them, it is a dangerous entity.

Most of your "hobby breeders," that is, people who have a source of
income BESIDES the dogs, people who do it for the personal glory and/or the love
of their breed, are completely appalled by the plight of the dogs trapped in
commercial kennels and puppy mills. If you think a member of PETA hates the
proprietors of puppy mills, you should hear how a hobby breeder talks about
them.

However, politics makes for strange bedfellows, and lately, it seems
increasingly likely that dog breeders of any scope are going to have to unite to
fight to defend their right to continue breeding dogs. Ironic, considering it is
the commercial breeders and the puppy mills who gave rise to the pet
overpopulation crisis that has allowed the Animal Rights movement to achieve the
level of support it currently enjoys, which in turn, has put the existence of
the hobby breeder in such peril.

However, while commercial kennels and puppy mills are, by consensus,
abhorrent entities, their actions, despicable as they may be, do not impede or
interfere with the activities of hobby breeders. The same cannot be said for the
Animal Rights movement. So, for the moment, the hobby breeders and the
commercial breeders would appear to have a common enemy.

How did this come to pass? Suffice it to say that agribusiness is an
incredibly powerful, entrenched industry that is not going away any time soon.
Even the almighty PETA will never amount to more than a fly in the ointment to
the cattle industry.

So the Animal Rights movement, being wise enough to pick their battles, has
seemingly put imposing vegetarianism on all all Americans on the back
burner and focused their efforts on what they perceive to be more
attainable goals. Enter the concept of mandatory spay/neuter legislation.

Nationwide, the battle is raging between Animal Rights advocates and
dog breeders regarding the issue of mandatory spay- neuter legislation. Such
legislation recently passed in Dallas, and over a half-dozen houses in Dallas
went on the market that day. This is only a glimpse of the economic damage that
is in store for any municipality that adopts this legislation to the extent that
it impedes the activities of dog breeders.

Indeed, there exists a type of breeder known as a "backyard breeder,"
someone who does not licence their dogs, does not provide them with
suitable care, and does not make there breeding decisions based upon the
principles of responsible animal husbandry. This "backyard breeder" is a small-
scale version of the commercial breeder, and these backyard breeders, along with
the animals that they produce, have become a social problem, contributing to pet
overpopulation to the extent that legislation is being introduced to curb their
activity.

In California, where an attempt to pass a statewide mandatory
spay/neuter law was soundly defeated in 2007, the legislation was recently
re-introduced in a deceptive form that would allow Animal Control
Officers to issue a citation for having an intact dog, despite their being no
language in the bill that actually criminalizes the possession of an intact dog!
This is in violation of California's state constitution.

In Chicago, a bill was introduced by Ald. Ed Burke that would require individuals to
purchase a "breeding permit" in order to own an intact dog. This additional licencing, and the financial burden that it would impose upon the hobby breeder in Chicago is
very linear to the logical flaw in gun control laws, which is that only
law-abiding citizens tend to obey said laws. Your average robber is not going to
purchase a concealed weapons permit for his handgun, and your average backyard
breeder is not going to purchase a breeder's licence for his dogs. So in effect, the legislation will only serve as a punitive measure upon those who DO obey the law.

Millions of animals are euthanized annually in this country in shelters
nationwide. Whether or not this is necessary is the subject of fierce debate, with the
city of San Francisco having recently adopted a highly successful "no-kill"
strategy, the jury is still out on whether the massive euthanasia of homeless
pets is the appropriate response to pet overpopulation. The en vogue strategy of
the Animal Rights movement is to lay the blame for these deaths at the feet of
the dog breeder, both commercial and hobby alike, by the logic that every pet
sold takes a potential home away from a shelter animal. However, not enough
attention is paid to the fact that a shelter dog is not the desire of, nor the
suitable option for every family.

Perhaps a family wants their child to participate in the sport of purebred dogs as a
constructive hobby. Perhaps a family wants a dog with 3 verifiable generations
of health testing behind it. Perhaps a family simply does not feel comfortable
bringing a shelter dog of unknown origin and background around their child.

Despite that, the Animal Rights advocates continue to cling to their
oft-told mantra of "don't breed or buy while shelter animals die!" This is
another example of the Animal Rights movement's tendency to use hyperbole and a distortion of the facts in an attempt to mandate other people to adhere to their own ethics.

Shelters do not "have" to euthanize animals. Several workable models of the
"no- kill" philosophy exist for the shelter that chooses to implement them.
Further, while dog breeders should be morally obligated to stand behind the
animals they have bred, reclaim and re-home them should they end up in a shelter, it is fundamentally un-american to tell a family that their only choice of location to obtain a dog from should be the animal shelter. This is where you leave the black and white of ethical behavior, and venture into that grey area of imposing upon the freedoms of others.

Many of the supporters of a moratorium on dog breeding claim that it is
a temporary measure, a "stop-gap" until the plight of homeless animals has
eased. Supporters of such a theory are either very foolish for believing
that the government would ever voluntarily return to us a right that we
voluntarily surrendered, or they are using the concept of a moratorium to mask
their true agenda, the extinction of the domestic dog.

Because you see, if every dog or cat in America were spayed and neutered tomorrow, as is the stated goal of the Animal Rights movement, it would, by the very laws of biology, then be physically impossible for those animals to produce a subsequent generation of pets. Which directly equates to there being NO MORE pets, 20 years from now. This is the extinction of the domestic dog that was referred to earlier. This is the "dirty little secret" of the Animal Rights movement.

The cold hard fact of the matter is, that the United States Department
of Agriculture has failed miserably to enforce laws already on the books
regarding the welfare of animals in commercial kennels. Instead of lobbying
politicians to draft new legislation that is punitive to the hobby breeder, why
have the Animal Rights advocates not focused their tremendous financial
resources on getting the government to enforce laws that are already on the
books regarding commercial kennels that have been ignored for decades?

Could it be that the actual goal of PETA is not to improve the
treatment of animals, but to eradicate pet animal ownership?

So then, what is to be done? Is it possible to end the cycle of cruelty
and greed that is the commercial kennel, without embarking upon a slippery slope
that erodes the rights of ANY American to own and breed a dog? Should every
advocate of Animal Rights be written off due to their irrational position on the dog
breeding issue? Is there any compromise to be had? Should we, as hobby breeders,
choose the lesser of two evils, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the commercial kennel industry in defense of our right to continue to own and breed our dogs?

There are no easy answers. However, if we continue upon our current
course, make no mistake, we will wake up one day a couple decades from now, look
around, and wonder where our best friend went. And if that day should come to
pass, George Washington, the father of our country and an an accomplished dog
breeder who kept immaculate records, will look down upon us in sorrow, and
wonder how we let it happen.

We have done quite enough talking. The time for action is now.
Californians, please urge your state representative to vote no on AB 1634.
Chicagoans, give Ed Burke's office a phone call. Dallas- you're screwed.
Sorry. Sell your house and send a letter to your local chamber of commerce
explaining exactly why you did so.

Anthony Philip Tyler
HLakitas@...
Hachiko's Legacy Akita
Kennels
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/hlakitas

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This article was the result of weeks of interaction with people on all sides of the issue. I attempted to be as objective as possible. Having said that, I AM a dog breeder. I AM against mandatory spay/neuter legislation and I work vigorously to oppose it.
And further, allow me to say with no confusion, to any Animal Rights activists who may be reading... As long as the 2nd amendment is still in effect, you will get my dogs' reproductive organs when you pry them from my COLD DEAD HANDS.
Seriously- come try to "liberate" my dogs from the "evils" of my
ownership. You WILL be leaving on a stretcher. Church.

Then and now

IF you were a child 50 years ago you spent your summers outside, sometimes from dawn to dusk and you:

• Rode a bike
• Climbed trees and built tree houses
• Went swimming/wading in the local creek
• Played on some great playground equipment (who remembers the maypole, the merry-go-round where a couple of big kids had to run really fast to get it started and then you all kept it going by leaning in and out or the climbing ladders or a whole host of other pieces of equipment that no longer exist.
• Played red rover, kick ball, hopscotch, four-square, jumped double dutch
• Collected butterflies, lightening bugs, June bugs, tadpoles And a host of other activities that required you to be able run, jump, climb, twist, turn and deal with the occasional scrapped knee/elbow/sprain/bruise or even broken bone.
• You also did yard and garden work (unless you live in the city and didn't get shipped off to the grandparents) You learn how to handle all your body parts.
  

IF you were a child 40 years ago you

• spent your summers outside/inside, but rare was the day spent from dawn to dusk outside doing stuff.

However, you probably still managed to

• Ride a bike
• Climb a few trees, no tree houses allowed
• Went swimming, but a the local community pool/no wading in the creek because it was now an encased drainage ditch and fenced off
• Played at the playground, but most of the really good playground equipment had been replaced with "safe" and non-challenging items
• Didn't do much collecting of anything insect-wise for one or more of several political reasons
• May or may not have learned how to jump rope, play Four-Square, hopscotch, kick the can
• May have been enrolled in adult supervised team sports
• Did yard work and/or worked in a garden, but only if you lived in the country
• You didn't have as much of a chance to learn how to really handle all your body parts, but at least there was still some effort being made.

IF you were a child 30 years ago you spent your summers

• Inside/outside and were only outside for fairly short periods of time.
• You might know how to ride a bike.
• You most likely never climbed a tree.
• If you went swimming at all it was at the community center and as a part of a swimming class or swim team
• Were afraid of insects
• Never played an outside game that didn't include adult supervision, lots of protective gear and a strict schedule
• Played video games at the local video game parlor
• Were encouraged to engage in far fewer physical activities of any sort

IF you were a child 20 years ago you spent your summers

• Inside and only went outside to get from one place to another.
• Once in a great while you spend a couple of hours outside.
• You might learn to skateboard or use in line skates, bikes were optional
• Swimming optional
• Games requiring you to be outside...optional
• Insects, birds, snakes, turtles, tadpoles and most dogs and cats were not things you willingly came in contact with.
• Someone drove you to all your activities, most of which were done in clean, air-conditioned buildings with you under close adult supervision and wearing all sorts of padding and safety gear
• all those skinned knees would probably cause arthritis
• Video games were the physical activity of choice

IF you were a child 10 years ago you spent your summers

• Inside
• Someone always drove you from place to place
• Bikes, skateboards, in line skates were too dangerous
• Trees are dangerous
• Insects, birds, snakes, turtles, tadpoles and most dogs and cats are dangerous
• Everything you will ever need to know you can learn on a computer.
• Soon there will no longer be a need to walk, much less run.

And that is why I say people under the age of 50 have to be taught how to handle their own bodies before they can even begin to have a prayer of being successful with this four-legged creature known as dog.

Of course they don't know how to treat a dog as a dog, they have never had a chance to learn what a dog is to begin with and so lack a reasonable frame of reference. Right now their only frame of reference to what a dog is can be seen on CBS: Greatest American Dog http://www.cbs.com/primetime/greatest_american_dog/video/video.php?cid=715224809&pid=16chnVXRx7DRGRhwbzCgL1ActFsmniJS&play=true&cc=0

Right now, on the other side of my tall fence on two sides is an apartment complex. It's been there for about 30 years. Thirty years ago, there were children outside playing in the summer. I know there are children living there. I see them in the early morning as they are being hustled into cars to go to ??? And I see them in the evening when they are brought home. I see the school bus that picks them up during the school year.

These children are NEVER, EVER outside to play or do anything other than get into or out of a car. They are NOT learning how to walk, run, fall, deal with a scrapped knee or elbow or a host of other things that truly are necessary for healthy growth and development. What I hear from the kids who come to me is that all their friends think they are really strange because they go to "this place" where they are around dangerous beasts, dangerous insects, turtles, trees that need climbing. They get scraped knees, elbows, stings. They get hot, dirty, wet, and according to their parents smelly.

They are the lucky ones.

At 13 they are falling over their own feet, by 16 they move with the smooth grace of a healthy youngster. It is extremely obvious right now because I have three here with me. Three who have learned or are learning how to move and handle themselves and I also have two who come with a parent to take lessons. Those two are clumsy, jerky, and clueless. They hate being outside. They whine about the bugs. They are afraid of the other dogs.

They can't even run without herky-jerky, elbows flapping, toes pointed like a duck movement. Harsh assessment? Yep. Honest assessment? Yep. Will they get better? Doubtful. Why? Because their parents aren't one bit better and are far too worried about the dangers of scraped knees or elbows. They are bloody well learning how to be a great computer software accessory, but are they learning how to be human?

A slightly different version of this started out as an email post and after some thought I decided it really needed to become a part of my blog. More on the subject later.

Ear progress and other fun stuff

Little by little I am starting to see some progress with the ears up business. This morning I switched to a verbal bridge to keep the ears up for a longer period of time. I'm now requiring her to keep them up while changing from a stand to a sit and then back to a stand. Considering how much effort that is appearing to take on her part, I'm going to hold at this level for a couple of days.

One of the things on my list of to do's is getting the ears up position tied to a camera. That way when she sees a camera pointing in her direction she will immediately put those ears all the way up. In thinking back I seem to remember we spent one entire summer teaching Charity to put her ears up and always "pose" whenever she saw a camera pointed in her direction. Don't have a clue as to why I forgot that part, but I sure did.

If Sanity is steady enough with the positions and ears I'm going to try adding the camera to the mix on Friday. So now I have a specific goal to reach.

Normally Sanity and I go out on Tuesdays just so I can do that nail thing I insist is necessary for me to maintain some sort of mental health. However, the normal schedule of events was switched around a bit and this week we went on that jaunt today.

This is what things look like at the nail shop:



"Hi! Good to see you. With the Fourth of July almost on us, I think I'd like to go red this week."
"That's the red I had in mind."
"Fine, I'll just need you to put your paw right here."
"Keep it to color only, no grinding. That part got taken care of at home. You know I don't like to sit in this chair overly long."

And this is what the finished product looks like for this week. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!!!!!

Ears

For reasons best known only to Sanity, she has started to be committed to flying airplane ears. Sometimes I think she just does it cause she knows it drives me crazy and then I remind myself that is just plain silly.

The story is a fairly simply one. A story of mixed signals and bad timing and a serious lack of commitment on my part. Her ears were up, standing and really quite nice. Then, in a fit of boredom on winter day I decided I would teach her to "flap" her ears like they were wings. Okay, all right already. I agree. It wasn't one of my better ideas. Not only a bad idea, but I decided I would do it using treats and clicker. This moved the idea from bad to pretty stupid. I'm just not real good with the C/T stuff, even on the best of days.

Over the period of a couple of weeks I actually managed to get her to raise and lower her ears in a fairly decent imitation of wing flapping. And then I goofed my timing, got rushed, wasn't paying enough attention, who knows what else? The end result was that poor Sanity was left with the idea I actually wanted her to hold her ears flat and straight out from the side of her head. I tried to fix the misunderstanding. I made it worse. So I left it alone for a time and then went back to try and fix it again. Again I made it worse.

I left it alone for a time and then tried again. This time I was trying as I explained to someone else just how the flying ears came to be and in only a few minutes had her flapping her ears like wings. We all thought it was a great fun and funny thing to do. The end result? Flat, flying ears in earnest. I left things alone once more.

But those ears really do bug me. Here I have this lovely Doberman with a truly perfect ear crop and do to a series of unfortunate events they FLY! And so, once again I am embarking on a journey to get those ears up and standing the way they were meant to stand before I took a bottle of stupid pills.

Friday was the first day. Yes, I am also using a clicker because I am determined to fix the original mistake using the tool I started out using. I sat in my recliner and did the click/treat every single time the ears came up. At first, they only came up a tiny bit, I'll take that and I did the C/T thing. Just the sound of the clicker caused her to revert back to airplane ears. I waited. She relaxed and her ears came back up almost all the way. I did the C/T thing. I set my goal for 10 successful clicks which translated into 10 times she put her ears up. By the last time those ears were up all the way and looked just beautiful.

Yesterday, sitting in the same chair and with the same goal we tried again. This time after 5 successes I started ever so softly saying, "Point". The sound of my voice caused the ears to quickly return to airplane. I persisted. Each time the ears came up, I whispered "point" C/T. Well, actually it was C/point/T. And then it was C/T/point and then Point/C/T. My voice stopped causing the ears to drop. Success.

Today, sitting in the same chair, clicker in one hand and treat in the other I had to wait almost a full minute before the ears came up, but they did come up and I managed the C/T. No voice for the first 5 times and then I started the whispered "point" again. Wonder of wonders, them ears stayed up. I had managed 15 reps and ran out of treats. So I called a halt to this game and went off to refill the little treat cup for next time. Sanity followed me. Wrap got up and joined us.

Long time ago, in dog years, Wrap was taught just like all the rest of my Dobes to put her ears up and do what I call the "bright eye" look on the command "ears". Well, she was standing there and as I broke up the treats into smaller pieces, I just glanced at her and said "Wrap, ears". Up came the ears in that special position and while dim, the bright eye was there. I handed her one of the full sized treats. Sanity stood there watching. When she heard "ears" she did the airplane. I totally ignored her. Gave Wrap the "ears" command, got the correct response and handed out that treat. Ignored Sanity and her flying ears. Just before I put everything away I gave it one last go. "Wrap, ears" Bingo! Sanity's ears came all the way up just as fast as Wrap's. A treat for each and no more for this day.

I really am going to fix them ears this time and no more stupid ear flapping tricks.

Animal Rights Group Dupes Donors

I realize that many of you dear readers have already seen this news release enough times to have it memorized. Please forgive me for posting it yet again. It really is important for this type of information to be spread far and wide.

If you are seeing and reading it for the first time, know you are not only free to copy and post elsewhere,I'm all but begging you to do so.
margot

Animal Rights Group Dupes Donors Into Believing It Takes Care of Animals


(Columbus) - When regional retailer, Meijer, received pressure from sportsmen to sever ties with the animal rights extremists in the Humane Society of the Unites States (HSUS), some questioned why the U.S.
Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) acted to oppose the partnership.

"Most people simply don't know that the HSUS is actually an animal rights organization that is opposed to any use of animals for the benefit of humans," said USSA president and CEO Bud Pidgeon. "The public deserves to know the hidden agenda behind this is to deceive them."

On April 24, 2008, HSUS, the world's largest animal rights organization, announced a partnership with Meijer, a regional discount retail chain to raise $5,000 for the organization's fund to address the purported problem of abandoned pets as a result of the national home foreclosure crisis.

The USSA, a national organization founded to protect the rights of sportsmen, responded with an alert asking hunters to contact the retailer to protest the partnership. Meijer quickly responded by canceling the arrangement. Since that time, some animal welfare activists have questioned why USSA would oppose a partnership alleged to benefit pets.

The Washington DC-based HSUS, raised $100 million dollars according to its
2006 IRS filing. Despite a name that seems tailor made to animal shelters, HSUS is in fact an animal rights organization. Its main function is to change laws that permit Americans to gain any benefit from animals. It advocates for restrictions on livestock farmers, bans on life-saving medical research performed on animals and opposes zoos, circuses and rodeos. Of course HSUS also opposes hunting. The HSUS does not operate or represent the local dog and cat shelters that exist across the United States.

"With a name like the Humane Society of the United States, it's easy to see why some people believe that there is a connection between it and local animal shelters, which struggle every year to make ends meet," explained Pidgeon. "HSUS spends the bulk of its money on making contributions to politicians, lobbying, lawyers and expensive 30-second advertisements to promote voter issues aimed at banning various uses of animals."

The Humane Society uses campaigns, such as the Meijer campaign, as a public relations tool to help it raise its $100 million dollar war chest for its animal rights crusade. Evidence of this is contained within its leadership.
Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the organization, is the former executive director of the Fund for Animals, which was the nation's leading anti-hunting group.
Upon accepting the executive job at HSUS, Pacelle announced a merger with the Fund for Animals and quickly hired its most ardent hunting opponents as his top management staff.

The HSUS then swallowed several anti-livestock organizations, hiring their leadership as well. Its takeover of the Doris Day Animal League has given it access to Hollywood dollars, previously the home turf of the radical People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Unlike PETA, however, Pacelle and HSUS are not interested in making a large public relations spectacle using naked models or making outrageous statements comparing the Holocaust to the slaughter of chickens. Instead, HSUS has launched a series of campaigns that put it in a positive light with animal lovers in general.

Such was the case in 2005, when HSUS created a fund to aid animals stranded as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Later, the Louisiana Attorney General's office launched an investigation of HSUS when allegations surfaced that the money never made it to the pets in need.

In 2007 it launched a campaign to address the issue of so-called "puppy mills," abusive large-scale commercial dog breeding operations. Using sentimental images of suffering puppies, the organization is backing legislation in Pennsylvania that would devastate small hobby breeders, dog show kennels and sporting dog enthusiasts. The legislation is so radical that it has been opposed by the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club and even dog rescue shelters in the state.

"Taking advantage of the American people's love for their pets, HSUS is able to deceive donors and the public into believing that the organization is in the mainstream of American values," said Pidgeon. "It is this mainstream image that allows HSUS to raise its 100 million dollar budget to take our hunting and fishing rights away. At the same time, by deceiving animal lovers, HSUS robs financially strapped dog and cat shelters of critical funds needed to actually look after abandoned and abused pets."

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance recommends that people who want to help real animal shelters give to their local shelter organizations.

"Some animal rights groups masquerade as pet shelters, so donating to a local organization gives the contributor the opportunity to determine how their funds will actually be spent," said Pidgeon.

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen's organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website http://www.ussportsmen.org