Dia De Los Muertos

It seems only fitting that the advocacy that has adopted the cultural trappings of Dia De Los Muertos, would also find it appropriate to squat with their pit bulls and their political message on what was  a tribute to victims of canine attacks.  And of course, they picked an appropriate time and day of the week to meet, just in time for CHURCH!

For a few years now, the pit bull advocacy has declared the Month of October to be "Pit Bull Awareness Month".  They have also adopted Dia De Los Muertos, celebrated on October 31,  extending to November 1 and November 2, in connection with the triduum of All Hallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. There seems to be a certain appeal I have noticed, a trinity of death (bones), tattoos, and pit bulls. As proof, there seems to be a large market for these combined images, in jewelry, tote bags, and t-shirts, some offered as a token given with donation.  Caching!  It's very fitting, very type of dog most likely of sending humans and animals to the condition that would merit an alter.  If only all the death and blood lettings could also end on Dia De Los Muertos, the last official day of the official month of Pit bull awareness.

Instead, pit bull awareness is each and every day.  Each and every day, someone becomes very, very aware of pit bulls.  For some, it's their last day on earth.  For some, it's the day they will say farewell to a beloved child, family member, pet, or a limb. They may need to build an alter for a former self...deal with PTSD, healing painful wounds, or a disfigurement.    For others, it's the day to mourn a beloved pet, that up the last moment, never once shown its genetic proclivity.  The day may come to mourn a long held belief in the mantra: it's all how you raise 'em.  They will have to face the truth.  They will become aware, and the process will be painful.




Until tide's turn, we will watch from the side lines, pit bull advocates use the trappings of this sacred day to remember the dead. We will watch their efforts to silence the efforts to honor victims and bring awareness to this issue.  Consider it in the light of other political desecrations of memorials. 

It's a fitting move, from the supporters of the official dog of death. Advocates for public safety and those who fight for awareness of the plight of victims and survivors of the most common sort of canine victims will be there to spread our own kind of awareness for the only type of dog who seems to have an entire month dedicated to its AWARENESS. 


Art Prize stirs breed controversy.




Other Memorials to victims:

Desecration of the gravesite of John Harvard.

Klonda Richey

Victims of 2012

Victims of 2013

Bleu

Down by the Riverside

 
The Introit!

This is such perfect content for The First Church of Pit Bulls, I'm so sad I didn't think of it first! It's a brilliant parable rewritten, the perfect analogy of what has become of  pit bull apologia.  Terrierman's Daily Dose is a must read for all who follow the issue, but unfortunately, it seems, they are preaching to the choir!

Before you read the parable, consider it in the light of this recent account of a woman from Lakewood, WA who is being charged with animal cruelty for drowning four pit bull puppies in a toilet.  The puppies were found in an empty dogfood bag, with a sign that read "Puppies $50 OBO" , by her landlord.  It's odd, she didn't advertise that they were pit bull puppies, which if we take from the recent blizkrieg  of puff pieces by the media, should be the rage for people with an altruistic and more enlightened than thou bent.
It's certainly usual information to include, but apparently, she started with six puppies, so she at least made a hundred bucks from the whelping of her two pit bulls.  Earlier, The landlord, who claimed he allowed the woman to move in because she did not want her young son on the street, said he told the woman to get rid of the dogs because he didn’t want that many animals in a unit. 

Who is at fault, and did she have options?

Is it the landlord's fault, did he have to allow pets at all, certainly two adult pit bulls, which are a significant liability of which most landlords are highly aware?  Was it a direct result of the landlord's request, the fear of losing a roof over her and her son's head, that caused her to drown these helpless little pibbles?

Was she cruel to drown the puppies, or should she just taken them to the shelter, where the puppies may have been adopted people as cruel as she, or where they may have just been dumped in a great big can and gassed?  She may have not chosen to go to the shelter, because sometimes there is a fee for turning pets in.  Perhaps didn't want to face the people at the shelter with their "tisk tisk" statements under their breath, or the silent but loud disgust written on their faces for having to deal with her irresponsibility for the first sin of not having her dogs altered. 

Or does the fault stem from the big "THEY" in the sky, the ones the pit advocacy calls the "fear mongers"... the media for reporting pit bull attacks, contributing to the maligned image that leaves them undesirable at fifty bucks or free, thousands waiting to be sent down the River Jordan,  or to perhaps be adopted by thugs, the irresponsible, and the clueless.  The other fear mongers, the "haters", who are a rapidly growing group of people who have had unfortunate blood shed from the folly of keeping dog fighting dogs as pets, how is it possible that they are at fault for wanting a change in public safety laws?

Or were these puppies drowned because of the "fear mongering" from the pit bull advocacy, does this huge machine create their own problems when they shout it from every rooftop,  how nobody wants these dogs, and they are the most abused dog in world.  Perhaps this woman was being kind to give them a good old fashioned mercy killing in her own little river, Jordan pot (an Elizabethan toilet, he he, linguistic irony!).  Of course, had these puppies survived, think of the money that could have been raised!  There could have been merchandise sold for fundraising and awareness, and a book for children, Galunker II, Saved from the Loo!

Speaking of stories, lay down your break sticks, and let's gather down by the Riverside!

"One summer in the village, the people gathered for a picnic. As they shared food and conversation, someone noticed a Pit Bull in the river, struggling and yelling. The dog was going to drown!
Someone rushed to save the dog. Then, they noticed another yowling Pit Bull in the river, and they rushed in to pull that dog out. Soon, more dogs were seen drowning in the river, and the townspeople were pulling them out as fast as they could. It took great effort, and they began to organize their activities in order to save the Pit Bulls as they came down the river. As everyone else was busy in the rescue efforts to save the dogs, two of the townspeople started to run up the shore of the river.

“Where are you going?” shouted one of the rescuers. “We need you here to help us save these dogs!”
“We are going upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in!”

And who is throwing them in?

And who is throwing them In?
Not Pit Bull haters. Pit Bull lovers.
Almost a million Pit Bulls a year are being killed in animal shelters across the U.S.
All of these dogs were bred by people who said they loved Pit Bulls.
All of these dogs were bought or acquired as puppies by people who said they loved Pit Bulls.
And almost all of these dogs were relenquished to the pound or "shelter" when their owners found out that an adult Pit Bull comes with a lot of responsibility.
Pit Bulls are not being pushed into the river by breed specific laws.
Cities that do not have such laws are killing dogs wholesale.
In fact, some of the cities with the lowest Pit Bull kill rates are cities that have banned the dogs, such as Denver.
Others, like San Francisco, have not banned Pit Bulls but have seen a marked decline in Pit Bull euthanasias after implementing a mandatory Pit Bull sterilization law coupled to free Pit Bull spay-neuter programs.
One thing is clear: Pit Bulls have breed specific problems.
Perhaps their biggest problem is that so many Pit Bull breeders and owners are young, irresponsible adults who have unstable lives and who are acquiring their first dog -- a Pit Bull -- for much the same reason that they might acquire a big-bore motorcycle, a sports car, or a "hummer".
Is it an accident that Pit Bull owners are much more likely to have problems with the law than the average dog owner? I don't think so, and neither does Stanley Coren.
The responsible people who are adoping Pit Bulls from shelters deserve unending applause for their efforts.
But have no illusion: the good work they do will never be enough so long as so many people stand silent while so many people breed Pit Bulls, and so many others are acquiring puppies from these breeders only to "thrown them in the river" in just a year's time.
Pit Bulls have a breed specfic problem.
At what point, do we begin to recognize that these dogs need a breed specific solution?
At what point do we say we are sick and tired of killing nearly a million Pit Bulls a year?
At what point do we agree that if we want something different, we need to do something different?
At what point do we run up the river bank, and start at least talking about all those people who are throwing the dogs in the river

The Fear of God

I've never really understood the concept of "fearing God".  Why would one FEAR the benevolent force of all that is good in the universe?  Was all of this Biblical fear mongering a way to get people join the church, and make sure that GOD sees us paying tithes and making a joyful noise in his praise from his throne in the sky, or he will send the unrepentant to that fiery place for all eternity ? Or, for Hindus....make you an ant for your next incarnation... I don't know.  It seems to me, the churches who incite this kind of message that "the end is near" are well attended. 

As far as this concept of "fear mongering" goes, the finger has been pointed at the pro-BSL camp, most of us having had one of those near meeting to GOD face to face moments ourselves, or have a loved one or a pet that was attacked, maimed, or killed.  Wanting a change in policy for inherently dangerous dogs has made us into fear mongers according to the pit bull apologia. 

They also claim the media is responsible for inciting fear and prejudice of their beloved fighting dogs, for reporting the news.  Do people tune in to TV and Radio news , buy newspapers JUST to hear about yet another pit bull attack?  Maybe I do, because as I have admitted in a prior post, I'm a zealot for the cause.  Most people, unless you are one of those people in the pro-BSL camp, are not.  The media also reports other kinds of bites, ranging from crazy soccer players, boxers, sharks, and even caterpillars.

The media just as often covers "good" stories about pit bulls.  Huffington Post, just last week, devoted an entire week of fluff pieces, even resurrecting myths that pit bull advocates have debunked as misleading and dangerous.  As it is, pit bull attacks, certainly of of other animals, are so commonplace, it's not really news unless there are some phenomenal circumstances about the attack.  The kind of attack ended by a gunshot, by civilian or police, is a daily event.  Most fatal human attacks by pit bulls only make local news, as compared to the coverage of shark attacks.  In contrast, the summer prior to September 11, a single non-fatal shark attack was to inspire near tabloid coverage which is now referred to as the Summer of the Shark.  Sharks kill and injure far less often than do the land sharks.  We do not know if coverage of shark attacks actually creates more shark attacks, as many pit bull advocates claim, that media hype creates more pit bull attacks. We also don't know if discussing the inherent danger of  sharks hurts their feelings as it does pit bulls. Again, I am missing the logic of the pit bull advocacy. 

Survivor Zainabou Drame will likely make the local news tonight in Ohio.

If you follow international pit bull attack news, you will oft see the complaint from someone with a photo of a "smiling pibble" on their profile, who may even go by the name of "Pibble Momma", write their outrage that a human or animal that being killed or maimed horrifically is not newsworthy, and is hype, is just inciting a media circus. And that they are canceling their subscription, so there. (Is this another way pit bull apologists use fear mongering? Or they will call you a racist, nobody likes to be told that!)
I'm not sure how media coverage of an animal attack, be it by shark, wolf, coyote, Africanized bees, or more commonly, by a pit bulls,  is fear mongering.  I do witness, however, just as much use of the "fear mongering" tactic by the pit bull advocacy, with three of their most oft quoted verses.

Taken from THIS anti-bsl opinnion piece.

"ALL DOGS BITE"

There is truth to this.  I myself was attacked by a Chihuahua.   It didn't even leave a scratch.  There are media reports of other breeds causing serious injury and even fatalities.  These are more rare.  For some reason the pit bull advocates can't figure out, why their dogs bite more and why there is more damage and fatalities when they do bite.  They don't seem to notice, that their breed seems to be the most likely to bite their owner or their family.  They are the leading biters in many municipalities, outbiting the most popular breed, the Labrador.   Maybe they say this as self reassurance, a defense mechanism to the truth that shouts to them when there is another incident reported...deep down, they know they have made a the riskiest choice in a canine companion. This is why they vehemently  defend their choice. They may tell you with a straight face (or red with anger) how actually your Pomeranian or your Cocker Spaniel is actually responsible for more bites and even fatalities than the "nanny dog".  Blah blah, so there.

"ANY DOG CAN BE TAUGHT TO BE AGGRESSIVE"

Why don't they seem to notice, with all of their empathy, awareness, and sensitivity, that the majority of these attacks are done by family pets, not by dogs who somehow escaped a fighting ring?  Why don't dog fighters use more intelligent breeds of dogs, like Border Collies, German Shepherds, or Poodles for fighting dogs? 

"YOUR BREED OF DOG COULD BE NEXT"

This one is to get all dog lovers to oppose BSL policy.  It's often accompanied with the "first it was the German Shepherds, then it was the Doberman, then it was the Rottweiler, then it was the pit bull...." blah blah blah.  Some of us have had our German Shepherds, Dobermans, and Rottweilers attacked by pit bulls, we don't buy it.  I challenge any pit bull advocate to find some media reports of attempts to ban any other breed by the great big mean THEY in the sky and post the links and proof on this blog entry.  I double dog dare you. 

Here's something for them to fear, the people who likely are not active on the pro-BSL scene, but who are given the opportunity to vote on local policy.   Sometimes they listen to the voice of wisdom, and reason, and they look at the numbers and the lives changed and lost...and decide to place more value on public safety than they do on an individual's choice of owning a fighting dog breed.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

I think I get that one.  I hope there is a real end of days to tuning in at ten, and there is yet another report of a pit bull attacking. Soon, please.

Pray

                Her name is Zainabou Drame.

Dem Bones

There is a little child who may have, or may have not stolen the bone of a dog named Mickey.  Little Kevin is still in the hospital.  He has a long road to recovery.  Very likely, he will have to explain for the rest of his days, the scars he will forever wear on his face. 


Mickey, was "just" defending his territory, and a bone.
Thanks to the Lexus project, Mickey will live the rest of his days, sans fangs (they will be ground down), testicles, in a cage at some "rehabilitation" center. It's nice to know that he will now have a microchip in case he escapes or is stolen, I guess. 

He will likely not have any more bones to chew. 


But we have plenty of bones to chew, and for the first time, people who don't know much about the issue of pit bulls and their crowds of crazy zealots, got a glimpse when the story made national news.  The consensus seems to be, we are going to the dogs. 

So, Mickey gets more support, more in donations and will live. 
Kevin is still in the hospital. 

His cause did not inspire as many donations or support as did the dog that savagely injured him.
 
Speaking of Bones, there are plenty of skeletons in the closet of the Lexus project.  They did such a good job with a dog named....

BONES!

 (Click here for background music!)

Dem Bones was connected to a murder.

Dem Bones is connected to the Lexus Project.

Dem Bones is bound for glory and salvation, Hallelujiah!

Dem Bones was stolen. 

Dem Bones was never seen again.

There was no glory in dem Bones.

 Dem Bones was dug up.

Dem Bones was not alone. 

Dem Bones, dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones.

 

We are still a chewing on Dem Bones.....

The blog Scorched Earth has the complete, unbelievable much ado of the dog that was used as a murder weapon and the sheer lunacy involved in saving him. 

Dante's Inferno: The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions II

Dante's Inferno is supposed to be an allegory.  This one is a true story.  This tale takes place on the verdant isle of New Zealand, rumored to be so beautiful that it's the nearest thing to heaven on Earth.  Add pit bulls and the crazy tribe associated with them, and there shall be circles of suffering that will convolute the very boarders of hell and purgatory. 

A  red nosed pit bull  by the name of DANTE was living in doggy purgatory. His owner, Teresa Kati, could not afford the bail and so she appealed to the kindness and generosity of folks that pit bulls often inspire on facebook, and not only were the fees met, but  toys and groceries for the children (named Fury and Lust) were also donated.  There was a feel good happy happy story about the good deeds done for complete strangers by complete strangers.  Those good intentions are supposed to end right there, with a happily ever after.  Add a red nosed pit bull named DANTE, and you see were that road leads. 



Usually, the moral of the story is posted last, but this time, it is presented betwixt the first part and the second, like a bridge between a verse and chorus.  The moral of the story:  is it wise to donate to return a pit bull to an irresponsible owner who wasn't able to properly contain the dog in the first place, didn't have it altered, didn't have the required microchip,  couldn't afford the bail of $532.30?  Apparently, the dog warden had discussed Dante's aggression problems before....remember, two children in the household....Fury and Lust, who are likely going to have some issues later with names like that. There ought to be a law, I digress.    She also had either obtained another dog or had another dog in a residence where  only one was allowed.  So Dante, "sweeter than honey and an absolute cuddle bug", was sent to stay with her sister. Let's add, the local is  Napier, New Zealand, where pit bulls are essentially banned.  Let's keep traveling down that road of good intentions. 
Speaking of names, often they are self-fulfilling prophecies.

Dante went to her sister's house in the Napier suburb of Maraenui and was put on a run in the back lawn, where another dog, a 7-month-old Shar Pei named TERROR, was on a chain.

Dante got off his run on Thursday night and mauled Terror, the Shar Pei puppy to death.

Terror's owner said his children witnessed the attack, which left the lawn covered in blood.

The man said he agreed to look after Dante because Kati already had a dog at her Housing New Zealand house and was not allowed another there.


"I was next door. By the time I got there, it was over.

"I watched my dog die and he [Dante] still wouldn't let go. He was trying to rip his head off. There was nothing I could do. I watched him have his last breath. To make it worse, my kids saw it all."

He said the children were "hysterical".

"My backyard is full of blood. My missus doesn't want to go out there. Dante shouldn't have been allowed out of the pound."

Animal control officer Dwayne McOnie said he found a "horrific, bloody scene". 

Terror indeed.

The Zealots

There is a theory  that everyone and everything is six or even  fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a  chain of interlinked friends and their statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps.  In our world of internet, of Twitter, LinkdIn, and facebook, we are friends with friends of friends of friends of friends who are friends of somebody really important and famous, those who used to dwell hid away in their secluded ivory towers.  Now we are privy to their political views, and their favorite brands, what they like to watch and T.V., and maybe, which annoying facebook game that they like to play.  I hope they don't send me a request to play one.  I will definitely "unfriend" them. 

Mostly, it's wonderful, and isn't just a liar for con artists, perverts and voyeurs, but it can truly connect people. It's a small world. 

We have found that this network can raise awareness and funds for a worthy cause. Even our own president claims he would address any petition posted on "We the People"  that generated support of

Preventing the majority of attacks is a waste of public resources.

10,000 people.  Pit Bull advocates near and far jumped with glee when Obama announced his opposition to BSL as he introduced the new addition of another dog to the family.  It opened my eyes, how political leaders clearly don't check to see how old a study is, and the other side of the story, if they have an adviser with seemingly squeaky clean Humane $ociety connections, and it sounds like political correctness...how could he have not chosen to support the right side of the cause? Not far from his side at that time, was Cesar Millan, who has besides pit bulls,  has another issue near and dear to his heart.  "Wag the dog"?   At about the same time, all the way south in Florida, residents in Maimi-Dade County voted to keep their twenty year pit bull ban. 

   Of course, I support the right for pit bull owners to stand up for what they believe in, they truly believe "it's all how you raise 'em", and that they have a right to own whatever kind of dog they desire.  They

"It's All how you raise 'em"

don't realize, it's not a right, but a priviledge to own a dog.  With all of their outrage of the pit bulls that "somehow" get out and attack, are used as weapons, and who are still used for dog fighting, you think they would want some kind of legislation so that owning a pit bull would be impossible for the kind of people who abuse and fail with them.  Maybe they DO get it....they really have observed that the majority of the problems is having Joe Schmo or his feminine do-gooder counterpoint owning dogs that attack and maim and give the dog a bad name.  You can't own a goat in city limits, and you need a special permit for a Tiger.  Where I live, Ferrets are banned.  What puzzles me, really, what TROUBLES me, is the mob the support some causes seem to generate, and how some  blaring and heinous injustices are ignored completely.  Sometimes, they are so angry over what was said, and don't seem to understand the context, ignore little words like IF,  and they look for a person to crucify.  Sometimes, the outrage is enough to inspire threats of death.  These from the same people who want to crucify someone for what they THOUGHT they said or ever wrote.

Here is just a sample of some well known cases of outrage.....

Not all of them are pit bull cases, just to illustrate how crazy can grow in the petri dish of social media.

I.  Lennox the dog:  Lennox was an American Bulldog/Lab mix, who charged the dog warden of Belfast, Ireland and was after two years and despite many untold legions of supporters around the globe, was nonetheless, put to sleep.  There are  pages on facebook, trying to save his life.  "I am Lennox" is a popular meme that arose, still persists.

17,202 people signed a petition to remove the dog warden,  Alexandra “Sandie” Lightfoot, from her post.  She has since been promoted.

II. Hawthorn, CA police shoot a Rottweiler and receive death threats.   At this point, 121,365 people have appealed to Police Chief R. Fager, to fire the deputy who made a choice for self preservation.

The owner of the Rottweiler has now hired a fancy attorney and is suing the department.

III. Onion, a dog who killed the grandchild of his owner, had the support of 13,500 signers and the Lexus Project.  Now he lives somewhere, and the people who live next door to him don't know about his history of killing children who bump him as he is napping.  By the way, the Lexus Project was created to save a Greyhound named Lexus that killed a Pomeranian.  They have come a long way......

IV. There are numerous petitions and facebook pages dedicated to silence an advocacy for dog bite victims, because the majority of reports are by pit bulls.  It's strange an advocacy for being able to own what ever type of dog desired would advocate against the freedom of speech. These have between 50 to 2,000 signed supporters. Most of them seem to be written by C- High School Student Pibble advocates. 


V.  A Firefighter in Torrington, Connecticut, was demoted for using company computers to post on a
facebook page for pit bull victims, on how to kill or defend oneself from an attacking pit bull.





For some reason, all of the media reports seem to miss the that this is a list of ways to kill or disengage a pit bull  IF the pit bull is  "latched onto someone else".    This outrage was generated from a group of facebook advocates who harass pit bull victims and people who support BSL.  

Not satisfied that he has been demoted and lost $10,000 in annual wages,  the pit bull advocates are still petitioning that he loose his job. At this point, there are 34,900 people who think that a person should loose their job over a list of ways to help free a victim from the grips of a pit bull's jaws.   Pit bull advocates should keep the list handy: they are the folks who may need this kind of advice most.   Like this attack for instance!

VI:  A police officer in Filer, Idaho, shoots a Labrador running at large.   Outrage spreads around the globe to fire the police officer.  A facebook page made in his dishonor is populated about five times more than the town.   Someone from Chicago, Illinois, made a petition for this Idaho police officer to be fired.

VII: Klonda Richie, of A 57-year-old woman who was found mauled to death by two neighbor's (pit bull, Bull Mastiff, Presa Canario ?) dogs in Dayton, Ohio. She  had made several complaints to police about the dangerous and possibly inhumane condition in which these dogs were kept, and the dog warden, never once was able to investigate the situation. 


Here is the petition to fire do nothing animal control officer Mark Klump.  Now he's a hero helping to find homes for her 26 cats.  This is hard work he could of avoided had he just come over, and see what the problem was.  Oh, and this nice lady may still be alive. This petition has at this point, 231 supporters.


How connected are you, and where will the direction of your outrage take its course?