Since I started doing the show I have watched as what start out as sometimes 2 sentence status posts that take on a life of there own. It seems like no matter how I try to word things theres always one thing thats certain, I know some are going to take offense and some will disagree. My intent is never to alienate a particular group/individual and I don't engage in personal attacks. Sometimes they are just my opinions and I dont expect everyone to agree. What is upsetting though is the amount of time and energy we spend arguing over topics such as confinement, training methods, breeders or any other number of topics.
Recently I did a show covering the topic of tethering and the push for anti-tethering laws. My opinion and once again its only my opinion I dont think that we need more laws when people cant obey the laws we currently in place in regards to companion animals.I believe stronger penalties for the laws we currently have in place is where we need to focus. I know from personal experience in my area being involved in a case where a convicted hoarder was trying to take in dogs from an out of state rescue and the States attorney point blank told us she would be able to get animals again within 2 years after 2 offences. Now multiple animals were found dead in her house and she can continue to get them and it was also very evident that the attorney nor the judge had much concern when it came to this case. Then theres the case of destiny and Faith who the police called me about and I met at there former owners house where they were locked in a shed behind the house. When we got them out they were covered in feces and urine had multiple open wounds and were extremely malnourished. I took them in because we dont have a pound and I knew the local shelter wouldnt because they are "pit bulls". So that meant either I take them or they would have been put down. I got the case number and followed up on it and was told it hadnt been processed yet call back, this was a month later. I waited another month anticipating the heavy workload of DUI's, possession and domestic violence cases as those seemed to be reoccurring themes on the docket on the days of the hoarder case and was told they would not be pursuing charges. So I basically am taking care of the dogs at my cost with no help from anyone in this backwards town. My faith in justice when it comes to animals is dwindling so my point was how are more laws going to fix this problem, I was of the opinion they werent just more laws for irresponsible owners to break with no penalties.
Lately I have been having issues with one of the dogs in my care and what has previously worked for all the other dogs wasnt working and I was finding myself frustrated and helpless. Some suggested that I had done all I could for her and that maybe it was time to make a difficult decision. I reached out to a guy I had met at a charity rescue function and asked for his help and on Monday I made the 2 hour drive with Lillian. Lilly was becoming more reactive to dogs on the leash and also to the other dogs in the house. now I know full well what I have in owning APBT's I dont consider my self an expert but I have had a few years around them, my first one was in 1985. I took her there and he not only helped her but he helped me Lilly wasnt the only one at fault I was a s well and he showed me ways to become a better owner and develop a better bond with lilly. I came home posted a simple status something to the effect went greatLlilly did well Jeff is the man well it wasnt long before people began speculating on what was done and how it was done and it evolved into alpha and pure positive all over a 2 sentence statement. Now I have no problem with debate and thought wow this really sparked some interest maybe it would make a good show topic. Well that was yesterday and about 137 comments later it once again took on a life of its own and the arguing began then it turned personal and people were being sarcastic making rude comments. Once again t got me to thinking how counter productive it all is which i pointed out a few times or at lest attempted to on my own post but people were so caught up in trying to one up each other with opinions.
Ii think we are losing sight of our goal, arent we? The vast majority of people who are friends here on facebook are 'pit bull" owners or are at the very least dog lovers. I know this because I had alot of high school classmates admit to deleting me due to my repeated posts in regards to APBT's, so its mostly dog people with a smattering of non dog people. Does anyone wonder what the non dog people and the non APBT people think when they see us consistently arguing about this topic or that topic at all times no matter what it is? Do we look strong and united or do we look disorganized and weak? We have multi million dollar organizations who would love to see us no longer have companion animals and never mind all the APBT haters and the constant barrage of mythical media and negative portrayal and yet we continue to fight despite the fact that each and every one of us LOVE our dogs! Right or wrong? How can we ever get anything done as a community when we cant come together as one? Ever hear the saying your only as strong as your weakest link? Fighting because you do this and I do that is ridiculous and immensely counter productive and anyone who wishes to debate that topic feel free to contact me. We dont all drive the same car, eat the same food, shop at the same store so to think we are going to agree on all topics is ludicrous and arguing, well I think everyone knows where I stand on that by now. I do though like stated think we all love our dogs and the breed and want no harm to come to them nor do we want more prejudice.
Until we can come together to form a stronger front we will never gain any ground in this uphill battle. so before you jump down someones throat about how they train there dog or confine, if they are concerned for the utmost safety and health of that dog then we need to work together. We owe it to the dogs.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tethering and the show Saturday
Saturday's show as expected was as controversial as everyone had been anticipating and attracted a large audience as well as some great callers. The idea to cover the topic of tethering initially came about after posting a picture on Facebook of Marty, I and his dog Choxie in her run. The picture in less than a day generated around 100 some comments. I had been helping out a friend do some work at his house and got a call in mid afternoon asking me " What the heck is going on, on your Facebook?". When I got home I got online to see what was going on with said picture. I was pretty disheartened to see Marty being portrayed as a bad owner because he has his dogs tethered. I know consistently you hear that "chained" dogs are responsible for a large number of reported bites when it comes to this breed, but after doing extensive research on the topic I could find no studies conclusively confirming these facts. It was quite the opposite the studies I was able to find indicated that proper tethering is not as harmful as repeatedly reported and that more bites occurred with dogs that were kept inside the home.
I myself do not tether my dogs not because I think it is inhumane but for the simple reason I do not have the yard space to do so. I do have to crate my dogs when I am not here which is widely accepted as a form of confinement for "responsible" owners, yet putting them out tethered conjures up images of terrible owners who neglect their dogs. While this may be true in many situations its not always the case and that is all I am trying to point out. Anti-Tethering laws ultimately affect even responsible owners just like BSL.
The laws we currently have in place people can't follow now and somehow people think enacting new laws will somehow make the problem magically disappear. Many "Animal Rights" organizations are also pushing for these laws and some of these same organizations would love to see the breed eradicated as a whole. Organizations who have publically stated that humans should not have companion animals yet people align themselves with them on bills like anti tethering?
In closing I don't think new laws are the answer to the problem, but harsher penalties for the people who break the laws we already have in place, once again just my opinion.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
More personal attacks from the Craven Desires site
Well the personal attacks continue over there. I had just decided to stay away from there and then today someone told me that now I support pedophiles and I will be ending up in court soon. I don't know why they insist on attacking me personally as I have not to any of them. Just trying to debate the subject, after all I thought that was what blogs were about. I never intended on writing a blog as I really am NOT a writer as is displayed in my typos and poor punctuation, but sometimes I feel compelled to weigh in on certain topics that I think need to be said. Am I the authority on "pit bulls" hell no, never claimed to be I am simply a guy who has a deep love for the breed and an desire to somehow make a difference. Somehow that makes me a target and a bad guy in the eyes of these "people". I am not really bothered by the comments they make but it does affect my family and that I simply won't tolerate. You mess with my family and yes that includes my dogs you leave me no alternative than to do the same thing my dogs would do and that is defend them. So when I call you out anonymous commenters because i find out your true identity it's not to insinuate I will get physical with you I just think if you aren't man enough to say something to another mans face when commenting about his family, then you really should just keep your mouth shut. I will not be returning to that site and I am enclosing my final comment to them, because I don't hide....
Please elaborate on when I supprted a pedophile as my attorney would love to read them. The comment about court will perhaps be sooner than you think. Once again I'm not the one hiding behind the anonymity of a screen name. Nor do I engage in personal attacks when debating an issue, I'm done bringing traffic to your site. Once again I am trying to make a difference so if that in some way is a bad thing then carry on with your little sewing circle. I did find it curious your fascination with psychopath's Craven. Actually kinda put things in perspective for me as to what type of "person" I was dealing with. I have to stop coming here though because each time I do I feel like I am arguing with children and its a huge waste of otherwise productive time.
Good luck to all I wish no one ill will, so carry on with the slandering.
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Bullypalooza
Tomorrow we will be heading out making the trek to Atlanta for Bullypalooza. Bruce got here yesterday morning and we enjoyed the nice weather and hung out with the dogs all day. He had to leave Stroker and Sissy behind for this adventure but had someone to help him feel at home sleeping with him on the couch, with my" loan a dog to visitors who sleep here" program lol. We plan on heading out about 10 am central time tomorrow morning which should put us at Marty's house somewhere around 1 am. Really looking forward to the trip and meeting a lot of people in person who are members of the site.
Friday night will be the Bowling for Bullies event organized by none other than the man, the myth, the legend Bully the Kid. This is the first ever bowling event organized EVER for bully and APBT lovers alike. For every strike a bag of dog food will be donated to a local rescue group and a portion og the proceeds will be donated to the young girls family who was recently attacked in Georgia. BTK has been working overtime on this one so big ups to my buddy BTK, can't wait to show them how us midwesterners like to bowl lol.
Follow that with Bullypalooza Saturday in Atlanta then back to Marty's house to film our show live from his living room. According to Craven they have dubbed this "The first annual Pit Bull Positive Babykillers get together/fundraiser lol. Those wacky kooks over there at that blog sure do have a grim outlook on things lol. On the show we will be discussing how the media should be held more accountable for there reported stories regarding APBT attacks. We are also hoping maybe someone from over there may call in and discuss there opinions on the breed but we won't hold our breath on that one.
Sunday we plan on attending an ADBA show near Atlanta, which I have never been to one of those either. So we should be able to take in alot this upcoming weekend. I will be hopefully doing some interviews and will be showing everyone what transpired over the weekend on next weeks show.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Man assaults police by throwing pit bull at them. Dog does not bite the officers.
August 20, 2009: St. Petersburg, Florida — An assailant who attacked police officers used a dog, police said, throwing a pit bull at officers not once, but twice.
The dog did not attack the officers either time he was thrown at them.
“That’s a new one,” St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt said of the incident involving the dog.
The assault took place at 4114 Fairfield Ave. S. A woman recovering from surgery told police her troubled son refused to leave their home.
The son, Renaldo L. Gary, wouldn’t budge from the doorway, police said. Then he struck Officer Michael Romano, ran outside and grabbed a family pet.
Gary threw the dog at Officer Romano, police said, yanked on the dog’s chain, pulled the animal back to him and then thew it at the officer again.
In stark contrast to the dog, Gary hit Officer Norma Alanis, police said, and shook off two Taser blasts and a dose of pepper gas before the two officers handcuffed him.
Wow what a moron, throwing his dog at police! have to try and post this one over at Craven lol, if they approve it. I know they don't always approve my comments I submit.
Monday, March 22, 2010
7-year-old recovering from dog attack
Story of a 7 year girl attacked by a Bull Mastiff, the attack was unprovoked and witnessed by her father. link to story enclosed.
Pet Owners Disagree What Happens After Dog Attack Girl Scout, Dog Attacked By Other Dog In Bloomington
Story has video
(WCCO) Gambone-Stende is upset that her neighbor's dog is still alive after it went after her Border collie. The attack happened on the 9500 block of Park Avenue in Bloomington, Minn.
Madi Stende was out delivering Girl Scout cookies with her older brother Connor and, her sister Taylor. They were with their dog Bella.
What happened next was pretty scary. Bill Currin's German shepherd got out and ran toward them.
Bella, the Border collie, was injured in the attack and 12-year-old Taylor was bit on the hand.
WCCO-TV talked to both pet owners about what happened and what should happen to the German shepherd.
Bill Currin, owner of dog that attacked: This is Ava. She's a five-year-old German shepherd. We rescued her, um; she's been a great job up until that one moment.
Dena Gambone-Stende, upset her dog and daughter were injured: It was a completely unprovoked attack. My dog was all the way on the other side of the street.
Currin: But the kids were over there, and maybe she got defensive for my daughters. I've got twin 12-year-old girls. With the other dog over there, she got a little possessive.
Gambone-Stende: The owner says someone forgot to latch the door, and that's all it took, and the dog just got out, ran all the way across the street, straight for my dog.
Currin: The girl tried to prevent the dogs from fighting, and she got hurt in the process. It's -- it's a horrible tragedy, but it happened.
Gambone-Stende: It was just really scary. And when the vet came in and told me that the dog had to have surgery, I couldn't believe it.
Currin: It sickens me actually to know what happened and to know that we're partially to blame for it.
Gambone-Stende: The gentleman has said that he's going to pay, but I don't think he realizes the extent of the damage done … it was $649 … the second one was for $129.88.
Currin: The city has quarantined Ava for 10 days, required her to get micro-chipped, and we're gonna do that, we're gonna do everything we have to. It was an accident.
Gambone-Stende: I think it's a dangerous dog. … I don't understand how you can keep a dog like that's that dangerous. I don't understand that.
Currin: I looked at the bites … the little girl, I don't know which dog did it, and it's hard to say. …If I knew for a fact, Ava would be put down. I don't know.
Gambone-Stende: There's no question in my mind if Bella were a smaller dog, she'd be dead. What does this dog have to do before they deem it a dangerous dog?
Currin: I believe the child's name is Taylor, and I'd like to buy her a bike or an iPod, just because … it's a scary thing, there's no question about it. And I regret that she had to go through that.
Ava, the German shepherd, is now considered a "potentially dangerous" dog. According to state law, to be called "dangerous," a dog has to inflict substantial bodily harm to a person, without provocation, or kill a pet off the owner's property, without provocation.
If a "potentially dangerous" dog aggressively bites, attacks or endangers people or animals, its classification will change to "dangerous dog."
Paula Engelking, Producer
Madi Stende was out delivering Girl Scout cookies with her older brother Connor and, her sister Taylor. They were with their dog Bella.
What happened next was pretty scary. Bill Currin's German shepherd got out and ran toward them.
Bella, the Border collie, was injured in the attack and 12-year-old Taylor was bit on the hand.
WCCO-TV talked to both pet owners about what happened and what should happen to the German shepherd.
Bill Currin, owner of dog that attacked: This is Ava. She's a five-year-old German shepherd. We rescued her, um; she's been a great job up until that one moment.
Dena Gambone-Stende, upset her dog and daughter were injured: It was a completely unprovoked attack. My dog was all the way on the other side of the street.
Currin: But the kids were over there, and maybe she got defensive for my daughters. I've got twin 12-year-old girls. With the other dog over there, she got a little possessive.
Gambone-Stende: The owner says someone forgot to latch the door, and that's all it took, and the dog just got out, ran all the way across the street, straight for my dog.
Currin: The girl tried to prevent the dogs from fighting, and she got hurt in the process. It's -- it's a horrible tragedy, but it happened.
Gambone-Stende: It was just really scary. And when the vet came in and told me that the dog had to have surgery, I couldn't believe it.
Currin: It sickens me actually to know what happened and to know that we're partially to blame for it.
Gambone-Stende: The gentleman has said that he's going to pay, but I don't think he realizes the extent of the damage done … it was $649 … the second one was for $129.88.
Currin: The city has quarantined Ava for 10 days, required her to get micro-chipped, and we're gonna do that, we're gonna do everything we have to. It was an accident.
Gambone-Stende: I think it's a dangerous dog. … I don't understand how you can keep a dog like that's that dangerous. I don't understand that.
Currin: I looked at the bites … the little girl, I don't know which dog did it, and it's hard to say. …If I knew for a fact, Ava would be put down. I don't know.
Gambone-Stende: There's no question in my mind if Bella were a smaller dog, she'd be dead. What does this dog have to do before they deem it a dangerous dog?
Currin: I believe the child's name is Taylor, and I'd like to buy her a bike or an iPod, just because … it's a scary thing, there's no question about it. And I regret that she had to go through that.
Ava, the German shepherd, is now considered a "potentially dangerous" dog. According to state law, to be called "dangerous," a dog has to inflict substantial bodily harm to a person, without provocation, or kill a pet off the owner's property, without provocation.
If a "potentially dangerous" dog aggressively bites, attacks or endangers people or animals, its classification will change to "dangerous dog."
Paula Engelking, Producer
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