Well folks, Faith has left Brantford!

She flew out of Ontario yesterday afternoon to Calgary, the first stop on her journey to freedom. As we speak, she is starting the final leg to her new home in BC. BSL will not be hanging over her head anymore.

From Faith’s perspective, she is a dog like any other. Well actually, from the stories I have heard, she may not realize she is a even dog. And that’s what she should be from our perspective, too.

Faith is a good dog who was living in a province that has bad legislation: Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). It’s legislation that unfairly targets any dog that even resembles a Pit Bull; any dog with a muscular build and a square head. More specifically —

• A Pit Bull Terrier;

• A Staffordshire Bull Terrier;

• An American Staffordshire Terrier;

• An American Pit Bull Terrier; or

• A member of a class of dogs that have an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to the four types of dogs that have been identified.

Because she was born after the legislation was enacted, Faith is not allowed to live in Brantford… or anywhere else in Ontario for that matter.

But Faith is every bit what people have always loved about Pit Bulls: they are faithful, reliable, trustworthy, and extremely tolerant. Lest we forget, Pit Bulls were known as “Nanny Dog” for 150 years.

“One dog breed became so trusted that despite the fact that no Kennel Club or Association recognized it, despite the fact that it could be found on the poorest farms and bleakest city neighborhoods with kids who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, rich people acquired them in droves because they were simply the safest, most tolerant breed to have around their gilded progeny.

“Rich, poor, and everything in between, until recently [owners] agreed that there were only a CERTAIN TYPE of people who would own a Pit Bull… PEOPLE WHO LOVED THEIR CHILDREN.

“… Nanny Dog is the victim of a smear campaign that has turned common sense upside-down and robbed us of our historical memory. The dogs that we trusted with our children’s lives are now deemed too vicious to live among us. The dogs that in two World Wars were the symbol of the United States military itself are now ordered off its bases. The Pit Bulls haven’t changed at all. Only the owners have.” [1]

 

From her demeanor, it’s obvious that Faith was raised in a caring home where she was much loved. I hope the folks who raised her find this message. I hope their loss will be eased knowing she will be living BSL-free in a wonderful home on acreage in the BC countryside.

Imagine if YOU were not allowed to live in your community simply on the basis of how you looked. That is the heart of BSL, and it wrongly condemns many wonderful, happy and healthy dogs to death across the world every year. Read about the world wide failure of BSL. Learn the truth and step up for targeted dogs. I encourage you to support Cheri DiNovo in removing all aspects of BSL in Ontario.

In closing, I extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of Faith — and myself — for all the efforts of everyone involved in her rescue. And a very sincere “thanks” to the Brantford SPCA for restoring my faith. Under the compassionate management of Robin Kuchma, the shelter has not killed a healthy animal in more than five years! This group works tirelessly to uphold the original intent of SPCA. It is these shelters we want to support.

Please opt to adopt. Be part of the 3% solution*.

* Statistics show that, on average, if 3% of a city’s population would adopt from their shelters, there would be no need for healthy animals to die. In larger cities, this number actually goes down. Another fraction of a per cent would save the cats and dogs in rescue/foster. We CAN do this!

I have to admit that I am always smitten by the underdog rescues. The ones that can test your meddle, but heap you with such passionate rewards.

The first time I saw photos of Gülümser*, I was in love with her.

The first words I said were, “She’s beautiful!”

They just came from somewhere inside my heart as I looked at her on my computer screen from thousands of miles away. The damages she suffered on the outside were extraordinary, but the message in her eyes transcended them.

I could see such strength in her character and a curious, gentle personality glowing through her horribly disfigured face. She had been devoured by worms when she was just four weeks old. The vets treating her decided that if SHE wanted to fight back, she would be given every chance to survive. And survive she did!

I featured her in a post a few days ago.

Today, I received new photos of Gülümser and I wanted to share with you this beautiful little girl’s photo gallery. The first photo is so funny… she loves water!

Though I have never met Gülümser, I am thankful to the rescuers — from Let’s Adopt! and the vet’s clinic to her new family — for giving her the support she needed to show all of us what she is truly made of. She’s really is beautiful!

Here’s a link to her photo album, but be forewarned, there are some graphic images in this album.

Hugs to YOU, Gülümser! You look mah-velous!!!

And a shout out to Let’s Adopt! USA for their excellent post on the care and feeding of orphaned kittens.

*Gülümser means “one who always smiles.”

Because the morning afforded it, I spent a little extra time in bed this morning snuggling with Ike and Maude, two of my rescued dogs.

They aren’t anything special. They were born in the woods to a dog who had been dumped on the side of the road. They will likely live their whole lives and pass meaning very little to anyone… except me.

But with thoughts of Brindi in my head, our morning snuggle took on a new perspective.

What if someone took them away from me? What if I was not even allowed to visit them?

I recall Francesca’s words from her blog where she describes some of the images she keeps in her head of her beloved Brindi:

“Random images. The look of joy – Lebensfreude – on a turned-up snoot, big brown eyes rolling up at [me], exquisite pleasure voiced in low grunts in being readied to go outside for any reason at all, but especially, for a nice long walk in the tall grasses. Even better, a towel rub-down after she comes back from a walk soaking wet, which is about 30-40% of the time. I stretch the ends of the towel and rub it perpendicular to her back, from neck to tail. Efficient method. Also makes one happy just to see how happy it makes her. Going to the car, trotting expectantly, looking back for instructions every other step. Sitting upright there. Or, moving through the yard with me, never more than one inch from my left leg, anticipating the route, hoping for the words ‘cross the street.’ Her visible bodily struggle to maintain self-control against sheer glee. Watching her wriggle on her back as soon as we hit the lushest, deep green grasses on the slope, sometimes managing a bit of a slide, always getting really into it, legs in the air, body winding back and forth like a snake. This dog knows how to enjoy a real life and make every simple joy and basic need fulfillment a truly great experience. Ears prick straight up at a sound, a word from me. Snuggle at a moment’s notice.” [August 2008]

What would I do if this was taken away from me? Would I put my life on hold to save the life of my closest companion? Invest all my savings to take a stand against a bad by-law?

But it’s “just a dog.” Just a dog?

“Well, all I can say in response is, ‘It is death, you know. Senseless, needless killing that we are talking about.’ Just because she’s a dog does not make it okay for a city to kill her, when a fence and training will take care of the problem. It is not okay to kill. Brindi is a dog… I love her. She hears, smells, and loves me better than any human I know. She is irreplaceable. I will not simply go to the SPCA and ‘get another one,’ as one of the other dog owners suggested.

“If we cannot honor these helpless creatures who love, give, and forgive us without a thought for themselves, what good are we?” [September 2008]

I took the extra time to snuggle with my dogs this morning BECAUSE I CAN. I took the time to snuggle precisely because Francesca CANNOT. She has shown me what I take for granted.

Give your pet something extra today. And realize… it should not be wrong to stand up for what is right.

Please call and/or email the contacts below. Do it often and do it regularly. Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

WHAT IF the city impounded your pet and wouldn’t let you have visitation… what would you do?

“On Monday, I sent another request to Animal Services for permission to see Brindi. Two weeks ago, after sending three letters in a row, I got a written refusal. There is no law or written policy banning [visitation].” October 2008

“Before leaving the [courthouse], we asked the city’s counsel once again if I could be allowed to visit Brindi. Answer: a flat NO.” January 2009

WHAT IF your only alternative to save your pet from euthanasia was to sue the city… would you do it?

In 2008, Francesca Rogier pursued that very alternative. In January, 2009, the Supreme Court declared certain portions of By-law A-300 invalid and quashed the decision to have Brindi euthanized.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Judge Duncan Beveridge quashed Brindi’s original euthanization order because the city failed, he wrote, to accord Rogier “even the most minimal requirements for procedural fairness.” One example? In what the city called its “complete investigation” of the third attack, no one bothered to take a statement from, or even contact, Rogier. [The Coast]

Brindi should have been a free dog that day.

Instead, the city launched their second attempt to KILL BRINDI. They charged Francesca Rogier with three violations of the By-Laws.

The city continues, today, to hold Brindi.

Please call and/or email the Mayor of Halifax and the head of the city’s Legal Department. Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

It should not be wrong to stand up for what is right.

Mayor – Pete Kelly
kellyp@halifax.ca, mayorhrm@gmail.com
902-490-4010

Head of Legal – Mary Ellen Donovan
donovad@halifax.ca
Phone: 902-490-4232

Ciao, Holly

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by Tina Clark
[Note: For more information on the no-kill movement, visit nokilladvocacycenter.org or nokillnow.com.]

There is much discussion these days about the killing of animals in “shelters.”

On one side of the issue are those who argue that killing is a “necessary evil” which will always be with us. To these people, the concept of no-kill is a “pipe dream” adhered to only by the naive and hopelessly idealistic. There are “too many animals,” they say, and “not enough homes” for all of them, and therefore, we must kill them.

Proponents of no-kill, on the other hand, claim that ending the killing is a possibility. If we institute and assiduously follow a number of programs such as low-cost spay and neuter, more aggressive adoptions, and so on, we can bring about a time when we no longer have to kill animals. It is only these programs and changes, they say, that will allow us to stop the killing.

I suggest that there is a problem that goes much deeper than this debate.

The problem is that we are asking if not killing homeless animals is possible, rather than taking it as a given that not killing them is mandatory and taking it from there.

The problem is that our society places such a low value on the lives of non-human animals that we would even consider that execution as a solution to homelessness would be an option.

The problem lies in the very fact that there even has to be a no-kill “movement.”

Unfortunately, this is something that even many proponents of no-kill tend to lose sight of, or perhaps don’t even believe to begin with. They seem to feel the need to defend no-kill on the basis of its feasibility, not its inherent rightness. Yes, they say, it can be done, but of course it can’t happen overnight. We must first bring about all the right conditions, and then we can “achieve” no-kill. But the truth is we can stop the killing now. Not only that, but we must. It is a moral obligation.

To many, even of those who truly believe in the “ideal” of no-kill, this idea seems radical. This is in itself a sad indication of how far we are from a proper attitude toward non-humans.

Let’s be clear: we are not killing homeless animals because they are homeless. We are not killing them because their population has exceeded available space in the pounds. We are not killing them because we have not instituted the proper programs and protocols. We are killing them for one reason: because they are not human.

Consider this: We have a major homeless human problem in this country. But in all our discussions of ways to deal with this problem, would we ever, in our wildest dreams, consider for a moment killing homeless humans to solve the problem? If an orphanage or homeless shelter reached its capacity and new individuals came in, would we kill those already there to make room? Of course not. It simply isn’t an option. It is totally unacceptable. So why do we consider it acceptable to kill homeless non-humans? The answer is simply speciesism. The truth is, we don’t do very well by our homeless human population. But at least we haven’t stooped to killing them as a means of “population control.” We still have the decency as a society not to kill a human simply for being homeless. We should also have the decency not to kill a non-human simply for being homeless.

As it is, we have it backwards: we advocate instituting new programs, etc., that will “allow” us to stop killing, when we must first stop the killing, then we will be forced to do whatever it takes to deal with the situation in ways that do not involve killing individuals simply because they don’t have a home. And that means we would have to really get serious and come up with some truly innovative programs, because we would have no option — we could no longer just make the problem go away by murdering the “surplus.” And we would have ameliorated to some extent an underlying sickness that pervades our society — the notion that if the problem involves non-humans, one potential option is always simply to kill them.

Even if we do “achieve” an end to the killing because we have implemented programs that make it no longer “necessary” to kill animals, we have missed the point. Until we change our basic attitude toward animals — until we wake up and realize that non-human life is also precious — the real problem will not be solved. And until this happens, any other solutions will be merely a band-aid, and the use of murder as a solution will be lying just under the surface, ready to bubble up at any time, it if is perceived that there is once again a “problem.”

We must stop the killing, not at some future date because we finally have enough homes, or finally have a “manageable” population, but now, simply because it is unacceptable to kill them, whether they have a home or not. We must stop talking of “alternatives” to killing, and realize that the only acceptable alternative to killing is not killing. Then the progress will come of necessity.

And indeed, this notion that killing is an acceptable option is in itself, I propose, in great part responsible for the homeless problem. Is it any wonder that so many people treat animals as throw-away commodities when they see the very system that is supposed to take care of and protect these animals treating them like so much trash?

But until society wakes up (and one day it will, as it has with other societal atrocities), we must work within the system and for that, the no-kill movement is the closest thing we have to sanity. And blessings on all those who are working and striving for an end to the killing. But we must realize and continually keep in mind the real underlying problem, a problem that is not going to be solved by spay/neuter programs, aggressive adoption campaigns, or any other logistical activities, but only by a complete change in consciousness and world view. Let us hope that change occurs before too many more innocent animals have to die.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
reprinted from The Poppy Foundation

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A simple and easy way to let your representative know how important passing H.R. 3501 is to our local communities. Here is why…. since the down turn of our economy more cats, dogs and large animals are being surrendered, left – behind or abandoned. Creating a crisis on municipal shelters, rescue programs, animal foster parents and ultimately finding families to adopt these cats, dogs, and large animals.

Please Share this Message.

She appeared on my Facebook page last Friday evening. She and the others in the post were from a shelter in the Dallas area. Their time was nearing an end; they were the “urgents.” As are so many by the time they hit Facebook.

Always my first thought is that I want to take them all. But how would that be possible? I already have several.

So what can I do to help them?

I hit the SHARE button at the bottom of the post and added their info to my network of friends. It’s the least I can do… and maybe someone will adopt one.

Within a few minutes, someone messages me. She has seen Petra’s photo and wants to adopt her. How can she do it? Is it even possible? She lives in San Antonio — five hours from Dallas.

My first response is YES! Because I KNOW this can be done.

On her fifth try, Karrie reaches someone at the shelter who verifies that Petra is still there. She takes Karrie’s info and puts a hold on Petra. Over the next few hours, a rescue group steps up and arranges to pull the little dog on Sunday. A foster comes forward who will foster her overnight Sunday night. And at noon on Monday, transport starts for Petra’s trip from Dallas to San Antonio.

At 3 pm Monday, Petra — renamed Vimba which means “Hope” in Shona — arrives at her new home.

The power of sharing via social media saved this pup’s life… a happenstance connection on Facebook.

But there are more in need in all areas.

Do these pets a favor and share messages about animals in need. You never know when your message might save a life! And it costs you nothing… just a few minutes of your time.

Here are just a few of the faces saved in the past few weeks through sharing.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
reprinted from Let’s Adopt! US

Here’s to the crazy ones.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

[The original "Long version" appeared on posters made by Apple. Apple folklore has it that Steve Jobs was the author of the original piece.]
………………………………………………………..
Hug a rescuer. Donate to animal advocacy. Join Let’s Adopt!

Let’s Adopt (USA): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=205025950458

http://us.myletsadopt.com/

Let’s Adopt! (Canada): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101251555667

http://canada.myletsadopt.com/

Let’s Adopt! (France): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=199271522813

http://france.myletsadopt.com/

The next morning, there was a line. There were two cats in the bed and one beside it waiting for someone to get out of it. Here’s Olive getting a sun bath one morning recently when we had a cold snap.

This end of the house faces east, so mornings are a very popular time in the bed because of the sun coming in. The cats pile up on a couple of the dog crates to catch the sun. This is Olive and Diego.

And my gorgeous Goose! His real name is Gustafus, thus a cat named Goose. He walked out of the woods one Friday afternoon as a small, skinny kitten. He was talking away. Kind of a “hey, you! I would like to come in and have something to eat.” With that, Lily and LeRoy went running across the front yard at full speed. Goose turned and ran back into the woods. The dogs stopped at the fence line. Goose didn’t realize there was a fence there to stop them. It took me about a half hour to coax Goose out of the woods enough that I could SNATCH him! I eventually got him.

In other news…

The puppy is starting to get his adult teeth! Yeah for that!!! He STILL needs a name. His owners certainly don’t seem to be missing him much yet… sigh. Did I mention that he sleeps in my bed? Took him a couple days to realize THAT was the place to be on a cold night.

So that’s the skinny on my week so far. Loving the simple things. Here’s wishing you simple things, too.