Rights vs Wrongs

"Tolerance is a two-way street, as a group of Somali taxi drivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., are about to find out. In May, the Metropolitan Airports Commission in the Twin Cities is set to adopt new rules that will punish cabbies who refuse to haul passengers carrying liquor, even though the drivers claim their Muslim faith forbids them to do so. The Somali intolerance doesn't just extend to alcohol. Some drivers have also refused to carry blind passengers with guide dogs, on grounds that the Quran says dog saliva is unclean. And some Muslim store cashiers in the Twin Cities have refused to scan pork products, alleging this also violates their faith."

This controversy is a result of the perversion of opinions of our Constitution and Bill of Rights by activists and the courts over the years.

Bill Of Rights Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

It is time to re-visit the meaning of freedom. Muslims in this country should be free to do or not do whatever they please regarding these kinds of private transactions. On the other hand, employers should be able to fire Muslims if they can't or won't do work that the job entails. This is about private individuals doing what private individuals want, or don't want, to do. The government shouldn't be involved in this at all. If a cab company, for example, wants to bar certain passengers from its cabs, well then, let the market decide whether they make money or not. If the cab company decides it doesn't want to hire Muslims, or carry dogs, or whatever, then let them try that and see if they can make money or not doing that. If Muslims can't get cabbie jobs because they won't carry certain types of passengers, then let them find a job somewhere else. That is what freedom is all about.

The cab business is an overly regulated, semi-monopolistic business which the government has no business fine tuning. We are so concerned with everyone's feelings that we can't understand that sometimes we just all need to learn to step aside and let people sort out their differences outside the court system. Otherwise, we'll become like Europe, nit picking every little detail to the point that we erode the very freedoms we want for ourselves.

We meddle too much in people's lives these days. This stuff doesn't necessitate another set of laws and regulations. If you like dogs, then great. If you don't, then I shouldn't be able to force my dog ownership on you, even if I am blind. Public opinion and the "invisible hand" of the marketplace will settle the rest.

Dog Problem Or Parent Problem?

The canine menace was back to haunt the citizens of Hyderabad as a six-month-old baby boy was mauled to death by stray dogs. The six-month-old's father Ranjith Singh, a washer man, informed that he had left the baby sleeping under a tree and within minutes found him seriously injured by stray dogs in the area. The Municipal Corporation authorities say that they have been monitoring the stray dog situation very closely and are doing the best to avoid such unfortunate incidents.

So... you leave a baby to sleep under a tree... LEAVE THE BABY THERE UNSUPERVISED... and the baby gets hurt. And you live in an area where there are stray dogs roaming around. What is my opinion? First, the parent should be prosecuted for leaving a baby unattended. Second, this is what happens when you allow feral dogs to roam the countryside. They go back to a wild state and act as any wild animal would. Dogs need supervision, training, containment, and proper socialization.

This reminds me of stories I have been hearing about how people are dropping their dogs off at off leash parks, then LEAVING the area. Kind of a cheapskate's doggie daycare program, eh? The dog could attack someone or be attacked, and the owners wouldn't be there to intervene. How stupid is that? And worse, I see people entering the off leash areas with kids, and letting the kids roam around unsupervised. That's stupid, too. This is one reason I recommend people to use a good quality doggie daycare instead of these home made solutions.

Pig Ears Recalled

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recalling Pig Ears dog treats sold at BJ's Wholesale club because they could be contaminated with Salmonella.

This isn't the first time I have heard of pig ears having a Salmonella contamination. I am not sure you should feed these to your dogs, especially if you have small kids in the home that might handle the pig ears and then put their hands in their mouths.

Akita Attacks Woman At Dog Show

The decision on whether to euthanize an aggressive Akita could come within weeks, as investigators try to learn why the sturdy dog attacked a 70-year-old woman at a dog show competition Sunday, leaving her ankle mangled.

Who knows why these types of attacks occur. When I evaluate dogs for biting, there are times when the only way to know what happened is to spend some time with the dog. Most of the biters I encounter are insecure.

In addition, some Akitas don't like strangers petting them until they have had a chance to get to know the person. I am working with an Akita right now, and the dog doesn't like strangers to just come up and start "lovin'" on her. Once she has had a chance to get to know you, especially after a day or so, she remembers you and is quite friendly and playful. She also remembers if you aren't friendly with her, and the next time she sees you she will be unfriendly to you. Many dogs are this way, and I don't consider it to be a fault. However, if you know your dog is this way, you shouldn't let strangers come up and be overly friendly with your dog. In addition, this is also why you should be kind when you are training any dog, especially an Akita. Rough treatment makes many dogs into biters.

Pet Food Recall

The laboratory that identified the poison believed to be responsible for the death of pets around the country has started testing individual components of the tainted pet food to determine which ingredient was contaminated, officials said Monday. Scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory on Friday identified aminopterin as the likely culprit in a poisoning scare that prompted the recall of 95 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food.

Have you been following this pet food poisoning story? I looked up aminopterin on Wikipedia to see what it is, and here is what I found:

Its antifolate activity was first used by Sidney Farber in 1947 to induce remissions among children with leukemia.^[1][2] Although more potent than the closely related compound methotrexate, it was replaced by methotrexate in the 1950s, due to unpredictable toxicity. Now in a more pure preparation, aminopterin is back in clinical trials for patients with leukemia.^[3]

The compound was used as an abortifacient in the 1960s and earlier, but was associated with congenital malformations.^[4] The name for its teratogenic effects is fetal aminopterin syndrome. When a similar cluster of abnormalies appears in the absence of exposure to antifolates it is referred to as aminopterin-like syndrome without aminopterin.^[5]

Aminopterin can be used as a rodenticide, although it is not approved for that use in Canada or the United States.^[6] It has an LD_Lo of 2.5mg/kg when orally administered to rats.^[7]

So, it suppresses immunity, can cause chemical abortions, can cause birth defects, and is used as a rat poison. Great. Imagine all the pets that didn't die. Will this cause a host of birth defects in our pure bred dogs over the next few years? This is more than just a poison.

Further, I am seriously wondering if this might have been a "test run" by a terror organization to see how vulnerable our food delivery system is in the US, and how we would respond to an emergency. I could be paranoid about this, but how does such a chemical get near, or, worse yet, mixed in, a batch of FOOD?! Seems mighty weird to me.

Bunker The Dog

On April 7, 2006, one of my students will be competing on a nationally televised TV show called America's Cutest Puppy.

Go see Bunker The Dog

Bunker is a 10 month old Bull Terrier, and he really is the cutest puppy I know!

From what I hear, the show should be a lot like American Idol. The show will be a blast!

We are also hoping Bunker is able to help raise funds to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. Click HERE to find out more, and to find out how you can help. My wife has MS, so this disease directly impacts my family. Please watch this blog for TV air times and dates, and please contribute to the National MS Society.

Choosing A Dog Groomer

Here is an article on what criteria I recommend when choosing a dog groomer. They are NOT all the same.

Excellent Idea

Old dog haven relies on donations to help save elderly dogs.

Send donations to:

Old Dog Haven
PMB A4
621 SR9 NE
Lake Stevens WA 98258-9400

Have a Puppy?

If you have a pup that is approaching 4 months old... don't wait. Enroll your dog in obedience classes now. Doing it early will save you a lot of headaches, money and frustration later. By now, your dog should be mostly house trained, most of your socialization completed, and your dog's nipping and chewing should have been addressed.

Dog First Aid

A black Labrador retriever is expected to fully recover following surgery to escape a sticky situation, swallowing a quarter of a bottle of Gorilla Glue.

If you have owned enough dogs, you'll eventually have an emergency where your dog has swallowed something dangerous. This is why you should always have a dog first aid book on hand, which you have already read from cover to cover. In addition, you need to always have the phone number, name and address of your nearest pet emergency hospital.

I Just Don't Understand Animal Cruelty

A man who placed a dog in a washing machine and turned it on was sentenced Tuesday to a year in prison. Chad Edward Ellis, 32, of Euless, had pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty and faced a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The dog was scalded by the hot water before managing to escape after the incident about a year ago, but she was caught and locked in a closet for several days. Eventually, a friend of Ellis' found the year-old female black Labrador retriever mix and took her to a Grapevine animal shelter, where she was euthanized after antibiotics failed to stop the swelling from the burns.

You have to figure someone who did this kind of thing is really messed up inside. Yes, people should pay for the crimes they commit, but such a case should also require mandatory counseling, don't you think? I am guessing, and I really have no facts to back this up, that if you looked into the life story of this person, you'd find drugs and/ or childhood abuse. Let's hope this person enrolls in some serious counseling, and spiritual help from clergy, while incarcerated. We aren't going to stop this kind of thing without addressing how people like this are motivated.

How Could You?!

Whimpers a man heard while doing yardwork turned out to be a dog buried alive in a neighbor's backyard. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office was investigating it as an animal-cruelty case. Sgt. Mike Ward said no one has been charged and would not release information regarding the owner of the property where the dog was found.

Who could do this to a dog?

An Unfortunate Accident, Indeed

A 10-year-old San Antonio girl has died after being attacked by her neighbor's dog. Amber Jones was attacked while trying to help the animal after it had gotten its collar caught on a chain link fence.

The shame of all of this is that not only was the child killed, the dog will be killed, too. The dog did what animals do when terrified, they protect themselves. This dog should not be put down. It was an accident. This was not an indication of a vicious dog.

Scary Legal Interpretation

"Surely if the dog’s unregistered it has no legal owner. At that point you have an unlicensed dog with no legal owner, and who has committed an attack on an individual. You don’t require consent of somebody who doesn’t own the dog legally. “I will definitely be taking this up with the chief executive (David Warburton) on his return to work next week,” Mr Laws said.

I haven't seen this logic before. So, if your dog is unlicensed, the law will deem the dog has NO owner, you lose your rights to due process, they can pick your dog up without your consent or notice, and put it to death. This is a completely unreasonable and dangerous legal theory. What if they are wrong? What if they get the wrong dog? What if the owner is falsely accused? What if the bite was provoked by the actions of the person who was bitten?

Uh, The Year Is 2007!

Trailed by a television camera crew, a deaf Westbury teenager failed again today to bring his service dog to school.

When he arrived this morning for classes, John Cave was met by W. Tresper Clarke High School Principal Timothy Voels, who told him the dog, Simba, was not permitted inside the building. John handed the dog's leash to his mother, Nancy, who took the dog back to the family car.

I can't believe this kind of thing still goes on. Guide dogs are recognized the world over for their necessary services. This principal needs a good talking to by the PTA.

Fat Dog?

Is your hound round? Too much flab on your Lab? Is your husky, well, husky? A new drug may provide some help. The government approved the first drug for obese canines on Friday. Called Slentrol, the Pfizer Inc. drug is aimed at helping fat Fidos shed extra pounds. Like all diet drugs, Slentrol is meant to be part of an overall weight management program that includes a complete and balanced diet and exercise, according to its label. Slentrol is not a cure for obesity; its effects cease within a day or two of stopping treatment.

I see plenty of fat dogs. Too fat. The dogs don't need a drug, they need owners who love their dogs enough to not kill them with calories. On the other hand, there might be medical reasons for such a drug, and I am glad it has been developed.

Stupid Advice?

Usually most articles on managing dogs are OK... for the most part. But, here is another sensational article about dangerous dogs. The article describes things that define what a responsible dog owner should do. Most are fine... but this one, if you take the article literally, is patently absurd. I wonder if this is just a typo or if the author really meant this:

As a responsible dog owner, it is important you take steps to avoid having a dog you cannot control that may be classed as dangerous, even on your own property...

Keep your dog away from visitors, preferably in a separate room

Huh?

IF your dog is dangerous, then this good advice. But, if you have a friendly dog, like most people, this is just ignorance gone to seed. No point isolating friendly dogs! I wonder if this was intentional, or another overreaction by someone who knows nothing about dogs. AND how about advice like: HIRE A PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINER, MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE FIXABLE OR MANAGEABLE.

Sigh.

Ah, Just What I Suspected...

Detectives investigating the fatal mauling of a five-year-old girl have seized cash from the scene of the tragedy, police confirmed today. The force today confirmed that the officers also seized cash and unspecified "items" from the house.

So, they suspect the dog was used as a professional fighting dog. Isn't that the real issue here? If you make a dog vicious the way they do for pit fighting, then the dog, or even the breed, isn't the issue. The issue is illegal dog fighting and gang related activity in most cases. Go after the crime issues and these types of dogs will not be made by people. If this is the way this turns out, the dog and the kid were both victims. No point making more dogs into victims by killing them just based on the breed.

Isn't This What We Have All Been Saying?!

In 1991 it was made illegal to own a pit bull terrier type breed unless it was registered. If the dog was not registered in 1991 then it became an illegal dog, so any pit bull terrier type breed dogs less than 15-years-old will be illegal, said Melanie.

Because pit bull terriers and pit bull terrier types were outlawed 16 years ago they should, by 2007 no longer be around in this country.

Yet pit bull terrier type dogs are prevalent in Bolton and some are still bred for fighting.

Melanie blames the law on the prevalence of the dogs. "By banning them it made them more attractive to the wrong sort of people. It also meant the gene pool became smaller which resulted in a problem with temperament," she said.

Bad Law Will Cause Unjust Punishment

A man whose dog killed his young niece could be prosecuted after it was confirmed the animal was a type of pit bull terrier.

Five-year-old Ellie Law-renson - described by her parents as a "little angel" - was mauled to death at her grandmother's home in the early hours of New Year's Day.

The animal, which was shot dead at the scene, has been confirmed as a type banned under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act.

The basis for prosecuting someone for an attack should NOT be based upon the breed of dog. It should, instead, be based upon the behavior of the people involved. Yes, these people might have violated this law, and you should obey the law, but it is a bad law and should be repealed. There seems to have been plenty of reason for the law to get involved here without the breed being an issue. If the same circumstances had happened with a different breed, the child would still be dead.