Robyn Driscoll, a Democrat who represents the 51st District, has introduced a bill that would authorize the state sanctioned killing of all pit bulls in the state. If the bill is made into law, any person who owns a pit bull will have to surrender their dog(s) for euthanasia within 10 days. If a person who has a pit bull refuses to cooperate under this scenario, any officer can obtain a search warrant to seize the dog(s).
As a person whose pets are like her children, I cannot imagine anything more horrible.At the risk of sounding too cliched, dogs become a threat when they are not raised, trained, and cared for properly. Any animal can bite, and any animal can turn vicious. Be it a pit bull, a shi tzu, a snake, or a parakeet, any animal that is kept as a pet has the potential to strike out at a human or another pet.
The National Canine Research Council reports that between 1965 and 2008, there were 3 fatalities in Montana from dog bites. Yes, 3 in 43 years. In 2005 alone, just one year in Montana, 1,400 people died from smoking and 251 in traffic accidents. (Maybe Driscoll should work to protect Montanans from smoking and second hand cigarette smoke or negligent or drunk drivers; that would at least be something useful.)
The NCRC notes, “All the dogs involved … were …not spayed or neutered….All three cases involved unsupervised children left alone in a yard with unfamiliar dogs (2 cases) or the child wandering off and encountering an unfamiliar, chained dog (1 case).
Neville - Photo courtesy of the Animal Farm Foundation
Neville is a beautiful pit bull who was rescued from Canada after breed-specific legislation (BSL) forced him into a shelter. He is now a happy, healthy, and much loved bomb-sniffing dog in United States. Read his story here.
Dogs are not designer bags. It is unfair and shortsighted to single out one breed simply because it looks a certain way. You can help to put a stop to this unfair, cruel legislation. Contact Robin Driscoll and other legislators and remind them that BSL is misguided and wrong!
Contact the House Local Government Committee by calling Joe Kolman, 406-444-9280
Find Montana legislators and email, fax or call them and urge them to say no to H.B. 191. Here is the fax number for the House: 406-444-4825
If you aren’t sure what to write, just remember, be respectful, don’t insult the person you are writing to, and always be sure to proofread. If you still aren’t sure, feel free to copy and paste what I sent. Try to add your own thoughts, though.
Dear Ms. Driscoll:
I am writing to express my concern over the unfair breed specific legislation that you have introduced in Montana. Breed specific legislation is, at best, shortsighted. Proposing to kill all of the pit bulls in the state is cruel and inhumane.
Please, take the time to learn more about the breed that you are working to eradicate in name of misguided fear. No animal should be punished for ignorance or because it has an irresponsible and/or incompetent owner.
Damon Weaver is a fifth grade student from Florida with big dreams. The 10 year old wants nothing more than to interview president-elect Barack Obama during inauguration week.
Damon, one of thousands of reporters who are trying to get an interview with Mr. Obama, was denied press credentials. That decision isn’t enough to make him give up, though.
With the help and guidance of his teacher, Brian Zimmerman, Damon has landed some major interviews while trying to win over the powers-that-be in Obama’s transition team.
His interview with vice president-elect Joe Biden (his homeboy) has been viewed over 385,000 times on youtube, and he also sat down for one-on-one chats with Dwayne Wade and Sean Marion from the Miami Heat. Both basketball superstars agreed to shoot a few hoops with the president-elect, but neither of them is willing to let him win to score Damon an interview.
Damon will be in Washington, D.C. for the entire inauguration week, and he has offered a final plea to his hero. Check it out below.
Damon has given interviews to CNN and MSNBC, so it is highly unlikely that president-elect Obama hasn’t seen him on television. I can’t imagine how anyone could deny this kid an interview. He is absolutely adorable! It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks.
My prediction? President-elect Obama will see Damon’s pleas and grant him the interview. This kid is going to be a star one day.
Yet again, Mars Petcare US has recalled several of its pet foods manufactured in its Allentown Pennsylania facility because of salmonella. The recall includes all dry food produced at the plant with a “best by” date between August 11, 2009 and October 3, 2009.
Is your pet’s food safe? Here is how you can find out:
The affected food would have been purchased at BJ’s Wholesale Club, ShopRite Supermarkets, and Wal-Mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia.
According to the Mars website, the following brands (and upc codes) of food are included in the recall:
Berkley & Jensen Small Bites & Bones Dog Food 52# 00000 14958
Ol’ Roy Puppy Complete Premium Dog Food 4# 81131 79078
Ol’ Roy Puppy Complete Premium Dog Food 20# 81131 79080
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 4# 81131 17550
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 4.4# 81131 69377
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 8# 05388 67144
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 20# 81131 17549
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 22# 05388 60342
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 44.1# 81131 17551
Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition Premium Dog Food 50# 78742 01022
Ol’ Roy High Performance Premium Dog Food 20# 05388 60345
Ol’ Roy High Performance Premium Dog Food 50# 78742 05815
Ol’ Roy Meaty Chunks & Gravy Premium Dog Food 22# 81131 69630
Ol’ Roy Meaty Chunks & Gravy Premium Dog Food 50# 81131 69631
ShopRite Crunchy Bites, Bones and Healthy Squares Dog Food 20# 41190 04521
Special Kitty Original Premium Cat Food 3.5# 81131 17557
Special Kitty Original Premium Cat Food 7# 81131 17562
Special Kitty Original Premium Cat Food 18# 81131 17559
Special Kitty Gourmet Blend Premium Cat Food 3.5# 81131 17546
Special Kitty Gourmet Blend Premium Cat Food 7# 81131 17547
Special Kitty Gourmet Blend Premium Cat Food 18# 81131 17548
Special Kitty Kitten Premium Cat Food 3.5# 81131 17553
Special Kitty Kitten Premium Cat Food 7# 81131 17554
The last recall also involved Salmonella. When is Mars Petcare going to do something about their food poisoning companion animals?
This is unacceptable.
Salmonella infections in pets may cause lethargy, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has eaten any potentially contaminated pet food products and exhibits any of the above symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
40 year old Tafik Habib has been ordered to serve six days in jail and do 175 hours of community service. In this case, the punishment certainly does not fit the crime.
Earlier this year, Habib returned home after losing his job in a bank. Rather than having a drink, going for a walk, or taking a bath to relax, he took his anger out on his landlord Teddy Bonaros’ three year old, 13 pound Boston Terrier, Sasha. After kicking her repeatedly, he bludgeoned her with an umbrella until she was dead.
When Bonaros returned home just a few minutes later, he sensed that something was wrong when Sasha, her mate Rocky, and their six puppies did not come running to greet him. Bonaros found Sasha on the floor covered in a towel. He attempted to give her CPR, but she was already dead. Sadly, Rocky died just a few months later.
Teddy Bonaros holds Sasha's ashes.
Habib pleaded guilty to “overdriving, torturing and injuring” an animal, a crime which carries a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail. Sasha’s owner, Teddy Bonaros, wept in the courtroom as Habib pleaded guilty.
This story breaks my heart. How could anyone do such a thing? It is unbelieveable that someone could admit to such a violent, heinous crime and walk away with 6 days in jail and court costs.
My heart goes out to Mr. Bonaros. I cannot imagine what he must be going through. It is unthinkable.
Gana, an 11 year old gorilla at the Alwetter Zoo in Muenster, Germany, has been carrying the body of her baby, Claudio, since his death on August 16. Zoo officials say that they are not yet sure how Claudio died, but they are suggesting that his death may have been caused by a congenital heart defect. Because Gana is protecting Claudio so closely, zoo workers cannot retrieve his body to perform an autopsy.
According to the Telegraph, Gana has been carrying Claudio on her back, lifting him up over her head, and trying in vain to revive the dead baby as zoo visitors look on in horror.
Just seeing the pictures has reduced me to tears. I cannot imagine watching this poor gorilla have to go through this tragedy while in a cage with humans staring at her all day.
Claudio was Gana’s second baby. She apparently rejected her first baby, a girl named Mary Zwo, who was then taken from her and placed at the Stuttgart Zoo, almost 500km away.
I can’t decide which part of this story is more tragic. And to think, there are people out there who believe that animals such as Gana have no feelings or emotions, and that they do not form meaningful bonds and relationships.
Missy, a teacup poodle from San Marcos, Texas, died after a police officer told her owners, Krystal Hernandez and Michael Gonzalez, to, “chill out, it’s just a dog. You can buy another one.”
Gonzalez allegedly reached speeds of 95mph as he drove with his girlfriend to get help for the sick dog. From the video, it appears that he was driving near the berm with his hazard lights flashing. When an officer appeared behind him, he stopped, probably assuming that the cop would understand the situation and escort them or let them go on at a slower pace. Hernandez even asked if Gonzalez could stay behind and get the ticket while she went on with Missy. Instead, the cop mocked them and let the dog die in the car. See the dash video here.
First of all, had this been my dog, I would never have stopped. That’s not to say that Gonzalez was in the wrong for doing so. Far from it. I just have a lot less faith in people, and I never would have assumed that this cop would have been sympathetic. I would have kept going and called 911 from my cell to explain the situation. He could have had a field day ticketing, arresting, and/or tasing me when my dog was in the care of a vet.
To add insult to injury, Chief Howard Williams said it’s “not a disciplinary action, it’s a coaching one.” A “rookie mistake.” Give me a break.
Why is it that police officers are able to get away with pretty much anything they want?
Just the other day, murder and attempted murder charges against the two police officers who shot and killed two unarmed civilians (one of them mentally disabled) who were crossing a bridge to find food in post-Katrina New Orleans were dropped. Dropped!
Survivors of the September 4, 2005, shootings have said the officers fired at unarmed people crossing the Danziger Bridge to get food at a grocery store. Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally disabled man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed by police; four other people were wounded.
How can things like that be tolerated in this country?
Where is the example? There is so little compassion and decency left in the world, and if people like these cops are allowed to get away with such crimes, how can anyone expect kids growing up today to have faith in the people that are supposed to be there to help them? How will they learn to take personal responsibility for their own actions?
I urge you to email Howard Williams, Chief of Police, at SMPD_Info@ci.san-marcos.tx.us and tell him what you think about this officer’s actions and Missy’s unneccesary death. The officer who mocked her owners and let her die should be fired.
UPDATE – PETITION …
Please follow this link if you would like to sign the petition against officer Paul Stephens.
In an amazing story out of Africa today, it was announced that researchers have discovered 125 thousand Western Lowland Gorillas in the Congo. Previously, it was believed that less than 100 thousand of our closest relatives remained in existence. According to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Western Lowland Gorillas are most commonly found in zoos.
The dwindling population of gorillas is mostly due to hunting, deforestation, and exposure to the Ebola virus from humans. The primates have long been considered to be endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Because the gorillas are reclusive, researchers had to estimate the population by counting their sleeping nests.
Although this is wonderful news, the finding does not mean that the species is safe from extinction. More than half of the world’s primates remain in danger of extinction due to human activity. The gorillas must face disease, deforestation, and hunters who will kill them for “bush meat” and animal parts used in medicine. The International Primatological Society hopes that this news will help to encourage people to work to stop the eradication of the animals through deforestation and hunting.
Please take a few moments to watch this amazing clip that was part of an Anderson Cooper 360 special. Anderson actually traveled to the Congo and spent time in the jungle with the gorillas:
Several years ago, my husband and I were visiting Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor. It was a blustery winter day, and after walking around for a few hours, we decided to take a ride in a horse drawn carriage before heading back to the hotel.
The beautiful horses mesmerized me. Sure, I had seen horses before, but never really that close. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in West Virginia lives on a farm and raises livestock. As we started our ride, my fascination with the horse was quickly replaced by my disbelief at the utter hostility of the drivers the horses had to contend with. They swerved around the horse while honking as if there were no possibility of harming or scaring them. I immediately began to feel guilty for taking the ride.
I have no doubt that the horses must have been terrified; I know every car that went by made me flinch for the poor animal that was being forced to drag my large butt around for fifteen minutes. That was my first and last ride on an animal.
A few months ago, a New York City carriage horse was startled by music in the park and ran into traffic; he didn’t survive. While I do realize that there are jobs at stake, I can’t help but be more concerned with the welfare of the animals involved. Any person who can look at the photo at that link and still approve of this industry is probably of the frothing, anti-animal rights variety.
This Wednesday, a New York City council member is set to introduce legislation that will ban the use of horse drawn carriages in the city. Naturally, there is a huge opposition; to supporters of the industry, the horses are irrelevant – think of all of the money that will be lost! Opponents of the bill, including Mayor Bloomberg, claim that the carriages are symbolic of New York City and it would be a mistake to stop using them. In other words – think of all of the money that will be lost!
Tourists love them, right? Sure, the horses are beautiful and people love the romantic idea of a carriage ride. Most of them never even consider that the animal may be scared, mistreated, wishing he were eating grass on a farm where he belongs…whatever. I know I didn’t. It took a ride for me to figure that out. Nevertheless, if there were no horse drawn carriages in New York, people wouldn’t start abandoning their reservations en masse. Let’s get real.
