Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Fallacy of "No Kill" - A Fate Worse Than Death

Recently I read a letter from a little man who has very little experience in humane work. This man has only handled about ten thousand animals in his entire career and those were with small non profits. He describes where there are more than enough homes for all the animals in the shelters when he knows this is not true.

This little man has never been in the trenches before and his ignorance speaks to this. He is blinded by the money in Maddie's Fund and all the money that is donated to HSUS so he tries to get this money by proclaiming himself as a Messiah. This little man has an agenda that doesn't allow him to admit his mistakes, the rest of the world made the mistakes. This little man can't see through his rose colored glasses that you actually have to work at earning respect. This little man condemns those organizations who actually do some work, such as busting puppy mills (the little man's bed partners) or stopping cruelty.

This little man still believes there are successful open door shelters such as Reno. He hasn't bothered to find the real truth. Of course that is hard to do with a private agency that doesn't have to answer to public record request. He knows that and loves that fact.

Recently I met a vet that believed in TNR. After showing her the pictures of the results of putting these cats back out, this vet immediately lost her cookies and broke out in a sweat. She no longer sees TNR as an answer. She sees the fate awaiting feral cats and now states that TNR is the ultimate cruelty to cats.

This little man tries to take credit for all the good things brought about by honorable organizations such as HSUS and Peta. He refers to the legislation that other people brought about. This little man wants us to forget about his "interviews" with CCF, the very people who support farm animal cruelty. And less we not forget about his jumping into bed with the breeding community, yet this little man continues to insist he cares about animals.

Right now this little man is backpeddling. He is seeing that that his way is causing animals to be left with their abusers in order to avoid adding to euthanasia numbers. He is seeing that pits are not getting a bad rap, they are actually dangerous. He is seeing that there are consequences to his actions and his "program" and he is desperately trying to make excuses.

Not only does this little man bring about suffering for the animals, but he also causes suffering for people. There are good people in animal control, not all are bad, but just like anything else, you will have the bad along with the good. This little man doesn't paraphrase by saying let's get rid of the bad, he wants to get rid of all. And he thinks we aren't smart enough to figure this out. Get rid of the experienced people and then no one knows the difference when it comes to what is abuse or not. I would like to direct this little man to his failure in Philly where the animals suffered greatly because there were no experienced people left. I find it strange that he claims to care so much for animals and yet, he is so hateful toward people.

Yes, this little man is quite a piece of work. I just hope they threw away the mold afterwards.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

UK - REGULATE THE BREED

An effort was made to change the UK's dangerous dog act to make the owner responsible. In other words, punish the deed, not the breed. It failed. This is interesting reading in that now mixed breeds are coming on the scene that are not "illegal" but are definitely dangerous dogs. And the population is increasing.

RSPCA wants dangerous dog rethink
The Dangerous Dogs Act needs to be changed to focus instead on owners keeping aggressive dogs as a status symbol or weapon, the RSPCA has said.

It says the current Act is too vague and has led to an increase in dangerous dogs since it came into force in 1991.

It comes days after new guidelines were sent to police and local authorities.

The RSPCA wants more checks on owners and stiffer penalties for people mistreating dogs or keeping them for criminal use.


“ The law says if it looks like a pit bull and the police accuse it of being a pit bull then it is a pit bull ”
Chris Laurence, Dogs Trust
NHS figures showed the number of dog attacks had tripled since 1991, and many attacks have been blamed on cross-bred dogs which are not illegal.

In 2008, NHS figures showed nearly 3,800 attacks were taking place a year.

David Grant of the RSPCA said: "It's just a completely out of control situation ...my situation here in this RSPCA hospital is actually worse than before the Act came in."

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act four different breeds of dog are banned - the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.

But critics say the rules over what is a dangerous dog are too vague - even when it comes to identifying the banned breeds.

Dogs Trust veterinary director Chris Laurence told the BBC: "One of the big flaws in the Act is it doesn't tell you how to identify a pit bull.


NEW DOG GUIDELINES

•Sets out best practice for the main enforcement authorities
•Provides guidance on identifying pit bull terrier-type dogs
•Provides examples of existing local initiatives
"You can actually breed a pit bull by accident. If you cross something like a boxer and a labrador or a labrador and a mastiff you end up with a dog that looks like a pit bull.

"The law says if it looks like a pit bull and the police accuse it of being a pit bull then it is a pit bull and it's up to you to prove it isn't."

Mr Grant said there were many incidences of dogs being abandoned and attacking other dogs, killing cats or attacking people.

On Friday the government rejected a bid to replace the Dangerous Dogs Act with a new law placing responsibility for a dog's behaviour on the owner or person in charge of it.

Lord Redesdale said, who proposed the replacement, said: "The Dangerous Dogs Act was a knee-jerk reaction to deal with pit bull terriers and was intended to lead to the extinction of that breed in this country.

"However research by the RSPCA has shown that there are now more pit bull terriers in the UK than there were when the Act was passed."


In south London, a council has already begun targeting dog owners for using dogs for intimidation, causing a nuisance, fighting with dogs or using them as a weapon .

"What we've done is introduce a registration scheme, linked to our tenancy conditions, which is going to promote responsible dog ownership, and take out sanctions on those people who aren't responsible who are causing a nuisance," said Mark Callis of the Dog Control Unit at Wandsworth Council.

"The ultimate sanction under our tenancy conditions would be eviction," he said.

In January, London's Metropolitan Police created a new unit to tackle the rise in the number of dogs being used by criminals.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Grand Jury Report Outs "No Kill"

This is a Grand Jury report from Orange County, CA, a place considered to be most progressive. It's a good read and makes no qualms about what these jurors think of "No Kill".

http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/dogstudy/dog-study.pdf

Pleeeease, Can I Vote Again????

It's happening already. This is our worst nightmare. Get ready America for the Portuguese armada invasion.

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/04/23/germans-love-bo-obama-portuguese-water-dogs-sell-out/

Germans love Bo Obama! Portuguese Water Dogs sell out.
By Jimmy Orr 04.23.09

Well, we all know that Germans love David Hasselhoff. But now Hasselhoff is going to have to share the love.
Enter President Obama’s new dog, Bo.
Boom
The president’s decision to get a Portuguese Water Dog for his family has resulted in a boom in demand for the breed. At least in Germany.
The German newspaper Bild reports that the breed has sold out in the country and interest in the dog “is out of control.”
“My phone has not stopped ringing and I have had at least 100 people call me!” one breeder told the paper. “Everyone wants puppies, but there are hardly any in Germany at the moment.”
Surprising? Well, perhaps Bo Obama didn’t know how popular he would be once donning the title of First Dog. But it was certainly something expected in the US.
Domestic
Just this morning, animal behaviorist Terry Jester wrote, “I hope the Portuguese water dog breeders are gearing up for what will be a huge surge in the demand for puppies.”
Dr. Jana Kohl, an animal-rights activist who featured President Obama in a book promoting pet adoption, predicted a run would happen — especially with the president’s decision to opt out of his campaign promise to get a dog from a shelter and go the breeder route instead.
“This will fuel the breeding industry, which will fuel the puppy mill industry, which will increase homeless dogs at shelters, and increase the numbers of dogs euthanized every year,” she said.
Kohl has since said she felt betrayed by the president’s decision not to adopt.
Obama accepted a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo from Senator Ted Kennedy. Bo originally came from a Texas-based breeder.
Economy
Monitor economics writer Laurent Belsie said it could be looked at as one of the few bright spots in the world economy.
“This could be the first result of an Obama stimulus plan that’s working,” he joked. “The nation that leads the way in the production of Portuguese Water Dogs may be the next economic superpower. Forget green energy.”

Duh! What Does It Take??

Denham Springs, LA voted to keep their shelter "no kill" despite warnings from nine vets.

The vets who signed the letter wrote there are certain ethical lines being crossed by the shelter.

An email from Peta:

The email names eight dogs with health and behavioral problems. For example, the investigators say one dog spins in his pen from constant confinement and lack of socialization.

And from shelter workers:

Former shelter workers say some of the dogs that have been at the shelter since 2006 and 2007 may never be adopted, making space an issue. "We've just got so many animals I believe that it's too much."

And there are complaints of animals not being picked up by animal control. The budget has doubled. Does this ring any bells of other places we know about?

Boks Has Bit the Dust!!!!

It's official, Boks has "resigned". Earlier it was reported that a four year lawsuit in NYC had reached the end and Boks was found to be guilty of racial discrimination.

http://cleveland.indymedia.org/news/2009/04/37536.php

And today the Mayor is praising him for his past work in LA. Yeah, right.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/04/ed_boks_out_at_animal_ser.php

Now keep in mind that Boks has stated that Winograd recommended him for the job. So Boks in addition to Winograd's hand picked manager, Tara Darby, in Philly adds up to his being a very poor judge of management material. Course we all know that his failures have all been contributed to a lack of good management.

Now Winograd is "praising" Doug Rae in Indy who was originally with PACCA and Tara Darby in Philly. Care to look at the audit done by the City of Philly showing how poorly the shelter was run. And who is to blame? I vote the Chief Operating Officer, Doug Rae. Hey, Winograd, where can we find the good managers, got any suggestions?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Center for Consumer Freedom - The Connection

Wayne Pacelle's posting today rang a bell with me. Below I am including an excerpt.

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/

Well you can find it on Twitter, of all places. David Martosko is the mouthpiece of the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF)—a primary critic of animal welfare groups, nutrition and health advocates, environmentalists, and anti-drunk driving groups. CCF is a front group for corporations that do not want their fingerprints on their counterattacks against public interest organizations, and it has distinguished itself for scattershot reprisals toward Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the American Public Health Association, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PETA, and, of course, The HSUS.
So what does Martosko have to say about the farm animal cruelty that has come to light in case after case?
“Cheap solution to #PETA & #HSUS? Stop animal-rights infiltrators in farms & slaughterhouses … ” He then provided a link to a website that sells a supposed gadget to detect the presence of hidden cameras. (The #-signs indicate Twitter subject tags.)
That’s right, Martosko and his ilk have a simple answer to cruelty.
Prevent anyone from seeing it. Don’t fret about the suffering, just stop the chronicling of it.

Remind you of anyone? These folks are full fledged Winograd supporters and state it openly and proudly. No Kill amounts to outta sight, outta mind. If you don't get called on it, shut up. Easy to see why CCF and Winograd enjoy a bed together.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Poor Philly

And the story just gets worse, folks. As you know, Howard Nelson, had pledged to go with the Whino's CAPA and to go "No Kill". Didn't last long, however, he resigned out of the clear blue. Remember that PSPCA has only had the contract since Jan. 1 when you read article. The overcrowding, poor conditions, and disease were already in the shelter. According to this article the PSPCA had a better live release rate than PACCA under the NKE program. All I know is that it is a mess, thanks to Winograd, and the poor animals suffer, that's all I know for sure.

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/Led-aStray-43380837.html?page=1&comments=1&showAll=

Comments are interesting as well.

The Chilling Truth

As you know or don't know, I am a big fan of http://www.dogsbite.org/ and recommend it highly. It has opened my eyes as to just how serious the pit/bully issue is. I thought at one time that more people are killed every year by "bovines" (cows) than dogs so maybe not so big of a deal. No more and I apologize to the victims of DogsBite for ever thinking like that.

So now is the first annual report from DogsBite and it tells a tale. I encourage you to go to the site and read the entire report.

Report Summary
Of the 88 fatal dog attacks recorded by DogsBite.org, pit bull type dogs were responsible for 59% (52). This is equivalent to a pit bull killing a U.S. citizen every 21 days during this 3-year period.
The data also shows that pit bulls commit the vast majority of off-property attacks that result in death. Only 18% (16) of the attacks occurred off owner property, yet pit bulls were responsible for 81% (13).


Pit bulls are also more likely to kill an adult than a child. In the 3-year period, pit bulls killed more adults (ages 21 and over), 54%, than they did children (ages 11 and younger), 46%.
In the 21-54 age group, pit bulls were responsible for 82% (14) of the deaths. The data indicates that pit bulls do not only kill children and senior citizens; they kill men and women in their prime years as well.


Between the ages of 0-4, the study reveals that 14% (12) of the fatal attacks involved a "watcher," a person such as a grandparent or babysitter watching the child. Of these attacks, 75% (9) involved a grandparent type.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Can We Vote Again??

Guess it is time to say something about Obama and his decision to get a dog from a breeder instead of supporting a shelter. I had to wait to allow my emotions to calm down.

Unlike some people who say it is none of our business, I feel it is definitely our business. This is a role model president and now what role has he established? First of all that he is not sincere because he said at one time that he wanted to get a mutt like himself. Has his perception of himself now changed since he was sworn in? It appears to me that he is now a Ted Kennedy wannabe. I can understand his children liking this dog but he needed to explain their responsibility in taking one from a shelter, not "buying" one.

There is also the great possibility of the breeding of this bred to now get out of hand, just like those breds featured in movies or adopted by famous people. Movies ruined the Dals, now with half of them estimated to be deaf instead of one out of ten prior to the movie. Chihuahuas are now filling our shelters when there was a time you rarely saw one there. Most have genetic defects as well from poor backyard breeding. So, President Obama, consider yourself part of the problem when this breed starts showing up at the shelters.

And for him to miss the opportunity to let the world know that there are wonderful "mutts" out there is the saddest of all. Yes, honey, it is our business to get on his case, we are trying to convince the public to go to the shelter, not buy from breeders until we stop killing in the shelters. And everything our President does is OUR BUSINESS, even down to selecting his dog.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

"It Takes a Community" - Yeah, Right

In pondering and researching, I can see a definite weakness in the NKE when it is dealing with non profits.

First, Tompkins County SPCA is in dire straits because the Whino developed his program off the backs of their doners rather than charging appropriately for the animal control contracts. Now their charity rating is dipping in the range of unfavorable. They can no longer support NKE and what will happen. Do I need ask? And did the community there stand by and support NKE. No they ran the other way, getting less expensive providers, or gave the SPCA less than was needed. Wise up, elected officials don't give a damn about "No Kill", they only want a deal. And they had one with TC SPCA but not any more. No more free rides.

And now Charlottesville is in the same boat without that paddle. They have done the same thing rather than getting adequate funding for their contracts. Then again can you see any elected agency voting to spend thousands of dollars on stray dogs and cats for medical in these hard economic times?

And when these non profits can no longer foot the bill, what happens? They fall back on their "mission statement" and give up the animal control contracts. Happens all the time. And that has drastic repercussions for the animals in the shelters. Suddenly government is hustling around to build a shelter and hire staff and who goes lacking while this is happening - the animals.

It's only a matter of time now before the Whino's beloved Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA hits the skids, it's already on slippery ground.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Can You Say "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?"

Love this posting on Best Fiends (not a misspelling).

This is one of Winograd's loyal followers just to give a good idea of his "type" of supporters. This is a vendetta against the County of San Bernardino, not an appeal to help animals. Another agenda seeking individual without a clue. Nothing but venom spews from this one, same as her mentor.

http://network.bestfriends.org/news/postdetail.aspx?np=33261

And to set the records straight, it seems strange that someone doing work detail would just so happen to have this person's telephone number on a fateful day. Sounds like a set up to me to begin with. Anyone else sound familiar?

I'm Ba-a-ack

Had computer woes for the last month. All of you who read my blog I want to ask that you help King County by writing to their elected officials. As I understand Charlottesville is experiencing the same as Tompkins County in that they may be losing their animal control contract. This is due to the same reasons that Tompkins County is losing theirs because the Charlottesville SPCA has been footing the bill for "No Kill" rather than charging the contracts the appropriate amounts to cover "treatable" animals.

When you contact King County, stress what happened in Tompkins County and in Charlottesville. Stress that the last thing you want to happen is to give animal control to a private agency only to have them come back later and ask for more money. Make this an issue because there are no chances of overcoming this particular fact with the "No Kill" propaganda.

Also Patricia J. Ruland reamed "No Kill" another new one with a series of articles in the Austin Chronicle last week. She emphasised how "No Kill" distorts the numbers, after all it is nothing more than a numbers game. Seems Austin is doing much better than "No Kill" leads one to think and therefore "No Kill" is not needed there. Comments on her story are welcome.

Let me catch up and I'll start stirring the pot again.