buttscratch

Peaceful sleep

2007-02-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd weigh in on the PETA trial now that a verdict has been handed down. For those of you that haven't been following this case (or live in the peaceful bubble of reality TV or, thankfully, do not watch Fox News), two PETA employees were on trial in NC last week for animal cruelty, littering, and obtaining property on false pretenses. In short, the two employees were caught behind a Bertie County Piggly Wiggly dumping the bodies of animals they had picked up from vets and shelters and had euthanized in their PETA van. Pretty much, the employees were only found guilty of littering and have to pay a fine, pay restitution, and do community service.
Now, when I first heard the story, my honest first impression was sheer confusion. I was mortified because I always thought that PETA, sometimes too radically for my blood, but always with their unwavering save-the-furries ideology, was the one organization that would always stand up for animal rights. So I assumed that these were rogue employees, right?
Then I caught wind of the somewhat biased website, PETAkillsAnimals.com that was following the trial. When I found out that the PETA employees were following the directions of their employer, I was even more confused. And on the Dogster Blog, folks were chiming in with the "I knew PETA went too far" and "they're a bunch of hypocrites" and so on.
Being the "fair and balanced" journalist that I am, I did a little searching for PETA's statements on the matter. I found it odd that they really buried their statements on their website, since when taken alone, give very reasonable and sane accounts of why they work in NC, which is very close tho their Norfolk VA headquarters. They have a picture of the old Bertie County gas chamber in which the animals used to be gassed(when not just "shot with a .22"). But again, due to the lack of national media attention to the trial, they didn't feel a need to put this in their Media Response center. So a little part of me thinks they're trying to hide the fact that they're in the business of euthanizing puppies because it's not what their celebrity superstars would find glamorous. Not like Cruelty-Free wear at New York's Fashion Week, which is today's banner splash.
While reading about the trial, I found out that one of the puppies the employees put down was also named Toby. A lot of them have names. For me, the most distressing part of the melee is the political volley between PETA and the anti-PETA folks decrying the "terrorist" group. While the meat-packers and virulently anti-PETA folks paint the general picture of "hypocrite," and everyday folks latch on to the supposedly hypocrisy of killing puppies while "forcing" us to go without leather belts, Chik Filet, and animal-tested lipstick, the focus is on whether or not what the kids did is considered "animal cruelty" or not. I personally and unpopularly do not believe that it is. If indeed the shelters are overrun, and Bertie County does not have an adoption program, and the poor animals are being gassed or frozen in their outdoor dogruns, then the humane thing to do is indeed sadly euthanize them. I personally find it upsetting that anyone with a dog from a puppy farm or even a regular breeder would cast a first stone at those trying to control the pet population. That is the real hypocrisy.
My beef (no pun intended) is with the fact that the kids got off on the False Pretenses charge. It is apparent, at least to me, that many of the folks from whom they were picking the animals were assuming that the PETA van was coming to find the animals homes, not automatically euthanizing them and putting them in the Norfolk storage freezer (which is in fact what the stated procedure is). It's on the personal level where things break down (like when folks bring puppies to shelters when they can't handle them after convincing themselves that they will for sure be adopted by a better person before their time is up).
The policies should be clearly stated. People should realize that they are bringing an animal to a shelter to be put down, plain and simple. And PETA should train its employees to know that one can't just take animals from hospitals saying you are finding the animal a home. Perhaps they are so use to "liberating" animals from labs and circuses that they get confused about the propriety of taking animals from veterinarians, telling them that they have found Toby and Happy good homes, and secretly putting them down in a van because they think they know best.

Guest post

2007-01-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

Hey there! I thought I'd take a break and let my Momma C post. She has a list she's been working on...

20 Random Pet Peeves:

1) People-parents that don’t get pet-parents. I recently read a letter to Miss Manners (or Dear Abby) where someone took the time to complain to the columnist that her friends signed their holiday card from each “member of the family” including their dog. The advice seeker wished justification for her rage that the pet-owner “equated [their] dog to [her] children.” Miss Manners explained that this was not, in fact, what the animal folk were doing and wished that the parent wouldn’t be so sensitive. Some of us really do consider our dog a part of the family, and wish breeders no harm.
2) Incessant cell phone usage. Uh, really, do you need to be on the phone in the restaurant, in the grocery store, in the car, in the mall, in the woods, walking down the street, crossing the street, in the elevator… This peeve is directly related to…
3) Getting hijacked into someone’s little world from being subjected to her end of an insipid cell phone conversation. Has reality television really convoluted our sense of privacy to the point where folks don’t comprehend that most people around them are completely uninterested in their lives? Cell phone users seem totally oblivious to the folks in their actual physical vicinity. Your neighbors in space do not need to know about that cute guy too. Really.
4) Cashiers that don’t acknowledge your presence. There was a time in our country’s short history when customer service was king. Remember those old commercials with the gas station attendants with little paper hats? Some of us, when checking out of the grocery store, would still pay that little extra to have someone smile and say “Did you find everything that you needed?” Yet, I have, with increasing frequency, been able to go right through a check-out line without as much as a “Hey,” and, most likely, without any actual eye contact being made. Frankly, I can’t just blame this on the sorry state of customer service training. We (the collective “we” known as American consumers) actually brought this upon ourselves, as we demanded the U-Checkout Stands and e-commerce and all those wonderful other ways to speed things up and avoid human contact by all means.
5) Automated customer service telephone menus. Another victim of the Decline of Civilized Customer Service, this technology forces us to accept the loss of personal interaction as inevitable, convincing us that all of our problems can be solved through a series of vocal “Yes,” “No,” and number prompts. Since my blood pressure seems to rise dramatically every time I call one of these lines, perhaps I won’t live to see humans replaced completely.
6) Script-reading help-line technicians. I know, I know, I want it all. So you give me a human, because I bitched about the automatron. Well, give me back the robot if all you’ve got is a guy in India, asking me “yes or “no” questions while slowly scrolling through on-screen manuals. Better yet, send me the on-screen manual. OR, even better yet, make my product stable and free of gliches in the first place.
7) Telemarketers. Yup.
8) Telemarketers who, after I tell them that B. is not in, ask to speak to her husband. B. has been known to tell telemarketers, after being asked for C. and then asked “Is there a husband?,” that a husband does not exist on account of “her being a lesbian.” I wonder where that is on the “yes” / “no” script.
9) Saying something is “very unique.” Unique is unique. I can’t say I’ve never said this, but I’ll be that person that calls people out that do.
10) Inappropriately calling friends out in non-safe spaces. This requires a much longer explanation, I’m sure. I will be the first to accept someone’s constructive criticism and empowering enlightenment of hidden oppression, but sometimes certain situations call for some semblance of tact.
11) Describing something as “ironic” when, really, it’s not. This still makes the list after all these years. Ever since that damn Alanis Morrisette song, it STILL bothers me.
12) The colloquialism “Beyotch” Do I have to explain? Really?
13) The Melting Pot idea. I remember growing up in the seventies, watching Sesame Street, and feeling glad that the US was all colors of a distinct multi-cultural rainbow. Then in the eighties, I chanted along with the Schoolhouse Rock chorus, “The Great American Melt-Ing-Pot,” with its pretty swirling and whirling, not realizing that the resulting fondue was a pseudo-homogenized culture assimilated to some Dynasty-aspiring norm, a watered down version of what each of the component parts brought. To extend the spoiled dairy analogy, a well-balanced cheese plate - with a soft ripened triple creme, an aggressive blue, a tangy Trappist washed rind, and an aged boorenkaas – is more agreeable to me than a fondue or fromage forte where I can’t tell each individuals’ characteristics or origins. It’s just my preference.
14) The bootstrap theory (related somewhat to “The American Dream”). Some people claim it works. I personally think it’s flawed and more often creates…
15) Oppressed persons that oppress others in order to rise up. So, the theory goes, if you don’t succeed, then it’s your own damn fault, not the fault of systemic modes of oppression or yet-to-be surmounted historic injustices that keep folks where they are.
16) People who think they are Righteous but do not work for Justice. We once had a great Sunday School lesson with a theological scholar who broke down various Biblical texts that used the word “righteous.” On many occasions, the same root word that translates to “Justice” was used to translated to “Righteous,” such that in the case where we learn “Blessed are the Righteous,” the meaning is not so much “Blessed are the upstanding,” but rather “Blessed are the Just.” A minor nit-picky point, but a powerful one, I think.
17) Deer Ticks. Yes, the lyme disease-carrying insects you get in the forest. I was getting a little heavy handed and didactic, and, since Toby was so kind as to let me "hijack" his blog, I thought I’d throw in some pet peeves that were less conceptual, and more tangible.
18)Dandruff. I try really hard to avoid it, but I think my hair products add to the problem.
19) Unnecessary staff meetings. Again, it should go without saying.
20) Long winded blog posts. Cuz really, who has time to read that nonsense.

Blessed are the meek. Have a beautiful day.

What's in a name?

2007-01-08T11:19:00.000-05:00

Since I have doing this for a little while now, I thought I would re-introduce why I named this site the name that I did. This is mainly for you non-dog people out there, for whom the term "buttscratch" perhaps means "the middle of nowhere."

(I am nowhere near the middle of nowhere, and love my little space in the world.)

The blog title is derived from my constant desire for buttscratches. These are, more specifically, scratches on my lower back near the base of my tail. (I will not say what they are not - this is a family site.) Again, these things don't need to be explained to dogpeople. When I wake up in the morning, I walk up to my Momma B asleep in her bed and whine until she scratches me.

I would also like to apologize for not asking Momma C. She just doesn't do it right.

The Real Deal

2007-01-05T15:03:00.000-05:00

I'M the original Good German Shepard!
'Nuff Said.
But just in case, you need more... The Good German Shepard

Gourmet

2007-01-04T14:40:00.000-05:00

I have been dreaming of the Christmas Carob Cookies my mommas made me. While quite tasty, they do pale in comparison to the lovely little treats that came in my Advent Calendar. Each night in December (that is, each night until they shipped me off to Puppy Camp for the holidays), one of my mommas would open the next door on my cardboard calendar and pop out a tiny dog biscuit before bedtime. They plan to save the calendar and refill it with more homemade snacks each year.

My momma C considers herself a bit of a gourmet. She use to be a cheesebuyer before doing the videography thing and then becoming a CPA. After a hard week of number-crunching, Momma C takes great pride in being able to name all the cheeses at a party - a weird party trick, I suppose, but a surefire way to screen people for who you REALLY want to spend your evening talking. People that know their cheese (or at least appreciate it) are just good people.

The trouble with cheese is that the good stuff tends to be a little pricey, so "knowing cheese" gets to be a snooty thing if you are in certain crowds. The precious farmhouse, so-called artisan stuff can run from $15-25 a pound. Of course, if you cut out premium cable (which my mommas have) and going out to eat every night at the Applebees, I think you can splurge every now and then on some premium stuff (what happened to Tyler Florence?).

On the other hand, my momma will forever be known for her ability to appreciate both "high" and "low" culture. She is perhaps the only cheesebuyer to extol the glories of pasteurized cheese spread (c'mon, who doesn't like Laughing Cow and those little processed wedges from Germany. A little cloud of caraway heaven?). Please note that Momma C (or, "The Big Cheese" as her business cards use to say) also almost had a car accident while trying to eat Kraft Spray Cheez from the bottle while driving. Really. Think, windshield.

Momma C will always remember a story her dad told her when she was little about how his family use to looooove processed meat from a can (corned beef, Spam, etc.). They always had to have fresh food growing up in the Philippines. You know, vegetables, fish, rice. For special breakfasts, they had the imported stuff like Spam. For Christmas, they had Virginia ham and Queso de Bola (the big red Edam ball especially marketed to the Islands). Growing up in Maryland, Momma C ate the now readily available Spam at least once a week. (I think I'd love the stuff if Momma B wasn't a gosh-darn fish-etarian...)

Once, while working in restaurants, Momma C was inspired by the Annual Spam Contest and made a Spam and Cheese Soup. I hear it was too salty.

All and all, I don't care what my mommas eat, as long as they don't eat me. This may seem a little insensitive, since Momma C is a first-generation Filipino-American, who suffered through decades of being taunted with "Dog Eater" cries. She use to think this was just an outdated epithet though, and was saddened to see on the Dogster Blog that, despite its being illegal, hundreds of dogs are still eaten in the Philippines every day. Every day! (And I get to sleep in the master bedroom!) It is a multimillion peso "underground" industry there (roughly $1.1M US). Of course, as wretched as this may sound to most Americans (who spend many more millions of dollars on dog toys every year), I'm not sure most can cast the first stone with the monster steaks on their dinner plates. Or perhaps monster steaks wrapped in bacon. Or with those ducks stuffed in chickens stuffed in turkeys. I suppose, humans, with their superior intellect, also "won the right" to eat puppies too.

I am not a vegetarian. Despite the repeated announcements from my Momma B that, unlike a cat, I don't have to eat meat, I do eat seafood and, on occasion, other meats. I do not mean to cause a stir. (I tried to eat a chicken bone once, but Momma C wrenched it out of my mouth just in time to get her hand chomped.) I just hope that folks take the time that I do to wonder were the food came from before gobbling it down - whether it was a gift from a deity, or grown through the back-breaking toil of migrant laborers, or with the sacrifice of a happy turkey that grew up under a pecan tree in Alabama without getting poked full of drugs and hormones. I am compelled to bring up the musing of the old canine in Kafka's "Investigation of a Dog." (Momma C shared this with me while she was at Duke.) The dog had spent his entire life wondering from whence his food came. He's totally oblivious of humans and believed that he needed to water the ground to make the food come (sometimes "from the ground", sometimes "from the air"). While the philosophical pursuit consumes him, I at least see his appreciation for the vittles, knowing he mustn't tempt forces by quiting his ground-wetting rituals.

Momma C has started back on the chuck wagon (quite literally) but thinks she can fend of the Gods of PETA (or at least Reese Witherspoon and the Baldwin bros) by appropriating the Native American ritual of thanking the animal soul before consuming its flesh.

Now, is a blanket thank-you to all the souls okay or must she be able to discern each little soul that may have gone into, say, a sausage and address each one?

Venturing into 2007

2007-01-03T15:01:00.000-05:00

Howdy, folks!! Tobias Poindexter here after a very long, long hiatus.

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! This should prove to be an interesting year - with the Dems controlling Congress and the '08 elections a small but noticeable blip on the horizon. (Carolina boy John Edwards has left the Center on Poverty and thrown his big grin into the ring. We'll see...) In Iraq, we clocked the 3000th American military casualty before the big apple (and big Raleigh acorn) dropped. But things could be a-changin' - with Rummy gone and Secretary Gates in, Saddam is out of the picture (save perhaps his martyrdom), and focus is now on sectarian violence (i.e. "civil war" semantics). Too bad there's still the Taliban on the other end of the continent. (Osama Bin who-now?)

Locally, the Duke Lacrosse case is STILL rearing its ugly head. Yesterday, Mike Nifong was sworn is as DA in a "private ceremony," as the State Bar announced it has opened up its own investigation into Mr. Nifong himself. At the start of it all, my mommas were unapologetic Nifong supporters, because they had met him personally, appreciated what he had done thus far for the citizens of Durham, and didn't like the sensational national media (and the Raleigh New and Observer) telling us and our fellow Durhamites that we were putzes. But now is not the time to circle the wagons (lest we trap all that ill blood in). (Duke had a discernible drop in the number of kids who took their Duke acceptances this year, meaning the university didn't get many of their first choice students 'cuz of this thing. The alumni are a-steamin'. Remarkably, per Momma C's Duke Annual Fund Report, Alumni Giving was at an all time high last year. Talk about circlin' the wagons!)
At this point, if one is making the case for "justice," no "justice" can be served (for anyone) with Mr. Nifong still prosecuting the case. If anything (to find the last shred of humor in it...), Nifong's current actions (inaction?) may now prove how he never went after this case for political gain, as had been the cry when the accusations first came up in March/April '06, close to the DA primary. Any true politician would have dropped this case like a hot potato long ago. What a way to muck up your CV for life.

This year, Durham also had the auspicious achievement of lowering its annual murder total from 37 in 2005 to a mere 15 in 2006. (The 15th just happened the last weekend of the year. So really, it's more like 14...). The mayor's "pleased". Too bad non-homicide violent crime is on the rise.

But, as is hopefully apparent to those that read my musings (or those less coherent ramblings of my Momma C), we only make these commentaries because we truly love and care for this city, this nation, and this planet and all of its citizens, two, four, and other-legged.

Perhaps in 2007, I will try to be more upbeat and make sure to also balance my posts with the wonderful and the wondrous in our midst, like the British springer-mix Saffy who saved her people from imminent danger by warning them of a gas leak or the 6-month old puppy, prophetically named Hero, who save his people from fire in Indiana. (Thanks to Joy Ward of Dogster Blog for these!)

Here's to a better, bigger, brighter year!!

Long silence

2006-06-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

I haven't written in awhile. It's because my mommas work so hard so I never get on the computer. (At least, that's what they tell me. I hope they are not just out there playing with other dogs, keeping their own blogs, etc.) (That would be CRAZY!)

The Duke Lacrosse fiasco is just that. I am slowly pulling my support away from Mr. Nifong (lucky for him, as a dog, I can't vote). The calls for him to appoint a special prosecutor are valid. He should take the out. It would silence a few critics and give him a clearer head. But what do I know.

On the gay marriage front, they are pulling out the Federal Marriage Amendment again. And Florida's ban on gay adoption was just upheld. Crikey. Are you people listening?

I read a cool op ed today in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's a bit:

My 75-year-old husband and I have been trying to figure out how our marriage would be threatened if gay and lesbian couples tied the knot, just as we did 22 years ago.
Political pollsters say we're in the demographic group (older Americans) most likely to oppose same-sex marriage, so I decided to informally poll my friends to see if this is an important issue to them. I asked eight friends what their most pressing concerns were. My question elicited a torrent of concerns: finding cures for cancer and Alzheimer's, high property taxes, the chaos in Iraq, fears about the environment, and anxiety that Social Security might not be around when their children retire.
When I finally brought up the prospect of gay marriage, not one person was concerned. In fact, they thought everyone should have the right to marry...

My observation of gays and lesbians is that their lives pretty much consist of the same elements as mine: going to work or volunteering, caring for aging parents, trying hard to create meaningful relationships, and, yes, for some, raising families. What these families do want, I believe, is recognition of their love and commitment, as well as things we heterosexuals take for granted, such as pension rights, health-care coverage, and hospital visitation....
Our president - if he really cared about families - would not be speaking out in favor of the marriage ban. Instead, he would be using his bully pulpit to address the real problems facing families, including the fact that many heterosexual marriages end in divorce. Our legislators in Harrisburg and Washington would be passing laws to take guns off the street and make health care available to all.
My husband and I will probably not live long enough to see all [15] of our grandchildren reach adulthood. But we would like to know that regardless of their sexual orientation, none will be second-class citizens. We want each of them to have the same legal right to marry and, if he or she chooses, raise a family. I know that, gay or straight, they would all make wonderful parents.

I'll be back soon.

2006-05-08T17:44:00.000-04:00

Yet Another View

2006-05-08T17:43:00.000-04:00

It has now been over one month since I last posted something here. I can blame my Moms who kept coming home late during Momma C’s “busy season,” thus keeping me off the computer (I STILL haven’t learned how to turn this thing on by myself – Momma C will not show me for fear I will order my own on-line treats.) I can blame the delay on the Easter holiday and all of the fun out-of-town guests I have had. But, really, what has kept this dog’s trap shut has been the fear of fulfilling my promise, back in March, that I would “soon” write something meaningful about the Duke Lacrosse incident.

This is very odd for me. I am a strong proponent of dialogue, and it will only be through discussion of this situation and its multitude of complexities that any real change can occur. But I have held my tongue to see what comes out of the woodwork, and in a way, I am glad I have done so. In the course of the month, I have seen every actor in this fiasco have his or her words turned upside-down and against them. I have seen women slandered for their choices, men shamed for their station, a DA of integrity caricatured as a Bonfire of the Vanities political climber, a city stereotyped as being just on the edge of a race war (no doubt started because of all the Yankee influx)… That is not dialogue…

AND, I have been told, in action more than words, that I cannot speak with authority because I am not black. Or I am not white. Or because I am priviledged. Or because I come from nothing…

BUT, as I have found, we are all entitled to our opinions and are allotted a few openings here and there to interject minor points of clarification that may, or may not (mostly not) be helpful to those of you bloggers who keep insisting you know what you are talking about because you are black,white, priviledged, working-class, male, female, gay, transgendered, republican, atheist, bald, three-toed, or whatever point-of-view you are writing from that makes you the authority on something. (Again, I am a dog. That is my point of view. I can only speak from this perspective.)

Point 1: Just a technicality – but in the news, when enhancing the imagery of Duke as the elite institution that it is, the reporters like to talk about the “Wall” separating the campus from Durham. Again, merely a technicality but this said three-foot wall simply surrounds Duke’s East Campus (the former artsy-fartsy one that my mom used to live on before they made it an all-freshman campus despite our fruitless protests (see, they apparently had nothing to protest back then being that it was in between Gulf Wars)). This low wall is visible from the now-infamous Buchanan House. I use to walk around that wall with my mom for exercise. A lot of puppy parents use to walk around the inside of that wall and use the puppy doo bags provided by the campus – many of us were just regular Durham folks and the path on the inside seemed safer than the one on the outside. There is no all-encompassing wall surrounding the entire campus cutting it off from the community, at least not yet. That wall appears to only exist in our collective minds.

Point 2: While on our daily walks through the neighborhood, my moms have had to explain the “Let’s Keep Mike” Nifong sign in their yard. I am a little tired of hearing them be so apologetic. You can flame me all you wish but when my Momma C first met Mike Nifong several months ago, he seemed to be the most genuine and real person you could ever want in that position. We’re admittedly biased because he was so wholeheartedly endorsed by the most respected of our legal friends before this whole debacle began. We are also friends with one of the ADA’s who repeatedly tells me he’s the best boss for whom she’s had the priviledge of working. He has a competent Family and Domestic Violence team, and prosecutors with a good mix of both law enforcement and social work backgrounds. Before the rape accusations, his opponents were running on the idea that Mike was not tough enough on gangs (agreeably the most important issue facing our law-enforcement community). But apparently the “solution” in their minds was, what, more incarcerations? Fill the jail, fill the jail, fill the jail… (Nifong was blasted in one non-local* blog as pandering to the minority community by “trying the case in the media,” while, on the flip-side, labeled a racist in another blog because the Durham conviction rate was disproprotionately people of color (the result of race/class inequity in our judicial system, for sure)). I was disappointed to see the DA do so many interviews at the beginning when the story broke, and I agree with what some have labeled his “amatuer mistakes.” But, it truly gets my goat that his campaign was completely framed in a way that made his election a referendum on the Duke Lacrosse case. Perhaps it’s just sour grapes – I’m all for democracy, but I really think people shouldn’t vote based solely from what they gleen from the 6 o’clock news (the time I like to call, post-Maury, pre-Idol...) For all you newcomers who, through this sensation, have finally decided to join the party – welcome to the cockamamie world that is Durham politics – I hope you stay awhile and make a difference.

I could go on, but I won’t for now. (I was going to remind people, for example, that in painting NC Central, the accuser’s university, as a poor, helpless victim of Duke and dreging up the diversity stats, the media negates that fact that our state’s very own (white) governor went to law school there.) But that goes a little beyond my doggie view, doesn't it?

I’m getting tired. Maybe I will continue this later…

*When I say specify “non-local,” it’s primarily to bring up my personal distaste of the national attention this case has brought. Our local papers are full of op-eds from out-of-towners who think they know what’s going on here. I would like to personally thank each of you for giving us your uninformed opinions, because we could have NEVER figured our heads from our asses without you. This is my town, not a Tom Wolfe novel.

I knew Prada wasn't my style...

2006-03-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

I know I'm one tough cookie (hence the picture), but look what Momma C forwarded me from the papers today!

From today’s AP wire:

Cop wrestles pot bags out of dog's mouth

March 31, 2006
BOSTON --This Prada's bag was no designer purse. A Boston detective searching the apartment of a drug suspect wound up wrestling a sack containing 108 bags of marijuana out of the clenched jaws of a pitbull named Prada.

The dog was running around carrying a tan-colored bag Tuesday as police were searching the apartment, where they had already found a loaded gun, $1,000 cash and 14 bags of marijuana.

Prada did not give up without a fight.

When an officer tried to grab Prada's bag, the pooch pulled back. The plastic tore, and police said could they could see bags of marijuana inside the sack in Prada's mouth.

"All 108 bags were recovered from the dog's mouth after a vigorous struggle," police said in a written statement.

That's what I call dedication to a cause!

On the lookout

2006-03-30T07:06:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of crap going on here in Durham these days. I will shortly write about what I think about the terrible things members of the Duke Lacrosse team have been accused of doing, along with all the hope the actions of local Duke and Durham folks have given me for a better future. (You can keep up-to-date at the blog: Justice 4 Two Sisters. )There are some fierce cats down here.

Speaking of fierce cats, we have a frequent visitor to our house whom my mommas have now determined is "playing us."
A rather-big-for-a-stray cat had been visiting our doorstep and receiving handouts while my mommas tried to find its human companions. At first, we gave it milk but quickly learned from a friend that milk can be bad for cats (the little saucer thing is a myth perputated through old cartoons coupled with nostalgia). When we switched to Kroger-brand cat food, he snubbed it and stopped coming around. We'd still see him going up and down the street from house to house (which is frightening because our home backs up to a busy street, and the cat doesn't seemed phased by it.) And one day, he actually came around with a weird little collar and a tag that read "Tim" - but no phone number. We ran to get our digital camera so as to put up "Wanted", er, "Lost Cat" posters, but when we came back out, he had disappeared again.

It has been an on-going saga... When we get a picture of him, I will post it as we are still trying to find out where he belongs. (He, of course, isn't scared of me one bit. I am a bit of him.) (He has claws!)

So for now, while I compose my response to the Durham events, be on the lookout for a rambling player cat. I know he can't be all that bad. As I learned in yesterday's paper, at least we currently don't need a restraining order.

from the AP wire

Crazy cat terrorizes Connecticut town
March 29, 2006
FAIRFIELD, Conn. --Residents of the neighborhood of Sunset Circle say they have been terrorized by a crazy cat named Lewis. Lewis for his part has been uniquely cited, personally issued a restraining order by the town's animal control officer.
"He looks like Felix the Cat and has six toes on each foot, each with a long claw," Janet Kettman, a neighbor said Monday. "They are formidable weapons."
The neighbors said those weapons, along with catlike stealth, have allowed Lewis to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was getting out of her car.
Some of those who were bitten and scratched ended up seeking treatment at area hospitals.
Animal Control Officer Rachel Solveira placed a restraining order on him. It was the first time such an action was taken against a cat in Fairfield.
In effect, Lewis is under house arrest, forbidden to leave his home.
Solveira also arrested the cat's owner, Ruth Cisero, charging her with failing to comply with the restraining order and reckless endangerment

Great pic

2006-03-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

On New Year's Day,my mommas and I always take a New Years Day walk. It's a great way to start of the year refreshed and thinking about the year to come.

I always need to take a break about a mile in because my hips are so achey.

Momma B is the best scratcher in the world...

Adopt this.

2006-03-20T18:58:00.000-05:00

I’m confused.

I know, I know, I’m a dog. It’s not that easy to confuse me, but here’s the deal.

I just read in the paper that Catholic Charities of Boston has halted the adoptions of all its children in order to circumvent Massachusetts’s anti-discrimination laws. Put another way: the Diocese of Boston would rather NO children find a safe, permanent home and family than place a child with a same-sex couple.

So I’m confused. I live with two mommies. And I suppose because I’m a dog, this is okay. But I can’t see why a little boy or little girl with no mommy and daddy couldn’t live here with us. Well, sure, the child would probably take up more of their time and get to go places I couldn’t go, like school and inside the mall and restaurants – so, sure, I’d be a little jealous. But, doesn’t raising a child take a lot of love and patience and generosity of spirit (and not just a few bucks)?

Anti-adoption proponents make it seem like gay couples just up and decided one day – hmmm, we should go pick ourselves up a little kid – you know, like some people up and decide one day to purchase a handbag or designer pet (don’t get me started on THOSE people). It takes a little bit of planning and a whole lot of soul searching to decide to adopt. Hell, it’s easier nowadays to use a turkey baster and parenting buddies, than to decide to open your home to a hard-to-place child that’s been a ward of the System.

My mommies are pretty young but have been together for seven years (on Friday). They have a comfortable home and now are both employed in good, stable jobs. For many years, they have said that, while their individual genes would produced one heckuva good looking baby, if they were ever to parent, it would be through adoption – solely because there were TOO many children out there who needed homes.

Momma B is from Florida, the state where Anita Bryant “saved the children,” and gays are now banned from adopting. If there is ANYTHING good to come out of this Massachusetts thing, it’s the awareness of these various states that already have these discriminatory laws on the books.

Momma C grew up Catholic and tried to hold on to that faith for as long as possible. And while there are many American Catholics fighting for justice (not just on this issue), she could no longer stand the “spiritual violence” perpetrated through the mandates of its patriarchy. She and Momma B have found a wonderful new, yet challenging, spiritual home within Momma B’s home faith (PC(USA), which consequently is having its own battles in the realm of LGBT issues – the difference being the structure of the denomination allows for this dialogue on social change to even exist)). But they participate fully in the life of the church, go to Sunday school - Momma C is even in the choir.

So, see, I’m confused. As I’ve mentioned before, when my Momma’s are away, I sneak a peek at that Maury Povich on TV, and it appears that heterosexual couples sometimes don’t even WANT their babies. They “accidentally” make them all the time, it seems. When they’re not ready. When they have no support network of extended family and community. Warm home? Decent job?

Talk about “spiritual violence!” What these folks are saying is that my Mommas are not fit to raise a child. Even though Momma C has had classrooms full of children in her charge, they're saying, just don’t bring any of them home! Don’t love them! Don’t care for them!

Long long ago, before Momma C had the crazy idea of becoming a non-profit auditor, she had dreamed of being a producer of children’s programming on PBS. After some college, she thought of writing children’s books. When she came out as a lesbian, she was so scared that they (some nebulous “they” she could never articulated) wouldn’t let her near kids again, based on some of the stories she’d heard - parents getting their own biological children taken away from them “because.” But these fears turned out to be unfounded. She got many jobs working, inspiring, teaching young people. It was, as they say, “all good.”

But now, she is fearful again. She and Momma B had not planned on adopting until they were much more settled; Momma B wants to go to law school, after all. (You see, Momma B is nothing to sneeze at either – as her family likes to say, she earns the karma points for ALL of us, directing a non-profit that coordinates funding for people living with HIV/AIDS and ALL that that entails. Law school would make her just that much better an advocate.) (Momma B told me that back at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, gay couples started adopting because they were the only folks that WOULD TAKE an infected child. Adoption policy folks, we suppose, thought that would be okay because the child wouldn’t live very long!) Where was I…?

Oh, yes, Momma C is fearful again. The Far Right and Christian Conservatives (once again undermining the idea of “moral values”) are trying to make this the new front in the “Culture Wars.”
Well, I say “BRING IT”! As a pup, I stayed somewhat out of the marriage thing. Dogs can’t marry. My parents weren't married. Not my issue.

But I know, from first hand experience, what good parents I have. I cannot believe that anyone in their right mind (left mind?) or anyone with any REAL moral decency would prevent them from adopting a child that needed a permanent loving home. BRING IT!

I cannot believe that anyone that knows my parents would think that they could not provide a safe environment for a young person to develop into a decent upstanding citizen.

BRING IT!
I cannot believe that a church purports to be doing this “for the children because they don’t have any say in the matter” (as oppose to when they “choose” to be born into violent and abusive families).

BRING IT!

You really want to make this the battleground?
You ain’t see nothing yet.

Homebody

2006-02-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly adapting to being alone all day now that both my mommas work outside the home. I know it's been quite a few months now, but seeing that I use to go to work with one of my moms for two and a half years, it's been a difficult adjustment.

But I've really gotten to the point of appreciating my alone time. Don't tell them, but sometimes I turn off the NPR they leave on for me and turn on the good old boobtube for some real stimulation. Boy, that Maury Povich is a winner, isn't he?

So I've seen the previews for a new Disney film called "Eight Below" about a family of dogs in Antartica. It's vaguely "inspired by a true story" and more truthfully "inspired by a Japanese movie 'Nankyoku Monogatari'" which is on my moms' "To Watch" list. (Don't tell any one but the previews made Momma B cry!)

This does remind me that I wanted to do more research into the Iditarod, the grueling sleddog race across Alaska that purports to memorialize a famous serum run. There is currently a lot of buzz around how it is actually quite cruel to the dogs. I visited the site for the Sled Dog Action Coalition and was quite convinced. Then, while looking for the site again, I came across a "Pro"-Iditarod site with "expert" testimony. 'Eh. Not as convincing. I'll let you visit them and make up your own minds. Just don't wake me for any races anytime soon. I value my paws.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-23T18:19:00.000-05:00

Lunar New Year is this Sunday, and guess what? It’s the Year of the Dog!

According to the Eastern Zodiac, those born in this year will be loyal, honest, and can keep secrets. They don't necessarily care about wealth but always seem to have money. They also "always stick to their firm codes of ethics.” With all this, according to Momma, Dogs therefore make perfect CPA’s! This is eerie since both of the named partners at Momma's firm actually are “Dogs” born in 1946. Other Dog years include 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, and 1994. You can read more about Dog traits here or on a Chinese restaurant place mat near you.

I was born in 1998, which makes me a Tiger.

“Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy.”

True.

“They can be extremely short-tempered, however.”

Not True.

“Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority.”

My mommas are a Rat and a Rabbit. Technically, they are lunch.

“Sometimes Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late.”

Sometimes, if I have to decide between behaving and making my own lunch from the pantry, I have trouble. This is especially if my mommas have been gone for a long time and I determine they are never coming back. And by “a long time,” I mean half an hour…

“They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful.”

All true! Fascinating!

Of course, I’m not sure how this all relates in terms of dog years. Dog years are 10.5 dog years per the first two human years, and then 4 dog years per each human year thereafter. (This is a formula based on the fact that we dogs mature more quickly than you humans – here’s a fun calculator for you.) So if I’m 45 in human years (or put another way, my momma is 5 in dog years), I’m the older, hense wiser, of the two of us. Cool.

Even though neither of my mommas typically celebrates the Lunar New Year, we have decided to celebrate this year, albeit not with the festive fireworks and sticky round sweets, but with chili and beer and the Duke-UNC Women’s basketball game. Arguably, the chili is a brilliant red and has lots of round beans so it will a passable. We may break out the mahjong though. Eh, who are we kidding? It’s all an excuse to send our holiday cards a regrettable month overdue.
Happy New Year, folks! You’ll be getting your card shortly!

For more astrology: http://chinese.astrology.com/dog.html

Diet Time!

2006-01-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

From the UK (news.Scotsman.com)

Pet owners failing to help animals fight flab
PET owners are failing to help their animals work off their Christmas excess despite a third of domestic animals in the UK being overweight, a survey showed today.
Nearly four out of 10 owners admitted their pet put on weight during the Christmas period, with 46 per cent saying they even prepared a special Christmas meal for them.
But despite this only 13 per cent of people questioned said they planned to put their animal on a New Year diet or exercise regime to help them get back into shape, according to Halifax Pet Insurance. The group warned that overweight pets were more likely to develop problems such as heart complaints, diabetes and arthritis.
It is calling on owners to find out what their pet's ideal weight is and take steps to help them maintain it.

Okay, I’ve been on “weight maintenance” dog food for years now. And I’m getting pretty trim. In fact, I thinks it’s my momma that better get on that treadmill. Walk me more!

Open invitation to Ramble

2005-11-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy being a dog?  Granted, I do hate being left alone everyday to fend for myself without opposable thumbs. Sometimes I do get bored.

But really, when I see how exhausted my Moms look when they come home from work, I think, thank god… now where’s my dinner…

So, my fans know that I listen to NPR all day long. WUNC – North Carolina Public Radio to be exact. They just finished their “fall fun drive.”  I don’t know what’s so fun about it – all they did was ask for money all week. There’s no “driving” unless they mean listening to those Car Talk guys.  But my Momma B is super excited that her hero Dick Gordon, originally from WBUR in Boston, is coming down here to do a national show from Durham. Again, I don’t get the excitement. Wasn’t Dick Gordon the commissioner on Batman?*

Where was I? Oh, yeah. I listen to NPR all day long… So I’m super smart (albeit somewhat full of myself and erroneously assume I’m progressive when in actuality I’m somewhat just as narrowminded as some of my conservative brethren because I only have one source of information for all of my news…) Of course, if I’m only going to have one viewpoint, my Moms are happy it’s a blissfully ignorant left-leaning one.

So, the Dems are finally putting the screws to the Administration about this Iraq fiasco. Better late than never, I guess. It’s what the anti-war folks have been saying since the day after 9-11, but hey, okay, welcome to the party. As W’s approval rating slips, it seems more and more safe for folks to say, how does it go, “I support the troops, just not what they’re doing.”  (I love safe answers. It’s nice that there seems to one for everything.)

If you’ve come to my site for answers. I have none. I’m a dog. All I have is opinions. You should have them too. Go read three blogs with decidedly different political slants and throw in an indymedia site for good measure. Wade through the muck, and come tell me what you got.  We can chew the fat so to speak.

Mmmmm… fat….

* Don’t flame me about the Dick Gordon crack. I know it was Commissioner James Gordon. Dick Grayson was Robin… Isn’t that impressive for a dog?

VOTE TOBY!

2005-11-09T16:13:00.000-05:00

On this day after Election Day, I thought I give y’all something to vote on that really matters. As you know, I’ve written a lot on the right to vote (and my particular lack thereof as a canine). You can check the archives.

I entered the Dogster photo contest, just for laughs. I’m not a very vain pooch (though some have been known to disagree). You can visit my page. I value your vote.

RIP Basko

2005-11-07T10:02:00.000-05:00

After reading and writing about something great in my last post, I have a sad story to share. The AP wire reported that a 5-year-old drug-sniffing German shepherd named Basko died last Friday after he bit into a bag of cocaine during an annual certification search with the Redondo Beach Police Department (California).

Basko had successfully completed the search and was in his partner's car for the ride home when he had a seizure. The partner, Officer Ken Greenleaf, rushed Basko to a nearby animal clinic, where the dog died before he could be treated…Basko had been with the Police Department for four years, helping to apprehend suspects, including one wanted for murder, and assisting in the recovery of narcotics.

I wish I could go to his memorial service, but I don’t like planes.

Sometimes these things happen. Some people would say that the dog should not have been used for this line of work and it was an unnecessary death. And surely, there were things that may have been done to prevent an accidental death like this.
But like a human officer accidentally killed in the line of duty, Basko was a hero who loved doing what he did. I stumbled across a site last year that I meant to post a link to ages ago. It was a memorial site for K-9 officers. Momma C and I sat at the computer and cried reading about the brave doggies who worked to keep our communities safe. I can’t find the exact site now, but I did find this one in Arizona that other useful links if you’re interested in learning more about police dogs.

Recently, a local politician mocked the legislature for putting money in the budget for bullet-proof dog vests. This made me sad; then, I was mad. I would like to see that fat cat chase down a subject, corner him, and alert his partner, all the while resisting the urge to chomp the dickens out of him while the guy’s waving a gun all around. I could grab the bad guy by his pant leg with my teeth, but I don’t know if I’d get that close to someone with a weapon.

If you’re going to have animals on your force, they need to be protected. Just like, if you’re going to have soldiers at war in the desert, you better equip them with flak jackets and properly armored vehicles (hint, Mr. President?).

Just my two paws.

Man Saved By Dog He Saved

2005-11-02T10:22:00.000-05:00

I just read a posting at ABC News about a California man who was saved by his cocker spaniel. They had driven into a 40-foot ravine and flipped upside down. The man was pinned inside by the stump that had pierce through the roof, but was able to roll down the window. He then told Honey, the cocker spaniel he had rescued from the local shelter two weeks prior, to get help.

Honey ran half a mile down the road to a neighbor’s house and directed her back to the up-turned SUV. The man had been hanging upside-down for six hours and his pulse was weakening. Rescuers were able to get him out. There is video footage here.

The man had been waiting for a cocker spaniel for a year before Honey came into his life. Karma, guys, karma.

Many apologies

2005-11-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

I'd like to apologize to my many doggie friends for not posting in a couple months. My mom had been too busy with work to come help me with my typing. And then I got super spammed (thanks to Freda for telling me how to stop them with word verification).

I will try to keep up with this blog. So MANY things have happened since I last asked if anyone was out there. I've been watching the news about all the Gulf Coast doggies and other animals and been quite at a loss on what to say.

Let me get my thoughts together and I promise a "decent" post soon.

Is anyone out there?

2005-08-04T16:33:00.000-04:00

First of all, I know my mom is torn about telling her friends that I write this thing and having everyone converge and judge us. On the other hand, if we knew people were actually reading this, maybe it will give us some incentive to post more frequently. Secondly, we are torn as to the direction of our posts. We can write about hard hitting political issues (which, quite frankly, a lot of people do very well already), or we can try to scrunge up more bizarre news, or news about other furry friends, and comment on that. (That would be the "niche" blogging we keep hearing we should be doing.) Also, we have recently read that we should try to keep our posts short. On the other hand, we want to keep them meaningful. (I don't want to just report on how much kibble I've eaten today.) (I have eaten my normal 2 cups so far.)

Mom has gotten a feedreader up for us to peruse (finally), so now we'll get up-to-the minute puppy news for all of us. Feel free to link to me and to syndicate my feed. If you're a blogging pup like me, I'd love to know about it. And I will make it worth your while to visit. I promise.

So let me know what you want to read and we'll try to keep this going! Quite honestly, I worry about my Mom because she's going to be a gainfully employed accountant soon (and no longer a starving filmmaker/arts teacher), and we want her to keep it real. Please help...

Fatal Dog Beating

2005-08-02T10:13:00.000-04:00

This is Roxi.
She looks like she could be my sister, which is another reason Mom found this so heart wrenching.

My mom received a sad and frustrating email this week from one of her fellow animal lovers. Last Memorial Day weekend, a man in New York, for no reason, kicked a dog in the stomach so hard that she died. He is now about to stand trial for animal cruelty charges.

Under New York law (and in most places), this is not treated like a murder charge but more like a destruction of property offense, and even though "aggravated cruelty to animals" carries a maximum sentence of 2 years and/or a $5000 fine, the accused Frank Aquino will probably get off because, according to his attorney, he has a clean record.

There are folks on-line trying to sway public opinion and pressure the officials in Roxi the Dog's town to give Aquino the maximum sentence. You can read about that here: www.rememberroxi.com. I am a little ambivalent about writing to town officials directly, because I actually do not believe that out-of-staters should be directly involved in local politics/government. However, I wouldn't mind going up there personally to try to rile up the citizenry of Putnam Valley. It is outrageous that someone could get away with "walk[ing] over to [a] dog and kick[ing her] like a football." I will attempt to spread awareness to everyone I know in New York, and I think you should too. The next court date is August 11 at Putnam Valley Town Court, if you happen to be in the area.

As I was saying, I am a little wary about out-of-staters coming into my hometown and trying to pressure local public officials. I know that this has, in the past, worked both for us (progressives) and against us. Coalitions with whom my moms have worked have brought in organizers to help with local issues, but it never feels good when the other side does the same thing. When Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriages, the religious Right brought in young conservative interns by the truckload to canvas and work against it. So much for the Republican party standing up for states rights.

And in light of everything that's going on surrounding the Supreme Court, I think I need to state my belief that the courts are not to be actively swayed by public opinion. That's what the legislative branch is for. The court merely interprets the law on the books and sets precedence for the future. Okay, so that's a pie-eyed view of what the courts do, but I needed to state that before I started ranting about the way the Bush administration has been framing the "activist court." All this Republican talk of "activist judges" makes my canine blood boil. Anything that doesn't go the administration's way is apparently an "activist's" work. Well, maybe an activist's/lobbyist's work sure, but not necessarily in the court. (Well, maybe a couple of O'Connor's opinions...) But the Right always makes it look like they are somehow being persecuted by a left-wing court. WHAT??!?!!? Are we reading the same paper?

Doesn't the left supposedly have a whole bunch of wordsmiths on its side? Why then are we always getting beaten up in the rhetoric department? Stop analyzing and talking all highbrow and start speaking some sense to the people out there. But I severely digress...

My charge for today: let folks know about Roxi. Let's try to change the laws on our local books so that the destruction of an animal looks more like the murder of a friend rather than the damage of a hood ornament. A person callous enough to kick a dog to death will not stop at animals and is a danger to society at large. But let's also change public opinion on this matter. I do not need the prisons to overflow with minority dog kickers now. I don't need this to become the next class/race issue. Education and social services support may have also clipped Mr. Aquino's path; I don't know for sure. But dialogue surrounding this issue, as it is with all other issues, always is good.

Dog swims to prison

2005-08-01T11:19:00.000-04:00

German Shepards aren't suppose to swim, right? We herd, right? I'm glad. I wouldn't want to seem TOO lazy. I saw this on a bulletin board recently...

Dog Beats Most in Swim From Alcatraz
Mon Aug 1, 11:43 AM

SAN FRANCISCO - With a stomach full of scrambled eggs, Jake dog-paddled his way into history, leaving most of the serious - and human - swimmers in his wake.

Organizers of the South End Rowing Club's 10th annual Alcatraz Invitational - a 1.2 mile swim from the infamous prison island to the San Francisco shoreline - say the 65-pound golden retriever is the first canine known to have made the crossing.

He was the only dog among more than 500 swimmers who lept into the chilly, choppy waters on Saturday, coming in 72nd overall. His time was 41 minutes and 45 seconds.

"It was colder and rougher than we thought it would be," said Jeff Pokonosky, Jake's owner and swim partner. "Jake amazed me. He was very focused." The pair live in San Diego and swim 4 miles a week and bodysurf together, Pokonosky said. And Jake always eats scrambled eggs before a big swim.

Bill Wygant, president of the South End Rowing Club, said he was more than happy to allow a dog into the race, a first for the more than 100-year-old group. "This swim is about personal challenge. Whether you are dog or human, it's whatever you can achieve that counts."

Maybe if my moms gave me scrambled eggs, I would be more active. I also think I'd like one of those dog floats for when I got tired. Apparently swimming is the best exercise for me since I have arthritis, but deep water scares me, especially if it's moving. I do like dipping my feet. Here I am in the Little River a few years ago when my mom lived in the country:

Like I said, since I have bad hips, this kind of exercise it perfect for me. I just don't know about swimming to a far away island/prison/tourist attraction. Do I get to take a boat back?

Wearing my Ruff Riders

2005-07-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it's been awhile. Mom has been BUSY trying to get a job and jetting off everywhere. I can't get on the computer when she's not around. This is why I get ansy and sometimes do things I'm not suppose to. Eh...

My friend Owen sent me an article today about a Pennsylvania House Bill requiring dogs to wear stability/protective restraints. It was submitted by state Rep. Tom Stevenson who got the idea from an 11-year old. Marc McCann had submitted this recommendation in Rep. Stevenson's annual "There Ought to be a Law" contest.

I believe California currently has a doggie restraint law, which I am actually all for. I myself have a seat belt made by Ruff Rider that I believe is quite fetching.
(A model in his Roadie harness)

It is hard to remember to wear it ALL the time, but as we know, most automobile accidents happen within three miles from the home.

The part of the bill that I don't like is that it requires "drivers to keep their dogs' heads inside the vehicle at all times." I know this makes sense since, as little Marc McCann put it,"maybe a sign might have been too close to the road and they'd get hit." But I LOVE sticking my head out the window. I know that this is also bad for my eyes, but I have Doggles to keep things out of them!

But it is for the best. I encourage you all to wear your seatbelts too. It keeps not only the animal safe, but all the people. Imagine if my 100 pound body went hurdling at my moms in the front seat at 60 mph. Or out the window. Yikes! Plus if we were ever in an accident and my moms were incapacitated, I might be too scared to let rescue workers come near us. I've heard that some animals have even been shot because they tried to bite rescuers and police officers trying to tend to humans. I like people, but who knows what I'd do in certain instances.

That's my two cents on the matter. Again, I promise to lean into the political stuff soon. It's quite overwhelming, everything going on. I'm getting media fatigue with the rest of you - G8 Summit, perpetual war, yada,yada, yada. (Isn't it sad when "war" becomes "yada, yada, yada" - these are the sad times we live in...)

UPDATE: FOR XXAN and others, this is me sleeping during a long car ride...

2005-05-31T09:32:00.000-04:00

My Trip to the Wine Store

See, I told you it was hot

2005-05-23T17:43:00.000-04:00

I recently heard that a bear wandered into a fancy pool in an LA suburb.
I wish that I could take matters into my own hands the way this bear did. Do bears have thumbs or are they just better at these things than I am?

From wire reports:

Authorities cordoned off the area as wildlife officials tranquilised the bear... The animal was then released into the Santa Susana Mountains.

"It looks like it's possibly in heat. She probably just made a wrong turn and ended up in a neighbourhood."

I'm glad that I don't go "into heat." Apparently, it's not a pretty sight and not a wonder that she got confused. I think more and more, as humans continue to build closer and over and through wildlife habitats, we're going to have more and more situations such as these. If the humans can't learn to share the land with their fellow creatures (like they do with me), we'll end up with more tragedies than happy endings. Last Saturday, a mother bear and her two cubs wandered into a home, and the owner shot the mother to scare her off. Fish and game wardens later found momma bear dead in her den and captured one of the cubs.

Humans tend to love living near nature and among "cute things" only up until the point in which they become an inconvenience to them. A BBC report puts it in a better way:

Of all the wild animals to plonk itself in a human setting, the bear appears to be most at home, thanks in large part, to our tendency to anthropomorphise the creature. Yogi, Pooh, Paddington, Fozzie, and, of course, everyone's starting point, teddy... through the prism of human sentimentality, bears have become part of the family.

Theories abound as to what's causing this potentially worrying influx - worrying because wild animals tend not to live up to their cute and cuddly image.

Some blame the profusion of fast food outlets, their half eaten meals, scattered around streets, are easy pickings for such animals, as they are for dogs and birds.

One common theory is that wild animals are not so much encroaching on us, as we on them. The seemingly inexorable urban sprawl is beginning to eat into foxes' natural habitat.

Alternatively, it could all be down to the perennial popularity of picnic baskets and marmalade sandwiches.

Again, in urban Britain, they are only now looking at the recent scurge of deer and grey squirrels, "slowly venturing into the bright lights of town." My god - deer play on our sidewalks here in the States, and grey squirrels jump out of trees and attack you when they get bold. My Mom told me of a time at University when squirrels would hide behind trashbins and pounce when co-eds passed by with a bag of biscuits. They even squeal! Really!

Momma C has been trying to convince Momma B not to feed the squirrels anymore because they are getting too bold and eating our outdoor furniture. They already shredded our chair pillows to get the stuffing for nests. Momma B has, of course, found a botanical solution ("hot pepper sauce") to spray on the furniture (I can't wait to see how this works.) We'll let you know how it goes. And if we ever get a pool, I'll personally send you an invite.

(Don't you think that LA bear looks a little like yours truly?)

Dumbing Down the News

2005-05-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

I no longer wonder why major media outlets seem to miss the real stories. I know it's a combination of cowardice and greed. I say "Cowardice" because they don't want to step on any toes or have to kowtow to the mega-conglomerates that own them. (Of course, they could always accidentally make things worse while trying to do the right thing, a la CBS's fraudulent Bush documents or Newsweek's Quran flushing story). I mention "Greed" since the major media acts in ways that will give them the most profit, the most viewership. They can't upset corporate sponsors. They need to have the local sensational stories to keep the viewers.

Of course, I can't put all of this on the news organizations, right? If folks started demanding better coverage we would get it. We can't all really need to know about that "secret something in your house that might be killing you. News at 11!" But I can't tell you how many times I hear people say they don't watch the news because it's "too depressing" or because "politics is stupid." These people just tune out completely and would much rather watch women duke it out for a husband or see the "fearless" fall from a skyscraper on purpose or eat pig testicles.

I've said this too many times already... As a dog, I cannot vote. I cannot eat when I want to. I cannot use the toilet when I want to(not unlike a prisoner in central prison or Guatanamo, but I get to keep my dignity). But no one has taken away my will and right to think. There are soooo many folks out there with the freedom to watch, write, do whatever they want to. They have the economic means and are privileged enough to live free (and, no, I do not think it un-patriotic to not want our government to go abroad and kill for such freedom...) But what do these folks do with their un-leashed freedom? Nothing. It is squandered. It burns me up! (And I really am a pretty easygoing pup.) This must be why I chew things up and all my hair is falling out!

So here, I'll help out with a "missed" news item: Somewhere between American Idol and the Star Wars: Episode III opening, feisty British MP George Galloway was brought in to testify before a Senate Committee for alleged participation in the UN oil-for-food program. Watch a video clip from Galloway's testimony at Information Clearing House. It seems Sen. Coleman got a bit o' a tongue lashin' from the Scot. Notice how he stares straight at the Senate committee and uses no notes. It's pretty awesome.

That said, my Moms did go to see Revenge of the Sith at its ungodly midnight opening - reliving childhood days where one could still possibly do that on a school night and not be completely useless for three days. The film was apparently as expected. The Voice has a good review. Line of the night:

Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader: If you are not with me, then you're my enemy.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

Apparently, this brought cheers to a liberal New York audience sensing a hidden dig.

Dog out.

Removing Ads

2005-05-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

It have just noticed that the ads randomly generated by Google were predominantly selling puppies!!! I am so appalled and very, very sorry. I am anti-puppy mill. (Some were even selling on Ebay!)

I am in the process of removing the ads from this blog. If any remain, I am truly sorry.

-Toby

Hotter than a dog's...

2005-05-16T17:18:00.000-04:00

It's getting hot again. When I woke up this morning and demanded out, it was still really pretty and breezy. But I just came back from a walk around the neighborhood, and it's starting to get yucky. What was that, four days of perfect weather? I suppose the Dog Days of Summer are upon us!

Again, I must apologize for not keeping up with this; I know my fans await my every word, right? Not enough talking dogs out there to satisfy the need.

So I said I'd post a shot of me in the mountains.
I guess you can't really see the mountains...

Oh, and please visit Three Durham Dogs movie to see the real results of the papal conclave.

Pulling my weight

2005-05-05T12:10:00.000-04:00

I just read on the BBC website that there's a dog in England that's being trained to sniff out skin cancer. How about that?!? Apparently, the dog can already sniff out bladder cancer. I'm certainly not pulling my weight around here.

2005/05/05 07:15:54 GMT
Daisy, an 18-month-old Labrador bred at kennels in Marden, west Kent, is working for the Buckinghamshire-based charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. The organisation has been working with health professionals in Bucks and has already found evidence that dogs can be trained to sniff out bladder cancer. Two years ago the charity became involved in research led by the Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The project found evidence that dogs could detect bladder cancer from distinctive smells in sufferers' urine. Now Daisy's nose is being trained to pick up cancerous cells on skin pads from people with suspected cancer.
Trainer Claire Guest said Labradors can be used now the research has become more advanced. "The first study we used a whole range of different breeds and types because we wanted to just do a pilot study to see whether the dogs could do the job.
We're now using traditional working breeds like Labradors."

Well, I can sniif out treats just fine, so I don't think it would be too hard for me to learn something more useful, right?

I get to go up to the mountains tomorrow (although I have to stay at a boarding resort away from my moms while I'm up there for a couple nights). But I will get to see the mountains and play in the streams!! I'll bring pictures back if I can.

What a day!
(And I promise, I'll get back to hard-hitting commentary once I relax and Momma C gets a break from school.)

No politics today

2005-04-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

I realize that I haven't posted to the blog in ages, so I'm just going to throw out this update. (This is so the first thing you all see will no longer be about "poop.") (That was just crazy!)

Just two things:
1) It's Momma B's 30th birthday on Thursday. She's always been the baby among our friends. Now we're ALL old...

2) Momma C won first place at her school's business organization's State Conference this past weekend (in TWO categories -Accounting for Professionals and Finance). I guess it's time for her to put the video camera down for a little while and become gainfully employed. *sigh*

That's it. Please visit the archives for more heavy rants or raves. Now that it's spring, I've decided to relax a little.

Pbbblllltttt!!!!

Poop scoop

2005-03-31T16:21:00.000-05:00

From the AP Wire today!

Thief Steals Poop From Woman Walking Dog
March 31, 2005 11:32 AM EST
SAN DIEGO - This mugger was left holding a bag he didn't really want.

Police said they were searching for a gunman who ran up to a woman while she was walking her dog Monday night and grabbed the bag she was holding. It contained poop.

When the gunman discovered what was in it, he threw it down in disgust, pointed his gun at the 32-year-old woman and demanded money, San Diego police detective Gary Hassen said.

He then aimed his .22-caliber semiautomatic at the dog, named Misty, and pulled the trigger twice but the gun didn't fire, Hassen said. The robber, who was believed to be in his 20s, ran to a waiting small, silver car and fled, police said.

I'm so glad that everyone was okay. It is hard to believe how desparate some people are. Misty could've been seriously injured or killed just for doing her 'business'. I hope they catch this guy and charge him with with at lease assault and attempted robbery. I'm still one for those people that think the jails are too full, but really, if this person was crazy enough to point a gun at an innocent dog, he may not be fit for human or canine society...

Hello from The Forest

The Choices We Make

2005-03-19T16:59:00.000-05:00

Well, it's the weekend, and I feel guilty for not having written in awhile. Maybe it's because I'm so overwhelmed with things to write about. Should I write about today being the Second Anniversary of America's War in Iraq? Should I have my fellow blogmates ponder the rights and wrongs of Congressional intervention of a husband's decision to let his wife pass from this world without being a political pawn? Should we share our opinions on the California Supreme Court ruling that state's law defining marriage to be between one man and one women unconstitutional? Maybe we can discuss the Senate, the budget, and drilling in Anwar? No, no, if I want REAL respect, I should take a cue from the local nightly news - how about I write about the Michael Jackson trial (well, you know that I would NEVER, but, admit it, some of you want me to. It's like watching a train wreck in slow-motion...)

I wish life were simpler. I wish I could blog on and on about my need for a leash-free dog park or the need for people to scoop the poop before it runs into our streams and rivers untreated. But then I might be accused of only looking out for myself. Only caring about MY issues. Where's the multi-issue organizing, huh, Toby?

Well, I'm all for coalitions. That's the only way things are going to get done. Sometimes I wonder if some (not all) of those folks picketing the state legislature about gay marriage have no other issues to fight for. (No! Toby, bite your tongue!) My moms want to be treated fairly. They want to get the same protections that a heterosexual married couple would have here in the States. But they also want to fight harder for the personal protections that would be garnered by having sexual orientation included in hate crimes legislation and in non-discrimination law. They want universal health care (not just for children, or for domestic partners... for all). Why protest for the right to your deceased partner's social security payments if social security has been squandered away in private accounts by irresponsible young workers. (Our president seems to think we are entitled to money that wasn't meant to be either "welfare" or "ours" to begin with. Giving it to the folks who are currently carrying significant crushing personal debt seems like a brilliant idea...) There are still such outrageous economic disparities in our communities. Systemic racism. Unequal access to health care. Failing education system. And can we even begin to discuss the irony that the Religious Right won't let gays and lesbians get married, but will fight tooth and nail to give financial incentives to programs that irradicate the "plague" of single [straight] motherhood, i.e. are trying desparately to force heterosexuals TO get married?

I'm glad, as a dog, I don't have to worry about such things. My moms will be my moms no matter what. (I believe I'm the kind of "property" that will easily slide through probate, god forbid.)I've wandered off topic. I have to keep this ramble short 'cuz if my people knew what I was writing about they would take away my blogging priveledges. Some of what I preach are very unpopular sentiments. My moms have been "embodying struggle" my whole life, and I can't believe they're not yet tired. (Or maybe they are, but are not letting on...) I'll comment more later after I nap. I have a headache. (Again, I'm glad I'm a dog.)

Winter Photo

2005-03-09T15:49:00.000-05:00

Momma B and I look at the roots of a fallen tree last winter.

Make a run for the border

2005-03-09T15:11:00.000-05:00

The boycott is over and the workers won. Almost four years ago, the Coalition for Immolakee Workers called a boycott on Taco Bell and Yum! Brands. All they were asking for was a penny more per bushel of tomatoes picked and a place at the negotiating table. Well, they got just that. And now my moms can go get me a bean burrito. Pleeezzzz?

What?

So, in my last post, I may have implied that I "hated" the fast-food industry. And here I am now asking for a burrito. Hmmm, that's a little hypocritical, isn't it? Well...

'That's ridiculous!"

2005-02-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

I need to be better at writing everyday. I just visited the Three Durham Dogs blog and was very impressed that they are able to get on the computer everyday. My mom is so busy with schoolwork (and I'm not allowed to type without her) that we get behind pretty easily.

I was going to write a long piece on the President's recent trip to Europe but I got bored with it right away. To me, a humble pup, the most exciting part of the whole thing was learning that Mr. Bush visited Belgium which is the country where my friend Xandro, the long-haired German Shepard, lives. Well, actually that fact and the part about "all options [being] on the table" regarding the "ridiculous" notion of the USA attacking Iran. They keep playing that clip on NPR to my delight. (Remember, that NPR is, unfortunately, my only form of entertainment during the day when my moms are out and about.) Really, the leader of the country embarrasses himself without any additional help from the media.

Last night was Oscar Night, and again, all canine breeds were shunned not only from winning but from the running altogether. I was also disappointed that The Story of the Weeping Camel did not win Best Documentary, but my moms were glad that Born Into Brothels did (If Spurlock had won with his "Super-Size"-d entry, I would have cried Michael Moore-sized foul, as much as I despise the fast-food industry). Momma C laments the fact that she no longer works for a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. She used to get pre-Oscar screeners to take home and preview to help with the voting (shhh, don't tell anyone). In years past, we'd seen all the films in contention before the big night. I can't say that not seeing the films was any deficiency in picking the winners (you don't have to actually see the movies to know who's going to win. It's pretty political, and, usually, in the pocket of Miramax and Harvey Weinstein. (Although not this time!)) It was a pretty tame show overall (though not as tame as the Superbowl).

What they really need to do is have a Best Animal in a Feature Film. The red carpet would never be the same. That said, it should be open only to real animals, not any of that animatronic, CGI, or puppet nonsense that's keeping me out of the biz. I'm a looker, but I know my supposed "behavior issues" will keep me off studio lots for my entire lifetime. *Sigh* As video screen tests of fellow Durham dogs attest, you need the cast the real deal. I'm racking my brain for non-doc, feature films of 2004 with real animal stars. I can only think of the tiger cubs (and adults) with the "lead roles" in Two Brothers (which also starred the talented little (human) Freddy Highmore from the Oscar-nominated Finding Neverland.) But most studios, again, do not trust real animals for the lead roles. They build them using animation tricks and then do something even nuttier by having Tobey Maguire or Frankie Muniz voice them (Cats and Dogs and Racing Stripes, respectively). (Bonus Trivia: The hero of Balto (1995), a bi-species wolf-dog, is voiced by Kevin Bacon if you're ever in a Kevin Bacon game jam -- only one-step to co-stars Bridget Fonda, Bob Hoskins, Jim Cummings, Phil Collins, or Miriam Margolyes. That film made me proud to be "mixed.")

I'll leave you pondering that for now...

Doobie, Doobie, Do

2005-02-16T17:24:00.000-05:00

From the AP Wire today:

Dog Busts Owner on Marijuana Charge

GRAPEVINE, Texas - The owner of J.D. the Labrador may be wishing his dog weren't such a good retriever. Matthew Porter and two friends were playing Frisbee golf in a park Monday when a police officer who thought he smelled burning marijuana began questioning them.

As the officer was checking for outstanding warrants, J.D. waded into a nearby creek and emerged with a plastic bag containing the drug.

Porter, 25, was charged with possessing drug paraphernalia. Micah Hays, 24, was charged with marijuana possession. J.D. was turned over to the third person at the park, who faces no charges.

J.D. also faces no charges, but may have a new job opportunity.

"People have been asking if we're going to recruit the dog for police work," said Grapevine police Sgt. Todd Dearing

I wonder if I'd be able to sniff out the stuff. It could be a new career for me.

Breed Profiling

2005-02-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

I read in a news article today about "breed profiling." Insurance companies are dropping homeowner's policy holders who have specific breeds of dogs. So if your people have a German Shepard (or even a part-Shepard like me), they might be surprised to find themselves without insurance or with a doubled premium, if not now, then possibily in the future!
While I understand that there are dangerous dogs out there, to single out German Shepards as an "unacceptable breed" is quite unfair. We are so smart and loyal; so many of us are working dogs. (I suppose some people are still prejudiced from when they use to use our kind in K-9 units during the civil rights riots. This is understandable, but they should really come meet me. I'm a teddy bear.) There are little yappy dogs with sharp teeth out there that scare the bee-jeebers out of me, yet Liberty Mutual and Allstate find those "dogs" acceptable.
(Read the entire article here.)

Luckily, our home is covered under State Farm who, for now, does not have breed restrictions. I feel so wronged that someone would judge me based on how I look. That they would think I was dangerous based on what my brothers have done (or have been accused of doing). They would turn and walk the other way if I came up to them in a dark alley. But a standard white poodle (the devils) would be whisked into the nearest salon and pinned with another kennel club award. Oh, the injustice. Oh, the humanity.

News Roundup

2005-01-31T16:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, I just posted a wonderful story about a pup in Croatia who saved a man and thought I'd do a little digging for more stuff on webnews today. Apparently, our kind gets mentioned quite a bit in the course of the day.

First, I came across a blurb from the Salina Journal(KS), where a 9 month-old Australian shepard was thrown out a window. He is thankfully still alive and recovering at the vet's, but the police have no leads. How could anyone do such a thing? I have heard that folks that are capable of doing this to defenseless animals are also likely to display violence towards people-kind, so anyone who thinks this is only an animal activists' issue is sorely mistaken.

I also read on the Daily News (South Africa) site about a couple of beagles that were kidnapped from the University of Pretoria (they were not research dogs, but rather, a young puppy and his mom at a vet school used to train pet handling). Those guys were found, but I'm sure the dogs were nervous. The dognappers were two teenage girls.

But among the upseting news stories, there's always a heartwarming one. The Express-Times reports on a New Jersey community that rallied around a stray dog that lived in a local ballfield's dugout. They had been monitoring her for a couple months, leaving her dog food, lining the dugout with blankets, but with the impending snowstorms and the possibility of her freezing to death looming, local folks and the local animal shelter, Pets in Need, slowly coaxed her out just before the first big snowfall. She is now seeing a vet and waiting for adoption. I hope her new owners build her a dugout to play in. I hear there is a dog named Scout that stays in a cute little house at the Durham Bulls Stadium, but I bet he's never left in the cold. (I haven't met him because I'm not allowed in the ballpark. Things are so unfair.)

Finally, on the heels of SBC's acquistition of AT&T, the Mirror (UK) reported today that Cameron Robb, director of PetsMobility, has apparently invented a cell phone for dogs.

The 3inx5in bone-shaped device fits on the collar and will go on sale later this year.Top-of-the-range versions will incorporate a camera to show what pets are up to.

If the pet owner sees any misbehaving, they can call the pet's phone and say "Bad Dog!" Rob is due to sign a multi-million pound contract to produce these things.

Now really, I like hearing from my moms, but I get irritated when I see 9 year-olds on their bikes talking on their cell phones. This is too much. Of course, when I was last boarded (I hate being boarded), my moms would talk to me on the phone and it made me feel a little better, but most of the time, I like them kept in the dark about what I do when they're away. It's my "me time." And if you don't think I need "me time," I'm double certain you'd prefer I not reach out touch anyone.

A happy story

2005-01-31T16:25:00.000-05:00

Whenever there's something good to share, I like to post it with minimum commentary. Here's a newsclipping from today:

Dog rescues man trapped under snow
Zagreb, Croatia

31 January 2005 02:43

A dog in north-eastern Croatia was being hailed as a hero on Monday after it reportedly raised the alarm to rescue a man who had been buried under a snow drift during a blizzard.

Misko, an eight-month-old cross between a Labrador and an Irish setter, barked until his owner followed him to the place where 54-year-old Stjepan Peserlin lay unconscious beneath a pile of snow, the Vecernji List daily reported.

"He rarely barks, but that evening he wouldn't stop. He was running to the street and back and wouldn't leave me alone until I followed him," Misko's owner, Mato Basic, told the paper.

Peserlin and Basic are neighbours in Starigrad, north-eastern Croatia, and Peserlin had befriended Misko with regular offerings of food, the report said. -- Sapa-AFP

Isn't that sweet? I always thought I'd look sweet romping through mountains with a small barrel labeled XXX. I've heard this practice isn't done anymore. A pity.

Election

2005-01-28T17:56:00.000-05:00

My moms leave on National Public Radio for me to listen to all day long (I've mentioned this before, I know). I enjoy learning about new things, but I hate not being able to do anything about the things that get me steamed. It's like when I see a squirrel eating out of the bird feeder and I bark and bark and no one is home to let me out to scare it away. It's the same thing with listening to NPR. You see, as a dog, I cannot vote. I cannot take a day off and lobby "my" legislators. I cannot even open a pack of markers to make a yard sign.

And yet, I hear, I might be wrong, that there are humans, American humans even, with opposable thumbs and supposed consciences that sit on their tuffets and refuse to participate in the System. Maybe it's apathy (I learned that word last year.) Maybe it's ignorance. Maybe it's plain being tired of being locked out of System even when they DO participate.

As much as my Mommies opposed the war in Iraq, they must be quite conflicted now to hear the interviewed folks both in-country and in exile who are voting for the first times in their lives. How incredible that must feel. I can only imagine what it would feel like to get to vote for the first time (maybe one day!). I also think it is great to have so much debate centered around the legitimacy of the "Democracy" that IS forming there. Since they are being scared from the polling places by insurgents, is it a valid assembly if the Sunnis are underrepresented? Isn't that a great debate? Some people are asking what percentage would make it valid. There are requirements to the number of women that need to be represented on the ballot, and talks about putting non-elected representative minorities so that the governing body would reflect the population. Wouldn't it be cool if we asked those same questions here, say with the US Senate?

Just a thought.

Movie Magic

2005-01-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

I can't write too much today but I just wanted to share something I saw on the web yesterday. It is the funniest thing ever. (Quicktime Movie :Bingo Flosses). Bingo lives in Durham, so maybe one day we can play.

(Momma C used to be a videographer and included me as a token walk-on in many of her shorts, but NEVER has she given me such a tribute. Am I not cute enough?)

Momma B thinks there are already too many pictures of me as it is. (See my page at Dogster.) What is she thinking?

I am also happy to have my new "pen friend" Xandro from Belgium. Thanks for the comments! I will write again soon.

Musings on a Winter Day

2005-01-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, here’s a funny one: we had a one-inch “snowstorm” last night here in North Carolina. One inch. The weather people actually got up this morning and apologized on TV for not warning us ahead of time. In all seriousness, the local governments need to do something about how they handle such “weather emergencies” in the future, because even though we had a laughable one-inch of snow, traffic on the major interstates were backed up for miles and miles. It took some folks up to nine hours to get home from work. School children were stranded at their places of learning and had to spend the night (which is probably why it was wise to cancel classes today despite the lack of accumulated precipitation on the ground – thousands of kids would have had to go home to shower, just to turn around and come back). And now they’re calling for more snow (which means we’ll probably get none…)

On a different note, today was the inauguration of George W, or as some have called it “the coronation of George II.” While I feel for all those folks going out there and protesting, wearing their black in mourning, I think it’s time we start using the energy spent making giant puppets in more efficient ways. Sometimes we need to play ball to change the game. (Remember, “Winner calls next game”?)

When Momma C was with the Empowerment Project, she was really involved with the so-called Movement. (Sometimes “Movement” seems like the wrong word since there often seems to be little of it…). In the end, she burnt out and is often depressed about how the left seems to stand in a circle and shoot itself all the time. As heinous as most of the right-wing fundamentalist policies are, you gotta' admit they‘re efficient. No time to write the folk song or run a meeting on consensus, just dictate, dictate, dictate.

I don’t think I’m advocating for the left to abandon all equity and fairness when I call for at least some semblance of system and order. Despite agreeing with much of their politics, I am a far cry from an anarchist. In light of all the Organizing, I think we need a little better Organization in our ranks and cut back on a whole heck of a lot of the in-fighting. Everyone thinks they have the answer. The youngsters vs. the “I marched with Martins”. The union leaders vs. the progressive academics. Griping about how we do It isn’t going to make It happen.

I hope to read the new book God’s Politics by Rev. Jim Wallis soon. I cannot for the life of me understand how the religious right usurped “moral values” from the left, advocates of the poor little guy. Cutting funding for health care, veterans’ benefits, education – are these “moral values?” Putting troops and innocent Iraqis in harms way and misleading the public into thinking it will make them safer – is that a “moral value”? Not admitting when one is wrong, especially about something as huge as the reason for going to war – is imperial hubris a “moral value”? When did they repackage “morality” and get a lot of unreasonable leverage equating it to being anti-abortion and anti-gay alone?

What is this “Freedom” Bush keeps speaking about? I like how he patronizes the protesters by letting us know in his speeches that it’s for their very freedom to protest that we’re at war, their “freedom” to protest at arm’s length not realizing that the mechanism of power is so tremendous that their very protesting keeps them on the fringe and out of power. (Yeah, yeah, I’ve studied all the stuff on dismantling this structure, but admit it, it’s not going anywhere any time soon – remember again, winner calls next game.)

When I find the time, I think I’ll ask my Momma what she thinks about all this. I’m feeling a little sorry for her having to go to all those accounting classes and not getting the chance to sit around thinking about all these things all day. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t be able to get my dog food otherwise. Our community has grown to the point where it is near impossible for the average person to step off the grid and live off the land, especially if they in turn want to maximize their ability to help other people. My Mommas realized that their talents and backgrounds were more suited to working for change from within the system and sadly will leave getting pepper sprayed at marches to the more street-savvy. I still love them.

Water, Water, Everywhere

2005-01-14T13:23:00.000-05:00

It rained very hard here last night, and I didn't get any sleep. Now, we live in a fairly land-locked area, on top of a hill in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, where when the hurricane season is over, we have little to worry about in terms of flooding, so I wasn't afraid for our lives in any way shape or form. (Well, we could've still had a tornado but, well, let's not think about that...)

What I was thinking about in my fitful sleep was all of the victims of last December's tsunami in South Asia and now the mudslides in California. I also thought of the hurricanes that devasted Florida, Alabama, Virginia, and even Western North Carolina. (Ironically, a Pensacola resident fleeing Hurricane Ivan in the Gulf perished in Ivan flooding while staying with relatives in N.C.) (Is that "irony"? I forget sometimes...) (I'm a dog with only Basic Obedience training so forgive me.)

My moms have prepared an Emergency Box and accompanying Emergency Plan in case we lose power or need to evacuate. (I don't know if they made plans for me specifically. I'm a little concerned about this.) It's hard to know when one has crossed the fine line between "well-prepared" and "crazy" (I was trying to think of a better word: "fatalist" or "pessimist" or "alarmist", but "crazy" works...). We didn't stock up on the suggested duct tape, but we did have some lyiing around to put in the box. (I suppose they didn't want to be the ones who actually bought duct tape nor the ones who didn't have it when it turns out to be useful after all?) But where was I...

You see, I LOVE water. When we go down to the river, I like to just sit down in it and feel the current push by me. I'm not much of a swimmer, but I love the feel of it under my coat, the taste of it on my tongue (when mom doesn't stop me from drinking it!), the sound of it while I splash in and out of it and when I shake it all off. Both of my Moms grew up around water - Momma C on the Cheasapeake Bay in Southern Maryland and Momma B on the Gulf of Mexico in Pensacola. When we vacation, we had better be near a stream, river, bay, ocean, or ice floe.

But water can also be so devastating. Cars floating away after trying to cross a flooded road. The haunting image of a man losing the grip of his wife or a child in a tidal wave and watching her float away forever...

Water is life. It carries life, it continues life, it takes life. It is gentle, it is powerful. It deserves respect.

And yet we taunt it. We waste it. We forget its power and drunk-drive pleasure boats recklessly through it. We pour chemicals into it. We kill the life within it.

That has to change.

Many of the poor souls who lost their lives in last year's disasters made their livelihoods by the sea, humble fishermen like the original followers of Christ, perhaps why all those folks were able to open up those "stingy" wallets.

There has been a phenomenal outpouring of donations for the victims of the tsunami. Many of the affected lands were already plagued by war and poverty to begin with, so hopefully even in this tragedy, newly-gained attention, particularly Western, will still be trained to the region for many years to come. With all the horrible things war and disaster bring, an odd 'positive' bi-product is the eventual curiosity of the lay westerner who would have only known where Banda Acheh was if they filmed a "Survivor" season there. (Not that I could've located it quickly on a map. But I knew, at least, where Sumatra was. And, again, I'm a dog.) But now, school children have been closely examining the dusty maps in their classrooms. With all the news lately, they can now perhaps locate the Indian Ocean, the Hindu Kush, Baghdad, The West Bank... I only wish there was a better way.

As for the donations, I have now considered giving up a month of premium dog food to donate to the International Fund for Animal Welfare . At first, I thought my moms would think this was frivolous because even in their love for me, they may value human lives over those of my fellow four-legged creatures. But I think they will understand that helping them does in turn help the people. My donation to the IFAW would pay for animal treatment and vaccinations in tsunami-affected regions, and "dispensing vaccinations to livestock and pets in order to control the spread of disease is crucial to avoid further tragedy and loss of human life." (From the IFAW website)

So I'll start begging for checks instead of treats now. A career in development might be in store for me yet.

First Day of Classes

2005-01-10T16:54:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, today was Momma C's first day of class. That means I got a quick walk in the morning and a mediocre afternoon watering after class. Wow. I hope that when Mom finishes at Durham Tech and, god willing, passes the CPA exam, she can spend more time with me. It would also be good to see Momma B go back to school, too. She's getting ansy with her job, I can tell.

If anyone out there knows of an organized religion that allows pets into their sanctuary, please let me know. I'm just curious. I know my moms wouldn't REALLY want to attend services with me in tow(We have gone to the Blessing of the Animals at Duke Chapel and I SWEAR my hips started feeling better after that pastor touched them. I was healed!) (Or maybe it was the heavy drugs. Either way, I can run much faster and jump much higher. Creatures of faith can still take the drugs. It's God's will.)

It's been unseasonably warm here in Durham. I was able to take an hour and a half hike last weekend, and Momma C wore short sleeves. In January!

So, my moms leave NPR on the radio for me when they are away, so I get to learn AND get more stressed about the state of the world. Actually, there are very wonderful things that happen in the world too, but sometimes it's hard to remember that. The next time you listen to That Man invent words while trying to explain "his" plan for Social Security or expound on the family-wreckin' horror that is the gay agenda, imagine having to listen to it all without being able to turn it off (oh, to have opposable thumbs!).

Hopefully peace will be the eventual outcome from both this Palestinian election and the one later in Iraq. Trying to assist in "Democratic" and "Free" elections are such sticky things (as if the U.S. really knows how to accomplish this itself...) (I wish I could vote. It really burns me that so many Americans, especially young folks, poo-poo their rights away by not voting (or at least attempting too...) When people actually give their lives for this right (both in the past and presently), I actually find not voting disrespectful. I know they'd never give dogs the right to vote. What would be next? Dog Marriage? Ooo, that would really get Rick Santorum's goat. Not that he has a goat. Or, so he claims...)

It's never as bad as it seems. Dogs like me can help you realize what's really important in life - living simply, getting your daily needs met, helping others get theirs, and sharing unconditional love.

Scratch the ones you love behind the ears tonight.

Back On-Line

2005-01-07T16:44:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile. I'm sure everyone was worried about me. (I say this knowing that everyone I know was worried about me, but knowing no one missed this blog since no one actually reads it... sigh...)

I am back in shape and healed and all we have to show for it is a ginormous vet bill. (Don't you hate when people use the word 'ginormous'? I make it a point to use word that annoy me. I don't know why.)

My mom survived last semester studying to be an accountant. My other mommy survived another season helping people. And I grew back all the hair from where they saved me. All in all, a very successful few months. Yay!

The holidays were uneventful, especially since my moms left me with my grandma in Maryland while they went off to spend Christmas with Momma B's family in New York City. I know that if I was a human child they would not have done this. I hope they feel guilty. (But I bet they don't.) Don't tell them that I racked up a ton of snacks in my stocking. That's our little secret.

My appetite has returned, and I can walk really far now. Momma C and I go on hikes on the Eno River and in Duke Forest all the time. I like to drink the water but Momma C read somewhere that I can get strange diseases this way so she brings fresh water in her backpack. I hate plain water. Bleech!

Anyway, I will write again soon. (You see how I'm avoiding writing about the looming Inaugural? I was still recovering from surgery during the election so I can only blame myself for this debacle. Had I not had the emergency surgery, "Dogs for Kerry" may have emerged and made the difference. But I'll keep on fighting.)

Woof.

[Tobias Poindexter in Hospital]

2004-08-25T17:20:00.000-04:00

[Note: This was written by Toby's mom.]

Hi friends,

I just wanted to let you know that Tobias Poindexter is currently recovering well at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV), a.k.a. Bloat. Last night, around 10pm, Toby seemed a little funny. He squealed a little when he jumped on the bed, so we thought that he was having trouble with his hips again. We patted him, gave him some pain killer, and asked if he wanted to go outside. He immediately went out and started pacing around. Soon after that he was dry-heaving and then sitting down and getting immediately back up again. I suspected GDV, as Dr. Cagle, his normal vet, had warned us about and called the emergency pet place in Durham. We got in around 1am, and they confirmed the bloat with xrays, decompressed his stomach, gave him fluids and stabilized him before sending him to the Specialty Hospital in Cary. He was admitted into surgery by 4am and out of surgery by 6am. (I don't think it took all of two hours...) Beth and I stayed in a little consult room with a couch and chair until we knew he was out of the woods, and were home by 6:45am. (Just in time to take a "nap" before work/school!) We will be visiting him tonight, and they predict he will be discharged Thursday afternoon.

Basically, Toby's stomach was flipped-over and full of air, a condition called Bloat/Gastric Torsion - it happens commonly in large breeds with deep chests and is life-threatening since it chokes off things (yeah, yeah, I don't do medical terms). In surgery, they un-flip his stomach, put things back in there proper place, check to make sure there hasn't been more damage to major arteries, stomach and spleen, and then do a prophylactic gastropexy, where they "tack" his stomach to the abdominal wall so it can't twist over again. You can read more about the condition here if you want.

Anyway, thought you'd like to know so you can keep him in your prayers. The prognosis is good since we caught it so early. I'm just glad we knew about this condition ahead of time and were able to recognize the symptoms!

Toby should be back on-line soon!

you know it!

2004-07-27T13:03:00.000-04:00

Post-Fourth News

2004-07-07T09:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I hope everyone had a Happy Fourth of July. I pleasantly spent my National Natal celebrations in the quiet air-conditioning while my Moms braved the sun and humidity at the Festival for the Eno. (They apparently had a good time, but I don't know how that could be.)

Yesterday, John Kerry announced his decision to have Sen. John Edwards as his running mate. Sen. Edwards is from our blessed state so the tail feathers are all a'rufflin' down here - muds a'startin' to fly. I am trying to do the research now as to whether or not I approve of him, but as of now, I cannot seem to find any reference to a family pet. I'm probably going to have to break down and read his new book (a biography titled "Four Trials"). 'Til I get that information, I will remain tentatively supportive of the Kerry-Edwards campaign for Cym's sake. My Moms will probably support them because of some sort of loyalty to the "issues" and their desire to get the Little Dictator (and his 'boss' Pres. Bush) out of office.

Apart from Iraq, the upcoming elections, AIDS case upticks, and the Tour, the news story in today's paper that most closely struck home was one from Southport,NC where 17 cats were mauled to death by two unrestrained pit bulls. Reading about how a careless pet custodian led to the deaths of those poor little guys, I was brought to tears (and you know how hard it is for German Shepards to cry). Apparently, she had just let them out to relieve themselves and the dogs got into the shelter where the cats lived, killed them, then went to sleep. The irony (if that's an appropriate use of the word 'irony') is that they were living in a "no-kill" animal shelter, already seemingly protected because other careless humans that discarded them or been lazy about spaying or neutering their parents. To make matters worse, when the shelter officials held the dogs for authorities, a "friend" of the pitbulls' person went over to the shelter and demanded they be released immediately or he'd come back, kill all the other animals, and burn the place down.

The Southpark/Oak Island Animal Rescue (SOAR) has posted pictures of the slain cats in memorandum and have mentioned that folks are sending their condolences from all over the world. The dog owner has been fined, as has the "friend". I, of course, am glad they didn't put the dogs down (as they most likely would have if the cats had been 17 human babies) because the dogs really couldn't know better, but I would have liked the dog owner to have see real jail time and a fine that really hurt (more than the $500).

Dogs like that give us all a bad name. Maybe when Cym is First Dog he'll do something about that.

More for Cym

2004-07-01T11:12:00.000-04:00

Teresa Heinz Kerry from CBS Article

"I'd like to be a dog... Do you know why? Wouldn't you like to be a dog? I would. Dogs are friendly."

Not that this technically has anything to do with how well John Kerry would lead. But still...

The All-Knowing Sydney

Cym for First Dog

2004-06-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

It was recently brought to my attention that Sen. John Kerry has a German Shepard named Cym. (See June 18th post.) As a German Shepard, I would be remiss not to plug Cym for the position of First Dog. And while I am not one to smite those of other breeds, current First Dog Barney, an AKC Scottish terrier, has abused his position long enough. He seems to exist solely to make Mr. Bush seem more compassionate, a feat which, if I may, would not be adequate if he were an entire petting zoo.

On the other hand, I would love to see at least ONE picture of Sen. Kerry and Cym before whole-heartedly endorsing Cym’s candidacy. Perhaps a little more of his history, a little about his name origins, how he came into the Kerry household, etc. Sen. Kerry has a very good Animal Rights record (see his candidate questionnaire for Humane USA) and a good record on the Environment. All I is need a little tap, and I’ll put the steam behind a Cym campaign. Whaddya’ say, DNC?

Toy Review #1: Molecuball

2004-06-29T13:53:00.000-04:00

Now I know this seems odd. Having toy reviews among my liberal rants. Seems pretty pro-capitalist considering my socialist leanings.

But every now and then it's good to give credit where credit is due. This particular toy is one of my favorites. It's not promoted by TV commercials masquerading as educational children's programs, but rather kind of a nice, durable plastic toy that keeps me occupied at home when my family is away.

Officially called the "Molecuball," my moms call it my mole-cube. It comes in 3" and 5" sizes (I, of course, have the 5".) It's shaped like something out of that old Organic Chem class, and has a rather large hole for putting in treats which fall out when I bat it around with my paw and nose. When I first got it, it actually took me a while to get the hang of it. (My moms thought I didn't like it.) But then I understood... OH, if I hit it, food comes out. Pretty nifty.

And it didn't cost too much in the grand scheme of things - under $10 including shipping for a toy that has lasted me years and of which I have yet to grow tired.

SD-6 or CIA?

2004-06-29T10:07:00.000-04:00

(Sydney as Sydney Bristow)

A Plot Discovered...

2004-06-28T13:15:00.000-04:00

Sydney plans World Domination
(Sydney as Stewie Griffin)

My Family

2004-06-21T09:04:00.000-04:00

I'm still sitting here in Maryland at my Lolo and Lola's (Tagalog: "grandpa and grandma"). Momma C is up at her sister's to see the new baby, and Momma B is back at work in North Carolina, just back from family reunion down south in La Grange.

I just wanted to check in since I haven't posted in a while. Here in MD, I am pretty isolated from the news so quite honestly I have know idea was is going on in the world and cannot make snide commentary on it.

Perhaps I could reflect on "Family" in light of the fact that I have been stranded by my Moms while they visit our extended family. Yesterday was Father's Day which unfortunately means relatively little to me. I never knew my biological father, and there is only speculation as to what he looks like. Perhaps a St. Bernard/yellow lab mix? Perhaps a rotti/Bermese mountain dog? We don't know. I probably have both his temperament and his bad hips, a plus and a minus. Since he gave me nothing but DNA, I do not mourn the fact that he is a stranger, and I take the speculation of his own parentage as a pleasant mystery, a conversation starter if you will.

In my family now, there is again no father. I have two moms. I know, I probably now lost the half of my readership that is so intolerant and ignorant as to say I will be brought up maladjusted and strange. But in reality, I also know that my moms REALLY wanted me, I wasn't an accident, you know. I suppose this is even more relevant in the human children of gay parents (oooo, I said the "G-word"). I mean, in order to have a human baby, gay and lesbian parents have to bend over backwards for their little one (not unlike heterosexual couples that choose to adopt, especially those that adopt hard to place children.) And yet there are many folks in this world that think this is wrong and seek to legislate our special brand of parenting out of existence (case in point: homosexuals cannot adopt in Florida period).

I don't know. I am soooo lucky to have my moms. I think that they would make wonderful parents. They'd also make wonderful aunts and godparents (more reasonable since they are also too busy trying to make ends meet to take on another mouth of feed). Plus I'm quite the handful as it is I suppose and don't want the competition. And call me old-fashioned but I'd love for my moms to be married first - another long hurdle (both politically and within their respective families). But we'll see.

For now, I will enjoy the gorgeous weather and sit by the pool, wondering why my Momma forgot to leave me more treats.

Sydney 10 days old

Presidential Dogs

2004-06-18T15:24:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a break and re-posting something from AskDogLady.com. Pretty sweet.

May 14, 2004
White House Weapon of Mass Distraction
Dear Dog Lady,

What is it with presidents and their dogs? President Bush always seems to be trotting out his dog for the cameras. And I recently visited the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C., and was surprised to see the site included a statue of Roosevelt's dog, Fala, who, by the way, looks a lot like Bush's dog.

Harry, St. Louis, MO

Harry,
Dog Lady suggests the president is clinging to his dog because the times are wobbly for George W. Bush. His poll numbers are down. The horrifying images from Iraq continue to stream over the TV and Internet. Even Thomas Friedman, the balanced New York Times columnist, has tilted away from Bush. In a column titled "Dancing Alone," Friedman accuses the president and his inner circle of playing politics, without any moral or historical authority in handling the Iraq morass.

But Bush has a cute weapon of mass distraction and he's not hiding it: Barney, the dog Bush refers to as "the son I never had." Yup, Barney has been called up for active duty. The White House has launched a Web site devoted to the daily antics of the Scottish terrier.

Giving Barney his own Internet territory makes political sense. Previous Barney Web videos have attracted millions of visitors and created the impression that George W.'s pet politics are above reproach. The guy hunts terrorists, but cuddles with a terrierist. To voters, a candidate's decency toward animals can be important. Presidents and their dogs go back a long way.

Ronnie Elmore, associate dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, puts the issue of presidential pets in perspective: "I think animals have affected national history and politics," Elmore told USA Today. "Presidents have used their pets sometimes to create situations that were more favorable for them." Some might argue that our pets shouldn't be exploited for political gain, but, hey, we should remember the old rule about dogs -- they lap up attention however they can.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scotch terrier, Fala, absorbed criticism from political enemies. Roosevelt was rarely photographed without Fala by his side. After Roosevelt died, the tenaciously devoted terrier is said to have sat vigil on his grave.

John Kerry doesn't have a dog to tote around like a grocery sack the way Bush carries Barney for photo-ops. (See famous pictures of Bush and Barney).

Kerry's got an image problem. He's stiff with people. So it makes sense he wouldn't loosen up to animals. He claims to have a parakeet and a Shepherd named Cym, but he is never seen with this dog. Perhaps he doesn't want to expose his pet to the rigors of campaigning.

But chilliness toward critters is a political liability. In the early 20th Century, a candidate named Herbert Hoover was perceived as distant and out-of-touch. After he started traveling on the trail with King Tut, a German Shepherd, Hoover was elected. Coincidence? Or deft playing of the political pet card?

Not that he's asked Dog Lady, but she advises John Kerry to blunt the Barney impact and be seen on cable news cuddling a hound -- either his own or a shelter dog. Imagine the starchy blue-blood candidate mixing it up with a mutt. One picture of Kerry with his arm around a furry constituent might be worth a thousand woofs to tenderize his image.

Hot!

2004-06-17T16:56:00.000-04:00

It is so hot here in Maryland (as it was in North Carolina when we left).

It was an uneventful car ride, although I must say I love sticking my head out the window in that little stretch through farm country in Virginia. It was muggy so the smell of hay and horse was particularly strong. Yum!

As soon as I got here, I jump out of the car and insisted we go inside where it was air-conditioned (so much for frolicking in the grass). I did go down to the river with Cousin Denver to take a quick dip while Momm C tested her fly rod. No luck on the fish front but I am cooler.

I think Momma C is going to leave me here when she goes up to see the baby at her sister's. Apparently the baby was sick and had to go back to the hospital. She had a fever and they gave her a spinal tap and catheter and everything. Her parents were very worried and upset, so I think it's good that folks will go visit and help out.

I however am still going to pout because no one is paying attention to me. I really don't feel like making any hard hitting criticism right now since I know no one really is reading this - AND it's so friggin' hot.

Diet?

2004-06-15T12:56:00.000-04:00

I'm SOOOO hungry.

I have been on a diet for as long as I can remember. I currently am allotted 2/3 of a pint cup of Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Weight Management dog food for both breakfast and dinner. It's about the size of a man's fist's worth. I've read that drinking lots of water might help me stay full but it just makes me want to pee more.

I know I am on a diet because I need to keep the weight off due to my bad hips. I'm much better in the fall and spring when it isn't too hot to exercise. In this summer heat, I'd rather just sit around and sleep. But that makes me want to eat more.

The local paper here is running a week-long series on the "obesity epidemic" in our country (and concentrating particularly on the phenomenon in North Carolina). I'll have to admit that I've seen a few bigger folks in my day. My moms are okay, I think. Momma C tends to worry about her weight more. When she went to the doctor last week, the doctor said her BMI was fine. (If you are interested in calculating you BMI, go to this online Body Mass Index Calculator.) But when she read the newspaper, it said her BMI made her overweight. As Momma B says though, who are you gonna believe more, your doctor who did a complete physical and lifestyle interview, or a newspaper article? She's right too - according to the online BMI calculator, Momma C needs to lose only one pound to be "normal" and one has to factor in diet, exercise, waist measurements, muscle mass vs. fat mass, etc. But I think Momma C is going to drop a few pounds just in case - she has a history of high blood pressure and cholesterol in her family.

I will probably write more on this subject later when I have more time (time for a walk!) It's a topic of particular interest nowadays - always on the news and now with the release of the documentary film "Super Size Me", which I unfortunately can't see until it comes out on video, and Moms pick it up for me.

Check out these facts (from the Super Size Me website):

Each day, 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant.
In 1972, we spent 3 billion a year on fast food - today we spend more than 110 billion.
McDonald's feeds more than 46 million people a day - more than the entire population of Spain.
French fries are the most eaten vegetable in America.
You would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fry and Big Mac.
In the U.S., we eat more than 1,000,000 animals an hour.
60 % of all Americans are either overweight or obese.
One in every three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
The World Health Organization has declared obesity a global epidemic.
McDonald's calls people who eat a lot of their food "Heavy Users".
Before most children can speak they can recognize McDonald's.
Surgeon General David Satcher: "Fast food is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic".
Most nutritionists recommend not eating fast food more than once a month.
40% of American meals are eaten outside the home.

Amazing. But like Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said today on Morning Edition on NPR, we can't just blame the fast-food industry for our obesity problem. These are personal lifestyle decisions we have the power to make for ourselves - eating healthy in smaller portions, exercising regularly, refraining from junk food and fast food, walking instead of driving, etc. Whew, alot to think about. Like I said, I need to go for a walk now.

Sydney

2004-06-15T12:29:00.000-04:00

The New little one

So the offical stats on the new baby:

Sydney Alexis P.

Born Saturday, June 12, 2004 at 8:02 AM
Wt: 7 pounds 6 ounces
Ht: 19 1/2 inches

Mom, Dad and Baby are all home doing fine!

Identity

2004-06-14T12:41:00.000-04:00

I'm drawn again to the topic of whether or not I am qualified to even blog being a German Shepard mix and all. Perhaps this is because of my relatively low self-esteem (for a dog). The topic of identity is a hot one in my home (which is the product of being schooled in the liberal arts, as my moms were). There are all the various buzzwords: identity politics, intersections of identity, blah, blah, blah. Race, gender, religion, age, sex, class, ethnicity, regionality, nationality, sexuality, blah, blah, blah.

I am a mutt. I never knew my father, and I was taken away from my mother when I was only 8 weeks old, reportedly because my birth mother would have been unfit (couldn't afford me, maybe?) Pretty rough stuff for a kid, ya' know. I supposedly look like my mother but bigger. Much bigger. I'd love to meet her. I think. Most likely if I did, I'd probably just sniff her and then not be able to look at her. It's still pretty painful.

I'm pretty much asexual. I was neutered as soon as it was physically safe. In retrospect, I think everyone would like to have a little Toby around, but better safe than sorry you know. There are too many homeless doggies out there to let ANY of us go around un- uh- checked.

I guess I'm Southern. I was born and bred in North Carolina. I like cornbread, going down to the swimmin' hole, and chasing squirrels for fun. I have a bit of an accent. (Woof, y'all).

So, generally, as far as "identity" goes, I mostly stick with my identity in terms of family - my role within my family. I am the beloved pet. Nothing too complicated, nothing more to deconstruct. People pretty much know how to deal with me, how to react to me, how to treat me (for the most part). You respect me, my space, and those that make up my family, and I respect you and yours. Why do you think it's so much more complicated for my human friends? Humans are always jockeying for position. They always seem to think that defining and legislating things will either give them more rights or take them away (depending on how you look at things). There is SO much hate in the world based about difference. And I mean HATE.

I am lucky that I cannot hate. It is truly out of my nature. Sure, I can use the word - as in, "I HATE it when I get my nails clipped." But I don't really hate in that way that makes one distrust, lock oneself up in both real and figurative walls volleying epithets and stink bombs, paranoid that someone is trying to take away my cookies, knowing someone is plotting to usurp my power and make me take long walks when I don't want to... I can't hate.

That is perhaps why my moms love having me around. I can only love (and occasionally be too dependent and needy). Humans spend too much energy hating, and subsequently analyzing and diffusing the products of that hate.

Pity.

Travel

2004-06-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

Next week, I get to ride up to Maryland with Momma C to visit with her family. I will probably not get to see new baby Sydney this first time because they don't trust me yet (I'm a 115 pound "monster.") But at least I'll see Denver and Opie and my other doggie friends.

I haven't gotten to travel much at all lately, unless you count the nine days spent at the K9 resort while my moms went off to play in Massachusettes. They went to Cape Cod for a week and had a blast. Then they went on an impromptu trip to New York to visit Momma B's sister for the weekend. For the last minute trip, I got to stay with Tito James, but we didn't do ANYTHING fun like usual - he was busy studying for the bar and then watched a scary movie with a lot of scared-sounding people and screaming. It was awful!)

My moms are traveling alot lately. Apparently air travel overall is finally surpassing a pre-9-11 level for the first time. Pretty impressive, yet understandable considering the cost of gasoline now. Who wants to drive anywhere for over $25.00 a fill-up in times where you can catch a flight to Philly and back for sixty bucks? In Massachusettes, Moms said gas was up to $2.13/gallon when they were there. Here in North Carolina, it topped out at around $1.96. (I will refrain from my analysis of war and oil right now - it is early on a Sunday - the day of rest) Moms said that the security at RDU airport was still a hassle, and the post 9-11 good-will long waning is now gone. Having flown in and out of five different airports in a month, Moms were able to say that the security checkpoint at Raleigh-Durham seemed to be the most thorough if not also the most annoying and seemingly bumbling. At Newark, they practically walked up to a screener with no line and were compentently checked in minutes. At the home airport, they snaked through one line for fifteen minutes, then another for five, then another for apparently no reason. What? I know it's supposedly a "different world" now that we're "at war with terror" (Also, What?), but honestly, just causing more inconveniences can't possibly equate more efficiency.

"Unfortunately," I will never be able to experience commercial flight as I am too big to stuff into a humongous crate and ride in the baggage compartment. And I say, good riddance to that. It's unnatural really. If I was meant to fly, God would have given me wings. I don't even like going up the two feet to the grooming table.

So, I'm looking forward to strapping on the ole' riding harness and making the trek up Route 95 by car. I'll sleep along the way, and occasionally wake to sit up and wait from Mom to open the window for me so I can stick my head out and feel the wind flap past my ears and into my eyes, let my tongue hang out so I can taste the world.
Then, when I get to Maryland, I'll get to run around the rolling property sans leash or leader, and if I'm particularly sneaky, I can get all the way down to the river to dip my toes into the shallow brakish water on the sun-warmed bank . Wish me luck.

Fly-fishing in Cape Cod

Welcome Sydney!

2004-06-12T11:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Day! My moms have become real aunts for the first time!

Welcome Sydney Alexis Pipeling!
Born ~8 am, Saturday, June 12, 2004.

I’m so excited to meet her. My cousin Charlie, who will live with Sydney, must be very nervous to have someone new at home to share his love. He’s kind of hyper (as most little beagle mixes are), and he’s been having tummy trouble lately, what with eating all the cicadas and all. We’ll see how that works out.

My Lola and Lolo finally have a human grandchild (which I’m not so insecure to admit they’ve wanted even though they've had three beautiful pups to fawn over in the meanwhile). Momma C is going to go up and help out (perhaps at her parents' first while they are with the baby, and then later with the proud new parents). They say nothing changes you more than having a child – your life truly develops new meaning and brings on new responsibility. For now, I am glad my mommas are content with just me. I’m not ready to share them just yet. I know I’m quite a handful as it is (although I wouldn’t mind more visits with my doggie friends).

I hope to have pictures soon.

Thoughts on the Passing of a 'Great Man'

2004-06-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was left alone again since Momma C was feeling quite ill and visited the doctors. She will have to see a Rheumatologist to see why her tests came out a little funny. Since I was alone for so long, I again irrationally feared that I would never be fed again, so I took matters in my own hands and fed myself. I finished a box of chocolate-covered cookies and some spicy cheez-it twists. I liked the twists especially because they were bleu cheese flavored, and oh, how I like cheese.

Speaking of cheese, I watched the funeral for President Reagan on TV today. Why "speaking of cheese" you may ask? Well, if you are old enough to perhaps remember Mr. Reagan's insisting that ketchup was a vegetable (a product of his anti-school lunch subsidy policy), then you too perhaps recall his policy of feeding the poor and the elderly with blocks of free Reagan cheese. And not your good stilton or roquefort mind you - I'm talking the yellow or, rather, toxic orange processed kind. Now don't get me wrong - this was mighty generous of him considering. I myself like the processed cheese. Quite tasty. But just thinking about this starts me thinking that I need to peek around the blinders that prevent the American public from seeing the WHOLE legacy that is the Reagan era.

I am but a young pup. My mommas even are quite young, having been schooled during the Reagan years but really shielded at the time about what was going on (after all, who wants to be watching news about Guatemala or Grenada when one can be watching The Smurfs?) But as educated progressives, this family has now come to learn much about America that keeps us struggling to remain proud of our country. We are dedicated and true Americans - upholding the ideals of freedom and liberty - and yet it is disheartening to see these ideals often usurped by the elite few that hold the power in this country. Apparently, if you disagree with the neoconservatives, you are un-American.

Just for the record - Mr Reagan was the first president to outwardly oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (demonstrated by the huge gender gap in those that supported his presidency in 1980); Mr Reagan was blind to the AIDS epidemic and sat by as thousands of gay men perished; Mr Reagan was instrumental in the clandestine support of right-wing paramilitary groups and regimes in Central America (in the name of "anti-communism"); also, the budget deficits created by the tax cuts to the wealthy (did that ever trickle down?), Beirut, Iran Contra, cuts in domestic programs benefitting poor and minority populations... But NONE of this was mentioned in the week long pomp and circumstance that was his state funeral.

The Bushes Sr. and Jr. were both given the priveledge of speaking at the funeral. I watched Ron Reagan Jr.in the front pew with great interest knowing he outwardly despises how W. has used the name of his father to promote his own agenda. As Ron Jr. said himself last year, "My father crapped bigger things than W." Now, this current administration is even taking the positive things from Reagan's legacy and warping them to fit our new "Evil Empire's" plans. Reagan often liken America to the "city on the hill" (originally taken from the Sermon on the Mount by John Winthrop in a sermon in 1620 and referenced at least five times during Reagan's funeral). I have the feeling that W. will use this metaphor to further substantiate the U.S.'s destiny as supreme conqueror and light of the world, "the city on the hill" that is morally right and the only one that knows "truth."

The RNC and the Bush Administration (and the complacent media) are using Ronald Reagan's death and the pagentry of his days-long memorial service and funeral to their own advantage (and Democrats/liberals/progressives are in the unfortunate position of looking callous and insensitive if they critique the Reagan Presidency in any way.) Unfortunately, because of Reagan's advanced Alzheimer's disease he was never able to comment on the politics of the day after his farewell from the political arena a decade ago. Ironically, the current administration is the same administration vehemently blocking embryonic stem cell research that could save many more Alzheimer's-afflicted minds in the future.

I suppose you're saying to yourself, My, that's pretty advance thinking for a German Shepard. Well, I guess it is. But I do nothing all day but sit and and observe and absorb and think and process, something I know most humans wish they had the time to do. I did get a good brushing today,too, and on brushing days, I'm particularly thoughtful.

There's nothing that can get the creative juices going like a good buttscratching.

Musings

2004-06-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

So far, so good, eh?

Momma C is going to the doctor today. Just a normal check-up. She has been having a lot of issues lately though - headaches, chest pains, the like. A little worrisome.

I hate going to the doctor. I normally try to hide my butt in the corner so they won't stick that damn thermometer up where it's not pleasant. Thank god I'm too big to lift onto the table. (Not like at the groomers where they just pick me up and dump me on the cold metal tray and start attacking my toenails.)

When my people leave me at home, I'm left either listening to the radio (NPR) or listening to the TV. They use to leave on Animal Planet but now they're too cheap to subscribe to cable and I'm left listening to network television. Eccck. For the last three days, all they've been going on about is Ronald Reagan (who past away this past weekend). Honestly, I can't wait until he's in the ground and folks can go back to talking about what he DIDN'T do as president. Yes, I agree he was a good man, and perhaps one of the most effective presidents of our time (well not MY time - I was born under Mr. Clinton's reign), but Mr. Reagan also created monsters within the Republican party - those that celebrated hate and exclusivity and greed and wealth - the whole concept of demonizing "big government." Hundreds of thousands of liberals are keeping their respective mouths shut right now so as not to look callous in this time of mourning. Then again, Mr. Reagan was far more compassionate that the bullies we have in the Administration now - perhaps we ALL are longing for better times.

I want a cookie.

The first post

2004-06-09T12:32:00.000-04:00

Hello friends!

I've been thinking about doing this for years (Really! Way before this ever got popular and easy. But now that it is (easy, that is), I really have no excuse, right?)

What often held me back was the idea that perhaps my life wasn't interesting enough.

I am, of course, "just a dog."

I have a wonderful life. I eat, sleep, go out and run around. I get to travel a little. And my parents absolutely adore me.

So there is a routine.

And routine can't possibly be interesting to anyone else but me.

But here's the deal. My life is so routine I have the time to sit and think and reflect about all the crazy things going on in this world and how they seem to affect my humans, my family.

Despite my nature, I do worry that the next meal might be my last. Irrational, I know. But, like I said, there is some serious poop going on in this world and my moms seem to be right in the thick of things all the time (even when they don't want to be!)

So that's the deal. I hope this works out for all of us.

Woof.

Tobias Poindexter