The NAACP is wrong about the Vick case - it is not a "racial" issue

Floyd Boudreaux, considered the "Godfather" of dog fighting, is white. So is Guy Boudreaux. So is Darren P. Williams from Franklinton, LA who goes on trial next week. And so are many many more of those responsible for the long tragic history of this form of animal cruelty.

Floyd and Guy Boudreaux's dog fighting kingdom was finally broken in March 2005 thanks to the work of Jeff Dorson of the Humane Society of Louisiana. Jeff even went undercover at dog fights - something that we who care deeply about the welfare of animals would find very difficult if not impossible.

Boudreaux dogs are the foundation of some of the most prominent fighting lines in existence today.

Vick is a black redneck.

A black redneck animal abusing criminal.

The following editorial by Drew Sharp in the Detroit Free Press sums it up perfectly.

NAACP is out of line in Vick case
July 31, 2007
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

The NAACP should just remain quiet.

The civil rights organization's Atlanta chapter came to Michael Vick's defense Monday, chastising those rushing to judge the embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback before he has fully exhausted the criminal court process. But in its rush for sufficient camera time, the NAACP conveniently forgot that nobody has compromised Vick's constitutional or civil rights.

If the NAACP demands involvement in Vick's legal and career difficulties, it should concentrate on shedding more public light on the sadistic subculture of dogfighting and possibly how prominent the role of the millionaire black athlete is in this disgusting practice. It should question its own hypocrisy in having no critical complaint whatsoever with Vick and other high-profile black athletes making millions off the exploitation of financially challenged black kids who must have the right athletic shoe even if it costs 200 bucks, but then rips Nike for severing ties with Vick last week simply because Nike buckled from intense public pressure after the dogfighting charges.

There's a corporate lesson here that even the most morally vacuous business organization still has limits to its tolerance.

The NAACP should look at the Vick investigation as the impetus for looking deeper within itself and demand similar introspection from its constituency. Merely framing Vick's self-inflicted legal and career difficulties as a budding racial conflict is counterproductive.

Vick's problems involve race only from the human race perspective.

"If Mr. Vick is guilty," Atlanta NAACP chapter president R.L. Price said during a news briefing Monday morning, "he should pay for his crime. But to treat him as he's being treated now is also a crime."

The NAACP, in this regard, is guilty of that comfortable "picking on the brother" mentality that perpetuates a culture bent toward reflexively painting itself as the perpetual victim of social injustice.

Vick doesn't need the NAACP watching his back.

He's getting his due process more than the average defendant. Does every defendant have access to one of the country's premier criminal defensive attorneys, Billy Martin? Does every defendant have access to powerful public relations firms commissioned to soften a hardened national image before he faces trial in November?

The constitutional protection of "innocent until proven guilty" pertains exclusively to government criminal accusations. That's it. It has absolutely no legal bearing on a private employer, such as the NFL, Nike or Reebok, that bases its business judgments on public consumption. That requires keeping a hand on the pulse of public opinion, and that's a court where a lesser standard of character evaluation weighs heavily in the final assessment.
It's been nearly two weeks since the Feds indicted Vick and his associates on dogfighting conspiracy charges, but it's only now that the NAACP felt compelled to render its thoughts. What took it so long? I hope it's not because it was blindsided by the spreading national outrage over animal cruelty.

It's personally revolting listening to those questioning the tremendous outpouring of contempt as "they're only dogs, not people."
There's a singular distaste surrounding the alleged depravity listed in the federal indictment that separates this criminal investigation from the other high-exposure cases like Kobe Bryant and the Duke lacrosse rape allegations.

Whether or not you believe his story, Bryant's defense was that it was consensual sex with a hotel employee.

Did the pit bulls buried on Vick's property offer their consent for such perverse manipulation?
The NAACP has successfully positioned itself as a defender of the defenseless, but in this particular case, it missed the mark.

Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com.

Howie is Reunited

Thanks to the work of several volunteers, Howie the funny looking little chihuaua mix is now back with Betty, his loving owner.

Eileen, a volunteer from Wisconsin had been seaching for Howie since the fall of 2005; due to Betty's determination and Eileen's compassion, they never gave up. Eileen recently flew from Wisconsin to New Orleans for the reunion, but then ended up flying from New Orleans to Oklahoma to pick up Howie and fly him back to New Orleans and deliver him to a very grateful Betty, when the original transport plans changed.

Thanks Eileen!

And thanks spiritsmom for posting Howie/Louie and the thousands of other found and rescued Katrina pets on your Flickr site!!

Please work to get a spay/neuter bill passed in your state

A friend of mine from Texas who made countless rescue trips to New Orleans post-Katrina sent me this video made by fellow-Katrina rescuer from California.

If you work or volunteer for a good shelter, or one that is "no-kill"* , then consider, along with a group of like-minded friends, adopting/sponsoring a very bad shelter in the south. You can help write grant applications for low-cost spay-neuter; arrange for spay/neuter clinics; work with local schools and arrange for humane education and much more.

To simply continue pulling death row dogs out of the horrific shelters in the south and importing them to the north and Midwest is akin to trying to stop a levee breach with a few sandbags. It obviously helps those dogs and cats saved and adopted into happy new homes, but for all the time and energy expended by hundreds of caring people around the country, and the tens of thousands of gallons of gas used in transporting these animals from one place to another, it does not stem the tide - the cause of the problem is not being addressed or affected in any way.

Regardless of how archaic a local animal control or shelter may be, there are intelligent, compassionate and humane people who live in that town or parish who want the same for the animals as you do. A good first step is to work with local residents to put and end to the use of gas chambers to euthanize animals.

There can be a balance between rescuing/saving those that can be adopted elsewhere and working toward ending the suffering for the others left behind and those not yet born.

Jake, the 911 and Katrina rescue dog, dies

To the person who got rid of their cat near my house

Sunday morning I walked with my dogs to the small wooded area two blocks up the street from my house. At the edge of this area, almost directly under the large Verizon platform, sat a small animal carrier. I felt instant dread as I walked around to the front to look inside, expecting the worst. But the small metal door was open and inside was only an empty can of cat food, dirty newspapers and bowl full of water.

So, to the person who thought this was the responsible way to get rid of this cat:

NO

It Was Not.

Did you leave this cat in my neighborhood because you assumed and hoped it would not find its way back "home?"

I pray it didn't try to, only to be disposed of again.

Could you not wait till Monday when the SPCA re-opened?

Did you call the Humane Association to see if they could take the cat on Sunday, the same day you dumped it?

Or are you one of those pet owners who does not feel that you should have to donate/pay a fee when you want to get rid of one of your pets?

Do you believe that any shelter should be thankful to have your unwanted cat or dog and therefore, it's a personal affront to be asked to make a small donation for this?

It's unlikely that this was a feral cat because anyone re-releasing a feral would know what they were doing; it would have been released directly from a trap after being altered and not from a dirty carrier that was left there.

I really wonder what you were thinking?

That the opened carrier would protect your no-longer wanted cat from the ferals who live around there, or the raccoons or foxes who live well within smell-range of this carrier?

I pray that this was an indoor-outdoor cat and is able to survive until one of us can find it or it finds one of us.

Puppies are Biodegradable

The FUEL Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia held the opening of an art show entitled Puppies are Biodegradable on Friday evening. The Gallery is a great space for any art show, and this one was well curated toward the goal of making people aware of the horrific conditions of puppy mills.

In addition to the art, there were tables were set up around the Gallery with literature from the ASPCA, HSUS, PETA and some local groups working to end this Canine Auschwitz.

Yes - puppy mills have always reminded me of concentration camps - the poor dogs live out their lives completely neglected and abused - barely alive at all - and their lives are then ended by being incinerated. Dogs - the most social of all animals and our closest companions - are made to suffer in unimaginable ways....ways that are closer to torture than just neglect.
The title of the show was inspired by comments made during a 2005 Lancaster County zoning board hearing when a dog breeder was asked what happens to unsold dogs. He said they were "exterminated" and their carcasses spread over fields as fertilizer. "They are biodegradable," he said.
I do believe that we can make an impact on puppy mills if we focus our collective energies and pick our battles. This is essential as there are many animal lovers who feel that any dog breeder is evil and that all dog breeding must end.

This will never happen so I believe it's a waste of time and energy trying to fight all breeding and make the good ones the enemy.

There are many very good breeders who produce small quantities of healthy and highly socialized puppies. The quality of life among these dogs and puppies is good. The bitches and stud dogs are family pets. Many of these breeders hold the belief that most potential buyers of their puppies do not measure up and are rejected; they are very picky about who gets their puppies.

Additionally, they usually do this out of a deep love of a particular breed and not for profit...there are many easier ways to make a lot more money. A good breeder stipulates that all puppies be spayed/neutered.

These reputable breeders are not the enemy.

Those who operate puppy mills are the enemy, but I believe we can make an impact. Pet shops selling puppy mill dogs (which is what most pet shops sell) can be boycotted and prospective puppy buyers can be educated and enlightened. Humane societies, SPCA's and rescue groups can work together in their local communities.

Even if there are no puppy mills near you, there is a good chance there are backyard breeders whose dogs live in similar conditions to those in commercial puppy mills.

Here are some websites that are helping...

Prisoners of Greed
Millbusters
United Against Puppy Mills
Stop Puppy Mills
North Penn Puppy Mill Watch
New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse

MasterTank & Nila- Reunion videos

Click on above link to view a video of Master Tank and Nila happy once again at home with their people.

And here for another one.

Tiger the Miracle Kitty

This is an unbelievable story; a tear-jerker; one that will make you cry and smile and have hope once again. And it's because of two selfless and very caring people - Denise, the cat reunion coordinator extradinoire for NALB and Jessica B., a resident of St. Bernard Parish.

This is the story:

Tiger was one of the many thousands of cats lost in the aftermath of Katrina. He lived with his family in the Lexington subdivision in St. Bernard Parish and was never found after Katrina; never showed up on Petfinder or anywhere else. Being a young (6 months old at the time) and declawed cat, there seemed to be little hope for a happy ending.

On May 22, 2007 (!!) Jessica felt the need to get out of the house. Well, out of the FEMA trailer where she's living with her cousin. Her drive took her down Judge Perez, through Violet and to the Lexington subdivision where she drove around. One her way back out she noticed a small cat sitting in an empty lot, and continued to sit there as she approached. She said, "Unlike most animals that have been out there for so long, he didn't run. He let me approach him."
Jessica picked up the starved, dehydraded little thing who was covered in sores but still wearing his blue collar, and took him to her mother's house. She decided that she was going to find this guy's owner and get him home.

Tiger was one of the many cats that Denise had helped search for/reunite beginning in 2005, so when Jessica sent her the photos, and told her that he was found in an empty lot just outside the Lexington subdivision, and wearing the blue collar, Denise knew that this must be Tiger and sent the photos to Lisa, Tiger's owner.

Lisa and her daughters drove to Chalmette to meet Jessica and knew that the ragged little cat was in fact their Tiger. They were all overjoyed, but perhaps no one more than Tiger - as soon as was back in the lap of his young companion, he started rubbing his head all over her and hasn't stopped.

He was been seen by a vet and in spite of being very thin and weak, flea-ridden, covered in sores, and with one of his back paws split with raw skin exposed - he was free of diseases and should recover just fine. He is curled up in his new bed and purring away. And probably sleeping deeply and well for the first time in 21 months.

Tiger never wandered far from home, waiting and hoping for his people to come back. He was very much loved before Katrina, and deeply missed for the past 21 months and is finally basking in that love again.














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Master Tank & Nila

A Family Reunited

Master Tank and Nila Going Home!!!

May 22, 2007

Katrina dogs being returned

TAMPA — A settlement has been reached in the long-running dispute over the fate of two dogs rescued after being stranded during Hurricane Katrina, according to an attorney for the dogs’ owners.

Steven and Dorreen Couture of St. Bernard Parish, La., have reached an agreement with both the women who adopted their dogs, said Murray Silverstein, who represents the Coutures.
The Coutures had gone to court to regain both dogs, which were picked up after the hurricane and brought to Tampa Bay by the Humane Society of Pinellas County.

One dog, a St. Bernard named Master Tank, was adopted by Hillsborough assistant state attorney Pam Bondi, who re-named it Noah. Rhonda Rineker of Dunedin adopted the other dog, a shepherd mix named Nila.

One of the dogs has been returned already and the second is expected to be returned Tuesday, Silverstein said.

-- By Demorris Lee, Times Staff Writer

Jack Russell terrier saves lives of 5 children

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – A plucky Jack Russell terrier named George saved five children from two marauding pit bulls, but was so severely mauled in the fight that it had to be put down, its owner said Wednesday.

George was playing with the group of children as they returned home from buying sweets at a neighborhood shop in the small North Island town of Manaia last Sunday when the two pit bulls appeared and lunged toward them, Allan Gay said.

"George was brave – he took them on and he's not even a foot high," Gay told The Associated Press. "He jumped in on them, he tried to keep them off.

"If it wasn't for George, those kids would have copped it."

One of the children, Richard Rosewarne, 11, was quoted in the Taranaki Daily News on Wednesday as saying George fought with the pit bulls to keep them off his 4-year-old brother, Darryl.

"George tried to protect us by barking and rushing at them, but they started to bite him – one on the head and the other on the back," Rosewarne said. "We ran off crying and some people saw what was happening and rescued George."

But George was so badly mauled that a veterinarian had to put him down, Gay said.
South Taranaki District Council official Graham Young said the two pit bulls had been impounded, and likely would be put down because of the attack.

In New Zealand, owners of dogs judged to be too aggressive can be required to have them neutered and dogs involved in attacks are destroyed.

Tainted pet foods = tarnished pet food industry

With rice and corn products now found to be contaminated with melamine, along with the wheat gluten, and this becomes more and more alarming, it now seems as if the only solution is for all of us to make our own pet food, thereby not only keeping our pets safe, but also creating an incidental boycott of all pet food companies. The burden of responsibility needs to be put on them to test and inspect their ingredients much more carefully and be able to assure us of the safety of their products.

There are estimated to be 68 million cats and dogs in the United States. It would not take very long for the economic impact of a boycott, resulting in our collective need to keep our pets safe, to wake up every pet food manufacturer who will in turn demand better quality control from their distributors.

Prayers to the families and friends of those killed at Virginia Tech

Like everyone else, I can't find the words to express my horror, sadness and outrage at yesterday's events at Virginia Tech. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy - the parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and friends of the victims; the faculty, students, staff and alumni of Virginia Tech, and the people of Blacksburg.

I heard on NPR this afternoon that Korean-Americans are worried about possible violence against them and their community.

I pray too that this does not happen.

The gunman was a very disturbed young man who just happened to be Korean.

Most of the mass murders and shooting sprees in this country have been by crazy white men yet there are no attacks or threats of violence against them individually or as a group in the aftermaths of any of the other mass horrors.

This brings back very dark memories of the shootings 15 years ago at my beloved University of Iowa. I had spent three years there as a graduate student and was preparing to return. The gunman was a Chinese student who shot six people, killing five including four Physics professors, one of them the husband of a friend of mine. He also left a beautiful young woman paralyzed from the neck down. The Chinese community was not blamed or punished for this nor were Chinese students victims of violence or harassment.

With deepest sympathy and hope for healing.

Wow

I had one of those wow! moments like in that commercial where all those people look at something amazing and say "wow."

I was out walking my dogs and saw a fox on my neighbor's front lawn across the street. I stopped and stared at it and it stared back. I said out loud to no one (to the dogs?) wow!

The dogs however were oblivious. Which is a good thing because if they had seen the fox they would have started to bark and pull on the leashes and act like the little fools they act like when they see another dog or a cat or a squirrel. Well, at least Murphy. Ruby usually acts more like the dignified old lady she is, but Murphy jumps and whines and acts as if he's never before seen another dog or cat or squirrel.

So this beautiful fox and I just stood there staring at each other, with nothing more than a narrow residential street separating us. It didn't run and it didn't even look scared or nervous.
It just stood and watched me as I was watching it (I wasn't close enough to see if it was a male or female but it seemed large for a fox).

Wow !

When the dogs finally let me know it was time to continue our walk (their walk) I felt great sadness thinking about how anyone could hunt and kill these beautiful animals. Sadly I live in an area that has a long history of fox hunting.

Pet Food Recall - please read & pass on

Great articles about PA's puppy mills

$10,000 reward for safe return of this dog

Ann Wisham and her 2-yr-old female Border Collie mix Bean drove from California to Louisiana and Mississippi to help after Katrina. This article in the above link has the complete story. Bean was stolen from Ann's truck in Bakersfield CA on January 6, 2007. Bakersfield is in Kern County, California but Bean could be anywhere by now. Bean was recently hit by a car and had hip replacements. If you've seen Bean or have any leads, please call 661-619-5895.

..
This was written by Ann:

I had a large 4 horse trailer and a big truck. My friends had a fund raiser. Raised $800. Bean and I went to Glendale, got donations and drove to Mississippi. I stopped in Arizona and filled the trailer with dog food, bleach and handy wipes. That is what I was told they needed. Bean was my Guard dog all the way there. At night I slept in the trailer and she would growl if any body came near. We helped at the shelter, took a load of surrendered dogs from Houma Louisiana (below New Orleans) back to Gulfport to be shipped (to shelters) all over the USA. Then we went to work for the United Methodist Church taking out dry wall, sanitizing homes, meeting survivors of the storm..... I could not have done the trip without Bean, everyone at the church camp talked about the lady and dog from California. Going to help was the best thing I ever did, it made me feel great to help. As I drive Bean will paw me until I hold hands with her, she loves to have me hold her paw. As we drive I miss her so much. Bean has no microchip. The plates in her hips will show in an x-ray and her collar is so different - long haired beautiful black saddle, tan sides and white feet and collar and 3/4 white face. I never lost a dog before and did not even think it would be probable that any body would steal a broken mutt dog that bites. My big mistake. I should have had her microchipped. When she comes home she will be photographed like mug shots, micro chipped and lo jacked

Please cross-post

Seeking Katrina Pomeranian now in New England

The following was posted on Craig's List and is one of many similar posts that serves no purpose other than to torment the owners of every male Pomeranian still missing and being searched for from Katrina.

If you have any idea who "adopted" this dog, please post a comment here (anonymously or otherwise) or contact katrinapoms@yahoo.com. Thank you!

Katrina Poms site

8-7-06
I wanted to alert you that your dog is alive and doing well in Rhode Island. My friend and her family adopted him in September last year. While she understands that he was your pet, due to the fact that she has had him in her home with her children for almost a year, she is unable to give him up at this time. She wants you to know that he is well taken care of and she's sorry - but at this time she can't give him up. Last known Address: New Orleans

mcfaddents@gmail.com

Puppy abandoned in house euthanized, SPCA seeks former homeowner

By ROBIN BROWN, The News Journal (Wilmington, DE)

Authorities are seeking the public’s help finding Freddie Lee Gray Jr., who has been charged with animal cruelty in a nine-count arrest warrant in connection with a puppy found caged and starving in the suspect’s former Wilton home.

The 6-month-old brindle pit bull -- little more than mangy skin and bones -- was euthanized late Friday due to the severity of its medical problems and his pain and suffering, said Delaware SPCA Executive Director John E. Caldwell.

Gray apparently vacated his Wedgefield Court home near the U.S. 13-40 split and moved out everything but the dog, he said.

He may have been left for weeks, and had months-old medical problems, said veterinary technician Sarah Van Aken.

A worker changing locks Tuesday night in the otherwise empty house found the puppy in a cage in a second-floor bedroom, Caldwell said.

The worker called the Delaware SPCA, he said. The nonprofit pet adoption agency also investigates cruelty cases statewide.

The arrest warrant obtained by Delaware SPCA Cruelty Investigator John Saville charges 42-year-old Gray with three counts of cruel neglect for dog abandonment, failure to provide sanitary conditions and failure to provide proper care to prevent the dog’s poor condition and to provide veterinary care for treatment of that condition.

Under state law, animal cruelty is punishable by fines up to $5,000 and five years in prison.

“This is one of the worst cases of cruelty I’ve ever seen,” said Caldwell, who has been the Delaware SPCA’s director for more than 25 years. “He was in extremely critical condition.”

“His gums were pale and he wasn’t moving,” Van Aken said.

He appeared to have survived by eating feces and licking his decaying flesh and scabs, she said.

His initial crisis care topped $1,000 for antibiotics, fluids, liquid nutrition, mite treatment, necrotic flesh removal and pain medication, Caldwell said.

By Thursday, he could walk a little. Van Aken said he drank a little water, but still couldn’t eat.

His joints were swollen, inflamed and misshapen, a condition attributed to calcium deficiency from too little food or poor diet.

He suffered severe malnourishment, dehydration, anemia and mange from a mite infestation, Caldwell said. He weight 22 pounds “when ideal weight would be about 40,” he said.

At that point, the puppy was expected to survive with months of treatment and recovery.

“He’s a sweetheart,” Van Aken said, holding him Thursday. He welcomed petting and during one treatment, she said, “He just curled up in my lap.”

But Friday, “he just went downhill fast,” Caldwell said; his temperature spiked, he grew lethargic and was rushed for emergency veterinary care.

His condition was so poor, the wounds so deep, his pain and suffering so severe, the veterinarian recommended euthanasia for humane reasons, Caldwell said, and by SPCA policy, they were obligated to comply.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “Poor little guy.”

ABC story here