You've been blinded...PLEASE!!!

Fellow blogger weighs in on the Michael Vick racism conspiracy. In response, as an Anglo Saxon female, a minority and a southerner, get a grip. I can't and won't attempt to speak for everyone, only myself. If this case involved Hillary Clinton, Sandra Day O'Connor, Larry Bird or the now deceased Pope Paul, I would feel the same way. To say that the moral outrage, in this case, is solely based on the color of one's skin is ridiculous. However there is one racial issue out there. Whereas dog fighting started as a rural sport in the south, it has become an emblem of the hip hop culture. Thank the rappers and gang bangers for that. Tough dogs, mean dogs, dogs with attitude have become a status symbol for those who wish to portray themselves as the tough guy. It has become deeply embedded in inner city gang culture and is heavily marketed by advertising moguls who wish to target their core group. It is very easy to blame the race, sex, sexual preference card when looking at these cases. It's also very destructive. If I blamed every promotion I didn't get, every raise I was denied and everything I hoped for that didn't come my way on the fact that I was a female, "well that's just the way things go," I would be a very miserable person without any lucrative employment. With dogs we say it's the deed not the breed. Can we not say it's the deed not the race, or the skin color? So why the focus on Vick? Quite simply, dog fighting is an underground sport. To find a well established ring, fronted by a millionaire that kids revere, is ground breaking!!!! It doesn't matter whether that the star is black, white or Hispanic. This rarely happens in this underground sporting world. Is dog fighting a black sport? As a southerner, who grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood, I can't say. I can say in inner city neighborhoods, it has become a trend. Countless news articles, the A.S.P.C.A, and the Humane Society all attest to this. The core issue in this case is the rose colored glasses worn by the management at the NFL, NBA, NBL, the music industry and Hollywood. As long as we continue to laugh off errors made by our star studded icons, we tell our children that any indiscretion is fine. Well at least if you make a six figure income. Michael Vick's apology could have been Paris Hilton's. I am not any happier with the fact that she'll still get roles and get the book deal. However she didn't brutally murder dogs. Speaking of which, Michael says he murdered six to eight...what he can't remember? Most serial killers can, but Michael is having a mental block? What gives?!!! By the way, your hero Sharpton makes this case. As to hunters and PETA? Not a huge fan of both. However, the few hunters I know only kill what they can eat. This is what any predatory carnivore does. They do not torture, mutilate and they do not ask their prey to fight each other for their own enjoyment. Most hunter's I know share their kill with the property owners of their hunting grounds as well, another common pack behavior. There are some hunters that hunt merely for sport/entertainment/a trophy for their wall and I find that detestable. Peta gets a lot of flack for euthanasia. Understand, I am not for taking any one's life unnecessarily. But what kind of life does the unadoptable pet live? It lives a life in a kennel with little exercise. Eventually, the dog goes mad. Have you ever had a loved one ask you to pull the plug, because their life no longer has meaning or value? I have and you can see the same desperation in the eyes of some of these dogs in no kill shelters. I would rather see them put to sleep humanely, than live that kind of life! So sorry, your arguement doesn't sway me.

Morphing/dueling dogs and cats

Not sure whether it is menopause, bad eating habits, a lunar eclipse or what, but here I am at 3 in the morning blogging, staying up to date with CNN Vick updates and sneezing incessantly. Please excuse the residue on your screen. Found this on You Tube and felt it was worth sharing. To which, naturally the dogs of the world must retort. Here is the Pug response: To which the cat's come back with some of that good ol timey music:

The results are in...residents want doggie dining!!!

Should chicago restaurants allow dogs in outdoor dining? Chicago has answered and 76% have said yes. Yes: 76% No: 23% Not Sure: 2% Thanks for weighing in!!!

Vick pleads guilty and lies yet again

Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick, in a press conference today has apologized for his immature acts saying, "I need to grow up." Well that is certainly true Michael, but please do not refer to your actions as immature. Cruel and criminal is certainly the better description of what you have done. "Through this entire situation, I never pointed a finger at anyone else," Vick adds. Like hell Michael!!! You pointed your finger at your three other colleagues and denied any knowledge of the operation going on at your Virginia home. "I accept the responsibility for what I did." Only after 3 witnesses were willing to testify against you. Only after you lied to your G.M., your owner and the commissioner of the NFL. Yet you still deny to placing bets. Rich McKay, the Falcons G.M. stated that Michael is suspended indefinitely and will not receive his 6 million dollar salary cap. Vick has also received a letter from the Falcon team this morning demanding his 22 million sign on bonus. McKay stated, "We don't feel we're in a box or a bad situation. Arthur Blank, the Falcon's owner stated they were "profoundly disappointed and saddened," yet refused to say if Michael was permanently off the team. He said that the team needed to address two questions; "How did this happen and what can we do to avoid this in the future." He also stated that Vick needed to address these two questions as well. "Only he knows why he did what he did," Blank said. Blank went on to say that the Falcon organization is working with the A.S.P.C.A and the Humane Society to see if there are ways the Falcon's can support their efforts. Vick was described as emotionless at today's hearing. Even after all the yes sir and no sir pandering, the judge reminded him, "Your really taking your chances here." Let's hope the judge doesn't have second thoughts. Vick faces sentencing on December 10th. Vick is still expected to maintain financial responsibility of the 50 dogs seized from his Virginia home. Although behavior tests have yet to be completed, it has been reported that as many as 49 of these dogs will be euthanized. Vick's Press Conference Falcon's owner discusses Vick Falcon G.M. discusses Vick: Discussion on what happen's next.

Put on the feedbag at Feed and support a Rogers Park Shelter

What can be easier than eating a delicious meal, and having the rescued pets of Red Door Animal Shelter benefit. This Saturday, August 25th from 9:00 am to 10 pm, FEED Restaurant will donate 20% of sales - brunch, lunch, dinner or carry-out to help feed the dogs, cats and rabbits of Red Door. FEED Restaurant is located at 2803 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago (773) 489-4600 and is well known for their down-home, southern-style cooking including corn pudding, sweet potato fries, Brussel sprouts, fried okra, mac and cheese and ceasar salads. For carnivores, they are known for their chicken and burgers. You can wash down your meal with sweet tea, but it's also BYOB. Finish up with red velvet cake or banana pudding. And, FEED has an outdoor patio for your enjoyment ... don't forget to bring cash; they don't accept credit cards, or reservations. If you have questions, call Red Door at 773-764-2242 or e-mail info@reddoorshelter.org. Thanks for supporting Red Door Animal Shelter! Blog Notes: I am hungry already!!!

Startling commentary on Vick's future in the NFL

Get ready to be outraged, yes really outraged. In the debate over Vick's future with the NFL, an unamed General Manager has made the following comment. Unamed, supposedly, because the NFL has asked their managers not to comment on this case. Unamed, more likely, because of the nature of the comments made. Columnist Mike Freeman writes, "Vick's reputation is forever tainted but if you think Vick will never wear an NFL uniform again please read carefully the following words from an NFL general manager. They will end up being prophetic." "If he goes to prison, time will pass," said the general manager, who spoke before news of a potential Vick plea agreement and asked not to be identified, claiming the NFL has asked current team officials not to publicly comment on the Vick case. "Months or years will pass, if he does go to jail. If he went to jail, and then left prison down the road, he'd still be relatively young, and there'd be a line of 15 to 20 teams waiting to sign him. Trust me on that. Teams are going to say, 'F--- PETA. F--- the bad pub. This guy is one of the most talented players of the last 10 years. I'll take my chances." "Teams may say one thing publicly. But if he gets out of jail, we'll all be looking at Vick hard. We're all whores in football. You know the saying. We'd sign an ax murderer if he has ability. He'll be back. He won't be back in Atlanta probably but he'll be back in professional football. You can count on it." Columnist Mike Freeman goes on to state, "Yes, that's a football word: 'ho." "There is no gender connotation to this word; it is not meant to be derogatory toward women." Freeman adds. "It is used by the general manager in this simple context: teams will do anything -- anything -- for talent. To win." Maybe someone needs to tell this to Don Imus! I would like to remind Freeman that the words ho and whore most certainly do have a negative connotation. Look up whore in a thesaurus and what do you find. Words like indecency, lechery, debauchment,Jezebel and harlot to name a few. Ho and bitch are used by gangs and rappers to refer to women in general. Do you think that because this manager used this word to describe his own organization's Machiavellian attempts to sign talent makes it's use any more acceptible? Freeman then goes on to say,"Remember, this is a league that has employed murder suspects, players that have killed people while driving drunk, chronic women beaters, gun runners, drug dealers, former gang members, and all kinds of creeps and cretins, swine and smut-like -- all in the name of talent." Which makes this manager's choice of words even more suspect. Is talent and athletic prowess really so hard to come by, that we must dredge the bottom of the barrel in an attempt to make money? Should we ignore crime to have a winning year? Is using the word ho to describe NFL's desire to win at any cost, a sign that the NFL is pandering to and or promoting a culture of violence, drugs and gangs? Food for thought!

New use for Vick merchandise

ATLANTA — When the bright red jerseys with the bold No. 7 started arriving in the mail, staffers at the Atlanta Humane Society were a bit surprised. Today, however, about a dozen Atlanta Falcons football jerseys bearing the name and number of quarterback Michael Vick have been put to good use - as animal bedding or, even more likely, rags to scrub up the mess that dogs leave behind. "Kind of appropriate," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, of the jerseys that have been mailed to the shelter since Vick was indicted last month on federal dogfighting charges . The rest of the story here. In the meantime, Vick may be so lucky as to get a year or less for his crime, an outrage if you ask me. Even more of an outrage is the NFL still debating his status...Crickey!!!! Great post by Toni.

Animal Welfare League Hosts Pet First Aid Classes

Saturday, August 18, 2007 Learn the most current treatment protocols for common illness and accidents for your pet. Poisoning Bleeding Cold/Hot Weather Emergencies Shock Heart Problems CPR Birthing Obstructed Airway Insect Bites Diabetic emergencies Fractures, sprains & strains Burns Imbedded Foreign Objects Diarrhea Seizures $65 Advance Registration Required Seating is Limited More Information Here

Long cool heeler

For those of you who have a heeler, enjoy. For those of you who don't, what are you waiting for?

If cats and dogs ruled the world

In honor of Itchmo.com's latest poll, I am posting some of the responses here. Vote on your favorite response here. Which of these sentences is the funniest? If cats ruled the world... oh I forgot, they already do. If cats ruled the world we'd be required to scratch the furniture. If cats ruled the world, there would be long lines of butt sniffing without humans interrupting. If cats ruled the world.. I would still be at home scratching their cheeks. If cats ruled the world, scratching-posts would scratch back. If cats ruled the world, we'd sleep 18 hours a day, go catch dinner, and get comfortable. If cats ruled the world we would all be be walking around in mice suits. If cats ruled the world they would delegate the work to humans and let us think we ruled the world. Now for dogs. Finish the sentence. If dogs ruled the world..... We will set up a poll to vote on the best response. Possibly a groovy prize.

Dogs and ice/ice water: Dog owners be warned!!!

It's a hot day and in an effort to keep your dog cool you give them ice to chew or put some cubes in their bowl. Sounds logical yes? NO!!! Ice, ice water or very cold water can cause severe muscle spasms that result in bloat. Please read the following letter. Very important especially with the extreme heat we have experienced this summer. Hello Everyone, I am writing this in hopes that some may learn from what I just went through. We went to the Steel Valley Cluster this past weekend. After showing we went back to our site,set up and got the dogs in their crates to cool off. After being back about 30 minutes, I noticed Baran was low on water. I took a hand full of ice from my cooler and put it in his bucket with more water…. We all then started to get all the dogs Ex’ed and food ready for them. After checking the dogs and thinking they were cooled off enough we fed everyone. As we were walking around picking out the feed dishes from the crates, one of my friends stated that Baran seamed like he was choking. I went over and check on him and he was dry heaving and was real drooly. I got him out of the crate to check him over I noticed he had not eaten, he was in some distress. I checked him over from head to toe and did not notice anything. I walked him around for about a minute, when I noticed that he was starting to bloat. I did everything I was taught to do in this case. I was not able to get him to burp, and we gave him Phasezime. We jumped on the golf cart and took him down to the Show vet, to find out that he did not have a bloat kit, He referred us to the clinic that was to be on call, but we found out that the clinic was closed. After finding another clinic that was open, we rushed Baran to that one. We called ahead and let them know that we were on our way. They were set up and waiting on us and had Baran stablilized quickly. After Baran was stable and out of distress, we transported Baran to AVREC were he went into surgery to make sure no damage was done to any of his vital organs. I am very happy to say that Baran is doing great, there was no damage to any vital organs and he still loves his food. In surgery the doctor found that Baran’s stomach was in its normal anatomic position. The Doctor and I went over the events of what happened up to the point of Baran’s bloating. When I told him about the ice water, he asked why I gave him ice water and have I always done this. I told him my history behind this practice and his reply was “You have been very lucky for the past 15 years!” The ice water I gave Baran cause violent muscle spasms in his stomach which caused the bloating. Even though I figured his temp was down enough to feed and give him this ice water his internal temp was still high. Dr. Vogf stated that giving dogs ice to chew or ice water is a big NO NO!! There should be not reason for them to have ice/ice water. Normal water (room Temperature), or cooling with cold towels on the inner thigh. This is the best way to help cool a dog. I felt the need to share this with everyone, in the hopes that some may learn from what I went through. I do not wish this on anyone. Baran is home now and doing fine. He does not like the fact that he has to be walked on lead in the yard to keep him from running. He hates not being able to go out and rough house it with the others, but is doing great. So please if you do use ice and ice water, be aware of what could happen. Morgan and His Angels More about bloat Bloat is the second leading killer of dogs after cancer. A dog with a bloating stomach has a short time to live without emergency veterinary intervention. Below are some useful links to learn more about this deadly condition. Thepetcenter.com Globalspan.net Mar Vista Vet

Save a life, animal blood banks need your help

Just like any hospital, vets and emergency centers need blood donations to help their patients. The Chicago Veterinary Emergency Services, at 3123 N. Clyborn, is currently seeking canine blood donations. Donor dogs must be between the ages of 2 and 8, weigh no less than 50 lbs, be up to date on all vaccinations and heartworm and have a friendly disposition. To have your dog screened, please visit the website. Please help save a life!