Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bull Durham
Your right to own any breed of dog you choose has been in jeopardy these past few years, especially if you live in Ontario, Canada. The Dog Legislation Council of Canada needs help to fight the unconstitutional and draconian laws that currently dictate what kind of dog you can own in that province. They are short $67,000 to take this case to the Supreme Court and are asking dog owners across the country to donate $1 per dog they own. Scroll down, click on the Paypal button and donate! They need to raise this money by the end of January.
I am donating a dollar for every dog I’ve owned or bred and I challenge other breeders and owners to do the same. This affects everyone, once laws like these are enacted they are very hard to remove and they make it easier for similar laws to be enacted in other provinces and counties.
Forgo your latte’s for one week and donate $25. Don’t eat out one evening and donate $50. Ask your dogs if they want to donate their treat fund for the next month and donate $20.
This is important. We should have the right to choose the domestic animals we want in our lives. Ontario says we can’t own pit bulls or ‘bully’ types – this based on appearance rather than the dog’s behaviour. Dogs who had never threatened anyone have been destroyed. People have been subjected to warrantless searches and dog have been seized and destroyed without proof. No one is immune and you would be surprised the breeds of dogs mistaken for 'bully-types'. Inadequately trained individuals are given authority to arbitrarily determine that your Ridgeback is a Pitbull 'type' and YOU must pay a lawyer to prove it's not.
Do you know which one is a pit bull?
Who can’t afford to donate $1? A loonie. Half a toonie. Four quarters. Ten dimes … you get the idea.
I am donating a dollar for every dog I’ve owned or bred and I challenge other breeders and owners to do the same. This affects everyone, once laws like these are enacted they are very hard to remove and they make it easier for similar laws to be enacted in other provinces and counties.
Forgo your latte’s for one week and donate $25. Don’t eat out one evening and donate $50. Ask your dogs if they want to donate their treat fund for the next month and donate $20.
This is important. We should have the right to choose the domestic animals we want in our lives. Ontario says we can’t own pit bulls or ‘bully’ types – this based on appearance rather than the dog’s behaviour. Dogs who had never threatened anyone have been destroyed. People have been subjected to warrantless searches and dog have been seized and destroyed without proof. No one is immune and you would be surprised the breeds of dogs mistaken for 'bully-types'. Inadequately trained individuals are given authority to arbitrarily determine that your Ridgeback is a Pitbull 'type' and YOU must pay a lawyer to prove it's not.
Do you know which one is a pit bull?
Who can’t afford to donate $1? A loonie. Half a toonie. Four quarters. Ten dimes … you get the idea.
Take the Lead
I’ve heard some pretty insane stories in the past about puppies doing stupid things and getting themselves seriously hurt or killed. Like the puppy who ran into a wall with food in its mouth, inhaled a piece of kibble and died of pneumonia from the infection the kibble caused. How random is THAT?
So when my puppy does something stupid and it simply results in a lesson learned I take it to heart.
I have several dog leads which make their way from the house to the truck on a regular basis. Normally there is at least one lead in the truck at all times and they are kept a compartment where the dogs are for ease of leashing them. The dogs have access to the compartment so the leads sometimes end up under their feet.
Last night I got home from the park and the dogs jumped out and ran to the gate to be let into the yard. I was opening the gate when I noticed that Leeloo had Raimi’s blue lead and was chewing on it. “You naughty girl” I said as I grabbed the metal clip that was hanging out of her mouth and pulled. And pulled, and pulled, “Leeloo!” and pulled and pulled. Five feet of lead came out of that dog’s stomach.
Slimey, disgusting, gross and thankfully … out. She looked at me in surprise after the last of it hit the snow and then ran to the front door and bounced around “Open open open open.” She was hungry since I was an hour late home and it was WAY past her dinner time. So I guess the lesson here is nothing is to be kept in the back of the truck, and Leeloo, when not fed on time, will fill her stomach with anything. Oh, also … dogs do really stupid things when you least expect it.
So when my puppy does something stupid and it simply results in a lesson learned I take it to heart.
I have several dog leads which make their way from the house to the truck on a regular basis. Normally there is at least one lead in the truck at all times and they are kept a compartment where the dogs are for ease of leashing them. The dogs have access to the compartment so the leads sometimes end up under their feet.
Last night I got home from the park and the dogs jumped out and ran to the gate to be let into the yard. I was opening the gate when I noticed that Leeloo had Raimi’s blue lead and was chewing on it. “You naughty girl” I said as I grabbed the metal clip that was hanging out of her mouth and pulled. And pulled, and pulled, “Leeloo!” and pulled and pulled. Five feet of lead came out of that dog’s stomach.
Slimey, disgusting, gross and thankfully … out. She looked at me in surprise after the last of it hit the snow and then ran to the front door and bounced around “Open open open open.” She was hungry since I was an hour late home and it was WAY past her dinner time. So I guess the lesson here is nothing is to be kept in the back of the truck, and Leeloo, when not fed on time, will fill her stomach with anything. Oh, also … dogs do really stupid things when you least expect it.
Pressure Point
The snow falls again. The weather can’t seem to make up its mind; this past weekend it felt like spring was on the way even though it’s only the beginning of January. Now we are back to our regularly anticipated -12 degrees and snow is falling. I’ll never again own a vehicle that doesn’t have 4x4. We have chinooks roll through every few weeks but they are not all they’re cracked to be. Chinooks cause extremes in air pressure and the result is headaches and migraines for those people sensitive to the barometric changes. Sometimes the temperature can go from -20 to +2 overnight … it can play merry havoc with your brain case. Plus the sloshing, slushing mess on the roads is no fun at all.
We went to the park Monday and I thought it was warm enough for Leeloo to go coatless but by the time we got there it was pretty frigid and we didn’t stay long. Yesterday was a return to coat and she was delighted. Today is pretty cold and a park visit is still up in the air.
Now that the snow looks to be sticking around taking the dogs to the park is far safer. 1) Ambient light reflects off the snow and makes the park brighter than it really is 2) the dark dogs are easy to see against the light snow 3) and there are far fewer dogs out because of the temperature, light and conditions.
Supposedly the days are getting longer but personally I don’t see it. It’s dark when get up, it’s dark when I leave for work, it’s dark when I get home, it’s dark at the park, it’s dark when I go to bed. The only saving grace in this is the south facing bay window I have in my office, if I didn’t have that I’d be a mushroom.
Tonight Rory comes to stay for a few days … should be a riot!
We went to the park Monday and I thought it was warm enough for Leeloo to go coatless but by the time we got there it was pretty frigid and we didn’t stay long. Yesterday was a return to coat and she was delighted. Today is pretty cold and a park visit is still up in the air.
Now that the snow looks to be sticking around taking the dogs to the park is far safer. 1) Ambient light reflects off the snow and makes the park brighter than it really is 2) the dark dogs are easy to see against the light snow 3) and there are far fewer dogs out because of the temperature, light and conditions.
Supposedly the days are getting longer but personally I don’t see it. It’s dark when get up, it’s dark when I leave for work, it’s dark when I get home, it’s dark at the park, it’s dark when I go to bed. The only saving grace in this is the south facing bay window I have in my office, if I didn’t have that I’d be a mushroom.
Tonight Rory comes to stay for a few days … should be a riot!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Life is Beautiful
My beauties.
Can't say handsome too many times. 
A far off place.
Bottom's up. 
Depth in those eyes. 
Keep your eye on the prize.Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Meaning of Life
Dogs just being dogs ...
Who else has been here? 
Winter berries just waiting for a Leeloo. 
Or maybe waiting for a Raimi. 
Navigating a steep slope of snow. 
There's always something to sniff. 
Elegant embodied. 
Look high and look low.
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