Pets on my Mind

There's a bill in the Tennessee Senate that would make it illegal to own a pit bull or any mix of the pure-breds that get that label. It's SB2738.

This is crazy. If we don't contact our lawmakers this could become a law. Whether you love the breed or not, you must know that it isn't the breed that is the problem, it's the owner. It's just like people who want to ban guns. Law-abiding citizens would surrender their weapons and criminals, who have no regard for law, will continue to use them.

I am a law-abiding citizen. I will not break the law, but I will not live in a state where law enforcement refuses to do its job and go after these people that abuse, neglect and train this breed and send them to prison. If it instead forces its citizens to surrender family pets and innocent animals, then my house is going on the market. If anyone thinks Michael Vick's dogs deserved to die the way they did, then they don't know anything about canine behavior and man's dominion over animals. They are defenseless and are at our mercy.

Please tell me what you think and get on the phone and email and get this this bill killed before it ever gets out of committee. I'll tell you one law I would be in favor of regarding pit bulls. Mandatory spay/neuter. that would eliminate them as breeding stock so people wouldn't be apt to stake out 10 or 12 in a back yard and just keep them like livestock. Also, why isn't someone going after these people for not having a business license or paying taxes on earned income? There are other ways to go after these criminals. Al Capone went to jail on tax evasion.

And like I keep saying, if you find someone who is involved in criminal activity with pit bulls, it will just be the tip of the iceberg. People who break the law with these animals probably have all sorts of other criminal activity going on. They aren't on the straight and narrow except for this one thing!

Stop the insanity.

I have to tell you, I'm tired of the poos. Not the ones I pick up regularly in my back yard, but the genetically-altered poos of the world that are basically mutts being sold to clueless people who don't need a dog. Not all are poos, some are ugles and weenies and chons. Confused?

Let me explain. Celebrities like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have turned canine ownership into a fashion statement. Let's not forget Bruiser in Legally Blond. First, the tinier and cuter, the better. I swear if I see one more dog described as a "teacup" I'm going to hit someone. That means the dog has been genetically bred smaller and smaller. Used to the runt of the litter was sold at a discount or given away, who wanted the smallest one of the bunch, but now, if a dog weighs no more than a cashew, it's a fashion statement. Quick, where's the purse with mesh ends that i can tote my dog all day in...great life for a dog...secondly, what can I dress it up in? Barbie clothes, maybe some camping outfits?

You don't see a celebrity who isn't toting a dog. All they do is carry them around. And breeders hear you calling. They stack up cages and cages in their back yards and pile in little dogs. These dogs live their whole lives in cages. Their mission: to spit out smaller and smaller puppies to sell to suckers for $800 or more at pet stores or in cute ads or at flea markets. Oh wait, the gal at the pet store says it's from a "reputable breeder." Afterall, it's all clean and bouncing in a pile of shredded newspaper. Oh look, there's a bow in its hair? How much? $1,000? Do you take check or charge?

Little do they know the filth and hell the parents of these pups live in or that these puppies were probably pulled out of piles of excrement and given a bath (yes soap and water can make anything look attractive) and fluffed all up, just for you, the unsuspecting consumer whose little girl wants a dog to dress up and accessorize. No one thinks about things such as health, character, temperament.

So four months down the line, this puppy gets sick, really sick, or even a month down the line, what do you do? There's no getting this breeder or pet store to pay your vet bill. If the pet store offers a health guarantee, what they are likely meaning is that they will exchange it, just like a broken mixer and give you a new one. Wait, but you love "this" dog. Oh, well then you'll have to pay the vet bill. We'll give you a new dog...And that's if you can find the breeder. If you buy direct from a puppy mill, all you get is a phone number and a meeting at a gas station to collect your new pup and they will collect your money. Try to find them if they sold you a bill of goods.

But because regular breeds aren't good enough anymore we've decided to mix them up..hence the birth of the Labradoodle, the shitzipoo, the maltipoos, the chi-weenies, the pin rats and my new favorite, the shichon. What is sad is that people should be adopting a dog based on character, temperament, behavior, health and what the dog needs. Will the dog fit your lifestyle? Will you fit his or hers? Looks and size are incidental.