Twits in the U.K.

After reading this U.K. Telegraph article, I can only say that the Liberal Democrats in the U.K. embody the definition of insanity - repeating the same action and expecting different results.

These UK Fiberal Undemocrats sound like their namesakes, the Ontario Liberals, who trotted out their unfounded, unjust, vague and shoddy province-wide breed-specific legislation when their approval rating was extremely low, creating anxiety and pandering to the uninformed (including Liberal MPPs). This is the "look at me, Ma, I'm doing something!" syndrome.

It has been proven time and time again that breed-specific legislation does absolutely nothing to prevent dog bites and attacks. The only element that affects the dog bite rate is the responsibility of dog owners.

The flashpoint for this yelping seems to be the death of a toddler, described in this Telegraph article. I point out some statements in this article which lead me to believe that this toddler's tragic death was entirely preventable. The owners had the 2-1/2 year old dog for six months. Was it spayed, or was it in season? Despite their claims of socialization, the dog lived in the yard, and there are reports that the dog was territorial, rushing the fence. Was this dog at all socialized with humans, had it received any obedience training, was it a pet or a yard dog? The toddler was being carried by a seven year old girl. What was a seven-year-old doing carrying an infant? Knowing how children squirm, what was the dog's perception of the child? Was the child perceived as a toy, or food? Did the dog perceive the children as intruders on its territory? Each is quite possible. Why was a seven-year-old allowed to carry an infant out to interact with a dog? Why was this interaction not supervised by adults?

Yvette Van Veen, a noted Canadian dog behaviourist, trainer and award-winning writer, wrote a wonderful article about a mauling from the dog's point of view, available for about a week from today on the Londoner (which doesn't seem to archive articles). People have got to stop thinking that their dogs think as they do. A dog is a dog is a dog, thinks like a dog, and behaves like a dog. Until the uninformed and uncaring get this hammered through their thick skulls, dog bites and attacks will continue to happen.

The story of this child's death is the same sad story heard over and over again. Children left unsupervised to interact with a dog. Dog bites, child is injured or dies, dog dies. Politicians yelp. Media rub their hands with glee at increased profits from "if it bleeds, it leads" headlines. No one stops to think that common events are not reported as news. Remember the old saw, "Dog bites man is not news. Man bites dog is news." It proves how uncommon these tragic dog bite incidents are, to garner media coverage.

Karen Delise's excellent book on dog attacks, Fatal Dog Attacks (available at http://www.fataldogattacks.com/) tells the true stories behind the statistics. Data is not truth.

The UK Liberal Democrats should do some research before opening their yaps and yelping. Their cries for further "breed bans" make them look uninformed and uncaring, playing with a tragedy for their own ends.

And UK dog owners had better open their eyes because when breeds start to fall to legislation, it's the domino theory, running until the last one falls.

Best whooping laugh I've had in a long time

I must thank the Toronto Star, its articles about Ontario Liberals always give me a howling good laugh.

A recent Star article described the new Ontario Liberal Attorney General, Chris Bentley, as an advocate for constitutional rights - in one case, for a drunk driver who killed two people. Mr. Bentley is described as considering this drunk driver a "victim of state oppression".

How then does Mr. Bentley explain why he voted to make law-abiding people into second-class citizens, restricting their constitutional rights to mobility and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and supporting the Liberal viewpoint that people can be legislated into second-class citizenship based on the property they own?

So am I to take from this that Mr. Bentley believes that a drunk who kills people is more entitled to constitutional rights than law-abiding people who own dogs of a certain shape?

Can't wait to hear the answer to that one.

One thing I'm very grateful for...

...is the right to freedom of speech. As evidenced by this blog, and by this Washington Post newspaper article that touches on both censorship and government restriction of dog owners' rights.


In battling the Beijing government's restriction of the height of one's dog (as ridiculous and unfounded as restricting the shape of one's dog) Mr. Chen Yuhua is fighting the same type of nonsensical, unfounded prejudice that promotes breed-specific legislation. Mr. Yuhua is fighting two big battles, both against unfounded government restriction; one on one's property, the other on one's right to freedom of speech.

We take our rights too much for granted. We must fight to keep them; the McGuinty Liberals have proven that they want to whittle away the rights of law-abiding citizens. Beware, lest we wind up living in a totalitarian state where our thoughts and dreams are prescribed and proscribed by the government.

More fun than a wheel of monkeys!

This sounded like a really great idea, until I got to the "some assembly required" part...



This is a shoe wheel, for storing shoes. It is not a ferris wheel for hamsters, although that is what struck me once it was assembled. I have an honorary degree in astrophysics and a body building trophy after assembling it. You have to figure that anything requiring an Internet video to explain assembly has to be...um, shall we say challenging? *grin*

Anyhoo, it's really neat and will clean up the floor, no more scattered shoes (from kittens racing across my shoe mat), I really like it, and it gave me more laughs than I've had in a while.

Santa Baby, I've really been an awfully good girl

Dear Santa:

I haven’t asked you for anything in a long while because I have so much.

Well, I have a BIG list this year.

I want all Ontario dog owners to be full citizens again. Not the second-class citizenship slapped onto dog owners of all breeds by the Ontario McGuinty Liberals, but full citizenship as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I want every dog owner to be free of fear of malicious persecution. I want every dog owner to be free of the fear that their dog will be seized and killed just because of its shape.

I want people to stop judging dogs and their owners by the shape of the dog. Judge by deed, not by breed.

I want government officials to properly and responsibly inform themselves, rather than relying on media reports and people with hidden agendas.

I want government officials to stop exercising their ambition on the backs of responsible dog owners and dead dogs.

I want the courts to take dog attacks seriously and impose severe penalties, because the owners must take responsibility for their dogs. Breed is irrelevant.

I want journalists to ignore their masters’ call for “more content, dammit, there must be more content!” and instead take the time to properly research their subject and educate the public.

I want dog and cat and ferret and rabbit owners to WAKE UP to the fact that pet ownership is under siege. I want them to get involved, rather than sticking their heads in the sand (or snow).

I want people to spay/neuter their pet animals, because there’s no reason to breed while animals die in shelters and pounds. Breeding for money or through negligence (read – irresponsible ownership) is no way to ensure a loving forever home for the animal, and backyard breeding is no way to bring animals into this world.

I want twits who buy puppies and kittens from pet stores, to stop. I want the pet stores to stop selling puppies and kittens. Breeding for money is no way to ensure a loving forever home for the animal, and puppy and kitten milling is an abusive and criminal way to bring animals into this world.

I want all animals in shelters to find loving forever homes, with love, companionship, food, water, warmth and medical care for the rest of their lives.

I want animal welfare to be in the forefront of the news next year. Not animal rights, and puh-leese not Paris Hilton or any other celebredope. If we are the advanced species we claim to be, we should be responsible for and act responsibly to improve the care and wellbeing of the other animals on the planet.

I want all dog owners who leave dogs out 365/24/7 to spend a few nights on the cold ground with no companionship, chained up and unable to move freely, sometimes without water and food. Let’s see how those owners like it when the tables are turned.

I want people who fight dogs to be put in the pits themselves, to fight to the death with bare hands. It could only improve the gene pool.

I want people who maliciously hurt animals to receive the same treatment, right down to death. Eye for an eye works for me.

I want people to stop thinking their cats should “roam free”. Give me their addresses, so I can drop their dead cat’s body on their doorstep when it’s been hit by a car, killed by another animal (including a sub-human), or died from disease.

I want the human species to get two brain cells, rub them together and start thinking. If we don’t, we are not what we claim to be.

Think you can fit that in the sleigh, Santa?

Regards, Social Mange

Miakoda's memory

The owner of Miakoda, an innocent dog tragically killed by a sub-human, is trying to make some good come of Miakoda's death. Read the post about Miakoda, and the owner's request, and write to the owner.

Addendum

You should read Chicobandido's post on Animal Cruelty and the Ontario Government...

And the followup.

By Jove, I think I've got it

Couldn't put my finger on why "pit bull" phobics bothered me so much, and seemed so familiar.
Then I remembered.
In parts of medieval Europe from approximately 1280 until as late as 1750, the illiterate, superstitious rabble in Europe used to prosecute and execute animals for crimes.
Bingo.
These modern phobics, spouting media hysteria and political propaganda (usually without benefit of grammar or spelling), remind me of the historic animal killers, the mindless rabble controlled by religion and exercising their mindless anger and hate by brutally killing helpless animals.
Now it's a mindless rabble controlled by media and politicians, but still exercising their mindless anger and hate by brutally killing helpless animals.

True stories from Ontaristan

I've been harping about law-abiding people being made into criminals because of their property...two excellent stories that are proof of the poisonous pudding.

Chicobandido has an excellent article, read it here....

Caveat has another, read it here....

And weep.

Goodbye, Woodward and Bernstein

Good thing Watergate didn't happen in London, Ontario. Because it probably would never have been uncovered.

A London Free Press reporter recently stated in an online blog that, in essence, her job is to report the news, not to educate the public. What exactly is this reporter's job? Just to unthinkingly parrot what she's told, not to conduct research, to not provide context for a story, not to expand the public's thinking? Does that mean that any story on an anticipated snowstorm should not include driving tips? All opinion columns should be removed from the media? There will be no more talk shows, no opinion of any kind expressed by a journalist?

Is that what this reporter sees as her role in the fourth estate, merely repeating stories verbatim like a town crier?

Jeffrey Kuehner of the New York Sun wrote a wonderful opinion piece titled The Fifth Estate, read it here. Mr. Kuehner's piece is based on the role of journalists vis-a-vis American politics; however, his fundamental ideas hold true throughout the practice of journalism. To quote Mr. Kuehner:

"The press has long held a cherished role in our democracy: ideally, journalists are the ultimate truth tellers who hold politicians accountable. The press, in conjunction with the separate branches of the government and the judiciary, acts as yet another vital check and balance on political power. Journalists have an invaluable calling: to stand above the political fray in order to protect the interests of the people; to serve as the bold and courageous whistleblowers of corruption and deceit."

Does that sound like a journalist's job should be, "Just the facts, ma'am"?

Mr. Kuehner also mentions that disaffected citizens who no longer trust mainstream media are turning to other sources. To quote, "With lightning speed, the incessant bloggers on the Internet call attention to distortions in the mainstream press. Furthermore, there is a body of original information available on the Internet that does not appear elsewhere. In short, the New Media is becoming the "Fifth Estate."

Well, hooray for the Sixth Estate (explanation below) and thank heavens it exists. There definitely is a growing distrust of mainstream media. I believe that mainstream media has been corrupted by global convergence; the appetite for profit is satisfied at the expense of investigative journalism and educating the public. MSM outlets are now dedicated to feeding the monster, spewing infotainment 365/24/7 at the expense of information and education.

It ties into another hobby horse of mine, the dumbing down of education.

In a period of time where the populace has access to more information than any previous generation, where global events are reported in real time complete with visuals, where borders have no meaning for the delivery of information, some university graduates are only semi-literate; critical and lateral thought are sadly absent in many people; independent thought is a rarity rather than the norm.

Are we acting only as cameras, recording the picture rather than processing the information and extrapolating truths from the data?

Thought process to be continued after breakfast. Talk amongst yourselves, I'm verklempt.

Addendum 1: Caveat has written a wonderful dissection of a Freep editor's attempt to deflect some of the heat from the above-mentioned reporter. Check it out.

Addendum 2: Mr. Kuehner wrote of The Fifth Estate. I'm changing that to the Sixth Estate because according to Wikipedia, Fifth Estate is any class or group in society other than the the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), the middle class (Third Estate), and the press (Fourth Estate)[1]. It has been used to describe trade unions, the poor, organized crime, German propaganda and spies during World War II (by the French). It can also be used to describe media that sees itself in opposition to mainstream (Fourth Estate) media. While the bloggers of the Sixth Estate fit into the last description, they certainly don't fit into the others. I think bloggers deserve an estate of their own.

Got a problem dog? I've got the trainer for you!

If you're in the Greater Toronto area and you're new to dog ownership and training, or have a dog with issues, or just want to be a better dog owner and trainer, you must take lessons with Steve Barker. His website is Steve Barker Training.

I've seen Steve at work with dogs, and he is a natural. He has studied many different techniques and theories of dog training, and has years of experience with dogs including problem dogs.

Steve helped me with foster dogs I had; I've seen first-hand how very, very good he is. Steve took one hyper, hyper foster dog, showed me how to get the dog's attention and use positive training methods to make the dog more secure in my leadership and more attentive to my commands. The change in the foster dog was amazing.

I applied the techniques Steve taught me with two older dogs I owned, and found that old dogs can learn new tricks, especially when Steve is teaching them.

Guess I won't get my vanity plates 4XMAS *sniffle*

Considering the Orwellian thought process ("thought" might be stretching it) of the vanity plate review board at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, guess I won't be getting any of...

ONTFIBS SUK
FIGHT 4 YR RIGHTS
ONT = BAN LAND

Ontario is such a bureaucratic nightmare, someone who had vanity plates for 20 years had the renewal rejected for the most spurious, ridiculous, political-correctness-gone-mad reason. Read about it here and here.

Keeping your pets safe over the holidays

Year end is a busy, often frantic time of year for many people. Please take the time to read these articles about keeping your pets safe, and implement the suggestions. Don't let the holiday season be tragic for a beloved pet.

CityTV has a good article on pet safety. Read it here.

Yvette Van Veen, an excellent dog behaviourist and writer, has easy-to-understand explanations of why some dogs bite and how to prevent dog bites. Read it here.

And another article by Ms. Van Veen about why not to get your child a pet for Christmas, a very sensible approach that doesn't deny the child the pet but explains why not to get the animal until after the holidays. Read it here.

Here's hoping the holidays are safe and happy for all two- and four-legged beings.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Until I get permission from the author to reprint with copyright attribution, you'll have to read this wonderful piece on The Refuge, a UK message board.

It's a new Night Before Christmas.

"Dalton trimming the fat"

So reads a Toronto Sun headline today. What, he's decapitating some OntFib MPPs?

I see that the McSquinty Marketers are set to introduce yet another useless, feel-good ban. Which leads to the fact that people who support or accept bans are unthinking dolts who do not realize that these nanny state laws just whittle away at one's personal rights, one by one, until the real rights are gone and it's too late to cry.

McSquinty and his minions are chewing away at individual rights like rats on a rope, and most people can't see the process, that bans affect only the law-abiding, and that ban upon ban upon ban just turns the forest of one's rights into toothpicks.

Which will probably be banned in the end.

Unthinking, uninformed celebrities and PETA

Do the celebrities who support PETA - Bill Maher, Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, and Dita Von Teese are named in a PETA press release, Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Pam Anderson, Paul McCartney, Rue McClanahan are named in others - realize that PETA kills animals?

Have these celebrities investigated PETA's own adoption rate? If there is one?

Do they know or care that PETA has a huge freezer in its headquarters? Do they care enough about animals to have asked what it's for?

Do they know or care that PETA is under investigation by the DEA for use of restricted drugs by PETA employees to kill adoptable animals, including a mother cat and her kittens, obtained under false pretenses? That these PETA employees lied to veterinary clinics and shelters to obtain the animals they killed and threw into dumpsters?

PETA members are apparently going to picket the American Kennel Club's championship dog show. Do these people know or care that they're picketing responsible breeders who care about where their animals go, that the responsible breeders are not the cause of sheltered animals?

PETA Director Daphna Nachminovitch is full of it. Responsible breeders are not the problem. Irresponsible owners are the cause of sheltered animals.

Why don't these people have the guts to find and picket puppy mills? Pet stores that sell puppies and kittens from mills? Backyard breeders?

How about PETA putting some of its tens of millions into educating the public on responsible pet ownership? Or running some animal shelters?

Because PETA doesn't want us to own pets.

This PETA manoeuvre is part of its campaign to end pet ownership. Of any kind. Forever.

Why don't these celebrities ask Ingrid wazzerface why she accepted medical treatment for her broken arm? Medical treatment, painkillers, antibiotics...all tested on animals. Which testing she purportedly abhors. But not enough to refuse treatment.

Is Ingrid more important than a child with cancer?

Why don't these celebrities ask the PETA vice-president why she uses insulin for her diabetes? Insulin that was tested on dogs? Which testing she purportedly abhors. But not enough to refuse treatment.

Is this vice-president more important than a senior with a heart condition?

PETA thinks all medical research tested on animals should end. Well, then, they should bloody well refuse all medical treatment. So should all the celebrities who support PETA. To fail to do so is supreme, shameless hypocrisy.

Have these celebrities checked out PETA's donations to and support of Animal Liberation Front, whose members have harassed and assaulted people and put human lives at risk?

Have these celebrities bothered to check out PETA's financials? Asked where the tens of millions are being spent?

Do these celebrities know that Ingrid wazzername uses PETA for her personal vendetta against a particular type of dog (which the nit calls a "breed") and promotes breed-specific legislation that kills unoffending dogs and makes responsible dog owners into second-class citizens?

To me, Petaphiles are blithering, babbling, unthinking, uninformed idiots, led by raving money-grubbing hypocrites.

The celebrities' failure to do due diligence on this organization is to me a very good reason not to spend any money on their movies or music. and let the distributing companies know why. Don't watch television programs they're in, and let the advertisers know why. Hit 'em in the pocketbook.

Don't donate to PETA. Donate to those who use your hard-earned dollars responsibly. Donate to reputable shelters and rescues who keep the animals alive, not kill them. Donate to the organizations who are fighting for our right to have a pet animal.

PETA has blood on its hands, greed on its face, and lies in its eyes.



The above advertisement was gleefully filched without consent from the Center for Consumer Freedom. Since they never wrote me to say "no" to my use of it, I'm assuming their answer is a "yes".

Wonder what it's like in Ontaristan?

Well, there's a blog that lets you know....read The Black Paper.

Read about the discrimination and violence against responsible dog owners of all breeds, thanks to the Ontario Liberals' unfounded, unjust, vague and shoddy breed specific legislation.

Remember...no crapola for Christmas.

Give the gift that lasts, instead. Donate to a worthy cause. Here are links to some of my choices, if you don't have your own.

Banned Aid

Law Dogs USA

Abandoned Cats Rescue

Etobicoke Humane Society

A caveat....make sure that you investigate any organization soliciting funds before you donate. There are many, many organizations trying to suck money out of you on what I consider false pretenses. Peta is one, H$U$ is another. Do your due diligence.

Great new blog

Tip of the hat to KC Dog Blog....Jim Crosby has started his own blog, Canine Aggression Issues with Jim Crosby. You can read Mr. Crosby's bio here.

Distance = disassociation?

First of all...I've thought of a new name for the Ontario Liberals. They're now the McSquinty Marketers. They don't govern, they market, pandering to gain approval from the unthinking.

Christina Blizzard of the Toronto Sun has an interesting column today, read it here.

Her interpretation of Mikey Bryant's seat in the Legislature and the seating arrangements for the other MPPs gives me great amusement. Is McSquinty trying to disassociate himself from Mikey? Hey, I would too, given that Mikey and the McSquinty Marketers legislated law-abiding people into second-class citizenship and utterly p*ssed them off, and most of Mikey's "initiatives" are being repealed by the courts.

I agree with Ms. Blizzard's take on George Smitherman's chances for being Premier. Being openly gay and an ex-addict don't play in the sticks and may not play well in urban areas, despite his marriage.

I am curious about one thing, though. If McSquinty steps down half-way through, can voters sue him for false advertising and breach of contract? Leaving before his four-year stint has ended, apparently a planned act considering previous media columns, means to me that he lied to the voters by running for election.

I don't care whose bee-hind is parked where when the cameras roll, I still question McSquinty's attitude towards women. His refusal to boot Kinsella from his power cabal for publicly demeaning a female (Tory) MPP is to me proof that McSquinty has a bad attitude towards women. Second proof to me is the fact that there are no women leading the "power" ministries of Finance and Attorney General.

Haven't had time to read the Throne speech and dissect it, I'll work on that.

Contrast Chocolate's story, and Buddy's

Very nice article in the Palm Beach Post.com about Chocolate, the "pit bull" that can't live with her owner because of the stupidity of local politicians...check out the moronic comments some politicians made. There must be an oxygen shortage in Miami-Dade county hall.

Thank heavens Chocolate didn't fall prey to the bloodthirsty b*stards running Denver, as Buddy did.

Wait for us at the Bridge, Buddy...read Buddy's sad story on Caveat - the story of an unoffending elderly family dog killed by ignorance, political lies and ambition.

I'm giddy as a kid at Christmas!

Only three more sleeps until the McGuinty Quibberal/Fiberal government sits again, and I'll once again have boundless material.

Hehehehe.

Got a minute? Make a difference!

I know, Christmas (Hanukah, Kwanzaa, whatever) is coming, yadda yadda...well, instead of giving some consumable crap that will wind up in the garbage, give (and have) the knowledge of helping with something important. Make a financial contribution to a cause.

The Banned Aid Coalition is still battling the Ontario Liberals' unfound, unjust, vague and shoddy breed-specific legislation. This is an incredibly important matter on several fronts. It's a matter of citizens' rights - the right of law-abiding people not to be legislated into second-class citizenship. The right of law-abiding people not to be put in untenable situations, and having their dogs threatened just because of their shape. We cannot let a government whittle away our rights on the basis of some politician's ruthless and callous ambition, without a single fact to support it. Donate now!

Check the Banned Aid site for information on how to donate.

Or, if your preference runs to the feline...

I volunteer for Abandoned Cats Rescue and received a heart-wrenching e-mail from the adoption coordinator. Two lovely cats (unrelated) were taken into the shelter with broken legs, and did not receive any medical care for a week. AbCats rescued these cats and the cats are now at a partner veterinarian's receiving proper medical care.

The medical bills for these cats will be big, and a huge drain on a small rescue. If you can spare $5, $10, $20, please donate to Abandoned Cats Rescue. AbCats is a registered Canadian charity, donations of $20 and more receive a tax receipt.

Go to the Abandoned Cats Rescue website to find out how to donate.

Here are the beautiful kitties' pictures...Roxie is on the left, Tisha is on the right. Roxie's pelvis is broken, and Tisha's front leg is broken.

Weep for Buddy, and for all the other dogs being killed because of their shape.

Unoffending dogs, dogs that have done nothing wrong but be born the wrong shape, killed by lying politicians and media manipulation of public opinion.

Read Buddy's story on Caveat and weep. I did. And do.

Remember, and give thanks.

Dis 'n dat for da week

Caveat has an excellent post on media manipulation, check out Messaging and Media.

The Centre for Consumer Freedom skewers PETA for its ongoing hypocrisy, read about it here.

KC Dog Blog has an interesting take on the "rent-a-pet" idea that's starting to show up as profit-oriented business, and how to convert that into revenue for shelters and pounds, and possibly place more dogs....read "Renting man's best friend" here.

Don't know about you, but I'm heartily sick of McGuinty whining at the feds for money, Miller whining at McGuinty for money, and the two of them pointing fingers at everyone else. Earth to Dalton and David - GROW UP AND SHUT UP. Learn how to live on a budget, and cut back on expenditures when there isn't enough money. Just like perpetually harassed taxpayers must.

Yo, Dalton, how about paying attention to the fact that jobs are disappearing from Ontario by the thousands, and bloody well do something about it? Remember - fewer taxpayers, less monee, honee. Simple equation.

Final note - Milk now confuses me. I remember when it came in glass bottles, delivered to the door. Then there was 1%, 2% and whole. Decisions, decisions. Then, calcium added. Then, lactose free. Then, claims of true taste (no idea why that's supposed to appeal...if you have urban taste buds and taste milk straight from a cow's udder, you'll run screaming to the supermarket for the pasteurized stuff). Now, milk comes with Omega 3 whatevers added, and the ingredients include rosemary. Wonder how that's going to taste in a cuppa tea?

Dis 'n dat 'n d'other

There's some great new stuff on Mac's Gang, check it out. If you'd like to know more about Wallace the "pit bull", visit his website!

chicobandido hoists the Fibs on their own petard with their hypocritical press release, check it out.

Heartbreakingly, the Law Dogs USA program has gone on hold because of lack of funds. If you can donate (American tax receipts seem to be acceptable in Canada), please send a donation to this incredibly worthy program.

On a personal note...

Those of you who know me well, know that I sleep heavily. Like the dead, only more so. I've slept through a tornado, several wild parties, smoke alarms, an attempted break and enter with my dog barking...you name it, I sleep through it. People trying to wake me have actually thought I was dead.

Right now, I use an alarm that starts with the radio and graduates to an annoying beeping, and the television programmed to go on shortly after the alarm starts. The blinds are open so I get sun in my eyes. This combo works most, not all but most, of the time.

Recently I purchased an alarm clock guaranteed to wake the heaviest sleeper. You put it under your pillow or mattress, and it vibrates and buzzes. So, I put it in my pillow, thinking that close to my head was the best location.

Didn't work. I slept through it. Soundly.

So I returned it, and caveat emptor to anyone else who tries it. Good luck, hope it works for you.

Is there a Rube Goldberg-type in the world who could invent a mechanism to dump me out of bed into a tub of cold water when the alarm rings? That should work...I hope. *LOLOL*

Data vs Information - KC Dog Blog hits it out of the park

KC Dog Blog has done an incredible amount of work to show the difference between data and information....read Part 1 here, follow it through to Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

Velkommen to the banana republic of Ontaristan

Election irregularities, anyone? Christina Blizzard of the Toronto Sun outlines just a few in her Nov 2 column, read it here.

Finding da tune behind dat Cabinet shuffle....

Several members of the media have their own takes on McGuinty's musical chairs...

Caveat has a broader analysis of the changes.

Christina Blizzard of the Toronto Sun is always worth reading.

Karen Howlett of the Globe and Mail made interesting comments.

Ian Urquhart of the Toronto Star doesn't mention Mikey's move at all, which I find surprising....although Rob Ferguson and Robert Benzie of the Star make the same comment about Mikey's leadership aspirations (and Dalton's opinon of them) as others.

Hmmmm....always interesting.

Quote of the day

"We need another and a wiser and perhaps more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees therefore a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves, and therein we err, we greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by the man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and more complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth."

Henry Beston
The Outermost House
(Viking Press, 1972)

Civil rights threatened by dangerous dog law and breed-specific legislation

Brilliant statement by Responsible Dog Owners of the Western States.

Read it here.

Do dat Cabinet shuffle, Fibbies

I'm immensely amused by this Canadian Press article.

"Brazen, media-savvy Michael Bryant...the 41-year-old Bryant — a telegenic, Harvard-educated lawyer by trade with a fondness for media stunts and carefully scripted sound bites...".

Almost spat my soda onto my computer monitor laughing.

Brazen is not a flattering adjective. Its definitions, other than "made of brass" (a cheap metal alloy of copper and zinc), are "sounding harsh and loud like struck brass" and "marked by contemptuous boldness".

Ya, Mikey has a serious contempt for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That's why he legislated law-abiding people into second-class citizenship.

No more Justice League photos, okay, Mikey? That gave a lot of people some good laughs.

IMHO I can think of a few reasons why McGuinty is moving Bryant. One, to get Mikey out of the line of fire when his "pit bull" ban goes down in flames in the courts...as his adoption/privacy-violating law did. It looks to me like Chris Bentley is being set up to take the fall for that one, rather than the ban's originators (McGuinty and Bryant).

Or, to put Mikey into the line of fire with the hot potato of Caledonia. Is this Dalton's version of succession planning? Rather like the English kings of old, kill off any potential usurpers?

Smitherman's staying in Health. Ah, I can look forward to another four years of sitting for 12 hours in Emergency with a geriatric parent while a junkie gets taken first.

Education. That's sadly amusing. Standards have been degraded to the point where public school students are barely literate...when they graduate from secondary school.

No mention of Broten, the Flick Off girlie? Is Dalton going to bury her so she can't embarrass his government again? The Environment Minister who planned a monster garage, put up illegal election signs, and had so little political sense as to stand in front of a poster so it read "f*ck off"?

Hmm, Caplan weathered the Ontario Lottery Corp. scandal and is being left in place. Mike Colle threw himself on the sword for Slushgate, howcome Caplan was spared? What does that say to you?

Even more telling, what does Greg Sorbara's sudden decision to remove himself from cabinet say?

Regardless of who is where when the music stops, it appears to be four more years of sad entertainment with many of the same performers doing pratfalls.

Media oversight (or narrow vision)

Good post on chicobandido about a dog attack in Toronto covered by only one media source, and how it would play differently had the dog been a "pit bull". Read it here.

KC Dog Blog has a great weekly roundup, read it here.

Ban Bossy!

Aha, here's another animal for the Ontario Fibs to ban....honestly, an angry cow is not something I'd want to encounter. Read about it here.

What the h*ll is a "pit bull", anyway?

If you've been paying attention, you know there's no such breed as "pit bull".

But that doesn't stop intrepid media sources. The St. Catharines Standard reported a dog bite incident by a "pit bull/Labrador cross". Of course, the headline read "Pit bull quarantined after attack". Now today, the dog has undergone media mutation and turned into a full-fledged "pit bull".

Newspaper sales must be really slow in St. Cats.

If you donate to help with the disaster in California...

...make sure your money goes to people on the ground who are actually helping, unlike HSUS which is ambulance chasing again. Wonder what HSUS did with that $40 million in donations from Katrina? Bought another dead-animal freezer for Peta?

Read about it on Dog Politics.

Enough boo-hooing from the irresponsible, already

First we have DeGeneres attempting to manipulate public opinion and corner a rescue, just to get her way.
Now we have a family that allowed their dogs to roam the countryside, apparently not for the first time, and are boo-hoo'ing because a farmer shot the dogs.

ENOUGH.

In both instances, the dog owners were irresponsible. The dogs bear the consequences of the owners' behaviour, regardless of breed.

Think about this.

Would DeGeneres get any air time from the network if Iggy were a "pit bull" puppy?

Would we see that family's story presented so sympathetically if the roaming dogs were "pit bulls"?

Do fluffy dogs make for fluffy-brained owners? *grin*

An interesting sidelight....I have noticed an upswing in the number of media reports of Labrador retriever attacks. Is the Lab a candidate to supplant the "pit bull" in the bite-attack-ban sweepstakes? If so, then the Golden retriever won't be far behind, since that "loveable family pet" is one of the worst biters.

An anecdote...I thought about getting a golden retriever but was warned off the breed by an experienced veterinarian. She had seen the breed's temperament deteriorate due to careless and backyard breeding, a result of yuppie demand for the big fluffy dog. That was fifteen years ago. Wonder how bad the temperament of an average Golden is now?

I can't wait to see the Lab and Golden owners sh*tting themselves when the gun of breed-specific legislation is aimed at them. Particularly since they were so arrogant and self-righteous, full of "my dog wouldn't do that".

My dog wouldn't do that, my as*. If it has teeth, it can bite. Put two or more dogs together on the loose and you have an unpredictable dog pack. Breed is irrelevant. All that counts is the behaviour of the owner. A responsible dog owner trains, controls and socializes the dog, and keeps or takes the dog out of situations where the dog might bite.

A dog bite is always the responsibility of the HUMAN owner. It has nothing to do with the shape of the dog and everything to do with the level of responsibility displayed by the HUMAN owner.

I have had it with Ellen DeGeneres.

The whole Ellen DeGeneres mini-drama over Iggy the dog, complete with tears and crumpled tissues, makes me furious. The irresponsibility of her behaviour with regard to dog ownership and what belongs on air staggers me.

DeGeneres attempted to manipulate public opinion in her favour, when she apparently breached a contract. Does she consider her employment contract with the network to be a "piece of paper"?

If her producer was aware of her plans, her producer needs a (rhetorical) slap upside the head for allowing her to carry through with the histrionics.

She also gave away a living being as thought it were a sweater that didn't fit. A big NO in my neck of the woods.

Every rescue I've worked with has a clause requiring the adopter to return the animal to the rescue if for any reason, at any time, the adopter cannot keep the animal. This is to prevent rescue animals, usually snatched from shelters hours and even minutes before being killed, from winding up in shelters again and not being saved the second time.

According to one media story, the rescue has a rule about not adopting small dogs to homes with small children. That is not unreasonable, and I am in agreement with that rule.

DeGeneres also mentioned the money she'd spent neutering and training the dog. Yes, that's part of pet ownership, especially dogs, you have to train..and train, and train and train and train. It is a lifetime process, not something that you do for a couple of weeks and then drop. Or give the dog away because YOU'VE failed to learn how to train your dog.

One media story said something about DeGeneres and her partner "following the process". Well, sometimes "the process" doesn't work for certain dogs and you have to know to change tactics and how to change them. If the trainer doesn't know when and how to change tactics, find a new trainer. You don't give up on the dog because YOU have failed.

DeGeneres attempted to use her position as a celebrity to corner the rescue into giving the dog back to a family that was unapproved by the rescue. That is shameful, manipulative behaviour. If I were running the rescue, my back would be right up and there is no way in h*ll I'd give the dog back.

Ellen DeGeneres, Iggy is not a sweater to be given away if it doesn't fit, dog training is a lifetime process, and an adoption contract is exactly that - a contract. IMHO you are totally in the wrong, you owe the rescue a BIG public apology, and a large monetary donation wouldn't hurt.

Repairing your image - well, as far as I'm concerned that's going to take a whole lot more.

By Jove, I think I've got it.

I think I know why Ontarians, particularly the 416'ers, voted Lie-beral in the '07 election.

Stockholm Syndrome.

That's the only explanation.

The hostages, held captive for four years and subjected to unceasing sound bite drivel and media propaganda, were brainwashed and started to identify with their captors.

Much as abused people often will not leave their partners, the brainwashed electorate did not feel worthy of a better partner, one that would treat them honestly and ethically.

Waddaya think about that theory?

Musings on escaping a bad political relationship

Voting in an election is not unlike entering into a marriage. They’re both relationships. In the case of voting in a provincial election, you pick a partner with a defined limit of four years.

But what if you want to get out of the marriage earlier? What if the partner that was picked (or foisted on you by others) lies, cheats, steals, abuses you? How do you get out of the bad relationship?

I’m too lazy to research how you turf a provincial government out of office. I think I’ll just move out of the province. As in abusive marital relationships, it’s the abused partner that has to leave to survive.

Newfoundland is looking good to me.

Fool me once....

For those dolts in Ontario who voted back the McGuinty Lie-berals, check out Linda Leatherdale's column in the Toronto Sun, read it here.

A snip from the article...

"Linda, rumour is high in the finance department at Queen's Park that after the federal budget reduces the GST by 1% and cuts personal taxes, the Liberals will introduce a 2% PST increase, with 1% for the municipalities and 1% for public transit," states an e-mail from a reader who will remain anonymous."

Dalton's lips moved and what came out was, "no more new taxes". Ya, right. Whoever believed that is a naive, guillible fool.

Now to see exactly what new taxes Miller's spendthrift council slaps on 416-ers.

People won't have pockets left to pick.

One good reason NOT to visit Puerto Rico

This country won't be getting my vacation dollars...such as they are, after the Lie-berals suck what pennies remain in my pockets.

Pets hurled from bridge in Puerto Rico....government seizure of pets is vicious, unwarranted, inhumane and deserves global condemnation.

Read about it here.

Voting for the Fibs will mean more Toronto taxes

Mayor David Miller of Toronto apparently thinks that the vote for the Fiberals means that everyone in Toronto will pay his new taxes...read about it here.

Bend over and take it, all those morons who voted Fiberal, you're gonna get it good and hard.

Morons. Most Ontarians are morons.

If the McGuinty government is returned to power, it proves that Ontarians are unthinking sheep who don't object to being lied to, having their civil rights whittled away for the sake of photo ops and sound bites, seeing millions and millions of their tax money squandered, having the health care system gutted, and watching while McSquinty & Minions turn the province into the first North American third world environment.

Thinking about four more years of that smirking chinless hypocritical McSquinty and his robotic henchmen is enough to make me hurl.

Dopes.

A great A to Z election tale....

...over on Wag The Dog.

A must-read.

Stop it, Dalton, you're killing me! HAHAHAHA!!!!!

According to the Toronto Sun....

Dalton II: No new taxes

BWAAHAAAHAAAA!!!!! If anyone believes that, I have some great Florida swampland...I mean, development land for sale.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.

Anyone who votes for the Dalton Gang is uninformed and uncaring.

Shame on you, Laurel Broten

Toronto's municipal code clearly states that election signs cannot exceed a specified square footage. Laurel Broten signs that clearly exceed this maximum area have been erected all over the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding....how convenient, just before a long weekend when City workers aren't available to take complaints and remove the signs.

You'd think that after Broten's Garage Mahal fiasco, she'd step more carefully.

I am gravely disappointed. This is NOT what I expect of an honourable candidate conducting an honest campaign. And I don't want to hear the "I didn't know, I wasn't responsible, somebody else did it" victim whine. As the great Queen Victoria said....We are not amused.

I know for a fact that the square footage exceeds the maximum permitted area....the signs are too darn tall for me to know definitely whether they exceed the height maximum - which, considering that I'm 5-2 and the maximum is 6 feet, is a pretty good indication that they exceed the height maximum as well as the area maximum.

Look for yourself. The first sign is a legal Barlow sign versus an illegal Broten sign, the second shows the skinny edge of the sign running up the middle of the pic. Now, figure that I'm 5-2 and holding my camera lens at eye level for the edge pic....does that top look higher than 6 feet to you?

Liberal hypocrisy yet again...should that be, still?

McSquinty is yipping and yapping against a PC statement respecting partnering with private organizations for health care, provided the care is paid for by OHIP.

What is McSquinty yipping about, when his government entered into public-private partnerships for hospitals, the infamous P3 hospitals?

And now the cost overruns in Sarnia and all the questions about who knew what when, look to be taking down the Liberal MPP there.
Read about it here.

And read about Dalton's refusal to answer questions, and how his Fibs flip-flopped from criticizing P3s, to gleefully entering into them.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Fiberal.

Do we live too long?

And do we waste the time we have?

I found lovely little cemetery yesterday, with headstones mostly from the 1850s. A beautiful place that was so peaceful, as though it were in another dimension from the manic activity of its main street location. Cemeteries are peaceful places; after all, the dead are no threat, it’s the living who can hurt you.

Some headstones were so worn and broken they could not be read. Some were pink granite monuments, still whole and legible, obviously for affluent families. Some only had initials, the deceased's name lost forever. Several headstones were for entire families; mother, father and children – two, three, four children, all dying young. It was saddening to see so many headstones for wee ones; “died in infancy”, “died 2 years, 7 months”, “died 3 months, 4 days”.

Many detailed the person’s date of birth, date of death, and the number of years, months and days the person had lived. Some listed occupation; one deceased was a reverend who lived only 27 years.

I am fascinated by the historical inclination to list every moment of life, and compare it to our compressed version where only years matter. Life was so short then and the spectre of death such a reality - war, disease, accident, even a bad tooth could kill you - that every day mattered.

Do we waste the days we have now? Do we take our days too much for granted? Do we delay too much, believing that there will always be time?

If death were a closer friend, more over our shoulder, if we knew our lives would be short, would we accomplish more?

Perhaps we should start counting our lives in days, not years. And make the days count more.

Twit Alert!!!

UPDATE: Mac's Gang couldn't run the clip, which is a real shame. Write to CityTV and ask them to return it to their website. It's required viewing for all Ontario voters.

============================================================================

High five and big howls to Mac's Gang for getting a historic piece of film returned to the public eye. Check it out here!

I still roar with laughter when I watch ole' Mr. "If it walks like a pit bull" stumble and fall...and then accuse the reporter of a trick!!! Yo, the trick was on us. A sham committee hearing, a government ignoring expert advice and the experience of other jurisdictions and ramming through unfounded, unjust, vague and shoddy legislation that affects not only "pit bulls" (YO! Mikey! Wazz a "pit bull" anyway?) but makes the owners of ALL breeds and types of dogs into second-class citizens.

Yes. I said ALL breeds and types of dogs.

Wake up and smell it, people.

Say a prayer for poor JR.

Another victim of McGuinty and Bryant's barbaric, unfounded, unjust, vague and shoddy law.

Just because of the shape of the dog.

What's next, once all the "pit bulls" are gone

and people and other dogs are still being bitten?

Breed by breed by breed, they will fall.

Until there are none left.

And those who sit silently, thinking they're safe.
Aren't.

And the human owners have fewer rights than pedophiles, drug dealers and gun-waving thugs.

I AM RESPONSIBLE AND LAW-ABIDING.

I WILL NOT BE MADE A SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN

BECAUSE I OWN A DOG.

I WILL NOT LET THE GOVERNMENT KILL MY DOG

JUST BECAUSE OF THE DOG'S SHAPE.

FIGHT BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION.

GIVE THE ONTARIO LIBERALS THE MESSAGE ON OCTOBER 10TH.
VOTE FOR THE NON-LIBERAL
LIKELIEST TO WIN IN YOUR RIDING.

Let's make sure there isn't one Liberal sitting after October 10th.

This is NOT a one-issue election.

I'm going to hurl if any unthinking dope gets fervent on the topic of faith-based education again. Think, people.

We already fund Roman Catholic schools, and have duplication of administration (and costs, buildings,and so on) because of public school boards and RC school boards. The fiscally responsible and fair thing to do would be to stop funding RC schools, not fund the schools of any other faith, and provide funding only to public schools.

Ya, right, like that's going to happen. It would be political suicide regardless of how fair and just it would be. The RCs would lynch any politician who suggested it.

If funding continues to RC schools, it must be extended to schools of all faiths, provided they religiously (Hehehe) follow the provincial curriculum.

Enough of that already.

Now, on to....

Dalton McGuinty's broken promises.
Increased taxes.
Deteriorating health care. My experience....
Deteriorating public safety.
Deteriorating air and water.
No investment in public transit.
Tens of millions of dollars squandered in grants.
Anti-patronage board loaded with Fib supporters.
Liberal laws that make law-abiding residents into second-class citizens.
Liberal seizure of private property without any preceding conviction or proof of criminal activity on the part of the owner.
Liberal attempt to blur the line between church and state (Remember Dalton trying to entrench shari'a law in marital arbitration?).
Unfounded and often false Liberal rhetoric.

You want another four years of being led by the nose while your pockets are picked? Then be a dope. Go ahead, vote Liberal. Duuuuuh.

Think you're safe because your dog isn't a "pit bull"? Think again.

Wag the Dog has the horrifying story of how an animal control officer identified a purebred, registered Labrador Retriever as a "pit bull" and tried to seize it for destruction.

Read about it here.

This was predicted, that vindictive neighbours would use Michael Bryant's shabby law to wreak havoc on innocent dog owners.

This has undoubtedly happened all across the province, and people with unregistered dogs have lost their dogs because of the Ontario Fiberals' unfounded, unjust, vague and shoddy breed specific legislation.

The blood of many unoffending dogs and puppies is on the hands of Dalton McGuinty, Michael Bryant and all MPPs who voted for BSL. And, every Ontario owner of a dog is a second-class citizen, with fewer rights than pedophiles, drug dealers and gun toting thugs.

Remember to vote on October 10th. And remember who NOT to vote for.

The Duchess of Dorking has gone to the Bridge.

There's a wonderful post on Mac's Gang about Squibs and her beloved Duchess of Dorking, please read it and check out the great photos.

Read it here.

Good stuff!

There is good information on the Dog Legislation Council of Canada official blog, Wag The Dog, and one terrific election sign *grin*...check it out!

Moving Day, Hooray. Kinda. Sorta.

As you may know, I finally found a nice, brand-new apartment. Part and parcel of finding a brand-new place to live is…..moving there.

If I ever again pick a company because its name amuses me, slap me. I booked El Cheapo Movers. Funny name, funny website. The move was scheduled for somewhere between 9 and 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

So, I wait patiently on the front stoop of the house, smoking my brains out and cursing the day I decided to move. It’s 9:30. No movers. I get a call from the movers. They’re running late, they have to gas up the truck, they should arrive in about a half hour. Okay.

Around 9:45, I get the next call from the movers. They were rear ended on Lakeshore, they have to wait for the police. Call the apartment building, reschedule the elevators. Okeee.

Movers finally arrive around 10:30ish, two nice young fellows who load the truck very quickly and very well. I’m thinking, okay, not so bad. Then, the driver tells me that he had a call from the police, the other party in the accident is disputing the event, the police are coming to the house to interview them. Call the apartment building, reschedule the elevators. Again. Okeeeee.

Pick up the cats (who have been stuck in their carriers since 9) and their litter boxes, and drive to the new apartment. Unload cats and litter boxes and litter, trundling it all upstairs on my handy dandy new hand truck. Fill litter boxes, let cats loose, close bedroom door so they’re safe. Go to the balcony and start smoking. Heavily.

Get a call somewhere after 12, police haven’t arrived yet. Okeeeeee.

By 1:45 I’m getting a tad cranky. I get a call from Gail in the movers’ head office. The police yellow stickered the moving truck as mechanically unfit, it can’t be driven to my place, it has to be towed, the crew is still at my old residence waiting for the tow truck. At this point, all I can do is laugh. Maniacally. And reschedule the elevators. Yet again. Okeeeeeeee.

So, hop in the car and head back to the old place, thinking I’ll load some of the last-minute stuff (that I thought would already be in my new place, had the schedule gone as planned). Get to the old place, see that the tow truck still hasn’t arrived. Mess around, my moving ADD has kicked in by now and I’m throwing individual items in the car rather than dealing with them in an organized fashion. Tow truck arrives around 2:45ish, hooray! By the time the moving truck is hoisted and on the road to my new place, it’s 3 p.m. Hmmm, I had planned to be mostly unpacked by now.

So, I drive like a maniac to my nice new apartment building and go upstairs to the balcony to watch the moving truck being towed into the driveway. Smoking like a maniac all the while. I credit the apartment building personnel with great professionalism and patience…this may have been the most entertaining move they’ve seen in a while.

The two nice young men very quickly unloaded my goods, placed everything where I asked, and we were done by about 5:30. About three or four hours after my ETA, but everything is there and in one piece.

I give El Cheapo Movers credit, I called around 3 or 4 when my patience was a trifle thin (actually, I was on the verge of being a raving maniac, albeit a polite one) and they immediately called back and gave me a 50% discount on the move because of all the problems.

Then...I had taken my perma-foster cat Nellie to the vet on Thursday because he really wasn’t well. The vet said that Nellie had one or two viruses and a severe bacterial infection. Nellie is an older gent with an unknown background, he was in horrid shape when the rescue took him in, he had to have sub-q fluids and medications at home for quite a while, so we’ve always dealt with him with our fingers crossed.

Saturday morning, just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water, the vet called. Nellie wasn’t responding to the meds and was deteriorating. He was suffering. I had asked the vet to call me if Nellie had to be euthanized because I wanted to be with him, so he didn’t die with strangers. It was his time. So, I had to race through a shower, find clothing (right after moving…ha!), and hurtle to the vet’s as fast as possible. Nellie was cuddled and warm and heard a familiar voice singing his name and smelled a familiar person as he walked across the Bridge.

I kept my sunglasses on and went to the grocery store to shop for a bit. Being in a public place would probably stop me from crying for Nellie.

So, that’s it. I’m in the new place, which I like very, very much. Marty, Mikey and Daisy seem quite happy, although somewhat confused. And I am hoping that this is the last of the bad luck for this year.

Here’s a pictorial explanation of why I’m (almost) living on my balcony these days.




And one of Nellie, to say farewell to a lovely old gent who deserved far better than he got. Nellie Jellie Bellie, you wait there at the Bridge with Sara and Patches and Emily and Arlee and Abbitt and Mac and Nink and everyone else, I'll be along.

Make the Ontario political leaders hear your voice

It's time they understood that dog owners and those who love dogs are a voting bloc that they ignore at their peril.

Read the how-to here.

Dalton musta flunked math...or thinks we all did.

Nice article in the Toronto Sun by Lorrie Goldstein skewering yet another of Premier Pinocchio's "promises". Read it here.


Mr. Goldstein is definitely counting the Fibs' promises, he's got a count of 71 to date..down from 231 in 2003.

Y'know, when Dalton makes these promises, is he crossing his fingers behind his back? Check the photos....

If you vote for Dalton, you're a dolt

Premier Pinocchio is busily making promises, promises of action...so what the he** has his government been doing for the last four years? Oh, yea, chasing dog and car owners, seizing private property at whim, and giving away munificent grants without a single application form as backup. Why are these matters suddenly important now? Because he'd sell his soul for a vote, and will promise the moon...purchased with your money, remember.

Remember that Premier Pinocchio went to court to ensure that he couldn't be held accountable for his election promises...and then proceeded to renege on so many, it was stomach-turning.

McGuinty's government went into office without a plan or a clue, and nothing has changed in four years.

Next time Smitherman boasts about wait times, I'll ask him why the he** my geriatric mother waited twelve hours in emerg, and the doctor saw a drug-addled junkie before my hard-working elderly mother. Hmmm, perhaps George has had more of an effect on health care than I previously thought. Or why, the next time she was in Emerg, the nurses couldn't tell me whether she had been admitted because the computer crashed. Seemingly, they were incapable of getting off their bee-hinds and circulating to find out what patients they had in Emerg. IN EMERGENCY. These were not people there for a nail clip, they were IN EMERGENCY. Is there no backup plan to keep track of people admitted to Emergency? Ever heard of pen and paper???

Dalton is attempting to curry favour by making promises on the basis of hurling our money around again, just like GrantScam. He should start courting the special interest groups anytime now. He opposes Tory's plan to fund faith-based education but is Dalton willing to pull the plug on funding RC schools? Bet'cha not. It's grossly hypocritical of Dalton to bash funding of other faith-based education if he's unwilling to stop giving public tax money to RC schools. That would take courage, a character severely lacking in the Fibs.

Flick off, Fibs. Your lights have been out since you've been in office.

Two years after the BS - L hit the fan.

chicobandido writes a brilliant summary of all that was wrong, and what we can do to make it right.


Read it here.

HSUS talking outta both sides of its mouth again

Great post on Dog Politics about HSUS and Peta, and their hypocrisy about Michael Vicks' dogs.

IMNSHO, both those organizations should have their tax-exempt status revoked.

Cat-eat Emptor re: Del Condominium Rentals

As some of you know, I'm on the hunt for a new residence. I had an experience with Del Condominium Rentals that left a really bad taste in my mouth, so I thought I'd share.

Del has some condos for rent in the King-Strachan area of Toronto which appealed to me. Seemed okay, the area is convenient, the agent kept saying "pet friendly, pet friendly", so I decided to apply to rent. Because a condo can prohibit pet ownership, I have pets, and I know enough to be dangerous to myself and others, I asked Del to provide me with their standard lease AND the condo's by-laws. These documents were promised to me on August 10th. I finally got them on August 23rd (when I'm supposed to move in on September 1st, roughly a week later). The condo's rules and regulations say "no pets"; more on that further down. The Del lease is worse; check out this snip of Del's "pet-friendly" provision (the bad grammar and sloppiness about defined terms are Del's):

"The Tenant(s) acknowledges that no pets of any kind are allowed to be brought in the premises even on a short term basis nor can pets of any guests or overnight visitors be allowed to bring their pets into the premises. The tenant acknowledges that the Landlord of the property and/or other tenants of the building in which the premises are situate would be severely inconvenienced by the presence of pets of the Tenant(s) or of his guests being brought into the premises or being allowed to remain, walk or pass over the common areas of the building in which the premises are situate and that it has been represented to all tenants in the said building that absolutely no pets of any tenant would be allowed to be brought into the said building. As a result, the Tenant(s) agrees that a breach of this covenant shall be a cause for imediate termination of this Lease....."

Really pet-friendly, huh? I'm disgusted by Del. When I asked for an addendum clearing my pets, Del sent me an even more unreasonable document that gave me no assurance about my pets but instead was an indemnity and release in favour of Del, in case my 7 pound cats terrorize the complex. They wouldn't agree to cover my moving expenses in case the condo unit was sold before the end of my lease; they wouldn't budge on anything. So, I terminated my business relationship with Del. I feel like billing them for my time and expenses.

The following is not legal opinion or advice and is not to be relied on, it's only my non-legal opinion from the reading I've done.

Pet ownership in a strictly rental residence in Ontario seems pretty clear; you can't be evicted just for having a pet, but you can if your pet does damage, disturbs or threatens others. That's fair.

In a condominium, though, it appears that the condo documents override any lease or tenant's rights. If you have a pet in a condo with "no pets" in its documents, you can be ordered to get rid of your pet or move.

If you plug "ontario condominium tenant and pet" into Google, you'll get up information and the fourth link down leads you to a lawyer's website with newspaper articles on this issue. I haven't asked the lawyer for permission to link, which I must do, which will make accessing the information easier.

So, if you're a pet owner who doesn't want to be slapped with a court order demanding that you give up your pet or move (regardless of whether you own or rent):

1. Beware condo by-laws. Read them before you move in. Make sure they permit pets.

2. Beware any oral representations by a sales agent, they're not worth the paper they're not written on.

3. Do your own due diligence, demand the documents and make sure you get them and read them long before you're supposed to move into the unit.

Onwards and onwards.....

A candle, lit, flickers and goes out.

Rest in peace, Mac. You were a bright and shining light of love.

About Mac.

Velkommen to Propaganda Land! (one of them, anyway)

Seems like the government of China doesn't want the world or even people within China to know it's snatching dogs from their owners and beating them to death....China has blocked the My Dog Votes and the Vigil websites. Read about it here.

Are dog owners dissidents? Well, if they aren't, they darn well should be. Dog ownership, dog owners and dogs are under attack by animal rights extremists (who think that the animal's only right is to die, thanks PETA and HSUS), bottom-line-motivated media outlets controlled by a miniscule number of global conglomerates, lazy-a** vote-whoring and fear-mongering politicians, and the great uninformed and unwashed masses (delete the "m").

What will you do when they come for your dog? For your cat? For what remains of your rights, when you sat on your fat butt while everyone else had theirs whittled away?

Will anyone be left standing?

Guest column!

Courtesy of one of my all-time favourite writers, the author and publisher of Caveat.

Never rains but it pours.

OK, my DSL has died an untimely death because of problems with the ancient phone line (thanks, Bell, ya dorks, you were supposed to replace the line over a year ago), so I'm back on dialup which totally sux.

On top of very recently starting a new job and preparing to move from a house into an apartment (which means some serious downsizing and throwing-out), I have a very ill elderly parent and will be making many hospital trips to visit.

Sooo, my blog is going on hold for a while...guest columns welcome, you know where to send them.

Cheers.

And these, my friend, are desperate times

*** Please feel free to forward, cross-post, and share this website with everyone you can ***

Hi Everyone…..

Desperate times call for desperate measures . . . and that’s just what this is!

Go take a look! Bald Against BSL

This “stunt” is meant to do several things:

- to fundraise for the “Legal Challenge”

- to gain awareness for the "cause"

- to show just how serious and dedicated Tom and I are to rescue and to NOT GIVING UP on defeating this law!!!

- to hopefully inspire people to stand up for their rights as dog owners, as voters and know there is a HUGE support network beyond just us pushing to have this law repealed.

Please join us, please help . . . every 2 minutes, every $2 is greatly appreciated.

The money raised will be going to the Banned Aid Legal bills and AFTU to help cover the costs of the last few sets of "fugitives" we've transported out of province.

Thanking you in advance for your support,

Em

AFTU London
Advocates for the Underdog

Rescue - Education - Advocacy

Advocates for the Underdog
A Proud Member of the Banned Aid Coalition

Advocates for the Underdog

Banned Aid

Join: AFTU Yahoo Group

Visit our on-line AFTU store: AFTU Store

MY ONTARIO INCLUDES "PIT BULLS"

Little Red Riding Hood's Adventures in Rental Cottage Land

I’m searching for an apartment, after more than a decade in a house, in Toronto's currently hot downtown rental market. What an eye opener.

I’ve seen places where even the roaches got disgusted and were moving out…for four figures a month.
Others where I got claustrophobia before I'd even stepped in….for four figures a month.
Some where an obviously colour-blind or tasteless person did the painting and tiling *shudder*.
One where there will shortly be a 35-story condo construction site next door (blocking the whole balcony) for more than a year...for four figures a month. Sure, I want to pay four figures for dust and noise for more than a year, as well as blocked airflow and view, sign me up.

I love the ones that say "air conditioning available"...and you find that they've chopped a hole in the wall and stuck in a window air conditioner. That is not air conditioning, that's a waste of electricity.

Hey, when did concrete become a décor item? I’ve seen more unfinished concrete walls lately.…I’m told they’re “trendy”. Ya, and cheap to build, too. No drywall, no paint. You try to hang a picture on a concrete wall, good luck unless you have a power drill and a concrete bit. I wonder whether the concrete has been properly cured, or whether it will give off some luverly fumes for a while.

I know, I’m picky, but if I’m spending so much of my disposable income on my home, I’m entitled to be picky.

Onwards and.....onwards.

Light A Candle, Save A Life

From DogPolitics.com .

PLEASE CROSSPOST

Please join us on Sunday, August 19th at 8 PM to Light A Candle, Save A Life in the My Dog Votes 3rd Annual Worldwide Candlelight Vigil Against Breed Bans.

Take a stand against breed bans and tell the world to stop killing innocent dogs. This is a peaceful way to send a very powerful message that we have a voice and a vote, and that we need laws based on Deed, Not Breed.

LIGHT A CANDLE, SAVE A LIFE

In the spirit of Deed, Not Breed, we'd like to announce the launch of a new website as the official site of the vigil: Light a Candle Save A Life

LightACandleSave A Life.com has the news, information, and sharing to help people connect, get organized or just learn more about how they can help stop breed bans.

The history - we started the vigil three years ago to stand in solidarity with dog owners in Ontario, Canada, who were also holding a vigil to mark the enactment of the province-wide breed ban, and as the means to commemorate the breed ban that had just been re-enacted in Denver.

In 2005 - we posted it on the DogPolitics.com blog to tell the world that these horrific laws were killing innocent dogs - and hurting good dog owners. Today - the vigil as grown from 24 locations in 2005 to over 200 locations scheduled for 2007.

STAND UP FOR INNOCENT DOGS

We need you now more than ever, as breed bans, fear and ignorance are sweeping the world.

We invite you stand up for innocent dogs, no matter who you are, or where you may live.

You can hold just about any kind of vigil, whether it's a vigil for one in your own backyard or for one hundred of your closest friends or more in a public park.

Please do whatever is comfortable and meaningful for you.

SIGN UP ONLINE - IMPORTANT!
Please visit Light A Candle Save A Life and use the online Sign Me Up form - this helps us keep track of all the vigil locations - and please include your zip or postal code. This helps us to keep track of and map all of the vigil locations and help to connect all of you!

PUBLIC OR PRIVATE?

Also -using the online sign up form, please indicate whether your vigil be private - just you & friends - or will it be public - will you allow other people gather with you?

People are asking where they can find a local vigil & just want to know you're holding a public vigil in case someone in your area would like to join you, so please let us know.

SHARE PIX & VIDEO

Take pictures & videos! You can now easily share your vigil images and videos on YouTube and Flickr!

YouTube
http://youtube.com/group/MyDogVotesVigil

Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/groups/mydogvotesworldvigil

We've had lots of people take pictures of their vigil in the past& send us beautiful photos, which are now loaded into the Flickr flash badge. Also - anyone can join the My Dog Votes World Vigil YouTube group and add their videos there.

NEW VIGIL TOOLS!

Organizing a local vigil? Now you've got tools
Press Kit
Vigil Guide
Checklist
Online sign up form
Petitions
More on the way.

Thank you all for the work that you do each day, and thank you for standing up for innocent dogs and innocent dog owners. We can make a difference- and we can let the world know that we have a voice and we have a vote.

Please join the 3rd Annual My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigil Against Breed Bans on Sunday, August 19th at 8 PM and help us Light A Candle, Save A Life.

Thank you,

Barbara
My Dog Votes

PS - Tell a friend! - Send this email to all the dog lovers on your list & ask them to sign up today!

PPS - Please vote in your next local election for the dog-friendly candidate of your choice.

Nice bodyslam to HSUS

Read it here....

I personally am disgusted by an organization that collects millions and millions of dollars on the pretence that the money is for animals, but does not run one single animal shelter and pays its chief mouthpiece a six-figure salary.

I'm glad to see that HSUS's Katrina fund-sucking is being investigated. I remember one small charity that went to Katrin and actually rescued animals, being asked by HSUS for a boat so Wayne Pacelle or someone could showboat for the media. HSUS showed up with no supplies, no boats, no nothing.

Peta is being investigated by the DEA for use of restricted drugs. To kill animals and throw their bodies into dumpsters.

HSUS and Peta are, IMHO, political lobby groups that should not have tax-deductible status. I'd rather they disappeared.

Unwarranted persecution by tin-pot politicos

Read about it on Caveat.

This is what happens when the masses are lulled into complacency and swallow propaganda whole.

Don't be part of the masses. Educate yourself, inform yourself, and fight any government attempt to legislate any law-abiding citizen into second-class citizenship.

And VOTE on October 10, 2007.

KC Dog Blog strikes again

Interesting article on KC Dog Blog about how the Vick indictment may have caused a tipping point in the media...read it here.

Cartoonists take on Michael Vick

Gotta love these cartoons, see them here.

I have several faves, what are yours?

We should roast half-baked Dalton

One of Dalton McGuinty's lead advisors for his campaign put an incredibly offensive item on his blog, thinking it was "funny"...proving that there are too few brain cells and too much testosterone in McGuinty's campaign team. Read about it here, and here.

Dalton refuses to apologize to a female MPP (and the women of the province) for the behaviour of his lead advisor, but apologized quickly when a government drudge made an offensive remark in an e-mail and the media got their teeth into it.

McGuinty's refusal to apologize and his refusal to remove Warren Kinsella from his election team is a clear indicator of his stance on women's issues. This is unacceptable behavior on the part of the Premier of Ontario and given his track record of not thinking or apparently caring about women's issues (refer back to his plan to entrench shari'a law, religious law, in the Arbitration Act), leads me to believe that women should vote en masse against the Ontario Liberals.

Update on Nikko in Kansas City

Kansas City obviously picked up the idiots from several other villages.

Read the update on KC Dog Blog, and pray for Nikko, poor wee innocent beastie caught in political machinations.


Nikko....

Dogfighters are COWARDS.

Everyone is flapping their hands and yelping about Michael Vick being indicted for dogfighting. Yo, people, dogfighting has been going on for a very long time because some people are brain-dead, money-grubbing, low-life, violent, psychopathic COWARDS. Yes, COWARDS.

Think about it.

Do these people risk their own lives in a pit? No.
Are the dog owners shot, hung, electrocuted, drowned or beaten to death if their dogs lose? No.

It's a culture of money and violence that needs to be wiped out. It's a culture of psychopathy.

If Vick is convicted, I hope he and all his cohorts suffer the same fate the losing dogs did.

I'm living Groundhog Day

Did you ever see the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day? Where the lead character lives the same day over and over and over again?

Welcome to my life.

As I mentioned before, I'm job hunting. As part of the process, I'm doing "go sees" at personnel agencies. These experiences have not been pleasant.

Why do I send them a resume? They ask me to repeat all the information on the resume. Each and every blinkin' time.

Then there are the asinine tests. Typing. Spelling. Math. Alphabetizing lists. Yo, people, if I couldn't do these tasks, I wouldn't have been working as long as I have.

By the time I get to the "personal" interview, I'm snarling.

Perhaps this explains why I've never gotten a job through a personnel agency.

Added to the frustration is the fact that I've been hit with bird bombs twice this week. Not once, twice. Once on the sleeve of a new jacket that I was wearing for the first time, fortunately on the way home...and the second time, on the collar of a new shirt while I was on my way to work. Didn't know about it until a kind lady on the streetcar mentioned it to me. So I had to do laundry in the office washroom before I could go in. Thank heavens for those "stain pens", had one in my purse and it proved very useful. Being hit with a bird bomb is supposed to be good luck. For whom? I think those little feathered monsters have it in for me.

Onwards and...onwards.

AFTU needs you!

Advocates for the Underdog needs your help...contact info @ advocatesfortheunderdog.com (without the spaces, inserted to fool spambots) if you can contribute.

Rebellion against AB1634 in California

An article in the L.A. Times, read it here, detais a grassroots movement to fight the Peta-inspired Bill AB1634 designed to wipe out dogs and cats in california.

Interesting article....

....on the blog It's Nelly's World, read it here. Although the Akita people are going to freak.

But it won't be as interesting as the Auditor General's report on the committee grants slush fund, hehehe.

The NFL had better check ALL its players....

...because what this one is accused of doing is beyond comprehension. If convicted, I hope the judge(s) throw the book at Vick.

NFL star indicted over dog fighting.

I say anyone convicted of dog fighting should be treated like the dogs they killed.

If you think it's just "pit bulls"....WAKE UP.

Dublin, Ireland is banning 11 breeds in its council housing (equivalent to subsidized housing), regardless of the dog's behaviour and regardless of whether the owner is responsible. Either rehome your dog, or kill it.

Read about it here.

Hat tip to Caveat for the article.

Get a diploma for your dog!

The Dog Legislation Council of Canada is offering Canine Good Neighbor Days at the Barrie Kennel & Obedience Club Inc. Show August 4 & 5th, 2007.

Canadian Kennel Club certificate test - conducted by a CKC CGN Evaluator.

Fee for CGN is $35.00 per dog.

August 4th, 2007 - testing will be held on the Barrie Fair grounds. Please note only CKC registered dogs that are entered in either Agility or Conformation will be allowed in the area designated for these events.

August 5th, 2007 - testing will be held at Top Dog K9 Training Facility, 50 Wood Street in Barrie , Ontario

- Aug 4th CGN day will be held on show grounds so dogs must be entered exhibition only to attend show grounds. All dogs non purebred or not entered exhibition only will not be allowed in the designated areas for agility or conformation, but will be allowed in the CGN area. The Barrie Kennel & Obedience Club Show is held at the Barrie Events Centre at Essa and HWY.400 - exit 94

Aug 5th CGN day for all dogs including cross bred dogs.

To be held in conjunction with the Barrie Kennel & Obedience Club show but located at Top Dog K-9 Training Center at 50 Wood St. Barrie , On

Directions:
From Anne street to Campbell Ave. (which is the last street
Before Essa or the First one depending on which way on Anne St .
you are traveling.) From Campbell Ave you turn right onto
Alfred. Then turn left onto Wood St. We share an entrance with
Wellness Belts. http://tinyurl.com/2vynpo

Pre-book CGN testing by contacting:
events@doglegislationcouncilcanada.org
or call Lori at (705)435-3481

Blogger's Note: The CGN is a blast to do, it's great fun. I took a foster dog through it....she was passing with flying colours until the stay/come. She stayed...I called her....she came running to me...and PAST me....right to the gate that would let her out of the test area! OK, we flunked...but the audience loved us! *LOL*