For the Pit Bulls

Little Western Bluebird

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

In a Far Off Land

2012-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

There lives the Germingo. A rare Mexican Dingo bred with an all too common German Shepherd and birthed the almighty Germingo. Blue eyes optional.

Putz Didn't Sit on Command, Obviously Needed to be Killed

2012-01-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

Last year, a woman was spit on and her dog kicked by her ex-husband. When the ex-husband went to punch the woman, the dog grabbed the man's wrist. He did not puncture the skin. He grabbed, nipped, and let go of the man's wrist.

The dog, Putz, was taken by Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, and was evaluated after three months of confinement. He was neutered, at the expense of his guardian. She paid for his kenneling costs as well.

And then they went and killed him.

"Minneapolis Animal Care and Control provided the following observations as justification for PUtz's euthanization:
•    That Putz was territorial and guarded his cage.
•    That he didn’t sit on command.
•    That he didn't respond to the vet’s touch. Ignored her patting."

I was unaware that being untrained constituted a reason to kill a dog. Or being a territorial, social animal. Or not responding to a strange person's touch in a strange environment. Who knew? I mean, shit, Mina doesn't always sit on command, I should probably just kill her. And Celeste? Like when she needs to poop, she has zero recall skills - BLUE JUICE FOR YOU!

""large, has great strength and no particular interest in pleasing people, it is my opinion he is not an acceptable pet.""

That's a veterinarian. For one, a veterinarian is not a behaviorist. She is not an experienced dog trainer. For two, like has she even had dogs? What would you expect of a dog confined for three months in a shelter with no appropriate social interaction and no outlet for his frustration or pent up energy? The size of a dog is moot. The strength of a dog is moot, considering this dog exhibited extremely good bite inhibition when he didn't just eat the guy's arm. Pleasing people is not a trait that is necessary in order for a dog to a) enjoy a home w/ people; b) be good around people or c) be adopted. Dumb reasoning to take the life of a dog.

The woman wanted him back. She could not have him back in the state of Minnesota, because as a person with a felony on her record, she can only own dogs under 20 lbs. According to the animal protection group advocating for Putz, a sanctuary was willing to take the dog and not adopt him out. A judge denied that option.

So instead the dog who showed incredible bite inhibition during an act of protecting a member of his pack is dead.

This woman was not only a victim of domestic violence and abuse, she was a victim of a system that provided more protection to her abuser than to the beloved companion dog who saved her from a sucker punch to the face, possibly worse.

26 Years Ago: The Challenger

2012-01-28T15:08:00.001-08:00

From last year's post:

When I was five, I remember with excitement - along with all my other Kindergarten classmates - preparing to watch the first teacher, Christa McAuliffe, fly into space aboard the shuttle Challenger.

Schools across the country gathered their students, turned on the television to watch a teacher, one of our great educators, fulfill every child's dream of going to space, of traveling somewhere so foreign.

For 72 seconds, they were "normal" astronauts, lifting towards the stars. The next second, they disappeared.

For many of us young children, it was perhaps our first experience with death, that incomprehensible moment when a person, full of vitality and spirit, is here and then suddenly gone. I don't know if I understood the magnitude of that explosion, the arcing and billowing smoke. I knew it was not right.

How awkward it must have been for our teachers left on earth, left to face horror-struck children, left to try and explain what had happened.

We are all little moments in time. Beautiful, perfect moments. Cherish the seconds you have. It means something. I know it meant something to me as a 5-yr-old kid sitting in that California classroom. It means something to me now. For McAuliffe and the other astronauts, those 72 seconds were amazing and chilling and wondrous. But I wish I could erase that 73rd and bring them all back to be with us here on earth. I'm sorry I can't.

The Perfect Dog

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Is this not the most perfect dog?

True Story

2012-01-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I ran an errand before work, so I was an hour late.

I get a call from my friend and colleague.

Hey, what's up?

I was just calling to make sure you weren't dead in a ditch somewhere.

Um, thanks? Glad to know that's your first thought when I'm not on time!

But it did get me thinking - would anyone do that for you? Personally, I am glad to have a friend who checks in, even if it is to see if I'm dead in a ditch. : )

The Only Body Part Showing

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

When Mina sleeps - always under cover - the only body parts she likes exposed to the world are her feet. Sometimes her nose, but mostly her feet. This is her valiant attempt at thermoregulation until she is forced to emerge from the blanket world and pant like a normal dog.

This Dog Peed on My Car

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is the resident Chihuahua at a local print company. He saw Mina in the car and was all HEY HOT STUFF! and Mina was all LITTLE DOG, BE MY FRIEND! OR ELSE! and then he escaped out into the parking lot and peed on my car. Jerk.

Holding Back the Beast

2012-01-25T08:00:00.001-08:00

For reals. It took all my strength to avoid a major mauling from a 35 lb dog of doom.

Begging, It's How I Roll

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

As you know (just pretend you do), this is my year. If it is my year, it is also Mina's year. Hence all these posts and photos about Mina.

Anyways, this is how Mina begs. She sits and falls asleep. On numerous occasions I have told her this is lousy begging. She responds by nearly falling over unconscious. I feel so bad for her near collision with the floor that I let her lick the plate.

Oh My, What a Large Head You Have

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

It is one of the many reasons why I love Pit Bulls. Their heads. I feel this way about any dog with a disproportionately large and smooshable head. Mina's head is not as squishy as the heads of other Pit Bulls, but it still exceeds the narrow, hard edges of Celeste's noggin.

When I try to manipulate Celeste's face, there isn't enough skin. And she gets annoyed with me. And she yells at me. And she runs away from me and tells me to stop it or she will go back to Mexico and start bottling water for a living.

But Mina! Mina revels in the stretching of her ample mouth-cheek skin. She loves it when I pinch her cheeks. She tells me to invest in plastic surgery and give her MORE skin. I tell her that she will keep getting more skin as she ages. She thinks this is grand.

What "Go" Means to my Mina and Celeste

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Whereas *I* envision "go" to mean "leave this room now and do not come back until i'm done eating", Mina and Celeste translate "go" to "if she cannot see my eyes, she cannot see me lying here reverse begging".

Toys Should Not Crawl up Sofas

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's like that postal service commercial with the creepy clown. If you get what I'm talking about, your Awesome Sauce Points went up in my book.

Anyways, this is a dog toy. It's a snowman climbing up my sofa. IT IS CREEPY.

What I'm Currently Reading - The Sweetheart Season

2012-01-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

I'm uber awful at describing books I'm reading.

This one is hilarious. Karen Joy Fowler is always funny, like sardonic wit funny.

Dynamic Duo of Tragedy

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously.

Tail to Nose

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Mina uses her tail to cover her nose or just drape it casually over her face.

On stars

2012-01-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

From the sweetheart season:

The stars have always made people feel small. Depending on what size you think people ought to be, this message is either cold or comforting. It is only us and only now, after all those centuries, finally drowning them onto silence with our own innumerable lights.

Painted Flowers

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Not made by me.

Come Hither or Go Away, You Decide

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell if this is Celeste's "come hither" look or one of her "i am so tired of you photographing me" looks.

Stop Internet Censorship

2012-01-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

Do it.

Censorship is ugly. It is a form of oppression. The internet is one of the few places where real expression - good and bad - is permitted without much oversight from outside sources.

The Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA is trying to deny you your free speech rights. Seriously, it is personal.

"On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity. We need internet companies to follow Reddit's lead and stand up for the web, as we internet users are doing every day."

If you so choose, you can blackout your website or blog tomorrow in support of preserving free speech on the internet.

Tomorrow, I will be posting. But it will be censored.

A Shiny Bauble for the Road

2012-01-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have this fancy hair thing that is shiny. I never wear it, but it sure is pretty. Mina would look good wearing it. If she had hair.

Mina Loves "Grandpa" and Football

2012-01-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Just kidding about football, Mina could care less. But her caregiver (me) and minion (me) was happy to see the Giants win so that the 49ers could beat them next week in SF. Truth.

It is very true that Mina loves my dad.

True story: When I first adopted Mina, my dad was scared of her. She liked licking him, especially around the face and throat (she still does) and he thought this disconcerting. This was 10 years ago. She was this adult Pit Bull from a shelter with an unknown history and he thought she might turn on me, like those Pit Bulls in the news. As a joke, I told him "no problem!" and shared with him my secret knowledge of Pit Bull "pre-mauling" behavior.

Like when a Pit Bull gets on their belly and crawls across the floor. Or when a Pit Bull spins in a circle, does the frog maneuver or taste-tests your throat. All pre-mauling behavior.

There was a moment when my dad honestly believed me. He glared at me for awhile after I confirmed it was a lie. But it's a running joke, even today.

It did not take long for Mina to worm her way into my dad's heart, and now he is an avid defender of Pit Bulls or at least of Mina. :) As you can see, my dad will even interrupt watching football to give Mina some affection and attention.

I love them both.

Oh My Darling Clementine

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love Cuties Clementines. It's one of the easiest ways for me to get my daily fruit requirements, because I am a lazy vegan. True. They have no seeds, are bite sized (two bites, if you're me), and easy to peel (no sticky mess). They are a hit with lazy vegans and children alike.

Sea shells

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

By the seashore, on a necklace.

What is on your head, little one

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am hoping by scheduling this post for 10 days after I actually wrote it, that I will be pleasantly surprised and overjoyed to see Mina's sad little face staring balefully up at me from the computer screen.

Mina is styling in headgear I created. It's a new art I am encouraging dog lovers to explore. Take a stuffed toy, let your dog de-stuff, then strap that bad ass toy to your dog's head. Take a picture. Use instagram to snazz it up. Or don't. Whatever.