Hi all,
i know I've been scarce for quite some time. I don't like that. I wish i was making time to blog at least a few times a week. Well, i guess that's another goal to shoot for.
When i was living with my Mom (parents were separated) we had a few different dogs: poodles, collie mix, jack russel, american staffordshire terrier, and i know there were more but i can't remember them right now.
There are two breeds that i have loved for as long as i can remember and i do want one of each breed. First Love is American Staffordshire Terriers and Second Love is Yorkshire Terriers. I know they're quite opposites, but they are my loves when it comes to dogs.
I have been looking a LOT on petfinder and also searching information on these breeds, and one day i came across something that said American Staffordshire Terriers are BANNED in ontario just because they are considered Pit Bulls!!! What crazy messed up shit is this!!!!!!!!!!!!! That! was my first reaction. Reasons:
It is sooooo wrong to ban a breed, it is not the dog or the breed that is bad, it is the irresponsible owner, or the owner that has taught the dog to be aggressive and attack. They are the ones the government should have gone after, not a whole breed of dogs. Oh I completely understand that the government felt they had to get a handle on dog attacks and get control of the situation to eradicate all dog attacks. Think of this, you ban pit bulls in a certain area and those former-owners of attacking pit bulls WILL find another breed that they can train to attack!!
Instead of banning a breed i wish the government of ontario had done what other areas have done with much success and this is put restrictions on the owners of the breeds to make the owners more responsible. The owner(s) that allow a pit bull to get loose and it ends up attacking, it's not the dog's fault it was only doing what it was taught to do, it is the owner's fault and the owner is punished.
By the way a 'pit bull' is not a breed, following are the breeds that are most commonly referred to as pit bulls......
American Bull Terriers
American Staffordshire Terriers
Staffordshire Bull Terriers
American Pit Bull Terriers
However, many of the general public will look at many dogs of other breeds and assume they are pit bulls simply because of that person's interpretation of what a pit bull should look like. I had found a great site yesterday of a little game where you need to pick out a pit bull. Basically it has several different pictures of dogs of different breeds and you click on the picture and it will tell what breed that dog is. Now i know a lot and a lot about pit bulls and it took me 4 tries before i actually successfully picked out the pit bull. I wish i could remember where that site was. it's a good thing to try it takes only a few seconds and it's fun and more informative that you might think...I'll look for that site and when i find it again i will post it for you to try out.
Now, i ended up speaking to animal control here in the city i live in and she did agree with me that breed specific legislation(meaning laws that ban a specific breed)is wrong. She was able to give me more information than i had. Apparently any 'pit bulls' born before 2005 are allowed here as long as they have papers that prove their date of birth thus showing that they are 6yrs old or above and they MUST be spayed/neutered.
I was glad to finally be able to speak to someone who could tell me more, at least now i know that i can have my Am Staff as long as i can meet the above requirements and of course i will need to be a responsible owner and keep my dog on leash at all times that he is outside, some areas in ontario will also require a musle(sp?). Also in order to be a responsible owner of such a dog plenty of exercise (on leash!!) is a must and obedience training. Now i know some people are short on cash in the current economy but you can do obedience training at home with your dog yourself.
I'm signing off on this topic for now but i have a feeling i may need to revisit this topic in the future!
Hugs, Dixtra
XOXO
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
12 August 2011
16 July 2011
An issue very close to my heart
Hello,
I've been very busy for the last 4-5 weeks and part of that is that i've been spending a lot of time on petfinder, you see since i still can't get the okay from my doctor to have a job and go to work, i did get her to agree to volunteering and she said i couldn't go over 15 hrs per week. So this is a positive beginning in my opionion. At least she is letting me do something!!
Now, I may not have mentioned Muffy before but he has filled my heart ever since i first saw him as a young puppy. My Mom had him at this point in time and i begged her to let me have him!! Well, she said no and kept saying no. I did manage to find a way to share an apartment with my Mom for a year and at that point in time Muffy was about 2 yrs.(Muffy is a Bichon Maltese mix and as of today he is 6yrs)
None of my pleas for my dear Muffy succeeded until last summer. My Mom was getting really stressed because Muffy has sensitive skin and certain types of material or surfaces, etc can cause him to develop rashes that take medications and a lot of extra care to cure. I completely understood my Mom's frustration and even though she didn't say so i felt that at her age the extra care he needed at those times was a bit hard on her. You see my Mom spent most of her life caring for others, in her career, with her siblings, my sister and I. I truly believe that now she is better with a pet that does not need so much care. So last summer i succeeded in my dream of having Muffy share my home and he has enriched my life so very much. If i woke up tomorrow and he wasn't here i would be soooo lost and despairing, but he's here and i show him my love and appreciation all day long.
On a side note, since Muffy came to live with me, my Mom has acquired a new pet. I was with her when she bought her Guinea Pig, she generously allowed me to name him 'Robin'. Mom and Robin have been doing very well!!
So back to my wanting to volunteer...i started spending time on petfinder because i am searching for a shelter/rescue where i can volunteer and hopefully make a difference, on my profile on petfinder i have indicated that i am interesting in fostering. As i've been searching through the different organizations that make use of petfinder one thing is common through most of them...most rescue organizations work solely on foster home basis as they operate solely from donations and cannot afford a building or shelter compound to be able to house and care for in that way for the overwhelming number of animals that need to be saved.
Tonite i came across a rescue organization that specializes in helping/fostering/looking for forever homes for animals whose owners have died, therefore these animals have become orphans. My heart truly goes out to these orphans.(It looked to me like they take in only cats and dogs, but i'm not 100% sure on that)
These orphans were very loved by their owners and are now confused and unsure of all that is going on, I myself suspect they don't understand why their owners have not come back to them. I often wish I could learn dogspeak so that i could effectively talk to these sweethearts and discuss with them what is going on and find out what emotions they are going through. I've always been a good listener and i know for humans it's healthier for them to talk about what is bothering them. I'm sure it's the same for dogs and i wish i could help. I hope that they're able to talk to other dogs and get some release and relief in that way.
On the site of this rescue organization they had a video that was very touching and i felt informative as well and i wanted to share it so that as many people as possible can be informed if they are not already that there is a very important need to make provisions in your will for the care of your pet in the event that it outlives you. So i am trying to for the first time to include this video and i hope this works, if it doesn't i'll have to edit this post and try to figure out something else, so here goes my first ever effort to share a video.
Hugs,
Dixtra
XOXO
I've been very busy for the last 4-5 weeks and part of that is that i've been spending a lot of time on petfinder, you see since i still can't get the okay from my doctor to have a job and go to work, i did get her to agree to volunteering and she said i couldn't go over 15 hrs per week. So this is a positive beginning in my opionion. At least she is letting me do something!!
Now, I may not have mentioned Muffy before but he has filled my heart ever since i first saw him as a young puppy. My Mom had him at this point in time and i begged her to let me have him!! Well, she said no and kept saying no. I did manage to find a way to share an apartment with my Mom for a year and at that point in time Muffy was about 2 yrs.(Muffy is a Bichon Maltese mix and as of today he is 6yrs)
None of my pleas for my dear Muffy succeeded until last summer. My Mom was getting really stressed because Muffy has sensitive skin and certain types of material or surfaces, etc can cause him to develop rashes that take medications and a lot of extra care to cure. I completely understood my Mom's frustration and even though she didn't say so i felt that at her age the extra care he needed at those times was a bit hard on her. You see my Mom spent most of her life caring for others, in her career, with her siblings, my sister and I. I truly believe that now she is better with a pet that does not need so much care. So last summer i succeeded in my dream of having Muffy share my home and he has enriched my life so very much. If i woke up tomorrow and he wasn't here i would be soooo lost and despairing, but he's here and i show him my love and appreciation all day long.
On a side note, since Muffy came to live with me, my Mom has acquired a new pet. I was with her when she bought her Guinea Pig, she generously allowed me to name him 'Robin'. Mom and Robin have been doing very well!!
So back to my wanting to volunteer...i started spending time on petfinder because i am searching for a shelter/rescue where i can volunteer and hopefully make a difference, on my profile on petfinder i have indicated that i am interesting in fostering. As i've been searching through the different organizations that make use of petfinder one thing is common through most of them...most rescue organizations work solely on foster home basis as they operate solely from donations and cannot afford a building or shelter compound to be able to house and care for in that way for the overwhelming number of animals that need to be saved.
Tonite i came across a rescue organization that specializes in helping/fostering/looking for forever homes for animals whose owners have died, therefore these animals have become orphans. My heart truly goes out to these orphans.(It looked to me like they take in only cats and dogs, but i'm not 100% sure on that)
These orphans were very loved by their owners and are now confused and unsure of all that is going on, I myself suspect they don't understand why their owners have not come back to them. I often wish I could learn dogspeak so that i could effectively talk to these sweethearts and discuss with them what is going on and find out what emotions they are going through. I've always been a good listener and i know for humans it's healthier for them to talk about what is bothering them. I'm sure it's the same for dogs and i wish i could help. I hope that they're able to talk to other dogs and get some release and relief in that way.
On the site of this rescue organization they had a video that was very touching and i felt informative as well and i wanted to share it so that as many people as possible can be informed if they are not already that there is a very important need to make provisions in your will for the care of your pet in the event that it outlives you. So i am trying to for the first time to include this video and i hope this works, if it doesn't i'll have to edit this post and try to figure out something else, so here goes my first ever effort to share a video.
Hugs,
Dixtra
XOXO
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