I gotta tellya, I find Mint Records to be a maddeningly inconsistent label, albeit one with a ridiculous amount of spirit propelling it forward (hear/sample some of it via the two FREE MP3s posted below). 

It’s a Team Mint Xmas Vol. 2, sure enough, does double duty when it comes to testing my patience, its songs jumping wildly from rock-a-billy-fried punk to Ventures-esque instrumental rock to Social Distortion/Mike Ness-style acoustic storytelling to ecstatic pop with no twee reservations. None.

There’s no telling where a Christmas party with this many mixed nuts will take you. Ever found yourself in a hot tub with three naked elves? I didn’t think so …

Highlights of the second “Team Mint Xmas” include:

• Carolyn Mark’s savvy blend of Neko Case country-indie and Folk Uke whimsy;
• A T-in-cheek tune from Young and Sexy, a smear of Kim Deal/Breeders cool but, you know, piano-led;
• A delightful genre-skipping instrumental from Atomic 7;
• Speedballs-a-plenty from The Ramblin’ Ambassadors, retro garage-rockin’ with reindeer;
• Many, many more Canadian indie-rock artists.

What more do you need to know, dummy? GET ON IT and listen/investigate this in a manner befitting the stingiest audio gumshoe. NOW.

Atomic 7 - “Senor Santa El Es el Monstruo“

The Ramblin’ Ambassadors – “Don’t Fear the Reindeer”

Why do I even bother trying to read women’s magazines anymore? Today’s rag was New (I think… they’re all the same), and of course, the front cover was all about how ‘Christmas is all about teh kids!11!!1′. We had some chick of GMTV with her new baby, and some girl from X Factor (the UK version of American Idol) talking about how great it it is to be back with her kid.

Let me fill you in on the X Factor woman. Basically, she popped one out at 17, and is a single mum. Then, she went on the X Factor, and spent every second whinging about missing her kid. You know what lady? Kid has to come first. You kept him, you have to spend time with him. If you don’t want to be apart from him, don’t bugger off on the x Factor for ages. I’m pretty sure she’ll be pulling the same selfish bullshit when the X Factor tour kicks off.

The other lady is a presenter on the morning news type show called GMTV. It’s pretty naff, I don’t watch it. But anyway, Kate Garraway has dropped a sprog, and, as she has a collumn in this particular magazine, we get to hear alll about the thing. Don’t get me wrong, she’s always struck me as a pretty decent parent. However, talking about ‘how exiting his first Christmas will be’ and dressing him up as an elf/reindeer/tiny santa/gingerbread man is pathetic. Is the wee thing going to give a damn about Christmas? Of course not. He’s going to do the same thing he does every day. Suck on a tit and crap his pants. He won’t remember a damn second of it. The entire day (dress up included) is designed for Mumsy to feel good. She is motivated by selfishness, yet has convinced herself ‘it’s all for the baby’. Very sad. All that’s going to happen is the poor thing is going to grow up, get a girlfriend, and have his mum show her pictures of him dressed as an elf. Wonderful.

This magazine is a real breederfest. We get Peter Andre’s ‘parenting’ collumn, we get constant references to everyone as ‘miss x, mother of 2′ regardless of what the article is about, and pretty much every interview the do, regardless of the topic, contains the question ’so, when are you going to get married and have kids?’. Sickening..

On a semi-related note, congratulations to Rage Against the Machine for getting the UK Christmas number one, and beating Joe McSomethingorother from the X Factor. I contributed, as did many friends of mine, and we can’t wait for the concert!

Once again there are a bunch of anti-regulation/dogs are property-no more, no less folks who find every way imaginable to claim that any seizure or rescue of a breeder’s animals is unfair, wrong, illegal, unconstitutional, theft, WHATever.

To their minds, a dog in a neglectful home is better off than that same dog in a shelter – but god forbid we should ask those same apologists to adequately fund shelters!

And if a breeder wants to leave their dogs exposed to all manner of weather, with minimal vet care or human contact or even exercise, well, that’s their right, right? Right?

Wrong.

While I can almost see the argument to consider dogs as property, they are a special class of property in that they are living beings, and, under law, are considered companion animals.

As such, they require adequate food, water, shelter, vet care and socialization. If they are being used to make (mill) more dogs for the sake of profit, then vet care must be more than adequate, it must meet the need to protect consumers and their families and friends from diseases that could be carried by said ‘property.’

Which means that ‘property’ must be wormed, vaccinated, treated for any bacterial or viral diseases. And it must be what it is both implied and inferred to be – a COMPANION animal. Socialized. Biddable. Which means that it cannot be removed from mother and siblings too early (much of a puppy’s restraint is taught by its mother and littermates) and it should be handled gently and lovingly while still young so that it learns that humans are good things to have around. It should not be tossed around or struck or yelled at, or stuck away in a dark cage.

I certainly do not consider my dogs to be mere property. They are companions, housemates, helpers, entertainers, teachers, students, and so much more. It took each of them time to get to that point. One was used as bait in a dog fighting operation, one was left with an injured eye untreated until a rescue stepped in to take over his care. Another two were abandoned as strays by those who couldn’t be bothered to tag or chip or contain their animals, even those who could have served them well as herders and guardian dogs.

My other dog was not mistreated, but was simply imperfect and therefore not saleable. Rescue stepped in before he could be put down as a waste of food. He lacked early nutrition and never learned much from his mother, but he’s coming along nicely now. Were he simply property, he would likely have been dead before I could ever have heard of him.

There have been several seizures across the country this past week. The conspiracy theorists blame it on shelters needing dogs to sell. Yeah, right. They don’t consider that when a woman says she just put the pups outside (in subfreezing temperatures) while she cleaned their cages, she might have been ‘cleaning cages’ all day without consideration for the dogs in the freezing weather. One conspiracist’s response was that they’re dogs, they SHOULD be outside.

Now, I’m a believer in fresh air and sunlight and exercise and all, but puppies without shelter (or, apparently, their mother) do NOT belong out in the cold for prolonged periods of time.

It’s interesting, too, to see the apologists humming right along until it is their own breed that has been put at risk. Then, suddenly, there ought to be a law and that law damn well better be enforced.

There are laws. They are being tweaked and improved and made easier to enforce. And they will be.

Those who abuse living beings, human or ‘property,’ will face justice. If not now, later. Apologize for the abusers all you want, neither God nor Karma will be swayed.

#20 “Bird flu” M.I.A. (2006)

One of the most important and subversive artists to come out of this decade was Sri Lankan-born London art student, Maya Arulpragasam. But it’s not the political and gender insurgencies that I love about this song – it’s the onslaught of percussion and the loop of an agitated chicken squawk. When asked why she chose “Bird Flu” as the song’s title, M.I.A. has responded, “Because this beat gon kill everyone!”

#19 “Parting Gift” Fiona Apple (2005)

“I opened my eyes while I was kissing you once (more than once) / and you looked as sincere as a dog / just as sincere as a dog does / when it’s the food on your lips with which it’s in love”.

#18 “Off You” Breeders (2002)

Kim Deal makes creating genius music seem so easy. There’s always a strong sense of melody in her songs and this one is very touching and mysterious with just a sprinkle of creepiness and unease to keep you on your toes.

#17 “Elbows” Darren Hanlon (2006)

This is a song by my favourite Australian singer-songwriter of the decade about brushing shoulders with a “beautiful actress” on a dancefloor, “We only touched elbows, felt our bones clank together / and then the moment was over in a falling feather / an accident, sure, but it happened, I’ll wrangle / our elbows did touch, our arms at right angles.” Drummer Bree Van Ryke is a little-known national treasure.

#16 “Troubled Waters” Cat Power (2000)

This is the most moving vocal performance of the decade.

Not only did she have 3 of her own offspring, but she also adopted 3 children.  Thus making her a harbinger of  death and an enemy!  Adopting babies from hostile third world countries is more heinous a crime than adopting children from leading nations.  This is because you are taking the child, whose parents did the right thing and abandoned it and left it defenceless, out of the grasp of the inevitable process of being weeded out naturally.  Had Maddox been left to stay in Cambodia, there is a good chance that he would have wound up either working in a sweatshop, sold into white slavery, a starving street urchin and ultimately dead.  Instead this manipulative bastard has worked his way into a lavish home in holywood.  Let this be a lesson, NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ENEMY!!!

Subsequently she adopted two other children and had 3 children on her own.  She is a Sympathizer and an enemy to our cause.  Boycott her!  Shut her down!  We must see to it that she no longer works and is forced to give up her children as well as not be able to afford any more!!

I am enjoying this band a bit and only found out after the fact that they are from Ohio. I swear. They are called the Heartless Bastards and the song is The Mountain. I am almost positive this was recommended to me by someone, but for the life of me I cannot remember who. So if you are that reason, please forgive me. More than likely, it is from this blog as she has recommended (either directly or indirectly) almost every new song I have listened to in the last year. And perhaps even this one.

MP3: Heartless Bastards-The Mountain

Visit their site* or buy the song from iTunes.

Not for nothing, but there have been quite a few bands coming from O-H-I-O (what’s round on the end and high in the middle?). In case you want to reference some (and you know you do, you displaced Midwesterners (who are invariably not living in the Midwest when I meet them)), take a look at a partial list:

1. The Breeders (and any subsequent Deal sister spinoff)
2. The Pretenders
3. Devo
4. The National
5. The Black Keys
6. Nine Inch Nails (now it is veering out of music I actually like)
7. Guided by Voices

I remember my undergraduate years in Dayton when the Breeders got big (they are from there), there subsequent drug issues and reconfiguration as some semi-decent bands, including The Kelley Deal 6000 and The Amps. The Breeders made one of my favorite songs of all time, which YouTube has been so graciously willing to provide.

* Why am I less inclined to criticize a band’s website for using ridiculous intro graphics when I don’t apply that same standard to restaurant websites? I think I just have developed another contradiction, but I am sure the internal friction will do the old creative soul good.

We are in the Humane Society’s third annual Puppy Mill Action Week and here in West Virginia, where there are no Puppy Mill Regulation Laws (nor are there any in our neighbors, Virginia and Maryland… although our other neighbor, Pennsylvania, does regulate dog raising), I’m starting to get the word out.

Take a look at this:

The Humane Society estimates that there are approximately 10,000 puppy mills currently operating around the country. Many sell directly to the public, especially through the internet, disguised as small farm breeders.

One thing YOU can do is to encourage your local pet shop to join the Puppy Friendly Pet Store Initiative… you can get information on it here at the Humane Society’s web site.

Nestle and Byron (my doggies… one that we bought from a legitimate Connecticut breeder and the other that we rescued from a West Virginia shelter) and I hope you will get involved in this effort.

I grew up near Chicago. At the time I knew little of puppy mills or dog auctions or any of the miserable ways companion animals were exploited for proft.

I do know now. I’ve seen it, I’ve cleaned up after the mess, I’ve helped to rehab some of the victims. I like to think that my thinking has evolved.

Apparently there are still too many who just haven’t quite gotten it yet. Or maybe they just don’t want to. After all, if they admitted to the realities of puppy mills, they might have to admit that their participation in a throw-away culture could be part of the problem. If they have gotten a dog on a whim, without planning, research and commitment to the animal for the whole life of that animal… well, failure on any of those counts does, indeed, contribute to the problem.

I just found out that there is a pet store selling puppies near where I grew up. It used to be that you either found a breeder (not an easy task years ago) or went to the shelter for a pet. Not so any more!

Between the Internet, slick salesmen and people’s increasing willingness to hawk anything for a buck, you rarely have to spend more than 15 minutes looking for whatever purebreed or mix you want. And many of those selling those dogs would deny with their dying breath that they are puppy millers or that puppy mills even exist.

Sigh.

I haven’t yet had the opportunity to go looking for the physical publication, but I am willing to take the word of the Chicago Dog Training Examiner on the Examiner.com when she writes “according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a “Puppy Mill” is defined as “a commercial farming operation in which purebred dogs are raised in large numbers” – a definition with which I agree (even if the dictionary weren’t referenced!).

I wish that I could believe that all state and federal inspectors had the best interests of the dogs at heart, but I have seen some of them who just want to be pals with everybody, including the “commercial kennel” operators whose mantra seems to be out of sight (even if not out of hearing range), out of mind. I’ve been to auctions attended by those federal and state inspectors where outdated medications and vaccinations were sold off along with other equipment and where lack of teeth, eyes, or limbs were seen as no obstacle (and perhaps even a plus) to the dog doing its job of making lots more dogs.

Heck, one of the reasons all those ‘other’ registries got started was so that dogs could be sold with papers without having to go through all of the inconvenience of providing a paper (and occasionally DNA) trail to the AKC.

I have seen cages stacked on top of each other, sick dogs sold, dogs that have been injected to mask symptoms until well after the sale was completed. I’ve seen people with a lot of dogs whose dogs are well cared for – those are people who breed ONLY when they have enough background on their dogs’ pedigrees and health histories and when they honestly believe that they can produce dogs that will be better than the current generation.

I’ve seen backyard breeders who realize their dog was coming into heat who call out for a male of the same breed, background be damned, they just don’t want to miss the opportunity for a few extra bucks.

Companion animals should be just that – companions. Not profit centers. Not machinery to produce goods for sale.

Our dogs give us their trust, their devotion, their protection, their companionship.

Can’t we give them the dignity and care they deserve, by treating them as living beings rather than a crop?

It’s a slippery slope out there.  Legalize marriage between a man and a woman, and soon you’ll have all sorts of people knocking on the State’s door expecting the same recognition.  If straight people can enter into a contract of marriage, raise children (children!) together, use their partner’s health insurance, hold hands in public, and have reliable access to mental health services, everyone will expect such special treatment.

We are all aware of the aberrant nature of heterosexuality, since many fifty-foot plastic billboards have been erected by heterosexuals across the nation advertising the availability of members of the heterosexual “female” group for the sexual consumption of members of the “male” group.  A deeply ingrained facet of heterosexual culture is an inability to conceive of sex as a mutual pursuit of pleasure motivated by affection, rather than a performance motivated by pressure to conform.  Need for approval from other heterosexuals has driven the spiraling beauty crisis, in which large numbers heterosexual “females” starve themselves, obtain deleterious surgeries, and smear carcinogenic powder on their faces in response to stylized portrayals of “females” who meet the impossible heterosexual beauty standard as the exclusive objects of “male” desire in the heterosexual media.  Straights cloak their dissatisfaction with stereotyped sex roles – e.g. “male” hyperaggression, “female” obsequiousness – with feeble humor about “miscommunication.”

As if that weren’t enough, radical heterosexual activists such as Phyllis Schlafly have been known to argue that heterosexual men should be allowed to rape* their “marital” sex partners – yet from within the perverted straight Weltanschauung, this is cold logic and gospel truth, since heterosexual “marriage” is all about normalizing their morally incontinent passions.  Consent does not matter to such deviants.  Allowing them to enter into “marriage” would surely lead to generalized indulgence in disgusting paraphilias: among heterosexual practices are zoophilia, pedophilia, coprophilia, necrophilia, asphyxophilia, olfactophilia, oculophilia, catheterophilia, acrotomophilia, hybristophilia, klismaphilia, stigmatophilia, dendrophilia, somnophilia, trichophilia, peodiktophilia, mucophilia, menophilia, kleptophilia, gerontophilia, hemotigolagnia, narratophilia, gynandromorphophilia, formicophilia, emetophilia, antholagnia, harpaxophilia, parthenophilia, and orgasms.  Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Mao and Andrew Jackson were all heterosexual.

Heterosexual marriage is a covenant with the Devil.

* “I think that when you get married you have consented to sex. That’s what marriage is all about.”

I loooove hula hooping! I also loooove music! Combine these 2 and there you’ll have my reason to wake up and get moving around. Hula hooping makes me dig through my collection and listen to songs I had other wise forgotten about through the years.  So, If anyone is looking for ideas, check these out. Feel free to share your faves with me as well… I’m always looking for new jams!

1. Divine by Sebastien Tellier
2. Blood from a Stone by Hanne Hukkelberg
3. What the World Is Wating For by Stone Roses
4. World Clique by Deee-Lite
5. Digital Love by Daft Punk
6. French Navy by Camera Obscura
7. Back That Thang Up by Juvenile
8. Divine Hammer by Breeders
9. Earth Intruders by Bjork
10. Freakshow by Cure
11. Do It To It by Fannypack
12. I’m Good, I’m Gone by Lykke Li
13. Around the World (intro, rumba) by Senor Coconut & His Orchestra
14. Saturdays by Cut Copy
15. No Pussy Blues by Grinderman
16. Room to Breathe by Hangar 18
17. Margaya by The Fender Four
18. Close Your Eyes by Ian McCulloch
19. The Dream Machine by Sukia
20. Everything’s Fine by Adorable
21. Inclined to Vomit by Adult.
22. Egg Man by Beastie Boys
23. En Particulier by Blonde Redhead
24. Strange Fruit by Catherine Wheel
25. Beef Jerky by Cibo Matto

Dog breeders in Northern Ireland call for proper regulation of their industry and for the Department of Agriculture to ban people convicted of cruelty from keeping animals…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: farm. The blog is also related to: farm.

Original posting: Friday, October 3, 2008

Whether the dog is to have other additions to his resume, such as hunting dog, guard dog, competition dog etc., first and foremost he must be a companion animal and that means being capable of living in the human world. The only way to make this possible and stress free for dog and owner is to socialise, socialise, socialise.

The root of socialisation is the person who is responsible for the puppy coming into the world.  So in this post we are going back a little further – right to the beginning.

Why breeders?

Well breeders have great responsibilities when it comes to socialisation, some beginning before the puppies are even born.

Breeder responsibilities in relation to socialisation include:

• making the decision to breed – it is hard work, not terribly profitable (if done right), a huge responsibility, possibly contributing to an already over-populated Irish re-homing system
• the genetic combination of the sire (father) and dam (mother) – these will have direct effects on the health and future well being of the puppies – genetics is complicated and unless fully understood you may be playing with fire
• caring for the dam throughout her pregnancy – this will also have a direct effect on the health and future well being of the puppies
• handling the puppies from day one
• gradually increasing the amount of interaction the puppy has with the outside world - and supervising that interaction to ensure that the puppies have suitable experiences in their early lives
• advising new and prospective owners – about puppy care, breed issues and matching pets and people
• thoroughly assessing new owners and placing puppies in suitable new homes
• offering guidance, support and advice for the rest of that puppy’s life – it doesn’t end when they leave for their new life

What can breeders do to socialise puppies?

First they must fully commit to fulfill each of the above responsibilities ( and more).

Secondly, they must have a complete socialisation plan to work through during their time with the puppies. Ideally the dam and any other dogs in contact with the litter are well socialised pets too, if not this may not be the best environment in which to bring more puppies.

Thirdly, they must develop the best rearing environment that will help to have puppies prepared for the pet life by the time they are ready to go to their new homes.

The dam should be introduced to her whelping box, which will be her nest, early on in her pregnancy. Anything that the dam is expected to have with her after the puppies are born should be introduced well before the birth. She should be allowed to sleep and spend time in her whelping box with her favourite bedding and toys.

Setting up a long term confinement area, such as is used for house training puppies, will mean that she can spend plenty of time there and she will be comfortable with this set up after the puppies are born.

By providing a toileting area of turf and grass at the opposite end of the confinement area, you will easily toilet train the puppies – this will greatly help in homing the puppies and make clean up easy.

Socialisation Plan for Breeders:

The first two weeks:

Puppies at this stage should spend all of their time with their canine family but the dam should get the opportunity to ‘escape’ from her litter for a break.

On the first two days of life, the primary care giver should pick up each puppy, weigh and check them.
After this period, or as soon as the dam will tolerate it, different people types (various men, various women, various children) should handle the puppies daily – always under the supervision of the primary care giver.
It is a good idea that the primary care giver is the only one to remove and replace puppies in the nest and then hand them to others – this will depend on the tolerance level of the dam; it is essential that she is not distressed.

Mild stressors that can be used include weighing each puppy on a cold surface and holding the puppy gently on one side for 10 seconds. These should be applied daily by various categories of people along with plenty of gentle handling, pass the puppy and cuddles.

This is a busy time for young puppies!

Their sensory and motor skills develop greatly as they begin to place their legs underneath their body and by the end of the third week they can wobble and walk a bit.
They are able to eliminate on their own, begin to lap and chew, their first teeth emerge and they begin to wag their tails and demonstrate many doggie communication behaviours.

As their hearing improves they should be introduced to a variety of mild sounds.
I highly recommend the use of sound CDs that have recordings of different sounds such as household noises, children noises, traffic sounds, thunder etc. These should be played at low levels while the puppies feed or play. If any puppy shows the slightest bit of discomfort the volume should be decreased until all puppies are no longer distracted by it. As they become more comfortable the volume can be increased but care should be taken not to move too fast and distress the puppies.

Other furry members of the household can be introduced to the litter – this might include other dogs, pet cats or rabbits.
Care should be taken to take cues from the dam; if she displays discomfort at the approach of other animals wait until she goes for her walk and take the puppies for meet and greet a little bit away from the nest.

During this stage the puppy has developed the ability to see and hear and can distinguish between the familiar and unfamiliar. Because they form primary attachments to their litter mates and mother they learn important canine social behaviour through interactions with them.

At three weeks of age begin to take pairs of puppies to new floor surfaces beginning with two minutes per day and slowly building the time that they spend separated from the rest of the litter. Make sure to rotate the pairs and take different combinations of puppies each time.
The puppies should be allowed to explore, walk and play on flooring such as carpet, lino, concrete, matting, tile, grass etc.

Clip of 3 week old Basenji puppies outside for the first time

From the age of 4 weeks alternating pairs of puppies should be taken on short car rides , on some one’s lap and in a travel crate.

Puppies should be introduced to wearing a puppy collar from 4 weeks and allowed to drag a light house line during their separations from the rest of the litter.
The collars should not be left on the puppy for too long and it is good idea to remove them when they go back to the litter as theya re likely to chew them off eachother ot pull at them.

Alone training and crate training should begin at between 4 and 5 weeks. Bring one puppy at a time to a small crate and give him a chew or stuffed Kong toy inside. Gradually increase the time the puppy spends alone in the crate. If the puppy becomes distressed have it spend a little less time and slowly build up again. Gradually increase the distance between yourself and the crate while the puppy is happily distracted.

Between the ages of 5 and 8 weeks intensive but gentle socialisation should continue by practicing socialisation and training exercises in a variety of places and situations with a variety of people.

New experiences MUST be introduced slowly and it is a good idea that prospective owners come visit the litter from the time the puppies are 3 or 4 weeks of age to start handling and making friends with their potential companion.

If you as the breeder have been doing the right thing so far you will be homing a toilet trained puppy that copes well with other people and animals and one that happily carries out simple training tasks – how great is that?! Surely that is a pretty unique and strong selling point to advertise and one that very few breeders take advantage of.

 Continuing Socialisation – breeders must educate new owners

New owners should continue to implement house training protocols and keep up the basic training exercises.

In the first week in their new homes puppies should go through more toilet training, intensive bite inhibition training and appropriate chewing training.

From 16 weeks of age puppies begin to develop their adult teeth. This means that chewing and puppy biting will get worse as the puppy tries to comfort his painful gums.
Maintenance of chewing and bite inhibition training is essential at this stage particularly because his jaws will become more and more powerful as he grows.

Teenagers are often more aggressive and there will be an increase in ‘undesired’ behaviour as the puppy matures. A solid foundation in socialisation and training will make this developmental stage a breeze (well not quite, but definitely easier!).
Enrollment in a teenagers class is a good idea so that owners can continue to manage and cope with their adolescents’ changing behaviour.

Breeders should work hard to socialise puppies as this will greatly enhance the homing possibilities for these puppies as well as giving them a unique selling point.

If you are planning a litter or your dog is pregnant or has a litter, call Pet Central for advice on socialisation.
We offer a one off workshop session on socialisation for breeders in your home and will tailor a personal socialisation plan for you and your litter.
We will be available to offer advice by phone or e-mail during the pregnancy and time that the litter spends time with you. We can also help you with preparing material for new owners so that they can continue the good work that you have started.

Get socialising!

So it was well past time to clean up the in box, so I ran quickly through a lot of news alerts and saw a rather interesting phenomenon.

Those who don’t like the animal protection laws (basic welfare, folks, we’re not talking about treating dogs like people) either scream that the existing laws shoulda just been enforced or they try the old, tired argument that there aren’t enough laws to protect children so why are we worrying about animals.

Well, guess what! We can protect both! What a concept!

There is no need whatsoever for anyone to keep several hundred dogs, breed the females every cycle and ship the puppies to pet stores or across the country through internet sales. Someone with several hundred dogs is unlikely to be keeping up with the latest regarding the health issues for their breed(s) and probably won’t endanger their profit margin by actually conducting health testing and breeding only the best of their dogs.

Gee, it would cost more to make (and keep) healthy puppies! Yeah, and it would cost the consumer LESS in the long run to buy healthy puppies – dogs without dysplasia, allergies, heart murmers, PRA, kidney problems, breathing difficulties – the list goes on and on, and I haven’t even mentioned the costs of treating dogs for cancer.

Just think, if a commercial kennel (oh, sorry, they like to call themselves “professional breeders.” Thanks, but I’d rather get my dogs from someone who breeds to create the best possible, and healthiest, examples of the breed because they are breeding for the love of the dogs rather than the love of the money. Look up the root of the word ‘amateur.’) spent an extra $200 for some simple health tests on a breeding female, and  was able to get three litters of six from her, that extra cost was just over $10 per puppy.  But I guess that would be too much to ask of someone asking hundreds of dollars for each pup.

Lord knows the commercial kennels don’t want to share the costs of the inspections that need to be done, but it seems only fair. Heck, states and municipalities could consider assessing a fee for each puppy sold or brokered to help fund the local shelters. They’re helping create the mess, they can help clean it up.

Then we get to that argument about the children. Yes, there are children living in conditions that are deplorable. They should be helped. They should be safe and cared for and educated. Child welfare laws are a wholly separate issue from animal welfare laws, unless, of course, you’re breeding for profit.

But the so-called self-anointed ‘professionals’ would decide that the lawmakers were trampling on their property rights again. With the animals or with the children. A living being is not the same thing as a refrigerator. Special care and consideration is due to those entrusted to us.

Dominion is not strictly ownership – is it also benevolent *care.* But there you go again – that care might cost a few extra bucks per dog.

What a shame.

Play # 5 PURE CLAN in race 6, the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Honest and talented filly can taken advantage of a beatable group and at a square price.

Play against ZENYATTA tomorrow. She will not win!

@SpotPlays

My favorite season of all.

If you ever want a fool-proof way to make me shout, “Aughaughaughhh,” in a positive manner, tell me about one of my all-time favorite bands having their somewhat obscure songs shown some love by a current favorite band. I nearly bawled fat tears of joy when Glen Hansard of the Swell Season made it clear that he’s a fan of the Pixies. In the Swell Season’s show in Eugene, OR last year, Hansard and bandmate Markéta Irglová took a break from their collaboration’s characteristically yearning ballads and paid their respects to the former-ish band of Eugene resident, Frank Black. I especially like the part when Hansard digresses to talk about Finding Nemo and manages to logically tie a movie about fish to the end of the Come On Pilgrim track. It’s an inspired combination of images that Black would surely enjoy.

Less recently and less locally, the Swell Season also tried out “Cactus” from the Surfer Rosa album. Hansard breaks a string but smoothly gets his guitar replaced without interrupting the flow of the song too drastically. Irglová’s soft voice gets more volume, too. And while it’s impossible to really capture the tension and bare-faced desire of the original, particularly at Coachella as the audience members clap their hands and grow increasingly more delirious with every passing sleepless hour, the song is still a pretty apt selection for a Swell Season cover. Only time will tell if the Breeders or Frank Black’s solo work (or, less likely, the short-lived project of Joey Santiago and David Lovering, the Martinis) get the Hansard/Irglová treatment at a future show.

The Swell Season will play at the Crystal Ballroom on Tuesday, November 24. Doveman will also play.

“Levitate Me”

“Cactus

Bannockburn Subdivision entry

Last night I turned up at an HOA (Homeowner’s Association) meeting to talk alpacas – but not for my subdivision. My friend and real estate agent extraordinaire, Amy Maier, is the president of the nearby Bannockburn HOA and asked me to attend as a subject matter expert. Due to the increase in queries about properties for sale that allow alpacas, chickens, and other livestock, the BOD felt it was time to broach the question to the membership: should a proposal on inclusion of these animals in the covenant be made?

To be honest, I have a slight prejudice against covenants – my past experience had imprinted me with the idea that HOAs are oligarchies presided over by long time residents whose aim is to prevent any change and enforce their own personal preferences. However, having faith in Amy, I went in resolved to be open-minded and to present objectively so that Bannockburn residents could draw conclusions that would fit their subdivision the best. The last thing I wanted was to contribute, even in a tiny way, to an alpaca breeder finding themself and their animals in an unwelcoming area. So I intended to take not a persuasive stance, but instead an educational one. Even so, I was wary as I entered the room.

But the HOA attendees honestly astounded me. First, not a single person was ignorant of what an alpaca was and more surprisingly, all hands remained lowered when I asked who had never seen one. The questions were even and open, with a true desire for education and not to critique. I sensed that the attendees- at least those participating in the discussion -truly wanted to garner the best information to make the optimal decision for themselves and their community. Wow. And a slap on my own hand for my cynicism.

After they moved on to discussing chickens, I slipped out of the room. It would have been interesting to stay for the whole meeting but I admit, I was tired. I had gone straight from an all day conference to the HOA meeting and can only hope that I was coherent in my answers. Will alpacas find themselves in Bannockburn someday? I don’t know, it’s a much tougher effort to get the requisite number of votes to approve a change. But after this initial discussion, I feel encouraged that at least full diligent consideration will be given.

Då var det klart! Med extra beröm godkänt av veterinären:-)

Cruzeiro de Vil besiktades idag utan anmärkningar och den närmsta tiden framöver kommer han att tillbringa hos Sven Ingvarsson (Måsel AB) i Kungsbacka. När jag fick meddelandet av Fanny var han redan på väg dit så han gör sig nog som bäst hemmastadd.

Planen framöver för Cruzeiro är att försöka kvala till Falsterbo nästa år som 6 åring. Jag kommer med spänning att följa hans resultat framöver och hoppas såklart på en ny Falsterboresa till sommaren.

Nu nåt’ helt annat… På torsdag väntar det en ny utflykt för mig och syster, det är Flyinge och 4-års Championatet nästa för att heja fram Corian de R (8) (e: Crelido u: Anova) Spännande, spännande och rapport följer självklart!

Sist men inte minst vill jag tacka Fanny och pappa Bosse som det varit fantastiskt att få lära känna! Önskar att alla fick sålt sina guldklimpar till sådana människor…

För ögongodiset i detta inlägget står systers hingstunge Champ de Lune e: Ludwigs Champion u: Claire de Lune. bilder från idag…

HowlOWeenie is behind us, and it was glorious.  We now turn our sights to fall, when a young rescuer’s thoughts lightly turn to thoughts of ….. murder, mayhem, and rage at the machine.

No, not really.  But there are a few things I’m pretty hacked off about right now.

1.  Arnold Schwarzenegger.  He vetoed a bill to outlaw puppymills.  Seriously, Arnold? A “responsible breeder” is not going to have more than 100 adult dogs on his / her property.

2. Stories I heard today about a certain county south of Atlanta where—

A) they “adopted” a mama dachshund and her 4-day old puppies, along with an unneutered male, to a backyard breeder.  Georgia law says that dogs coming out of a shelter must be altered by the owner, but this shelter is not one of those that follows up on that.  So, nice life coming for that crew!  And not even any registration papers for the puppies.  So these will be cheap puppies.  And that means, they will get no vet care, because that costs money.  Nice!

B) one of the county commissioners let his unneutered dachshund run free.  Picked up by AC several times.  Last time, didn’t come claim him.  So eventually a rescue got him.  Dog was heartworm positive, had all the intestinal parasites.  And who knows how many litters he’d sired on his adventures. County commissioner is suing the rescue group.  Wanted his dog back.  But the dog had died because it wasn’t healthy enough to survive the heartworm treatment.

I know there are a lot of crazy rescuers out there.  There are some animal rights nutjobs, and there are some overzealous people doing overzealous things.  But when we are just trying to save the lives of the real dogs that are right in front of us, and the “authorities” not only don’t help, but actively oppose, it makes my stomach hurt.

Recent victories:  Rosie from Chattooga County.  Sassy from Dekalb County.  Lester from Fulton County.  And getting another tomorrow.

STEPHEN CAUCHI,  August 30, 2009 . The Age

 An expose on the dark side of dog breeding is expected to incite outrage.

 AUSTRALIAN pedigree dog breeders are bracing themselves for the fallout from revelations of appalling health problems in pure-bred dogs caused by modern breeding practices.

Australia’s main body for pedigree dogs, the Australian National Kennel Council, has appointed a public relations officer to deal with media interest from a BBC documentary, Pedigree Dogs Exposed, scheduled to show on ABC1 on September 10.

Following last year’s UK screening of the documentary – billed ”the greatest animal welfare scandal of our time” – the BBC and RSPCA pulled out of Britain’s prestigious Crufts dog show, held in March this year, citing health concerns of several breeds.

Former RSPCA state president Hugh Wirth said the documentary ”forced the issue [in the UK] and it will force the issue here”.

The documentary shows graphic footage of dogs suffering walking, breathing, mating and birthing difficulties and high rates of diseases including cancer and heart disease. It blames breeders who try to achieve an unnatural appearance in their dogs to win dog shows.

In one disturbing scene, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel writhes in permanent agony due to syringomyelia, a condition where the brain becomes too large for the skull. In another, a boxer is shown having an epileptic fit.

Other troubled dogs shown in the program include bulldogs, Pekingese, Rhodesian ridgebacks, pugs, basset hounds, labradors, golden retrievers and West Highland terriers.

Pedigree dogs are bred to standards originally set up in the 19th century by the British Kennel Club. Cross-breds are far healthier because cross-breeding widens the gene pool.

The documentary blames dog shows run by the kennel club as driving the demand for unnatural appearance, fed by breeders who are prepared to mate siblings and parent and child to achieve a certain look.

Since the documentary, UK show rules have been changed to state ”more clearly than ever” that judges should only ”reward those dogs that are healthy representatives of their breed”.

But dog breeders in Australia say most breeders are responsible dog lovers who want to produce healthy pets.

Peter Higgins, the spokesman appointed by the Australian National Kennel Council to deal with public interest in the documentary, accused it of being ”one-sided”.

”To say it’s as common as they say it is, it’s just not right. What responsible breeders do is try to minimise that – they spend money and years of hard work trying to get rid of their diseases, not make them more so.

”These people love their dog, they love their breed and they want to do the best thing for it, not the worst.”

Dr Higgins said ”backyard breeders” and ”fly-by-night” people were the problem. He said the overwhelming majority of registered breeders – those who belonged to the kennel council through state organisations such as Dogs Victoria – were responsible and ”trying to do the right thing”.

Dr Wirth, however, said the documentary was justified even though ”a minority of breeders” were responsible for poorly bred dogs.

”You’ve got the irresponsible, who don’t know anything, who kid themselves they know a lot and are trying to destroy a breed because of their own stupidity. I made a huge amount of money [as a vet] trying to correct the poor unfortunate dogs with inherited defects.”

Dr Wirth said there were examples where local dog shows also rewarded improper breeding. ”I can give you chapter and verse where judges had been persuaded for whatever reason to reward things that don’t meet the standard,” he said.

Dr Wirth said the irresponsible minority ”get away with it because the state authorities claim not to be able to control them. I am talking about Dogs Victoria … It’s a dereliction of duty, as far as I am concerned.”

Dogs Victoria president Peter Frost, a breeder of Irish setters and judge at dog shows, said most irresponsible breeders didn’t come under the umbrella of Dogs Victoria.

”We have a code of ethics, which says: ‘I am breeding to improve the dog.’ The vast majority of breeders are ethically responsible and adhere to the code of practice. Most people, whether they’re breeders or judges, are responsible.

”It would horrify me if I sold a puppy to somebody and it had a bad disease or a bad temperament or something diabolically wrong with it,” Mr Frost said. ”I’d be ashamed and I’d be horrified if I put a family through unnecessary pain.”

Mr Frost said educating buyers was the best solution.

A spokeswoman for RSPCA Australia, Lisa Chalk, also urged buyers to research the breed they wanted to buy and insist on health checks.

She said the problem of improperly bred dogs was ”definitely an issue but the extent of the issue in Australia we don’t know. We don’t have the statistics.”

The Age. To access original article, , click here…..

Corian de R´s pappa Crelido (e: Calido-Raimondo-Cantares f. -96) fortsätter att visa framfötterna på hoppbanan! Corran som hon till vardags kallas är syster till Ellen och har i höst kvalificerat sig till Breeders i klassen för 4-åriga dressyrhästar. Hon går som fölsto eftersom hon har en hingst från förra året e: Don Romantic.

Testar ett nytt verktyg för att “dela” sidor, håll till godo!

Ridehesten.com/Heste-nyheder/SeNyhed/Crelido placeret i Grand Prix

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