Aldo (Ch. Fraja EC Blue River’s Aldo), a competition American Staffordshire Terrier from Spain!


Uploaded on May 10, 2010
by Desirée Delgado

(taken from our other blog, Nerds on the Road – http://wp.me/pCL6J-aI)

Beware. by the end of this you”ll know more than you need to about our new cat.

Once we got a bigger place to hang out, we were finally able to have a cat in our lives again. I think we had the new trailer for a day when I started looking on craigslist for needy cats and within a week, on a routine dog food stop at Pet Smart, we walked in just as they were closing the adoption counter. There were tons of cute cats, mostly adults or sister brother pairs, and one young orange cat. I often say stupid things for no reason so I saw the orange cat and said “I don’t like orange cats, they’re terrors.” What my mind had used to come to that conclusion was that every orange cat I’d ever known was a horrible half wild tom cat (and maybe I’m a bit of a ginger-cat generalist). Since 80% of orange cats are males, because orange is basically the calico of male cats, I assumed the orange cat, although the prettiest one, was a male. I read the card above the cage anyway, and it was a girl! I immediately and illogically changed my mind about her and decided to make a connection. I put my hand to the glass and she put her paw to the glass and it was done. There were several other females that were pretty but I was happy with a young cat, not a kitten, and one not too set in their ways already. All the cats were from the New Orleans Animal Control and had either been dropped off or caught feral, they didn’t have any clue which one she was.

We did all the paperwork and took her to the RV parked out front in a little cardboard cat carrier. She was surprisingly calm, didnt meow, didnt scratch, just quietly worried and hoped for the best. We went back inside to buy some things for her, and $150 later (egads) she was the most spoiled cat in the trailer park. I took her out once during the drive back home to give her some water, she just walked around the RV curios and sniffing everything, then mostly quietly went back into her box (except for the part where her water spilled and she got all wet - didn’t like that).

When we got back to the trailer without any issues or noise. When I opened her box, Chena -lover of all things box, was right over top waiting for the surprise. I knew it might not be the best idea to introduce them that way but I had high hopes. They would have to be best friends eventually, it’s a condition my pets have to endure (within reason). As I’d hoped, the cat didn’t even look at Chena, almost looked right through her while curiously looking around the trailer.  After that she made herself right at home. Never once hid or peed on anything, didn’t meow uncontrollably, hiss at us or try to escape. Just laid out in the open or played with her new toys.  She spent one night in the bathroom just in case her litter box skills werent perfect and after that shes been with us almost every minute of every day. I even gave her a bath on the second day because she smelled like kennel and pee and she was fairly decent about that, didn’t scratch, just a little worried.

As far as her personality, shes very trusting and affectionate but sometimes she would duck from us when she got in trouble, like she thinks we’re going to whack her one, but shes getting used to the idea that we wont be doing that. She has the “I want to trust you so badly and love you unconditionally but some bastard kicked me” syndrome. She came to us with 2 shaved areas. Her belly from being spayed and the side of her back leg. We considered at first, that although strange, maybe it had to do with the spaying but upon closer inspection the hair was longer (more grown out) and there was a 1 inch scar. She may have got cut on a fence, beat up by a raccoon.. who knows. Shes also pretty scared of loud noises, as is Chena but for different reasons. The first time she got scared was by a storage chest closing loudly, she ran from me for several minutes. It was painful that she was so afraid of me but after hours of apology and showing her that what she was scared of wasn’t so bad, shes started to understand. Now when she gets scared she looks at you intently and wide eyed to make sure you give her a sign that you didn’t mean it to scare or hurt her. You have to walk up to her and pet her or pick her up and apologize – If you don’t, she’ll run off and be scared and overall lose trust. Sensitive little kittehs!

It took us a while to name her. We went though all the cliche names for orange cats, and cats in general ans since she nibbled your hand, nose or face while she’s being brushed, we considered Nibbler (from futurama) but decided on a completely different little black monster, Susa Ataris from My Neighbor Totoro. They are soot sprites that hide in the shadows and are said to be good luck – there’s no real connection between them and her personality but it sounded like a cute name and we were sick of having nothing to call her. Within a day she was coming to Susa and it was set.

She’s super curious, what cat isn’t though right. Every time you’re doing something at the counter shes up on hinds mewing at you to know what’s going on. We encourage her curiosity by showing her every single thing she wants to see. Whether its a running tap, sink full of soapy water or jalapeños. After the first 2 times of climbing up my legs, she figured out she could get picked up if she just taps them with her paws. I find that the more you show cats willingly, rather than making things and places forbidden, the sooner they get over it. She walked all over my camera equipment and art supplies twice (on the top bunks), getting hair on everything, then never cared to hang out up there again (save the random kitty freakout and run around the trailer session).

Although I got her the cutest little princess bed, she lays on the hard floor and wont even go into the bedroom except sometimes when we’re sleeping. Good for me because I prefer my clothes stay somewhat hair free before I put them on. When I work she often sits on the breakfast tray beside me and lays her head on my arm. Making it hard for me to type but too adorable to resist. She also likes Jalapeno chips so any time we snack on them she gets her own little crushed chip to snack on.

All in all I think we’re pretty lucky people and got the best cat we could have possibly found.

She’s undergoing lessons in fetchology, climbing the walls control (claw control), lick the doggys face and ears and most exciting of all, harness training! Shes going to be even more awesome than she already is!

TARA HAGAN
(video http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid34284524001?bclid=0&bctid=78909918001)

The Observer

A group of dog owners set up camp at Sarnia’s city hall Monday to protest Ontario’s ban on pit bulls.

“Basically, it’s not right to be cruel to animals,” said Josh Atkinson, organizer and owner of Justice, a five-year-old pit bull.

“The City of Sarnia and a lot of other cities in Ontario are killing dogs for no apparent reason whatsoever, just because of the name pit bull. It’s ridiculous.”

A dozen people were on hand with their pets and homemade signs, reading: “Stop the killing of our pets,” “Pitbulls have rights, too,” and “Pitbulls are family.”
The group also planned to protest at the Sarnia and District Humane Society.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said the demonstrators were barking up the wrong tree.

“It’s provincial legislation — not the city, or the humane society. They should be at the MPP’s office, he said.

“I don’t even agree with the legislation myself, but we have to enforce it.”

The 2005 Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act says any Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and any dog that looks “substantially similar” is illegal, and only those already living in the province at the time of the ban are allowed.

Bradley said the law has been a stress on animal control workers, noting that he preferred the city’s previous ‘dangerous dog’ bylaw, which dealt with the animals on a case-by-case basis, rather than by breed.

Last year Sarnia made a pledge to consult an expert before putting any more dogs on death row. The move followed a number of confusing cases hinging on whether or not the dogs were pit bulls, or boxers, while officials admitted to euthanizing at least one dog every month, because of the ban.

“It’s very fuzzy legislation; the province passed it, but now they have no involvement in the law itself,” said Bradley. “In fact, I’d like to go join those protesters, myself.”

Article found at: http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2540872

Justices Void Law Banning Videos of Animal Cruelty

By ADAM LIPTAK

Published: April 20, 2010 at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/us/21scotus.html?hp

WASHINGTON — In a major and muscular First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a federal law that made it a crime to create or sell dogfight videos and other depictions of animal cruelty.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority in the 8-to-1 decision, said the law created “a criminal prohibition of alarming breadth” and that the government’s aggressive defense of the law was “startling and dangerous.”

The decision left open the possibility that Congress could enact a narrower law that would pass constitutional muster. But the existing law, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, covered too much speech that depicted lawful activities.

The case arose from the prosecution of Robert J. Stevens, an author and small-time film producer who presented himself as an authority on pit bulls. He did not participate in dogfights, but he did compile and sell videotapes showing the fights, and he received a 37-month sentence under a 1999 federal law that bans trafficking in “depictions of animal cruelty.”

Dogfighting and other forms of animal cruelty have long been illegal in all 50 states. The law applied not to the underlying activity, but to recordings of “conduct in which a living animal is intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded or killed.” It did not matter whether the conduct was legal when and where it occurred; under the law, what mattered was whether the conduct would have been illegal where the recording was sold.

The government argued that such depictions were of such minimal social worth that they should receive no First Amendment protection at all. Chief Justice Roberts roundly rejected that assertion, saying that “the First Amendment means that government has no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter or its content.”

He acknowledged that some sorts of speech — among them obscenity, defamation, fraud, incitement and speech integral to criminal conduct — have historically been considered outside the protection of the First Amendment. But he rejected the government’s analogy to a more recent category of unprotected speech, that of trafficking in child pornography, which the court in 1982 said deserved no First Amendment protection.

Child pornography, he said, is “a special case” because the market for it is “intrinsically related to the underlying abuse.”

As a general matter, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, “the First Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the government outweigh its costs.” He continued, “Our Constitution forecloses any attempt to revise that judgment simply on the basis that some speech is not worth it.”

Having concluded that the First Amendment had a role to play in the analysis, the chief justice next considered whether the law on animal-cruelty depictions swept too broadly.

The 1999 law was enacted mainly to address what a House report called “a very specific sexual fetish.”

“Much of the material featured women inflicting the torture with their bare feet or while wearing high-heeled shoes,” according to the report. “In some video depictions, the woman’s voice can be heard talking to the animals in a kind of dominatrix patter.”

When President Bill Clinton signed the bill, he expressed reservations, prompted by the First Amendment, and instructed the Justice Department to limit prosecutions to “wanton cruelty to animals designed to appeal to a prurient interest in sex.” But since then, the government has used the law in several prosecutions for trafficking in dogfighting videos.

Chief Justice Roberts said the law applied even more broadly. Since all hunting is illegal in the District of Columbia, for instance, he said, the law makes the sale of magazines or videos showing hunting a crime here.

“The demand for hunting depictions exceeds the estimated demand for crush videos or animal fighting depictions by several orders or magnitude,” he wrote.

The law contains an exception for materials with “serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical or artistic value.” Those exceptions were insufficient to save the statute, the chief justice wrote.

“Most hunting videos, for example, are not obviously instructional in nature,” he said, “except in the sense that all life is a lesson.”

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented, saying the majority’s analysis was built on “fanciful hypotheticals” and would serve to protect “depraved entertainment.”

So we’ve been on the road now for a while and Chena is slowly getting used to it. I’m surprised by how long it is taking her to adapt to driving in a house. Things move around while we drive, making noise the whole time and she will not sleep and often insists on sitting right next to me in the front. Her diabetes has been ok, though we’ve had different issues in every state.

I don’t know any diabetic people, so I don’t know if it’s normal to need a prescription for syringes and insulin but I know it shouldn’t be. In Argentina and Portland, the 2 places I have lived since Chena was diagnosed with diabetes, no one has ever mentioned to me that you need a piece of paper to get life saving medicine or the syringes to inject it, but every other state so far seems to think this it’s something you need permission from a doctor to get. To me that means “hey, I’m just following orders. I’m going to sit here and watch you die till you have a piece of paper for me”.

When you have a diabetic dog, this also means that Diabetic dog food needs a piece of paper as well (in every other state but Oregon so far). That is just INSANE as far as I’m concerned. I don’t see diabetic food in the grocery store needing any permission slips. What I’ve decided is that canine diabetes, and probably human diabetes, is yet another racket for someone to make money off of – mainly vets and doctors, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and all the other red tape dispensers out there. I have allot of respect for vets and at least one friend who is a vet but I don’t have much respect for rules that affect the quality of life of others. I spent most of my life torn between being a vet or an artist (one was less 9 to 5 than the other) but I will admit that even if they have good intentions for the greatest beings on the planet, they are not above being money grubbing bureaucrats.

I first encountered problems in Spokane actually. I ran out of dog food about half way through my stay there and went to the local strip mall Vet’s office. When I went in and walked straight to the prescription pet food in the corner, I was jumped on like an injured deer by wolves, questions gnashed at me from drooling jaws (big exaggeration) as to my needs in their establishment. I didn’t see what I wanted anyway so I said, ” I need a case of Canine WD cans”. The woman looked baffled and disappointed, I apparently hadn’t followed protocol and presented her with a prescription for dog food, food that is in no way toxic or unhealthy for anyone or any dog to consume who is not diabetic. She proceeded to ask me if i was a patient, “no”, “who is your doctor” – “they’re in oregon”, “do you have their number or what is their name” – “gahh I cant remember!”,  – but then I did remember and she gave them a call. She was able to get permission over the phone, still leaving me without a prescription in writing but I hoped for the best – that Washington would be the only anal retentive state (HA!).

Since then, I encountered the same problem in Yucca Valley, California. I called them first to make sure I could get the food there in a conversation which they promptly informed me I needed a prescription as well. It was nearly 6, the hour they closed at, so I called my vet and begged for an expedited fax to the California Vet in question. My vet’s secretary started to argue that she wasn’t sure I was really allowed to get WD either because I had never bought it at their office. “Of course I didn’t buy it at your office, I take the max (the train, and yes with Chena), the Vet there, I don’t remember her name, a woman that I’ve only seen once – she must be kind of new, told me to start her on WD and get a blood testing kit, neither of which I bought from you”. She seemed unmoved and said she would have to wait for the vet to return from lunch. I had very little time, so I was (as I usually do in a Chena moment) panicking a little. While we were waiting a block away from the vets we went into Pet Smart to check the fiber levels on every dog food they carry since a bag of WD can be up to $60 for a 40lb bag. We ended up finding a bag of Science Diet that hat 17% fiber, comparably sufficient and much cheaper than WD, but still something I would have to transition her to. We called the vet at 20 minutes till 6 and they had gotten the fax. When we got there they only had 40lb bags and 10lb bags, one was too big and too expensive and the other was too small and per pound was even more expensive. I decided to try out the Science Diet from Pet Smart and bought 10 cans of WD from the Vet. Unfortunately even that was $30 – not a price I was happy about at $10 more than Oregon but it had to be done. What I wanted even more so than a big stock of prescription dog food was a copy of that prescription, luckily they were completely willing and we now have some sort of scribbled on piece of paper that says I can buy dog food without harassment (how completely silly).

The next problem I ran into with Chena’s diabetes was syringes. I left Portland with a little under 2 full boxes, about 200 syringes. I use 2 a day and always throw them away straight after (sue me for not having a sharps box, I want junkies to find her syringes rather than use ones from their friends arm and get HepC). When we arrived in Van Horn I came to the realization that I was on my last syringe. This is never a problem, usually. We just go to Walmart and get another box, no questions asked. Sometimes I buy insulin at the same time and sometimes not. It was going to be 18 degrees the night we arrived in Van Horn and we were pretty much out of propane for heat so we got a room at the Motel 6. There was a fridge so I took in her insulin and last syringe for her morning shot. When we woke up it was past checkout time and in a flurry of hauling our things to the RV, I must have left the syringe… I didn’t notice yet, assuming it would be in the insulin bag, and attempted to feed Chena like normal, luckily she was in one of her moods and wasn’t going to eat – so when I realized it was gone, she wasn’t too bad off (not supposed to give insulin to a dog who hasn’t eaten). Later that night after she did finally eat is when I noticed unfortunately.. then it was potentially bad. After me and Ross tore apart the RV looking for any syringe that might have possibly been left in a purse, bag, jacket, couch cushion, box, art box, book or drawer, we found nothing. I decided to wait a little while and give her a blood test. She tested at 250, which doesnt mean much to you or me for that matter – because documentation on blood test results for dogs is more or less useless – but I knew it wasnt bad. It wasnt low, under 100 I have assumed from what I have read, and it wasnt high – like 600, where she was last time she had a little diabetic fit. We decided to wait till the morning, a Sunday unfortunately.

I called every Pharmacy in town, all closed, then the Hospital, who said they could not and would not give me needles without a prescription. I of course went off in a rant about letting someone die because they don’t have a prescription and they basically agreed, yes, they would and will. I waited till the last minute to say it was for my dog, a fact that I don’t think should matter, and she recommended a vet. Annoyed and feeling like like any attempts at getting syringes would be hopeless in this town, I called the vet and expected an answering machine with an emergency contact number in its message. Instead a man answered, he had been called in on a completely separate emergency case and just happened to be in the office. I explained to him my situation and how I came to be completely out of syringes in a state far away from my own vet, and he told me he would have to examine Chena and I would have to pay an extra fee for a weekend emergency visit. I was getting pretty pissed at this point and told him I have all the paperwork (most in spanish unfortunately) and asked why my vets diagnosis and proof that she was diabetic wouldn’t be enough to just get some syringes so basically.. she doesn’t die. I think the “so she doesn’t die” thing worked because he agreed that if we brought in the paperwork he would look it over and give us some syringes. A short drive into town and we were equipped with 20 gargantuan, cattle injection sized needles – but needles none the less. He however could not give us a prescription for future syringe needs, because that would involve him having to examine her, something that is not cheap (at the time I had about $7).

The moral of the story is this. Will someone please change state laws so that people dont have to jump through hoops or spend $200 for blood tests every state to keep their pets from dying? PLEEEZE!!!

I still have the honor of finding out how hard it will be to get insulin soon. I have about a week or so left.

p.s. I found a bag of regular insulin needles yesterday and just about jumped off the roof of the RV.

So I bought an RV though not the one in the blog below. That one was just too big and needed allot of work, plus it gets about 6 miles to the gallon. I ended up getting a 73 Dodge Brougham with 80k miles.

It’s a bit ugly inside but It’ll be great once I fix it up. My roommate of the last 2 years might be coming too. I think it would be ready at least by fall, I cant take another winter in Oregon.

Im also going to Mexico for 2 weeks starting Sunday! (14th,june). Its going to be intersting. Ill be staying with a family and hopefully traveling around Mexico City and the surrounding area. Fun! Wish me not robbed by the police!

For my argument class we had to pick a topic and write less than 275 words about it as a letter to the editor of some publication. I choose the local bias newspaper and of course, BSL alternatives. Everyone in the class seemed to like the argument and agreed that my suggestions seemed to make more sense. I hope I at least convinced a couple classmates to see a different light if no one else.

“I am writing in response to the regular position of some of your writers in support of Breed Specific Legislation. When people say that pit bulls are dangerous, they are making a generalization, just as insurance companies use generalizations when they charge young men more for car insurance. Generalizing what “pit bulls” are capable of, or any other breed, is profiling, a practice frowned upon in the human world and no fairer for canines. Contrary to these generalizations, there are a lot of pit bulls who are licensed therapy dogs and in a drill by the American Temperament Test Society to test temperament, “pit bull’s” rated 85% positive ahead of “family dogs” such as Airedales and Beagles. Also, some governments are finding out that BSL laws just don’t work. Holland and Italy have after many years of seeing no positive change, lifted their breed specific bans and instead implemented stricter owner regulations.
Many more productive solutions can be implemented domestically as well that will appease supporters and non supporters of the legislation. Programs to regulate breeding, educate the public on pet ownership, stricter screening at adoption agencies, mandatory maximum penalty for negligent pet owners and aggressive campaigning for spay/neutering are just some of the programs that could do much more than banning specific breeds. The overly simplified solution of BSL cannot replace the effects of action and education. Ultimately, finding alternatives to BSL laws would show an active interest in pleasing both pro BSL and anti-BSL supporters, both of whom deserve their rights considered in an issue so controversial.”

Im going to live in a motor home! There are many reasons why I want a mobile home. I like to travel and take photos, I can work from anywhere I get internet, and It is nearly impossible for me to find an apartment with a “pitbull”. Most places won’t rent to you at all, even if they take dogs. Their insurance companies wont cover attacks by certain breeds so they dont take the risk. The same goes for people with houses and rooms for rent. More time than not, I bring my dog to an interview and they are afraid or mention with a condecending whine “ohh sorry, I cant rent to someone with a pitbull, Its not worth the risk” or, they just suddenly dont take dogs. Even if they do take “pitbulls”, (which hasent been the case in years), a pet deposit is often a $350 non refundable one. Maybe a little cheaper sometimes but its hard enough to pay all the deposits to move in let alone ones you wont get back, even if your dog is older, well behaved and clean. So here is the motor home im looking at for the second time tomorrow.

Its really cool inside, very classic. Im going to completely redo it and make it fully awesome over the next few months. I will also be starting a website for donations by the way.

Dont think of me getting a motor home as me giving into the BSL conspiracy. I know there are options for us somewhere (in a small town in a trashy methy neighbourhood), I do have many more reasons than Chena for getting one. It’s just funny that I realise that it is also an advantage. I will have my own customizable traveling home, assuming I can get it running to par, and I can have the mostly” Walden like” existence I want. It is fully independent, generator and all. I think Chena will be pretty happy with the idea, though she will miss the cats. We can go to the beach, new parks all the time or just walk in the desert (till her wimpy feet get tired). Today she got to lay in the sun as this is the first sunny warm week in Oregon this year. Shes the best.The gate in the back of the photo is the neighbours pitbulls area. Hes not very socialized and its sad, plus hes not neutered so hes just a hyper socially repressed brat who barks at my dog constantly. It’s not hard to raise your dogs right people, seriously. Start by cutting of their balls and taking them to a dog park or something…. yes cutting off their balls seems cruel. I agree. but what is crueler to a domesticated animal is to not cut them off and let them be a total product of their hormones. They dont live in packs and hunt and reproduce anymore. We have contained them from eachother and there isnt a dog-archy of dominant or submissive breeding stock girls and constantly humping males. With their hormones rampant they are ready to breed, hyper intense at times and othertimes agressive. This goes for females too, especially those prone to being the dominate dog over other dogs. It’s not fair to leave them as if they live in a normal natural environment when they dont get to act natural. cut them !

I didnt start it but here it is! It’s pretty great. The only thing I have to wonder is why are so many pitbull videos or Anti BSL videos so completely terrible!? With bad music and sappy everything! Get some balls (metaphorically of course) people, stop relying on the sympathy of others to change things. It doesnt work for animal rights groups and it wont work for us.We have to use facts and proof to win fights just like everyone else. No more SAP!

Check it out!

http://aspcacommunity.ning.com/group/stopbreeddiscrimination

Oliver’s Story- from the Oregon Human Society Website

Oliver

If you have ever felt lost or alone in this world or that no one cared, you might be able to relate to how Oliver felt. If you can remember the first time you ever felt completely loved and cared for, you might be able to understand how Oliver feels now. Oliver’s life has changed dramatically over the past several weeks.  He once was a lost, lonely soul on the streets of Portland until concerned citizens flooded our Humane Investigators with telephone calls. When our Investigators responded, they found Oliver, a six-year-old American Pit Bull mix, wandering alone and almost completely blind in both eyes that had ruptured long ago from glaucoma.

Frightened as Oliver must have been, he quickly responded to the kindness of our officers. Oliver was brought to the safety of the shelter where he was put under the care of our Medical Team. We can only imagine the relief Oliver must of have felt. To be in a place that offered hope, refuge and a second chance. To be surrounded by caring hands, tender voices, full food bowls and a warm bed. He no longer lived to merely survive another day, but was able to wake up and feel a sense of security.

Due to the damage the glaucoma had caused, our staff veterinarians surgically removed both of his eyes. Glaucoma is an extremely painful condition in which fluid accumulates inside the eye which often causes pressure and blindness. Throughout all of his exams and procedures, and the obvious pain and discomfort he was in, Oliver has been amazing. He is so gentle and loving and stoically endures all of his treatments. He has a wonderfully patient nature and tolerant temperament.

Our kennel staff has been working lovingly and diligently with Oliver helping him adjust to having no eyes and shelter life. He is extremely intelligent and has quickly learned the basic commands of  “Easy,” which alerts him he is about to walk into something,  and “Step Up” and “Step Down,” to go in and out of kennels and maneuver stairs. He has also learned that when staff tap gently on his sides, it tells him what direction they want him to go (tap his left side to turn left, right side to turn right).

Oliver has a quiet grace about himself. For all he has been through he seems to realize that something very good is happening to him. A life of real joy and peace is within his reach. Oliver may be blind but now he sees people truly have the capacity to be good and kind. Oliver is no longer lost. The next step in Oliver’s incredible journey is to find the perfect forever home. If you or someone you know is interested in adopting Oliver, you can find out more about him on his profile.

-Denise and Kelly, Foster Care Coordinators

Please consider making a donation to help support OHS, and make more stories like this possible.