Sabtu, 25 Agustus 2012

She Changed Our Lives Forever...

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

A Letter to Lily's Breeder

by National Mill Dog Rescue

Reprinted below is a letter Theresa Strader, the founder of National Mill Dog Rescue (Facebook page), wrote to the breeder of her beloved Lily. For those who don't know, Lily is the reason National Mill Dog Rescue exists today.

May 15, 2008

Dear Martha,
It's been fifteen months since you and I first met. More than likely, you remember very little about me. After all, we met in your world, on your property, in fact. Since that day, elements of your world have become a very big part of mine. For that, myself and many like-minded people are very thankful to you.

In February 2007, I received an email – "50 Italian Greyhounds in need" – and with that, a phone number. Having had a lifetime affinity for the breed, I called the number to find out what the story was and how I might be able to help. I'm certain you know where this letter is going now.

Yes, February 17, 2007, after 40+ years, your kennel would be going out of business. Time to retire and relax after four decades of mistreating dogs. Five hundred and sixty one dogs would head to the auction blocks that day, 49 were Italian Greyhounds. It was without question that I would help, though I must admit, I had no idea what I would come to learn through the process. Due to transportation issues, I realized that if I were to be of any use to these dogs, I would have to drive out to Lamar myself. So, on the 16th of February, my daughter and I headed to Missouri.

Understand, I've been involved in dog rescue essentially my entire life – fostering and placing homeless dogs, caring for sick or injured dogs, assisting overpopulated shelters, etc. I have always known about puppy mills and pet store puppies, but have never shared my home with anything other than rescued animals. For the record, I AM NOT AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. What I am is a person who believes in the right to humane treatment for all living things.

Martha, what I witnessed on your property was far from humane. Hundreds of terrified ailing faces, imprisoned in their wire confines, some staring at me, but most too fearful to look into my eyes, so unsure of how to interpret human contact. That experience has caused me countless sleepless nights and to this very day, the sadness and the fear in their eyes haunts my very being.

I am completely aware that you were operating well within USDA standards – what a despicable thought that is. I am also aware that in your circles, commercial breeding dogs are considered livestock. Dogs are not livestock, Martha. Thousands of years ago, man domesticated dogs to be our protectors, hunters, herders, guardians, but most of all, our companions.

I came home with thirteen of your dogs – nine Italian Greyhounds, two Dachshunds and two Papillons. Not a single dog that I had cared for in over 25 years of rescue work came anywhere close to the physical and emotional damage that your dogs had suffered. As it related to rescuing dogs, the next several months would become the education of a lifetime for me.

The entire purpose of this letter, though, is about just one of those dogs, the one who would find her forever home here with my family..... #251 – AKC registered "Reedgate's Swift Motion." Oh, the irony of her name – Swift Motion – an Italian Greyhound who was never able to run. Caging her for her entire life stripped her of ever having enough strength in her legs to experience the joy of running. A cruel reality for a breed built to run.

In our home, we cut the chain from her neck, replaced it with a soft collar and named her Lily. At the age of seven years and one month, Lily had been set free.

Lily was one of several of your dogs that was missing her lower jaw. I wonder how you might explain why so many of your dogs were suffering from this condition. I wonder if you were ever concerned about their pain or perhaps about how they were able to eat enough to stay alive. I wonder how many died in your care from the results of this condition. I wonder if you even noticed. I'm very certain you did notice one thing beyond the rotting faces, though – their ability to produce puppies. That's what your business is all about – producing puppies at any expense.

Lily became an absolute treasure in our home. Despite her many health issues and her extreme fear, in time, with lots of love and care, she found her courage, and when she did, no one was immune to her love. Men, women and children brought to tears to hear her story and to have the untold pleasure of meeting her. Lily's life was no longer about what she could do for you but instead, how we could make it up to her in a warm and loving home.

It was agonizing for our family to watch her suffer through four surgeries to remove mammary tumors, to attempt to repair her decaying face and to spay her – removing the papery black, pus-filled organ that was once her uterus. How selfish of you never to see her pain, just the dollars.

Directly because of your gross neglect, every meal Lily ate was a struggle. We tried so many foods and so many different ways to make it easier for her to eat. But in the end, she had to do it her way, the way she learned at your place, the way she kept herself alive for you – picking kibbles out of her bowl, a few at a time with her feet, spreading them around the floor, then rubbing the "good" side of her face along the floor to catch a kibble on her tongue, then extending her neck upwards and swallowing it whole. Think about that, Martha. How would you like to eat just one meal that way?

Do you remember sitting in my car when the auction was over? The guys were gathering up the dogs that I had "won." You said to me, "I just love my Italian Greyhounds." Oh, the thoughts that went through my mind when those words came out of your mouth. You don't love any dogs, Martha. What you did was spend more than forty years of your God-given life using dogs for your personal gain. No regard to their physical or mental well-being, just cashing in on their ability to reproduce. Think about the thousands of dogs that passed through your hands – you robbed every single one of them of the simple joys they so deserve. A good meal, a warm and comfortable place to sleep, medical attention, and most of all, a human companion to make their lives whole.

Lily learned so much in our home – about being a family member, being a dog, being worthy. I will always be bothered that she never learned how to run or really how to play. But she learned how to love and be loved, and for that, there are no words. She changed our lives forever.

Lily died on May 13, 2008 at the age of eight – about half the life expectancy for an Italian Greyhound. Martha, she died as a direct result of the neglect she suffered for seven years in your care. How many others have suffered the same fate?

This industry has been hidden far too long. The word is out, the days are numbered. People like you will soon venture out into fields of honest work and leave the care of God's creatures to those of us who truly love them.

Theresa Strader

Web site: http://www.milldogrescue.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalMillDogRescue
Blog: http://nationalmilldogrescue.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.milldogrescue.org/Theresas_Letter.html

Also, see:

Lily's Story
Lily's Tribute
VIDEO: Meet Lily (Quicktime video format)
10 Reasons NOT to Buy a Puppy from a Pet Store
America's Nasty Secret...
What is a Responsible Breeder?

Sabtu, 18 Agustus 2012

Protecting Our Families & Pets from Governmental Abuse

Here's a disturbing, but important report about the need for better policies to protect us and our pets! –Kim

Cops Kill Dog, Handcuff Kids in Wrong-house Raid

'Brutalized' family files lawsuit over SWAT team nightmare
World Net Daily
8/10/2012

A federal court case has been launched after a SWAT team in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area busted into the wrong house, shot the family's dog, handcuffed the children and forced them to "sit next to the carcass of their dead and bloody pet for more than an hour."

The case has been outlined by Courthouse News (CN), and Mike Riggs at a Reason.com Blog wrote, "Shawn Scovill of the taskforce may have raided the wrong house, but he didn't want to let the opportunity to rifle through someone's things go to waste. So he and his team ransacked the Franco house for over an hour, and managed to find a .22 caliber pistol in the 'basement bedroom of Gilbert Castillo,' which the suit says they attributed to the head of the Franco household, Robert Franco."

According to CN, a claim over the attack on the family has been filed in federal court by a team of lawyers representing the family. The plaintiffs are the nine people in the Franco home on the evening of July 13, 2010, including three children, and the case seeks $30 million for the civil rights violations and other damages.

Defendants include the St. Paul police department, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent and members of the Dakota County Drug Task Force.

Robert Franco explains in the claim the attack officers raided the wrong house, and Task Force Officer Scovill, who set up the raid, "provided false information to a Minnesota District Court judge in order to obtain a search warrant."

According to CN, Franco alleges, "Defendant Scovill lied when he informed the district court judge who reviewed Scovill's search warrant application that Scovill had obtained information from the confidential informant that the plaintiff's home was the properly targeted house and that the address and the identity of the individuals who resided therein were the plaintiffs."

The complaint explains what officers should have known: that a neighbor should have been the intended target.

CN reported, "Plaintiff Roberto Franco was not named in the search warrant, nor was any person who lived in the raided house named in the search warrant."

Added the complaint, "Plaintiff, Roberto Franco, had never been discussed or considered a suspect by law enforcement, Scovill or any of the defendants directly involved or indirectly involved in the raid, relative to any alleged involvement by Franco in any distribution of contraband prior to the wrong house raid."

Franco pointed out that the neighbor's name was actually on the warrant.

Instead, the SWAT team "negligently raided the home" and spent the next hour "physically brutalizing all the above-named occupants of said house," according to the complaint.

Added Riggs, "Since the DEA is named in the suit, the Francos' legal team will likely find itself going head-to-head with Obama administration lawyers, who argued a similar case earlier this year before the Ninth Circuit. Short recap.... The DOJ sought a summary dismissal of a lawsuit filed against seven DEA agents for their rough treatment of a family of four – mother, father, two very young daughters – during a wrong-door raid conducted during the Bush administration. The Ninth Circuit denied the DOJ's request for a summary dismissal, and drew a bright line between how adults are treated during raids, and how children are treated during raids."

The complaint said in the St. Paul attack, officers handcuffed everyone in the home except a woman, who was forced, "virtually naked, from her bed onto the floor at gunpoint."

"Defendants shot and killed the family dog and forced the handcuffed children to sit next to the carcass of their dead pet and bloody pet for more than an hour while defendants continued to search the plaintiffs' home," according to the complaint.

A young girl, who is diabetic, "was handcuffed at gunpoint and prevented by officer from obtaining and taking her medication, thus induced a diabetic episode as a result of low-blood sugar levels."

The case accuses officers later of providing perjured testimony in the trial for Roberto Franco, who was convicted regarding the possession of the handgun.

Commented Riggs, "If anyone can weigh in on the legal loophole that might allow evidence seized during a wrong-door raid to be used in court, please fill me in. Also, are Minnesota gun laws that strict?"

Source: http://www.wnd.com/2012/08/cops-kill-dog-handcuff-kids-in-wrong-house-raid/
© Copyright 1997-2012 WND.com Inc.

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Kamis, 16 Agustus 2012

Dog Food Secrets

Valuable Resource...

Urgent Press Release for Dog Owners

You're about to discover the terrifying-truth about commercial dog food that is linked to the deaths of thousands of dogs across the US every single day.

Many world-famous Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and published Dog Care Experts universally agree. Any dog that eats commercial dog food is at a much higher risk of dying prematurely. And by the time symptoms are noticeable, it's often too late to prevent an agonizing death except by lethal injection.

See their shocking, research-supported claims in this report.

Also in this report, I show you a simple solution proven to increase the lifespan of your dog by up to 134% and save you up to $10,000.

To discover these amazing secrets, just continue reading and your reward is a super-healthy, incredibly happy dog that stays by-your-side for up to 8.3 years longer than statistically predicted.

Let's continue with this critical information...

"Commercial Dog Food is Killing Your Dog;
Hear What the Experts Have to Say..."

Continued - Click for more vital information....

Rabu, 08 Agustus 2012

Training an Aggressive Dog without a Shock Collar

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

Why Shock Collars Don't Work

By Dr. Andrew Jones

Victoria Stilwell is a British Dog Trainer who has a show on Animal Planet.

Her training methods are refreshing and POSITIVE.

For her the focus in on positive reinforcement, not negative.

I for one 100% advocate this style of training – see in this video how it completely changed this Bulldog.

Best Wishes,
Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM has been a practicing Veterinarian for almost 20 years. He is a strong advocate of Natural Pet Health Care, and knows that the most important way to heal our pets and prevent disease is through proper nutrition. He developed Ultimate Canine to give our dogs that extra advantage – something that will provide them with everything they need to develop stronger immune systems to fight disease, heal sore or stiff joints, and help them live longer, happier lives. Dr. Andrew Jones' main focus is on alternative, non-traditional remedies for pets. His interest in alternative pet medicine culminated in the writing of his book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed.

Also, see:

Kamis, 02 Agustus 2012

Coming to Terms with Who You Really Are

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

The Five Stages of PETA Grief

June 15, 2012
by Nathan J. Winograd

People who support PETA, even after they learn about their mass killing and embrace of abusive shelters, don't love animals and they know it. They may claim they do. They may have Facebook pages filled with animal images and stickers with animal related messages on their car. But they don't. For such people, a misplaced trust and need to identify with PETA is more important than the professed values that presumably led them to support PETA in the first place. In fact, it is more important than the animals themselves because they are willing to embrace the suffering and death of animals so long as that suffering and death is caused by PETA or the "shelters" PETA defends.

PETA lovers: I challenge you to read the following articles and then explain how PETA's actions or the defense of those actions by you is consistent with a rational definition of "loving" animals without resorting to the decidedly irrational and Orwellian argument that killing is a "gift" and that the living want to die, as Ingrid Newkirk does:

I further challenge you to avoid the five stages of PETA Grief. Because whenever I post the truth about PETA, here's what I typically get from you:

Anger. First, you become angry and launch an invective-filled ad hominem attack on the messenger. You can't top the colorful ways I've been attacked, so don't even try. I've already been told I "live in my grandmother's basement," that I "need a hobby instead of scratching my fat, pimply ass in front of a computer," and that I like "to sit in the bathtub and play with poo and pee." You're in good company.
Defensiveness. After about 10 minutes, desperation fueled by cognitive dissonance kicks in. Because so much of who you are, your identity as "superior" to everyone else is wrapped up in PETA and you've just discovered that PETA kills animals, you start to feel defensive and are desperate for a means to prove that what I am saying isn't true. So after the personal attack, you'll come back with another comment, this time demanding proof. Of course, PETA death statistics are from PETA itself. And PETA has admitted to killing animals who are, in their own words, "healthy, "adoptable," "perfect," and "adorable." And here is a postcard your idol Ingrid Newkirk herself wrote to me admitting that PETA does not support "right to life for animals."
Denial. Unable to reconcile your identity which is wrapped up in feeling superior because you perceive PETA as a "radical animal rights group" even though PETA's killing is inconsistent with animal rights, their defense of abusive shelters is inconsistent with animals rights, and PETA has admitted they don't support the rights of animals, you'll simply deny it. About 10 minutes after the defensiveness phase, you'll post yet another comment saying that it isn't true and that I must be part of the "exploitive meat industry" out to "destroy the animal rights movement." I'm not, and in fact, I used to volunteer with PETA before learning the truth, unlike you who will tenaciously cling to the fiction that PETA represents something it does not, even when PETA staff, including Newkirk, have admitted as much and even when all evidence is to the contrary.
Reassert superiority. But you can't let it go, and as your conscience realizes it is unable to reconcile what are in fact irreconcilable contradictions, you'll reassert your superiority, because that is what it all comes down doesn't it? Feeling superior to the masses. So you'll write, "Are you even vegan?" or "I don't have to listen to you because you are not even vegan." Hey, I've got news for you: that is irrelevant to the issue at hand. It is not who is right that matters, but what is right. And PETA's killing and defense of killing is wrong no matter what other forms of animal abuse exist. You are defending PETA's killing and embrace of even abusive shelters because cows and chickens are being killed by someone else. How does that make any sense? Incidentally, I am, in fact, vegan and have been for over 20 years: www.allamericanvegan.com.
Anger. And so you'll get angry again because you just can't face the fact that you don't really love animals, after all. You love PETA. You love them so much that you are willing to sacrifice the animals. You are willing to accept their systematic slaughter and even defend their killers as long as those killers are the people who give you an identity. But you now know that claiming to love animals and loving PETA are inconsistent. And because I was the messenger for that realization, well, that brings you back to square one. Yeah, I know, I know. I like to sit in the bathtub and play with poo.

Good luck coming to terms with who you really are.

Also, see: