150 Dead Dogs Packed in Freezers in Dearborn, Michigan

July 27, 2009

A mentally ill man in Dearborn, Michigan was taken to a hospital for observation after 150 dead dogs were found packed in freezers in his home. 112 dogs were found living in the house which, as you would expect, was filthy, cluttered and reeking of feces and urine. Crews removingthe dogs needed masks to breath while removing the dogs. For the complete story, go here.

The reason I felt it necessary to highlight this tragic story is to bring up the issue of Animal Hoarding, a topic that today is  considered a true psychological disorder. In many cases these are people who begin rationally enough, sheltering or fostering dogs or cats. Then at some point they slip over the line from care to neglect and abuse. There is an absolute limit, a finite number of companion animals that any one individual can safely maintain in a private home or apartment.

There’s some excellent material on the Tufts University website about this issue, here. Also, the website AnimalHoarding.com offers an in-depth look at this tragic issue.

If you know anyone who is approaching or exceeding the limit of responsible care for animals of any type, please intervene before the situation gets worse. The isolation of animal hoarders is the worst thing that can happen to them and their animals.

2 Ways to Create Realistic Depth of Field

July 27, 2009

Minervity has an excellent set of tutorials on creating realistic depth of field in photographs that don’t have any naturally. The steps are clearly explained and anyone with a basic knowledge of Photoshop can easily add this to their skill set.

For the article, go here.

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“Intellect is Dangerous.”

July 26, 2009

“Intellect is dangerous. . .there is no way of guaranteeing that an intellectual class will be discrete and restrained in the use of its influence; the only assurance that can be given to any community is that it will be far worse off if it denies the free uses of the power of intellect than if it permits them.

“To be sure, intellectuals, contrary to the fantasies of cultural vigilantes, are hardly ever subversive of a society as a whole. But intellect is always on the move against something: some oppression, fraud, illusion, dogma, or interest is constantly falling under the scrutiny of the intellectual class and becoming the object of exposure, indignation, or ridicule.”

— Richard Hofstadter, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, Winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in Non-Fiction

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“Rescue Ink” fights Animal Abuse on the National Geographic Channel in September, 2009

July 23, 2009

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You take a look at us, and maybe your first reaction is to cross to the other side of the street. Just remember to look both ways before you do.

We’re not a gang, vigilantes or a social organization, but we do have that certain “in your face” style when it comes to animal abusers.

You may find us hanging out together at a hot rod show, tattoo parlors, or even hitting up the blacktop together on our bikes for a little road trip, but the main thing that brings us together is our love of animals.

We met because we were all doing the same thing on our spare time: rescuing and finding homes for abandoned and abused animals. None of us did it for money; we did it because we cannot stand by while anyone mistreats an animal! — from their website, www.rescueink.org

I’m asking everyone who reads this post to watch this program for two reasons: 1. I love the concept of getting in the face of animal abusers, and 2. Batso is a neighbor of mine.

Please spread the word about this show!

Batso

Massive 7 State Crackdown on Dog Fighting Rings

July 23, 2009

dogfightingAssociated Press photo of Humane Society officials removing dogs from a location in St. Louis.

July 9, 2009. Yesterday, authorities seized more than 400 dogs and charged 26 people from seven states in what Humane Society officials are calling one of the largest crackdowns on dog fighting in the United States.

State and federal agents staged multiple raids, charging individuals in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas following a more-than-year-long investigation originally tipped off by the Humane Society of Missouri.

In Missouri, prosecutors said members of a multi-state ring routinely denied the dogs medical treatment and “destroyed” injured dogs who were no longer able to fight by shooting them “in the head, throwing them into the river or burning them in a barrel.”

For the complete article by Amelia Glynn from the San Francisco Chronicle, go here.

India’s Stray Dog Solution: Sterilize 8 Million Dogs over the Next Decade

July 23, 2009

Previously, we wrote about China and their brutal solution to pet over-population and rampant rabies infections (dog beating squads). Now India, which vies with China for having the world’s worst rabies problem, has announced their response: a plan by The Central Ministry of Environment & Forests to sterilize 8 million dogs over the next decade.

For the complete article by Govind Singh at the EcoWorldly site, go here.

We applaud India for taking this humane track in dealing with these twin issues.

Now I guess it’s time for me to forgive them for sending us the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

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Off Topic Trivia: Did you know that John Lennon’s song Sexy Sadie on The White album was written about the Maharishi? The title and lyrics were changed at the request of George Harrison prior to recording.

After the yogi allegedly tried to force himself sexually on Mia Farrow, the Beatles promptly split from Rishikesh, India. When the Maharishi asked why they were leaving, Lennon is reported to have said, “If you’re so cosmic, you’ll know why.”

Today, there is general agreement by those who were there that such an assault did not take place.

The abrupt departure had more to do with John’s volatile temperament and his dissatisfaction with this particular spiritual path. There is no doubt that the Beatles, as a whole, were phenomenally productive while in India, writing almost all the songs for The White Album during their stay.

Maharishi, what have you done
You made a fool of everyone
You made a fool of everyone
Maharishi, ooh, what have you done

Maharishi you broke the rules
You laid it down for all to see
You laid it down for all to see
Maharishi, ooh, you broke the rules

One sunny day the world was waiting for a lover
He came along to turn on everyone
Maharishi, the greatest of them all

Maharishi, how did you know
The world was waiting just for you
The world was waiting just for you
Maharishi, ooh, how did you know

Maharishi, you’ll get yours yet
However big you think you are
However big you think you are
Maharishi, ooh, you’ll get yours yet

We gave him everything we owned
Just to sit at his table
Just a smile would lighten everything
Maharishi, he’s the latest and the greatest of them all
Ha, he made a fool of everyone, Maharishi
Ha, however big you think you are, Maharishi

Electric Spot Reducer Weight Loss ad from 1953 comic book – Don’t Stay Fat, Used by Experts, Order it Today!

July 23, 2009

weight_loss_1953Click on image for larger size.

New York Times begins weekly column on raising a puppy

July 23, 2009

Jill Abramson has begun a new weekly column, The Puppy Diaries in the New York Times. It is slated to run for the first full year of her new dog’s life. Based on the first entry, I think it will become required reading around here. Click on image for larger size.

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“Zombieland” with Woody Harrelson opens October 9, 2009

July 23, 2009

“My mother always told me, ‘Someday, you’ll be good at something.’ I mean, I don’t think that she coulda guessed that something would be zombie killing.”

Another entry in Hollywood’s current love affair with our favorite Walking Dead creatures. . .based on the trailer, I’m looking forward to this one.  Click on image for larger size.

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“Dog Beating” Squads used in China to Curb Rabies; 35,000 Dogs Killed in Shaanxi Province

July 1, 2009

Another city in China has come under the enforcement of the one-dog per family rule, already in place in Beijing and other cities.  This time it is the affluent city of Guangzhou in Southern China.  This adds to the previous restriction of size: no dogs over 14 inches. The neighbor who turns you in for having an over-sized dogs receives a reward. This is from reporting by Toby Green in The Independent. For the complete article, go here.

Animal activists world wide predictably, understandably protested.

But the worst is yet to come.

To combat a major problem with rabies 35,000 dogs have already been killed in the Shaanxi Province by “dog-beating” teams. Beating the stray and abandoned dogs to death in the street was determined to be the most practical method, according to a government source. A small, positive note can be heard in the news that 360,000 dogs in the countryside will be vaccinated.

The contradictions here are hard for me to wrap my brain around.  A few very elite, extremely pampered dogs wear a fashionable a outfit that changes daily while dog meat is still served at city restaurants.

It’s especially popular in the winter months because it is believed to warm the blood.  Again, predictably, the dog’s penis is considered an aphrodisiac. These are classic example of Magical Thinking.  It’s the same reason people have long believed powdered rhinoceros horn is Nature’s Viagra. Maybe if you take pills shaped like the Empire State Building . . .

Can you imagine the outcry that would occur if in Boston, MA or Atlanta, GA the city government forced pet owners with more than one dog to get rid of the other members of the pack? Then had teams of men catching and beating to death all the strays and abandoned dogs?

We live in world awash in lethal weapons and lethal chemicals. There are simply better ways, more humane ways to cull a mass of dogs. It’s a display of human savagery in my view.  The real long term solution is mandated spay and neuter programs. Of course,  America falls short by this measure, too.

I find it odd that we use the world ‘humane’ when we protest animal sadism. It is only we humans who can choose to behave so badly. What must it do to the minds of the presumably young men who take this job? Or the young man who is attracted to this job?

How do you reconcile all these different attitudes towards dogs all existing simultaneously in the same culture? Dogs in high fashion and dog meat on the dinner plate. Pet dogs considered family members, dogs beaten in the street. China seems like two worlds, modern and ancient existing in the same time and place.

I could give you more inane generalizations like the previous one, but suddenly I am run over by a truck!