Pet Monologues

Holiday shopping. Here come the animal products!

Even the strongest canine swimmer needs to be safe and seen in open water.

K-9 Float coat

Made by Ruff Wear

Seen at Ruff Wear

The HSUS releases list of best and worst state dogfighting laws.

Idaho, Wyoming, Georgia, Nevada and Hawaii ranked worst. New Jersey, Alabama, Colorado, Mississippi and Arizona ranked the best. Read the rest of this entry »

Knock out animal fighting video contest.

Humane Society (HSUS) has contest. The votes are in! Read the rest of this entry »

Humane Society has Vick’s talking points.

Michael Vick gave a public apology last week after he pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges related to his Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting ring. Read the rest of this entry »

eBay tells Vick chew on this in same breath cancels abused pet fundraiser.

Is it true that eBay is canceling a charity auction to help abused pets? Read the rest of this entry »

God love Stephon Marbury for being bright and compassionate enough to create a $14 basketball shoe so kids don’t get robbed and beaten up over their $200 Air Jordan’s. Well, he must have had a brain cramp saying dog fighting is a sport, “just like deer hunting.” Now where does the fickle finger of fate point to?

The media just jumped all over Vick and dog fighting. And yesterday before Marbury’s blurb, in the Chicago Tribune, sports writer Rick Morrissey is quick and right to point out what the media did and how misplaced our senses are.

“But the convulsive reaction to the Vick case has made it obvious we’ve lost our sense of proportion. Dogs are defenseless, and we humans are quick to protect the defenseless. It is one of our better qualities. But a woman in the hands of a 230-pound elite athlete is more or less defenseless, too, and I can’t remember any case of domestic abuse, sexual assault or murder involving an NFL player that sparked this kind of public outrage.”

Rick closes with “A little perspective, please—especially the next time a player attacks a woman. Another incident should be happening any day now.”

He’s saying let’s get our priorities straight and how the media impacts issues. When the media goes “hunting” for something, they usually bag it. Deer hunters, unavailable for comment. Marbury, eyes open, ears on.

For Rick’s full story
The Greater Outrage

Vick attorneys negotiating plea. Falcons QB would serve prison time if agreement reached.

Michael Vick’s attorneys are engaged in plea negotiations with federal prosecutors and the Falcons quarterback could reach an agreement before new dogfighting charges are handed down next week, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s start with this. If the pit bull terrier ever needed good press (think PR) now is the time to write something positive about this pooch. The reason? Life is about “balance” and there are few “positive” pit bull stories that we are aware of. PM is happy to publish the following article from the Chicago Tribune…

by Gerry Smith, Chicago Tribune

“Trainer aims to reprogram public’s view of pit bulls: Pit bull olympics.”

Head, a 6-month-old pit bull with tattered ears and a passive demeanor, learned to sit on Saturday, a small but notable achievement for a dog once bred to fight.

Photo by Julia Fishkin

On a sidewalk in Humboldt Park, Head was part of a small group of neighborhood pit bulls participating in a dog obedience class taught by Tony Gordon, whose mission is more than just turning around a few hostile canines.

Gordon, a disciple of Pavlov’s theories, said he also hopes to educate pit bull owners and transform public perception about a breed that has been maligned by the media in high-profile attacks on children. Read the rest of this entry »

The Humane Society brings up an issue that has national exposure. If you feel strongly about this issue this is the very best time to participate in any way you can…

In the past week, millions of Americans were introduced to the barbaric reality of dogfighting in America. On July 26, NFL quarterback Michael Vick appeared in court and pled not guilty to dogfighting-related charges.

But our mission is not only to see Michael Vick brought to justice. His case is a symptom of a larger problem: Dogfighting is a surging underground enterprise involving an estimated 250,000 dogs. The Humane Society of the United States wants to wipe out this industry and save these dogs from the violent fate that awaits them in the dogfighting pit. But to do so, we desperately need your continued support. Read the rest of this entry »

As breeders test DNA, dogs become guinea pigs. FORT MOTT STATE PARK, N.J. — When mutant, muscle-bound puppies started showing up in litters of champion racing whippets, the breeders of the normally sleek dogs invited scientists to take DNA samples at race meets here and across the country. They hoped to find a genetic cause for the condition and a way to purge it from the breed.

It worked. “Bully whippets,” as the heavyset dogs are known, turn out to have a genetic mutation that enhances muscle development. And breeders may not want to eliminate the “bully” gene after all. The scientists found that the same mutation that pumps up some whippets makes others among the fastest dogs on the track. Read the rest of this entry »