LA Approves Ethnic Cleansing For Mutt Dogs

LOS ANGELES -- Pet owners who live in Los Angeles must have their dogs and cats sterilized by the time the animals are 4 months old. The ordinance, signed into effect Tuesday by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating the thousands of animals that are euthanized in the city's animal shelters every year.

The ordinance does exempt some animals, including those that have competed in shows or sporting competitions, guide dogs, animals used by police agencies and those belonging to professional breeders. The average pet owner, however, must have their dog or cat spayed or neutered by the time it reaches 4 months of age (as late as 6 months with a letter from a veterinarian).

http://www.kcra.com/news/15416585/detail.html

This may sound like a good idea at first blush, but look forward 5 or 10 years in the future - it is the end of the Mutt or Mixed dog due to systematic elimination.

Think about it, if every dog has to be spayed or neutered except breed dogs, show dogs (usually breeds), guide dogs or police dogs (which are only breeded to produce more dogs for the same purpose) it means that eventually all dogs meant to be housepets would be registered breeds. It is a very serious situation indeed.

That means NO MORE MUTTS. This law is on the side of breeders and encourages "ethnic" cleansing of dogs eventually eliminating all non registered breed dogs. Who is to say that a breed dog is more valuable or more entitled to exist than a Mixed dog? The city council of Los Angeles apparently.

Have the people of Los Angeles thought about the long term effects of this new law? What are the consequences of systematically eliminating Mix breed dogs?

For one, gettting a dog would become more expensive. At current, dogs from breeders generally cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. This would make it very difficult for average people to get a dog in the first place.

Dog health is also a problem within the new law. Purebred dogs are more likely to have health issues due to a limited and closed gene pool. Most breeds were built on relatively few founding dogs, so the same sets of genes have been reproduced over and over since the breed began. Registries such as the AKC require that all future offspring come from the mating of dogs registered with their club. This restriction eliminates the vast majority of other dogs that would otherwise be available for breeding.

Without the introduction of new and unrelated genes, in the long term all living creatures suffer "loss of genetic diversity," which inevitably leads to weaker animals with health problems. This is happening right now with purebred dogs and will be a major issue in Los Angles due to the elimination of Mixed breed dogs.

Another issue is that this new law means big bucks and lots of business for breeders and puppy mills because people would have to go to breeders or pet stores in order to get dogs. Also, more business for breeders means more puppy mills and more people getting into the industry. This will result in poor conditions for the dogs in the mills and a low quality of life for these dogs.

Puppy mills and mass breeders are part of a heartless industry that forces dogs to spend their entire lives in cages constantly breeding to support consumer demand for puppies. Imagine if the demand for puppies grows because these mills and breeders are the only place to get dogs. It will mean more dogs forced to breed and live miserably in cages. Why would Los Angeles want to put a law through that clearly supports this industry?

Well I know one thing. If this law were in effect 5 years ago, I wouldn't be here. My pack thinks I'm perfect as I am and they wouldn't trade me for a breed dog in a million years.

Los Angeles sees this new sterilization law as a good thing, but long term it is no triumph for dogs. The law was clearly thought of as a short term "quick fix" (no pun intended) instead of considering the long term effects. This sterilization law will result in a only an elite group being able to afford dogs, a dog population with multiple health problems and the promotion of inhumane dog treatment through breeding and puppy mills.

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Two Happy Dogs

I love this picture! These guys look like good friends.

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Keep Your Dog In Shape

Your four-legged friend may not slip into skin-baring fashions this summer, but it doesn’t mean he or she shouldn’t be in shape just like you.

February is National Canine Weight Check month and pet owners are encouraged to find out if their dog is overweight, and if so, what to do about it.

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080225/VALLEYNEWS/537685189/0/FRONTPAGE

One of the best ways to keep your pooch healthy and happy is to give him regular exercise. I really enjoy my walks and playtimes every day and it helps to keep me fit.

Hmm, maybe I should have skipped that milkbone this afternoon. I'll just chase a few extra squirrels to make up for it.

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Dogs Go Green And Get Pampered

When Bronna Bodenstein's "only child" Moe D. Beagle has a particularly hard day, she knows just how to pamper him: a few rounds of fetch, a belly rub and an evening unwinding to the relaxing scent of "Rose Petal Pooch," an aromatherapy candle made just for dogs, infused with essential oils and Peruvian balsam bark.

Bodenstein, 54, of Pikesville, Md., considers herself the quintessential customer for her store Earthdoggy.com, an online distributor of earth-friendly products for pets: a self-described "crunchy granola" who drives a hybrid car and buys eco-friendly laundry detergent and also loves her dog.

For Bodenstein, earth-conscious pet products are a natural extension of her green lifestyle. "I buy green because I care about the environment," she said "but I also love to do good things for my dog."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0225greendogs0225.html

Sounds like a tail waggin time to me except for the candle - the only smells I truly like are food, earthy stuff like grass and other dogs.

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Dog And Family Reunited After Tornado

GASSVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Every day since a tornado damaged the Harrises' home and their dog's pen, the family has checked to see whether Pongo made it back.
On Friday, nearly three weeks after the storm, he was — hungry but healthy.

"He poked his head out of the dog house," said Tim Harris, husband of Pongo's owner, Katresa Harris. "He was running; he was so excited to see her."

The 9-year-old basset hound and blue heeler mix had been missing since the Feb. 5 tornado devastated the Gassville area. He apparently ran off after the tornado broke open a fence.

The family has been returning to the home, which they are not living in during repairs, to see whether Pongo returned and to put out food. The family also made posters with a picture of Pongo and checked animal shelters.

"I knew he made it," Tim Harris said. "We never gave up on him, that's for sure."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFMuZ3hgFb488T2qp_OPeNLXrWbgD8V11HS80

I'm glad that Pongo made it home. That tornado must have been pretty scary.

Yummy Chummy Treats Business Grows

Brett Gibson’s salmon is going to the dogs — in neat little bite-sized treats. The Arctic Paws owner, and pups across the country, couldn’t be happier.

This year, Gibson hopes to purchase up to 1.5 million pounds of wild Alaska salmon for production of his high-protein Yummy Chummies canine treats, now selling at supermarkets and pet stores in a growing number of stores throughout North America.

The bright red packages of Yummy Chummies, in original salmon plus bacon and chicken flavors, are being snapped up by shoppers in Krogers, Albertsons, King Soopers, Petco, Winn Dixie, Costco and other stores. And the list keeps on growing.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/325350.html

I've tried these before and they're very tasty. They do give you fish breath though.

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Dog Survivor Gets A Home

Nubs has a new home.

The frozen, war-ravaged desert and ruins of Iraq are in the past for this dog. The German shepherd-border collie mix that was rescued and nursed back to health by Marine Maj. Brian Dennis and his men arrived in Chicago on Wednesday on a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight. Nubs flew out again Friday on an American Airlines jet, landing in the afternoon at San Diego's Lindbergh Field before heading to his new address.

"I'm just glad he is safe and going to get to enjoy life without worrying about freezing, being abused or killed," Dennis said Friday in an e-mail to The Tampa Tribune. "He is a great dog and deserves a better life."

Dennis, raised in St. Petersburg, discovered Nubs in the ruins of a fort near the Syrian border. The dog's ears had been clipped by an Iraqi, hence his name. Nubs later was stabbed in the side with a screwdriver by an Iraqi border police officer and left to die. Dennis wouldn't let that happen. He rubbed Neosporin on the wound and kept the dog warm on an 18-degree night by sleeping next to him.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBPJSQOZCF.html

This is an amazing survivor story. I can't believe he walked 70 miles to track down his new friends - I get tired with only 2 walks a day.

Best of luck to Nubs in his new home.

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Meet Lucky

For the first post in this blog, I would like to introduce myself.

I'm a male foxhound terrier mix named Lucky and I'm 5 years old. I was adopted in 2004 and I now live in Florida with the rest of my pack - Cakes and Joe. I'm into peanut butter, chewing on bones, good scratches, playing with stuffed toys, chasing squirrels and runs on the beach.

On this blog I'll be posting and discussing news and information relating to dogs including some human training tips, games, personal stories and general canine fun.

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