Thursday, December 9, 2010

My love of dogs...

So I am writing this book and everyone in my critique group wants to know, "why do you do the things you do?" What's your motive? What's your inspiration? Why do you go into the ghetto and risk your life, that isn't normal behavior. What drives you?

This is a loaded, heavy and intense question. I could get all Freud-ish and say it has something to do with losing my first dog ever (Hugo) to my parents' divorce. I could say it has to do with the fact that I think people are cruel and let you down and dogs, aren't and don't.

I don't just love dogs. I have a passion for helping abused, abandoned, neglected and homeless animals. I abhor breeding, animal cruelty and neglect, chained-dogs, puppy-mills and dogfighting. It is frustrating when people say "Ohhh you love dogs!" Yes, I do love dogs but I'm not just the crazy dog lady living at home with 14 shitzus and yorkies. My heart goes out to abused (Stella) chained (Max) and neglected (Tyler) dogs. The extent of the misunderstanding goes to people who are close to me, have tried setting me up with a breeder. A BREEDER. "But Sarah, he LOVES dogs! He breeds labs!" Then he doesn't love dogs!! Guys who have approached me and wanted to take me out tell me they have a beagle which lives in a kennel in their garage, or a Great Dane who lives her life outside, or a min-pin for which they paid $2000. First of all, I wont give you the time of day if you keep your hunting dog in a cage its entire life, secondly I wont look at you if your dogs lives its life outside. I dont care how big it is! Dont get a dog if you dont want one!! And lastly, the more money you spent on your dog while 12 million are euthanized each year just reaffirms the fact that you are an ignorant, uncaring idiot!

Everytime I see Sarah McLaughlin's ASPCA commercial I cry. Sarah's song "In the arms of the angel.." plays while they show abused and dying dogs and cats. Just breaks my heart. I would give my last dime to that organization. Oh wait, I did and have.

Random thought - Barack Obama, in all his insight, vowed to adopt a 'shelter' dog for Sasha and Malia. He said as he is a mutt, he wanted to bring another mutt into the White House.

God I love that man.

Whatever that piece of shit Michael Vick did by glorifying dog-fighting, millions of people will now see the glorification of adopting from a shelter since the leader of the free world made it "cool".

I watched "Whale Wars" on Animal Planet last night. I had been eagerly awaiting it's premiere. Last week when Jessi and I went to "Nights in Rodanthe" there was a preview for this new Animal Planet Documentary; Whale Wars. Its basically about these 35 men and women who risk everything aboard the Sea Shepherd: Steve Irwin. There are 6 Japanese ships in the Antarctic who are bludgeoning and massacring this gorgeous, soon-to-be-extinct breed; the Orca Whale. The Sea Shepherd: Steve Irwin, is out there to try and stop the Japanese and scare them into turning around and going back to Japan. In the Japanese fleet, there are 3 "harpoon ships" 2 "GPS" ships and a processing ship. The 2 "GPS" ships cruise around the "Whale Sanctuary" in this portion of the Antarctic ocean just southeast of Australia. The Whale Sanctuary is preserved and whale hunting is illegal HOWEVER the Japanese have "research" written across their ships and can get away with murdering 935 whales/year in the whale sanctuary in the name of research. The Japanese claim they're researching migratory patterns among the whales. What the fuck do they care? Let the Japanese "research" ships loose in those waters and there will be no whales to have migratory patterns!! So while the 2 "GPS" ships are navigating around the waters, finding the innocent and helpless whales, they call on the 3 "harpoon" ships. The harpoon ships have a missile-like harpoon which, like military missiles, when the person guiding the harpoon finds its target (the whale) they push the button and the harpoon (which looks like an anchor the size of an SUV) at about 35 mph, goes directly into the whale, and since it is still connected it drags the whale back to the killing machine. Er, I mean, Ship. Whales are Mammals. They feel pain. In fact, their central-nervous system is as complex as human beings, which means, the whales feel all the pain that is expected when you have a 3-ton harpoon shooting through you. They're dragged up a long ramp into the ship where the Japanese "researchers" saw its tail off for easier manuevering. Once the animal - still alive - is tortured and miserable, the "processing ship" comes by. On the processing ship, the Japanese "researchers" finish cutting up the whale for edible whale meat.

So, Paul Watson is the captain of the Sea Shepherd. Apparently Paul and Steve Irwin were best friends, and I think Steve's widow Teri, donated money for the ship the Sea Shepherd: Steve Irwin. Paul was the founder of Green Peace, a respectable activist-organization also trying to stop whaling and killing in the Antarctic however they're using very submissive techniques. Paul had a falling-out with the other founders/members of Green Peace when they wanted to remain calm and submissive to the whalers and Paul decided the only way to "fight" whaling was to literally "fight" it. Paul was asked to leave Green Peace and started the organization of 35 crew members in this season's documentary "Whale Wars".

As far as I can tell, the 7-episode series will document the hardships the crew aboard the Sea Shepherd face; sea-sickness, capsized boats, and there is even talk of a hostage-situation. Thank God there are people out there who are taking things into their own hands. I realize this area is International waters however, wouldn't you think the government should be doing something to regulate the laws of the Whale Sanctuary?

Whale meat is served at restaurants in Japan. Whale fat is used in lipsticks and other cosmetics. (See list below of companies who either animal test or use animal bi-products in their cosmetics)

Avon Cosmetics
Jeyes
Beiersdorf
Johnson & Johnson
The Body Shop/L’Oreal+
Lancome
Chanel
Lever Fabergé
Christion Dior
L’Oreal/Nestlé
Clinique
Miners Cosmetics
Colgate Palmolive
PZ Cussons
Coty
Reckitt Benckiser
Ecover*
Revlon
Estée Lauder
SC Johnson
FCUK
Virgin Vie
Garnier
Yardley
Givenchy
Yves Rocher
GlaxoSmithKline
Yves Saint Laurent
Helena Rubenstein
Unilever

Here is a site to utilize for safecosmetics:
http://www.safecosmetics.org/companies/signers.cfm

I must say I feel that jumping fences and stealing pitbulls from abusive owners just doesn't feel like I am doing enough. Then again, its so difficult to feel as if we are making a difference and so easy to feel insignificant and like we are hardly making a dent in the world of animal cruelty.

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