Don't Breed or Buy While Shelter Dogs Die....and other opinions of mine...

Let me clarify my animal activism stance:

1) I abhor breeders. There is no point to breed. NONE. NONE WHATSOEVER. 12 million dogs are euthanized every year and you are going to tell me there is ANY good reason to breed more?!? For money??? I dont care if Joe Schmoe wants a PUREBRED Pointer from the best breeder in the midwest, and I dont care if Barbie Baldwin wants her min-pin or her shit-zu and wants "the best" which means spending $2000 instead of the $100 adoption fee. I just dont care!! There are purebreds, puppies, etc. etc. etc. at every shelter in every county in the country. In fact, there are actual BREED SPECIFIC RESCUE GROUPS i.e. you can google "midwest pitbull rescue" or "east coast pomeranian rescue" or "southern golden retriever rescue".

2) Puppy Mills are all over this country, tragically, and are absolute HELL ON EARTH for these animals. The puppy mill "breeders" have female (bitches) whom they breed repeatedly until their bodies fall apart. Literally. The female dogs are bred every single heat cycle from their first heat cycle (typically around age 6-8 months) until their vulva and uterus hang out of their rectum. Becuase puppy mill people are white-trash pieces of shit, they also do their best to make sure the animals (both females and males - "studs") are comfortable, living in cages so tiny they cannot stand up, which means their muscles atrophy and usually when a puppy mill is "busted" the animals have completely lost use of these legs, oftentimes have to have them amputated. They live in their own feces and urine, cage upon cage upon wire cage of hell. Now, for the idiots out there who STILL want a dog from a breeder or a pet store (pet stores get ALL their dogs from Puppy mills, and anyone purchasing from a Breeder has NO WAY to ensure it is NOT a puppy mill) need to know that siblings are being bred with siblings and parents are being bred with offspring and if just being an ethical, humane human being isn't reason enough to NOT go to a breeder or puppy mill, maybe the proceeding vet bills will be?

3) Pitbulls are my passion. They are my passion because they are misunderstood. I love all dogs. ALL. I had a Rottweiler, and that was my first taste of the "Bully Breeds". PROVEN FACT: pitbulls are, genetically and trait characteristically, the best dogs with small children, one of the most intelligent breeds, one of the most loyal breeds, and one of the LEAST AGGRESSIVE BREEDS. Now, the reason we hear about pitbull bites' and attacks is because their jaws are genetically stronger (because of the bloodlines and the jackasses who have been breeding them) so WHEN a pitbull DOES bite, it can be fatal. However, Jack Russell Terriers, Chihuahuas and Cocker Spaniels are MORE apt to attack and/or bite!! Pitbulls have been banned in every area of the Greater KC area except for KCMO. Which, is where I live. There are 5 points (characteristics and/or traits) in determining if a mix-breed has pitbull, and you cannot have a dog that meets any of these traits in Leawood, Joco, Gladstone, Olathe, Liberty, and I'm sure many others that I am forgetting. IF you live in KCMO you may have a pit or pit-mix as long as the dog is altered (spayed or neutered). The ignorance of, and education level of, and, apparent empathy level of, the morons who fight and abuse bully breeds, are directly related to the reason these pathetic individuals own, breed, fight, use, abuse, neglect, starve and murder bully breeds. Yes, it is an education issue. Yes, it is a cultural issue. I have worked with animal rescue and pitbull rescue for years and the fighting rings are either found in trailer parks or in the ghetto. Starving, emaciated, abused and dumped dogs are found in the ghetto. This is not a race issue - this is a poverty and education and cultural issue. Now, there was a dog-fighting ring that was broken up in Johnson County last year. And, there is an exception to every rule.

4) Why even have a dog if you are going to chain it up, outside, in freezing cold ice and rain, blistering heat, and tornadoes? Why? Why chain a dog up outside? Dogs are companion animals, they're meant to be a part of your family, in your house. I throw up in my mouth a little every time I hear someone say "oh he is too big to be in the house" then WHY THE FUCK DID YOU GET A BIG DOG??? There are enough intelligent people out there who realize you shouldn't discriminate and small dog, big dog, black dog, white dog, drooling dog, prissy dog, whatever the dog they all deserve to be inside, party-of-the-family dogs!! WE - human beings - domesticated wolves into dogs therefore it is our RESPONSIBILITY to take care of them!!!

I was at the Penn Valley Dog Park today and was approached by a really nice gentleman who had a 'mix' puppy. He complemented Stella's coat. Stella is my pit-mix. Let me rephrase, Stella is my nearly 90-lb thinks she is a lap dog pit mix. He complemented her coat and her demeanor. He then overheard me call her Stella and said "I know another American Staffordshire Terrier named Stella." The man, being politically correct as, there really is no such breed as a pitbull, they're called American Staffordshire Terriers... was very sweet, and very complementary which, we all know is the way to my heart when you complement my dogs:) He proceeded to tell me the other Stella he knew was a pure-bred pitbull his friend has spent thousands of dollars on. I didn't get on my soapbox, don't worry.

I'm just going to throw one more statistic out there for you before I move onto my next activity - of the 10,000 dogs that were euthanized at KC Animal Control last year (2007) more than 3500 were pitbull mixes. There are hundreds of breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club and more than 35% of 10,000 dogs euthanized WERE ONE OF THESE BREEDS.