I am still here fighting the good fight... for dogs!

Sorry for the long absence from the blog world. I have been caught up in some local issues and am trying to save a pit bull named Memphis that is being held at the Bloomfield, NJ shelter without opportunity for adoption despite never having bitten anyone since he has been at the shelter.

This dog came in as a stray in February, and the shelter manager, who is herself a dog trainer, but not familiar with pit bulls, felt he had issues that needed to be resolved.

She sent him to be evaluated at an animal welfare organization called St. Hubert's, where he was deemed "an accident waiting to happen," due to his responses to other dogs and to strangers who approached him in a threatening or scary manner. He did, however, act very friendly to a stranger who approached him and greeted him.

At this point, the dog had been found wandering as a stray, probably abandoned by his original owner, and then kept in a cage with only limited interactions with the outside world for several weeks. Of course he was nervous and over-reactive.

The shelter manager continued to work with him, but never felt she could trust him despite the fact that shelter volunteers and others who met Memphis said he was friendly and had never shown any signs of hostility to them.

Finally a well-known local trainer and pit bull rescuer, Jeff Coltenback, who also runs a pet store in our town, offered to take Memphis and work with him to ensure he could pass the temperament test and be adopted out. He had hoped to take him on permanently as his rescue is a registered 501(c)(3) rescue organization, but instead the local Health Department insisted he only keep him to train him and made him sign a long agreement which included stipulations on what he could or could not say about the dog's training, among other details.

To make a long story short, although Jeff did not comment on the dog's training, he did put up pictures of Memphis with other people, including children, on his Facebook page, and the Health Department demanded after 8 days that he bring Memphis back to the shelter, as he was "putting the public in danger" and it could be a liability for the town. As you can imagine, he was doing nothing of the sort.

In fact, Jeff said he only exposed people to Memphis who agreed to work with him, Memphis was supervised at all times, and he said that this is the way he always works with dogs that need socialization. Furthermore, he said since Memphis had come to him he had seen zero evidence of any dangerous traits. The dog gave him no cause for concern or any need for correction during the eight days he had him.

In fact, because of Memphis' friendly and winning personality, Jeff and his family fell in love with the dog and now want to adopt him. Since Memphis was returned to the shelter over a week ago, he was given another behavior test, and his future is now an item on the agenda of the Board of Health meeting tomorrow night. Even though the Health Department must have received the written results of the behavior test by now, they are not revealing the conclusions until the meeting takes place.

The story of Memphis has gone viral, thanks to social media, Examiner.com and Facebook Causes. I know many of my blog friends are fans of pit bulls; for those who are not, please understand this is a good dog, a family dog, who deserves a loving home. Being with a professional trainer and rescuer who loves him would be a perfect solution for him. How could anyone deny him this happiness? Please see here for further information about Memphis and his plight.

I will try to get back into the political scene shortly; as always, I have been following what is going on and am appalled at the choice of Paul Ryan as Romney's running mate. On the plus side, it gives President Obama plenty of fodder to work with. No one can say this is an election without stark differences between the two sides.

Summer Haiku Tuesday

After a whole week up at the cabin in cool springlike weather, coming back to New Jersey was a shock. It's mid-July. It's hot. It's humid. The only good thing is, there is a nice breeze. In fact, it was such a nice breeze yesterday, apparently, that two branches broke off and fell in my neighborhood - one on the sidewalk around the corner and one on our front porch steps!

The brinksmanship between President Obama and John Boehner slogs along. I think the President is playing it right for a change - actually holding out and saying that he won't accept any budget that doesn't include revenue, i.e., tax, increases. I just hope he doesn't fold at the last minute. At some point the Republicans will have to either give in and accept some tax increases, even if only in the form of closing loopholes, or else they will take the blame for the economic mess that would follow if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

But in the summer heat it's hard to get worked up about anything in politics. In the back of my heat-drugged mind I have questions: "If the government defaults on its debts, does that mean investments in treasury bills will tank?" "Do I have any investments that would be stable if this happened?" but I can't bring myself to think any further than that or bother to Google something to find out. Maybe I don't want to know. After all, what can I do about it anyway?

So, I decided today would be a good day for some haiku. As part of my resolution to get back to blogging, haiku is always a good way to get over any writer's block I may have! So....

Summer has arrived.
Cicadas are chattering
High in the treetops.

The dogs are panting
Diva's too hot to walk far
We sit on the deck.

The news is dismal
Haven't read the New York Times
Or the Star Ledger.

Budget talks drag on
Boehner meets with Obama
No progress is made.

My computer's on
My MiFi is blinking green
Where shall I go next?

Facebook is sluggish
The blog world is beckoning
Time to go explore.

I often wonder what we ever did without the internet? Can anyone remember? And don't say we read, because I still read. But I find the world has opened up and become so much more accessible since the advent of the internet. It would be very hard to go back to the past.

It's About Time...UPDATED with pictures!

Well, another month has sped by…and “the 4th of July crept up on little cat feet,” as Jean Shepherd paraphrased in his wonderful tale, The Legend of Ludlow Kissel.

I have to admit, I have become a Bad Blogger. Who would have thought that retiring would mean LESS writing of blogs instead of more? It’s just as the old adage says, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Or in this case, a working person. I’ve even been lazy about checking e-mail these days.

It hasn’t been all sloth and lethargy, though. I’ve been doing some writing for a local blog, covering events in my town, and perhaps I have been expending my writing energy that way, leaving none left for my own blog.

Plus, DH, his dad, my aunt and I all went to Cape Cod during the second week in June – followed by my coming down with a dreadful, energy-sapping, soul-sucking cold that actually took two weeks to go away. It included a consumptive cough, a head cold, and a temporary loss of the ability to taste things, which was certainly not a pleasant way to spend the middle of June. (Luckily that sense has returned, along with my appetite, something that is rarely out of commission under ordinary circumstances).

I can’t say nothing happened in the past month worth talking about – far from it. Of course, the most important event of all was the recent passage of the gay marriage bill by the New York State Legislature, and immediate signing thereof by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had pushed so hard for the law to pass. The news of the law’s passage came late Friday night last weekend, when we were up at our cabin in the Adirondacks.

I was thrilled that this finally happened – especially in New York, which is so tied in with the gay rights movement, starting back in 1969 with the Stonewall Riots. It’s about time, New York! Now if only my home state of New Jersey would follow suit. Of course, our governor, Chris Christie, in his usual pleasant way, has said he’d veto any effort by the legislature to pass a gay marriage bill in his state. Remind me again how we ended up electing this guy? It certainly wasn’t a choice I made. I think I’ll start thinking of New York as my home state. It feels better.

It was inspirational to see Governor Cuomo go about his efforts to push through the bill. According to columnist Maureen Dowd, who recently interviewed the governor,

"The governor says he sold the marriage-equality bill as a matter of conscience and didn’t try to buy off any recalcitrant lawmakers with promises about roads or bridges.

He said Senator Roy McDonald, a Republican who grew up in public housing and represents a somewhat conservative district in the Albany area, told him that he wanted to vote for the bill because 'it’s the right thing. I believe my God is a God of love and acceptance.'"

The four Republicans who voted "yes" deserve a great deal of credit for bucking their party's line and doing the right thing.

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg gets some credit as well, as he expended a lot of political clout on its behalf.

It’s too bad President Obama can’t get any further in his “evolving” viewpoint on the subject and come out strongly in favor of it. He still says it’s an issue best left to the states, and while there may be some political reasoning behind this, that wouldn’t stop him from at least saying honestly what he believes in. (Note to the President: “states’ rights” was the excuse given for ongoing segregation as well.) And now that 53% of Americans approve of gay marriage, the tide of popular opinion is starting to turn - not that people’s intrinsic rights as human beings should be decided by popular opinion in the first place.

It’s possible that leaving it to the states for awhile would still be a wise policy, until enough states passed gay marriage or civil union laws to reach a tipping point where the Supreme Court would be more likely to rule in favor of gay marriage.

But in the meantime, federal laws do not recognize those state-endorsed marriages, depriving spouses of federal pensions and social security benefits from their partners, and marital law in general will be a mess once people start moving around the country and try to get their marriages (or divorces) recognized in other states, as John Schwartz in the NY Times discussed in today’s paper.

And if the Administration is ostensibly no longer defending the Defense of Marriage Act, why doesn’t President Obama use his bully pulpit, as Cuomo did his, to try to get Congress to repeal it? I can only hope he is waiting till after the next election, when he no longer has to worry about being re-elected, before pushing for this. But if he wants to win that election, he’d do better by supporting his base, which includes many gay rights advocates, than kowtowing to a conservative populace that won’t vote for him anyway. Just once I'd like him to do something bold about this issue, which should be a matter of conscience for everyone, not a political calculation.

In other June news, Republican candidates continued to come out of the woodwork, but I am not paying much attention to them at this point. Wake me up next year when we have some idea of which way the wind is blowing. Right now the group includes rightwing ideologues like Michelle Bachman, perpetual candidates like Ron Paul and now Newt Gingrich; and a range of more mainstream candidates like Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, who are stepping all over themselves trying to be more rightwing so the primary voters will vote for them.

Then there's the botched rape case against the former IMF director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. At first it all seemed so simple: Aging lecherous Frenchman rapes innocent immigrant just trying to make a life for herself in the United States. Turns out she wasn't so innocent, had some unsettling ties to drug dealers, and had a history of lying to the government when seeking asylum a few years earlier. Her stories were inconsistent and her credibility damaged. So now Strauss-Kahn is leaving his house arrest and the case is in disarray. But the question remains: Just because she's a liar, do we know for sure he's not a rapist?

So, enough of all that...I will just concentrate on what we’ve been up to the past month. Our annual spring trip to the Cape was a big success. My aunt came with us this time and stayed in the cottage my mother always stayed in. She hadn’t been up to the Cape in about 15 years, so was happy to finally get back there. Her 18-year-old cat had just had to be put to sleep, and the trip helped get her mind off that. And, in fact, if she still had the cat, she might not have felt comfortable going away for a week, so it all worked out for the best in some ways. Amazingly, we had wonderful, warm, sunny, clear weather for 5 of the 7 days we were there, and even the other two days were just partly cloudy.

We did all the usual Cape things: went out for lobster, sat on the bay beach not far from our cottages, took a ride to Provincetown. We also spent a lot of time just relaxing on the serene grounds of the cottages, looking out at the pond.

I had a few gratifying chats with the lovely woman who is the owner of the cottages we stay at, a staunch Democrat who was a supporter of Barack Obama before I had even decided who to support in the primaries. Now she asked me, somewhat wistfully, "Do you think he can survive the haters? The Tea Partiers?" (We were there not long after the most recent kerfluffle about his birthplace.) I assured her I thought that wasn't going to be his problem, but that he should do more to support his own base. She agreed, saying she wasn't always happy with everything he's done, but continues to support him nevertheless. I think a lot of Democrats would agree with that sentiment. But I'm not sure about the indpendents, and there will his problem in 2012 if things don't improve.

Diva and Angel had a great time at the Cape also. Diva, as usual, loved her swimming sessions in the pond. We tried to get Angel to go in, but she apparently is not really a swimming-style of dog. She did go in up to her shoulders and at one point took off swimming toward a school of ducks (do ducks travel in schools? Herds? Bevies?). Her prey drive is stronger than her dislike of swimming, apparently.

Here are pictures of Diva and Angel, close up. In the second one you can see Diva is getting impatient with picture-taking and revving up her "demand bark." This picture definitely shows the difference in their personalities!



And a nice portrait of Angel lying in the grass near the deck of the cottage.


My aunt reading with Diva sprawled in front of her.

The ducks in the pond were very bold; one mama duck kept trying to come up to our cottage when we were sitting outside, followed by her babies. She kept coming even as both dogs went nuts barking at her. We kept having to get up and shoo her away. Someone who was previously in that cottage must have been feeding her!

DH’s dad had a good time too – he always does. We went twice to his favorite restaurant, and he ate lobster in all forms at every meal, including baked stuffed, steamed, in the form of a lobster salad roll, and more.

We had a low-key Father’s Day; just had Dad up for a pancake breakfast out on the deck. By that time my cold had improved enough that I was functional and able to be a hostess! Here's a portrait of DH and his dad and Dad's "grandchildren."


Now comes the real “cabin season.” We are finally getting warmer weather, after a long, cool, rainy spring. Even as recently as last weekend the weather was so cool at night up at the cabin that a fire in the woodstove was needed at least once a day to take the chill off.

Now it’s finally warmer, so we’re using the outdoor firepit out on the deck for our fires in the evening. But even still, the weather is unpredictable - yesterday, clear blue skies and sunny; today, thunderstorms, clouds and rain. But even then it is peaceful and beautiful at the cabin, and better than being in the hustle and bustle of suburban New Jersey. The dogs both love it here and like to lounge around on the deck and relax, looking out at the woods and occasional wildlife. Angel, who is so over-reactive to every human-generated noise at home, is calm here. Nature doesn’t trigger her alarm.

We’ve planted a miniature raised garden here at the cabin, using bricks that were left lying around by the previous owner. Our crops include basil, rosemary, and oregano. We just extended this little garden and will now plant some beans to see if we can get a small crop of string beans. Plus we bought two patio tomato plants that we’re hoping will survive our absences long enough to yield some home grown tomatoes. Surprisingly, nothing seems to be eating our herb garden. It will be interesting to see if string beans are another matter.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and I don’t know whether we will participate in any local festivities or not. Before we came up to the cabin we went with friends to the annual county display of fireworks in our local park, so we had our fix already. Up here, a couple of years ago before we had our own cabin, we stayed over in Schroon Lake and sat outside and watched their annual 4th of July parade go by, and later sat on the beach at the lake being eaten by mosquitoes and watched the fireworks there. But that’s kind of far away. So tomorrow may be another quiet day here…but that’s fine with me!

Angel by the pond - she is enjoying the country life.


Hope everyone has a happy, safe and fun Fourth! I'm posting this without pictures but will update tomorrow - when the sluggish internet connection here might be better - with pictures of the dogs and more!

Diva's Turn - A Happy Ending Tale and a New Cat

Hi everybody! I haven't written here for awhile because Mommy and Daddy have been keeping me really busy lately, driving up to the cabin in the woods and back again every weekend. But I have some things to tell you about and am really happy to be here!

The best news is that because I'm so friendly I got another Pit Bull saved from a shelter! Here's what happened. Our town has something they call a Cruise Night on Wednesday evenings in the summer, where all kinds of people come with big old fashioned cars and hang around and they play loud music and everyone is in a good mood. The street is closed off and they let Daddy and me walk around in the street and I get to meet people. My favorite thing!

So one Wednesday evening we were walking and met a woman that Daddy knew from town. Of course I loved her right away. I love all people! Especially women! Of course I was on my best behavior as always, and wearing my purple harness with my matching purple bandana, and when I met the woman and her friend who was with her, my tail wagged so hard my butt almost fell off. They both loved me, of course. Who wouldn't?

As always, Daddy told my story, how I was adopted from The Animal Farm Foundation, which rescues Pit Bull Terriers from shelters and trains them and adopts them out to be what they call Breed Ambassadors. I try really hard to be the best Breed Ambassador I can be and I am always calling attention to myself to let everyone know how friendly I am. I even wag at passing cars if they slow down. After all, they might be friends I haven't met yet and they might want to stop and pat me!

As it turned out, the woman was considering getting a dog. And because she met me and was so impressed with what a great dog I am, she went to the Bukowski Animal Shelter and adopted a fellow Pit Bull Terrier - Lola Grace! Here is her picture. As you can see, she is enjoying living the good life just as I do!

So that is my good news!

The other news is, my Mommy and Daddy seem to have gotten a new cat. It's not even half the size of the other one we have, that big one they call Baxter. He knows his place and lets me chase him all over the house if I feel like it. But this little orange one they call Zoe is another story! The first time I came over to see her when she was in Mommy's lap, she made a big hissing noise and smacked me on the eyebrow. I try to avoid her whenever possible now, but if I come near her, instead of moving out of my way or running, as Baxter would do, this one just stands there. In fact, sometimes she goes out of her way to come in my direction or even smack me again! It's not very nice. But I just try to keep out of her way and will make the best of it as I always do.

For some reason they bring her up to the cabin with us and she acts as if she owns the place. I was there first. But I guess I can put up with it since Mommy and Daddy still take me on great walks in the woods and give me plenty of treats.

Another thing we get to do when we go to the cabin is go to a restaurant in a nearby town where we can sit outside while my Mommy and Daddy eat, and they let me come too! They even give me water and biscuits to keep me happy while we're there. I love going there! Everyone is lined up waiting to greet me when I arrive! And they are always glad to see me! Mommy and Daddy say they have good beer there too. I wouldn't know as I'm not allowed to drink beer, although it smells good to me.

We went to Cape Cod in June and I had a great time swimming in Depot Pond at the cottages we stay at. The Other Daddy came too, the one that seems to be my Daddy's father. He had fun too. I got to go on lots of walks and meet lots of people! My favorite thing!

Every morning we would walk to the little store on the corner and Daddy would go inside and come back out with a bag while Mommy stayed with me. Sometimes people would come up and say hello to me! I love that! A couple of times Mommy walked me there by herself and didn't go into the store. She wanted to just turn around and go back to the cottage, but I wouldn't leave until we waited outside the store long enough for someone to say hello to me. After all, isn't that why we go there? I also like waiting outside because sometimes a nice man will come out and give me a biscuit. It's disappointing on those days he doesn't do that. But if I get to say hello to someone that is enough for me.

The other really neat thing about Cape Cod is rabbits. They are all over the grounds of the cottages and I love seeing them. Mommy and Daddy don't let me off the leash so I never get to actually catch one. But I love to stalk them and then do a quick run until they hop away into the bushes!

Even though I love woodsy areas I also love being in cities and towns! We go to a place called Provincetown and walk up and down the street there. Lots of people stop and pat me. And there are lots of other dogs. There is even a big stuffed wolf in front of one of the stores! The first time I saw and smelled it I thought it was real! My hackles went up and I went over to it very cautiously. Then I realized how silly I'd been. It wasn't alive after all. Now I studiously ignore it when we go by.

When I'm home, if I'm not getting a walk in the park, I've been spending my time hanging out on the deck in my fenced yard, barking occasionally when the neighbors walk their dogs by my house, and on the hot days, Mommy or Daddy fill my pool and I chase the ball into the water and get wet. I love jumping in the pool! And it cools me off!

So that's what I've been doing this summer. How has your summer been?

What I've Been Thinking About While I Was Too Busy to Blog

I've been a bad blogger - over a week without a post. But that doesn't mean my mind was not fomenting opinionated polemics about various subjects all week. Just not enough to spur me to sit down at the computer and write about them.

As you know, Baxter tries to keep a relatively objective point of view when he reports the news; in fact, thanks go to Dave Dubya for kindly comparing him to Walter Cronkite! Baxter was "Very Pleased." He also thanks everyone else for their comments as well.

Unlike Baxter, I am more apt to let my feelings show about the news and so I'll subject you all to a short barrage of opinions on a bunch of different things that I've been reacting to this past week. So here goes:

The Birthers: I am sick to death of mainstream news outlets actually giving any air time to the ridiculous accusation that President Obama was not born in Hawaii on this date in 1961 or that he is not eligible to be President. It's just one more example of the right trying to distract from real issues and de-legitimize the President. This kind of thing has been going on since Bill Clinton was elected and this is just one more example of the kind of wing-nuttery this country has become prey to. At least when the Democrats claimed George W. Bush was illegitimately elected by the Supreme Court they had a reason to feel that way, since the Court overstepped its bounds.

But our whole country needs to get a grip and understand that "it is what it is" - once a President is sworn in, he's the President and that's that. Get over it and get a life. Also, stop saying he's the AntiChrist. It's just silly. Who ARE these people anyway? And why are we talking about them?

Michael Vick: NFL Commissioner Goodell reinstated Vick conditionally after Vick finished serving his sentence for running the horrific dogfighting operation, Bad Newz Kennels. (And he didn't just sponsor the ring monetarily - he participated in the abuse of innocent dogs. "Vick pleaded guilty after his three co-defendants had already done so. They told of how Vick participated in the killing of dogs that didn't perform well in test fights by shooting, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground.")

According to the conditions of Goodell's reinstatement of Vick, Vick "agreed to undergo psychiatric testing, which determined that he was capable of returning to the NFL but needed continuing counseling." In addition, Vick said he had matured as an individual, has re-evaluated his life and fully understands "the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward." He also happens to be bankrupt so has a great self-interest in being able to play again.

So far no NFL team has offered him a job since the reinstatement - but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Some people feel the world should forgive Vick for his crimes and let him make a new start. Some have said there are guys playing who have done "worse" things than hurting and killing dogs (spouse abuse, drugs, DUI manslaughter, etc.) and are still playing. Well, maybe so. But maybe they shouldn't be playing either.

I am not convinced of Vick's remorse. I want to see him pledge to give an ongoing percentage of his future salary to pitbull rescue organizations or to help break up dogfight operations - or even go work for an animal rescue organization to truly make up for what he has done. I'm as forgiving as the next person but when it comes to exploiting and torturing an animal that is only trying to please its owners, or a child who is at the mercy of his torturer, these crimes I can't forgive. Why should Michael Vick go on with his high-paid career after what he has done? I know many will disagree but I can't help but feel this way.

Thankfully almost all of the dogs rescued from Vick's operation are doing well and will probably eventually find homes. Here is a video from the rescue organization BAD RAP, which has participated in rehabilitating some of the Vick dogs.



Healthcare Reform: So far the House Energy and Commerce Commission has passed one version of a healthcare reform bill and the Senate has another one in the works that is different. Neither of them will make everyone happy. According to the linked article, President Obama stated, "'The bill that they have passed will strengthen consumer protections and choice, while lowering costs and improving care, underscoring the broad consensus among all of the bills that have emerged in Congress,' he said.

The bill would make more low-income people eligible for Medicaid, the federal healthcare program; provide health insurance subsidies for middle class Americans; and offer a government-sponsored plan as an alternative to private insurance."

Of course, the concern on the left is that the public option will be stripped out in the final legislation once the rest of Congress has a go at this after the August recess. On the right there is continued fearmongering regarding "Socialism" and "government run healthcare," while on the left there is fear of a watered-down version of reform that just makes things worse without solving the real problems.

We don't know yet how this will turn out but my feeling is, it is likely at least some good will come out of it. We on the left may not get everything we want, but there will be improvements. Even President Bush's Medicare Part D prescription coverage, flawed though it is, was an improvement over no coverage at all. The "doughnut hole" system at least allows a good amount of prescriptions to be covered before the "hole" kicks in - and then picks up again when the expenses become more catastrophic. It's not perfect. But it's better than not having it. "The best (or perfect) is the enemy of the good" is one of my favorite sayings. Often good is accomplished in an incremental way. By holding out for the perfect, sometimes we don't get any good at all.

When these healthcare reforms get closer to final, let's all take a good look at what is truly being proposed and ask ourselves, "Is it better than what we have?" If the answer is yes, then it is worth doing.

Plaxico Burress: The former NFL player for the NY Giants was indicted for gun possession stemming from an incident in a nightclub last year when he accidentally shot himself in the leg with an unlicensed gun. According to the linked article, "Burress was at the Latin Quarter nightclub Nov. 29 when a gun tucked into his waistband slipped down his leg and fired, shooting him in the right thigh." On the radio I had also heard this, and that he was wearing sweatpants at the time. Sweatpants. Not even a real pair of pants with a belt that might have held the gun in place. Someone could have been killed and he's lucky he wasn't more badly wounded himself. My main reaction to this story, however, was WTF? Who goes into a nightclub with a gun loosely stuck in their sweatpants WITH THE SAFETY OFF? Hello?! How stupid is that? This is the reason people shouldn't be allowed to carry concealed weapons. Because some of these people don't have the common sense the good Lord, if there is one, gave them.

OK, I'm done now. I'll be back with any further diatribes if the mood strikes!

Diva's Turn

Hi everybody! Mommy said it would be OK if I blogged today as she is busy, and Baxter isn't in the mood.

First, if you think this place looks kind of different, you're right, it isn't your imagination! Mommy said that since Obama's election, it is now a new day - so it's time for a new look for the blog! Hope you like it!

Mommy says she is having trouble getting used to the links lists being on the left instead of the right, but I'm sure she'll get used to it. I know how to get used to new things - I'm the queen of adjustment here! Get me to do something for a biscuit, just once, and I'll expect a biscuit every time I do that particular thing!

I don't have a lot to say about the election because we dogs don't think that much. But we're good at being happy about things, and I'm really happy about it! My tail has been wagging since last Tuesday! Baxter will have more to say when he gets his turn to blog, I'm sure.

One reason Mommy wanted me to post today is because she took pictures of me on Halloween and wanted me to share them with you. They put a witch's hat and a funny fluffy thing around my neck. I kept trying to get the fluffy thing off, because it tickled. They finally had to take off my outfit before I destroyed it but at least they got a couple of pictures! Do I look silly? If I do, I don't care, because I'm a dog, and we don't worry about that stuff the way cats do.



As for the political stuff, my biggest interest in what will happen during the next administration is, what kind of dog will President Obama get for his kids? This is a huge decision because it is very meaningful to so many people, and of course to us dogs. Whenever a President picks a First Dog, that breed becomes very popular.

Mr Obama says his daughter is allergic to dogs so that narrows down the choice a bit. But I wonder if this "Golden-Doodle" dog that they're thinking of is really all that hypoallergenic? Sure, Poodles are hypoallergenic, but I don't think Golden Retrievers are.

Heck, we Pit Bulls don't have much fur. I wonder if a Pit Bull would do the trick? I bet they haven't even though of one of MY breed. We are great with kids! Not only that, but picking one of us would be very symbolic. We Pit Bulls have to overcome lots of prejudice and myths about our temperaments in order to get back to being the "all-American dog" we once were considered to be before our reputation got dragged in the dirt. And Mr. Obama has had to overcome prejudice to get into the White House. Why not choose a Pit Bull and help repair our reputation as part of the Change he is making?

Speaking of which, for once there is good news story about a Pit Bull instead of the usual bad stories they always publish. Seems this stray Pit Bull saved a lady and her child from a mugger who threatened them with a knife! The dog might just be lost rather than a stray, but if they can't find the owner, the lady is going to adopt him! I love hearing good stories like that.

Well, whatever dog the Obamas choose I'm sure they are going to be great dog parents and the dog will be a very lucky one! I wish them all the best in their new life!

Sunday Cat Blogging

This work of art is entitled "Cat Reclining In Front of Pit Bull Screensaver."

Diva's Turn

Hi! Mommy said I could blog today instead of Baxter The Cat. It's only fair if I get to talk sometimes, after all. (He would say I get to talk a lot more around the house than he does but I don't care. Mommy says that's because I'm a "diva" whatever that means. I know I'm a Diva, that's my name. I don't understand what she means by that.)

I heard some really good news about my distant relatives - the pitbulls that were used for dogfighting by that awful man, Michael Vick. Apparently they are making great progress since they were rescued last year and that mean man had to pay a million dollars to take care of them.

This article Mommy found says that:

"Of the 49 pit bulls animal behavior experts evaluated in the fall, only one was deemed too vicious to warrant saving and was euthanized. (Another was euthanized because it was sick and in pain.)

More than a year after being confiscated from Vick's property, Leo, a tan, muscular pit bull, dons a colorful clown collar and visits cancer patients as a certified therapy dog in California. Hector, who bears deep scars on his chest and legs, recently was adopted and is about to start training for national flying disc competitions in Minnesota. Teddles takes orders from a 2-year-old. Gracie is a couch potato in Richmond who lives with cats and sleeps with four other dogs.

Of the 47 surviving dogs, 25 were placed directly in foster homes, and a handful have been or are being adopted. Twenty-two were deemed potentially aggressive toward other dogs and were sent to an animal sanctuary in Utah. Some, after intensive retraining, are expected to move on to foster care and eventual adoption."

I am not surprised by this because, as I may have told you, I came from a great rescue place, The Animal Farm Foundation, which rescues pitbulls like me and adopts them out after making sure we're friendly and have good temperaments. Of course I passed my tests with flying colors since I wag at everybody and would never ever bite anyone. You can take a bone right out of my mouth and I just hope that maybe I'll get it back but if I don't, that's OK too.

In other pitbull-related news, the Dutch government has lifted a ban on pitbulls that was in place for a really long time! They found out that banning us did not reduce the number of dog bites. Instead they're going to try to educate owners and enforce leash laws! Well, that certainly makes sense to me! Those Dutch people are always so sensible.

So that was all very good news and I wanted to let you know about it.

There are some other things going on this week that I can tell you about too. I heard that Dr. Michael DeBakey died. He was 99 years old and the reason everyone knows about him is he invented cardiac bypass surgery and a whole bunch of other methods of helping heart patients.

I like surgeons myself because I had both my knees operated on when I was still at the Animal Farm. They had to fix something in my knees called "ligaments." It hurt but I got over it and can run around really fast now so I'm really grateful to the doctor who fixed my knees.

I haven't been following politics much since Hillary left the race. I know Baxter and my Mommy and Daddy are supporting Barack Obama but I was for Hillary. So was my Mommy's mother. The Animal Farm is run by women and ever since they rescued me from Animal Control in New York City, I just love ALL women. It doesn't matter who they are, if they are a woman, I love them. I love most people anyway, but I really wag for women the most. So of course when I heard that a woman was running for president I wanted her to win!

Now that she didn't win I'm not paying much attention; I don't have the patience Baxter has to keep up with all that stuff. I hear some of Obama's fans are getting mad at him and even Baxter is a little worried because he's going back on some stuff that he said. I'm waiting to see if he'll pick a woman for Vice President. If he does I might get interested again. Otherwise I think I'll sit back and wait and see what happens later in the year. We dogs have better things to do in the summer than think about politics.

Right now I am having lots of fun playing in my pool. Mommy and Daddy found this wading pool by the curb right after they got me. Somebody was throwing it out! So Daddy brought it home, cleaned it, and we use it all summer for me to jump in and cool off. They throw my Ball and I jump in and get it. I hate when they spray me with water though. It's different getting sprayed with the hose compared to jumping in the water on purpose!

Of course my favorite thing is going swimming in the lake they take me to at Cape Cod. Last weekend I also got to go in a lake in the Adirondacks. Mommy and Daddy make sure to take me to places where I can swim because they know how much I like it.

Mommy wants me to tell you an update about the Wrens that were living in the bird house in the yard. The boy Wren has been singing a lot again and she thinks they may have a new nest nearby! This morning there was a lot of chattering and both of the Wrens were up in the pine tree. Mommy saw two of the neighbor's cats under the tree so she sent me out to chase them. They were on the other side of the fence but all I had to do is bark and they decided to move farther away. Then the Wrens could relax and start singing again.

That's about it from here. I'm really happy Mommy let me have a chance to talk to you again and tell you more about my distant relations that used to belong to Michael Vick. I am always happy to tell people about happy endings for fellow pitbulls. If you want to help pitbull rescue organizations, Mommy has a whole list of links down the side of her blog that you can choose from!

Have a wonderful weekend and maybe I'll get to blog again soon! Baxter will be back next week!