Did you check out the other blogs in this month’s Blog the Change for Animals? I did! Here are the blogs that really spoke to me:Targeting Maryland's Breed Specific Law -- This is from Go Pet Friendly, one of my favorite blogs. It seems that my former state has decided that all pit bulls -- regardless of their actions -- are "inherently dangerous" and not only are owners "strictly liable" but so are various third parties (i.e. landlords and homeowner associations). The fear of litigation is forcing pit bull owners to surrender dogs and/or change their living situations. This blog asks that readers contact the Governor and State House of Representatives (the phone # is given). Talk about giving a concrete example!
Dog Leashes: Be Aware of Dangers -- I wasn't fond of the layout of this blog, but the warning caught me off guard. We use leashes all the time; it's easy to become complacent. It reminded me of an incident we had at work last fall. A resident tied his dog's leash to the gear shift of his car and left the windows down while he ran into the CVS for a few minutes. Unfortunately the dog jumped out the open window during that time. The man came out to see his French bulldog hanging. He watched his pet take it's last breath; the little dog was dead by the time he got to the vet. The dog was this man's life -- we had discussed it several times. This man was quite the talker, and I ran into him often on the beach. I felt horrible because I knew the man had recently divorced and lost his job. I was afraid losing his dog would devastate him. I sent a sympathy card from the animal control office, left messages on his machine to give me call if he "needed to talk" and sent him an email just to say that I was thinking of him. He never responded -- and the police broke into his home and found his dead body several days later. Did the man kill himself or did he die of a broken heart? Either way, it's one of the saddest calls of my career.
4 Reasons to Train Your Dog (for life!) -- Wow. I loved this post. The author eloquently advocated training your dog beyond the basics of sit, down and shake. This is especially important if you have a working breed. What really touched me though was the honest portrayal of training a dog. It's not always easy for me and it's nice to hear someone say the same thing. It's also to be reminded that it's worth the effort. I read several other posts in this blog as well and felt "Maybe I can do this." I look forward to reading more. And apparently I need to look at some Jon Katz books.
How about you? What were your favorites? -- K
Have a fabulous Friday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly