There is so much misinformation about Pit bulls out there, I have decided to set the record straight...
1 - Pit Bulls' favorite drink is is the Strawberry Margarita.
WRONG!
It's Tanqueray and Tonic!
2 - Pit Bulls are good at math.
WRONG!
It's art history that they excel in (especially Staffies)!
3 - Most Pit Bulls are Republicans.
WRONG!
63% are registered Democrats!
4 - Pit Bulls can eat twice their weight in butterscotch pudding.
WRONG!
It's Lime Jello!
5 - A Pit Bull was the first dog on the moon.
WRONG!
Sally, an American Pit Bull Terrier was the THIRD dog on the moon (FYI- Alonzo, a chocolate Lab, and Peanut, a hairless chihuahua preceded her).
6 - Pit Bulls are notoriously poor at golf.
WRONG!
While most have natural slices, that can easily be corrected with proper training.
(btw - They are also excellent bowlers and squash players - not great skiers, though)
7 - A Pit Bull invented those hand held fans that also spray water.
WRONG!
But a Pit Bull did invent the tricycle.
8 - Most Pit Bulls' favorite TV show is Pit Boss or Pit Bulls and Parolees.
WRONG!
It's Dancing with the Stars!
9 - Pit Bulls' favorite music is country, especially Johnny Cash and Trisha Yearwood.
WRONG!
Pit Bulls' adore hair metal, especially Motley Crue and Queensryche.
10 - Pit Bulls can not be taught to use a knife and fork.
WRO
...oh wait, that's right. I mean, come on!
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Verrazano Bridge Kitten
I dunno if you you heard about this news item last week - the kitten that was thrown from a car on the Verrazano Bridge - Even Whoopi Goldberg has weighed in. A terrific story, that kitten has no idea how lucky he is to be alive. For more reasons than you think....
First, lets watch this video of Executive Director Julie Bank discussing said kitty....
Watched it? Excellent!
Now, let's discuss what she did right in this, and why I sometimes hate knowing too much (this sounds egotistical, but it's not, you'll see...)
What Julie did right....
1 - The said the "most important thing" to take from this is that if you don't want your pet, bring them to a shelter - Though I do realize that the person who did this may've not wanted to rid themselves of this kitten as much as wanted to commit a crime, I'm sure there are others out there who just leave their pets in the "wild" - Heck, that's how I found our second dog.
2 - She asks for anyone who has info about who may've done this to come forward. I dont' know if they will, but, knowing that this kind of cruelty will lead to serious consequences may make some think twice about it.
3 - She asks for donations. You would think this is a no-brainer, but it isn't, given Animal Care & Control's (ACC) history.
4 - She asks for fosters to step forward. Part of the problem at ACC is that there is no room (let's forget that a lot of that is due to the ACC/DOH/NYC) for now...it is what it is - for now). A call for fosters will only help (I'm sure many don't even realize they can foster dogs or cats - Three years ago, I didn't).
So, I'm sure you don't hear this often (well, other than from the BOD when you cut staff/services and phone lines to balance the budget), but good job on those counts, Julie Bank!
Now, here's why it sucks knowing so damn much...
Julie mentions not once, but twice, how the ACC staffer who happened to see the incident was "at the right place at the right time." While I don't think she did that on purpose, I do think even she realizes what would've happened to that cat if the staffer didn't see the person throw the cat from the car.
UPDATE - Thanks to a comment I read (see first comment), I think it may be possible that by saying this staffer was "at the right place at the right time," Julie was attempting to minimize Mr. Ocasio's contribution, which would make sense given that she seems to feel that all staffers/volunteers are expendable (even given the shortage of said staffers/volunteers)
Assuming the poor kitten made it off the bridge alive, she would have probably been killed, whether she came in as a stray, or God forbid, an owner surrender.
1 - If that kitten had been an ordinary stray (i.e. someone found her and brought her into the ACC), it would be treated like any other orphan kitten. The moment it entered a shelter it would be exposed to, among other things, a cold virus, and probably gotten an upper respiratory infection. If it has to be bottle fed, they can't do that at the shelter. No staff no volunteers. The kitten would have to be held for three days in case an owner shows up. If no owner comes, then she probably would be killed since she'd be sick and/or starving.
2 - If the cat had been surrendered, she may've been killed the day after she was surrendered. The ACC has decreed that as long as the animal appears on the "kill list" for one night, it reserves the right to kill the animal the next day. There is no hold period because there's no doubt about who the owner is.
(In the old days, shelter managers could have owner surrenders killed right away.Two and on-half years ago, volunteers convinced management that every animal to be killed should appear on a kill list sent to rescuers.The kill lists go out at 5 PM every day.)
If an animal arrives on day 1 and is included on the evening euth list, it can be killed the next morning.
Couple of other points about her speech - She said that they were able to give the kitty "some good food ....some good water...love" - Good thing this didn't occur last year when the ACC almost ran out of food and had to go public with donation requests! Also, I'm curious how much love the other strays get, given that she's hellbent on firing all the volunteers who care.
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
First, lets watch this video of Executive Director Julie Bank discussing said kitty....
Watched it? Excellent!
Now, let's discuss what she did right in this, and why I sometimes hate knowing too much (this sounds egotistical, but it's not, you'll see...)
What Julie did right....
1 - The said the "most important thing" to take from this is that if you don't want your pet, bring them to a shelter - Though I do realize that the person who did this may've not wanted to rid themselves of this kitten as much as wanted to commit a crime, I'm sure there are others out there who just leave their pets in the "wild" - Heck, that's how I found our second dog.
2 - She asks for anyone who has info about who may've done this to come forward. I dont' know if they will, but, knowing that this kind of cruelty will lead to serious consequences may make some think twice about it.
3 - She asks for donations. You would think this is a no-brainer, but it isn't, given Animal Care & Control's (ACC) history.
4 - She asks for fosters to step forward. Part of the problem at ACC is that there is no room (let's forget that a lot of that is due to the ACC/DOH/NYC) for now...it is what it is - for now). A call for fosters will only help (I'm sure many don't even realize they can foster dogs or cats - Three years ago, I didn't).
So, I'm sure you don't hear this often (well, other than from the BOD when you cut staff/services and phone lines to balance the budget), but good job on those counts, Julie Bank!
Now, here's why it sucks knowing so damn much...
Julie mentions not once, but twice, how the ACC staffer who happened to see the incident was "at the right place at the right time." While I don't think she did that on purpose, I do think even she realizes what would've happened to that cat if the staffer didn't see the person throw the cat from the car.
UPDATE - Thanks to a comment I read (see first comment), I think it may be possible that by saying this staffer was "at the right place at the right time," Julie was attempting to minimize Mr. Ocasio's contribution, which would make sense given that she seems to feel that all staffers/volunteers are expendable (even given the shortage of said staffers/volunteers)
Assuming the poor kitten made it off the bridge alive, she would have probably been killed, whether she came in as a stray, or God forbid, an owner surrender.
1 - If that kitten had been an ordinary stray (i.e. someone found her and brought her into the ACC), it would be treated like any other orphan kitten. The moment it entered a shelter it would be exposed to, among other things, a cold virus, and probably gotten an upper respiratory infection. If it has to be bottle fed, they can't do that at the shelter. No staff no volunteers. The kitten would have to be held for three days in case an owner shows up. If no owner comes, then she probably would be killed since she'd be sick and/or starving.
2 - If the cat had been surrendered, she may've been killed the day after she was surrendered. The ACC has decreed that as long as the animal appears on the "kill list" for one night, it reserves the right to kill the animal the next day. There is no hold period because there's no doubt about who the owner is.
(In the old days, shelter managers could have owner surrenders killed right away.Two and on-half years ago, volunteers convinced management that every animal to be killed should appear on a kill list sent to rescuers.The kill lists go out at 5 PM every day.)
If an animal arrives on day 1 and is included on the evening euth list, it can be killed the next morning.
Couple of other points about her speech - She said that they were able to give the kitty "some good food ....some good water...love" - Good thing this didn't occur last year when the ACC almost ran out of food and had to go public with donation requests! Also, I'm curious how much love the other strays get, given that she's hellbent on firing all the volunteers who care.
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
Monday, July 11, 2011
Congrats?
Hypothetical Question for ya....
YOU have just been hired to run a shelter (Congrats!). It was a high-kill shelter before you arrived, mainly pitties and adult cats. The shelter is underfunded and there is a daily issue of where to keep all the animals(Congrats?).
Another non-profit organization supplies a large portion of your funding, but only on the condition that you do not kill any healthy animals.
On your first day, you find out that your shelter is killing animals because they have kennel cough or similar easily treatable ailments. Someone tells you, off the record, that it is a necessary evil because there isn't space, and if you blow the whistle on your own shelter, you will lose needed funding.
What do you do?
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
btw - Come back tomorrow, we'll be discussing this video...
YOU have just been hired to run a shelter (Congrats!). It was a high-kill shelter before you arrived, mainly pitties and adult cats. The shelter is underfunded and there is a daily issue of where to keep all the animals(Congrats?).
Another non-profit organization supplies a large portion of your funding, but only on the condition that you do not kill any healthy animals.
On your first day, you find out that your shelter is killing animals because they have kennel cough or similar easily treatable ailments. Someone tells you, off the record, that it is a necessary evil because there isn't space, and if you blow the whistle on your own shelter, you will lose needed funding.
What do you do?
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
btw - Come back tomorrow, we'll be discussing this video...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Boycotting michael vick Inc. - How Far Will You Go?
Recently, with the announcements that vick (i refuse to capitalize his name) won the BET/Subway Sportsman of the Year award and was signed to a Nike endorsement contract, animal advocates/fans have announced boycotts of BET, Nike and Subway.
I understand why people do it, heck, I am participating myself, but here's the thing - The only time I watch BET is when Juice is being rerun, I really don't care what sneakers I buy, and I eat (errr, ate) at Subway maybe twice a month, and quite frankly, never crave it - I can just as easily go to Blimpie's/Quiznos/Whereever. Point being, I'm not really sacrificing much, and, not really hurting the corporations who are on team vick by boycotting them (don't get me started on how useless writing e-mails/calling them is).
Now, if we dig a little deeper into it, Nike owns Converse, Cole Haan, and Umbro - How many knew that and are boycotting those too?
Still with me?
What about the Philadelphia Eagles' corporate sponsors? Are you boycotting Pepsi (which also owns Gatorade/Tropicana/Lays/Quaker/Aquafina/etc), Budweiser, US Airways, Miller Lite, Verizon?
I also hear that Coke may sign him to a deal. Will you boycott Pepsi and Coke?
Not as easy, huh?
Slightly tangential, what about the fact that President Obama (in a cowardly move, in my opinion) congratulated the Eagles owner (after vick already was already in the league for two years) for taking a chance on him. Do you now not vote for him? What is he's running against (gasp!) Sarah Palin, someone who not only hunts, but brags about it?
And finally, what if you have a good friend, not really an animal lover, but certainly not an animal hater - What if this person is a big Philadelphia Eagles, or Nike fan? You tell them about the boycott, and they tell you that while they understand why you are doing it, they fell along the (ridiculous) lines of Nike (i.e. They dont care). How does that affect your relationship?
Me? I will do my best to boycott all associated products. In fact, I will use it as an opportunity to improve my health. For example, I drink a soda or two a day. I will stop drinking Pepsi (and Pepsi subsidiaries) now, and if Coke follows through and endorses him, I will give up soda.
I know Dunkin Donuts used to be an Eagles sponsor. They haven't responded to my email. Can anyone verify whether they are or not? I go to Dunkin at least once a day, some days up to four times (I have a day job/comedy job/writing/animal rescue/two dogs/six month old baby - 'nuff said)...I will definitely give that up if they are still sponsoring Eagles games. That will be sacrifice!
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
I understand why people do it, heck, I am participating myself, but here's the thing - The only time I watch BET is when Juice is being rerun, I really don't care what sneakers I buy, and I eat (errr, ate) at Subway maybe twice a month, and quite frankly, never crave it - I can just as easily go to Blimpie's/Quiznos/Whereever. Point being, I'm not really sacrificing much, and, not really hurting the corporations who are on team vick by boycotting them (don't get me started on how useless writing e-mails/calling them is).
Now, if we dig a little deeper into it, Nike owns Converse, Cole Haan, and Umbro - How many knew that and are boycotting those too?
Still with me?
What about the Philadelphia Eagles' corporate sponsors? Are you boycotting Pepsi (which also owns Gatorade/Tropicana/Lays/Quaker/Aquafina/etc), Budweiser, US Airways, Miller Lite, Verizon?
I also hear that Coke may sign him to a deal. Will you boycott Pepsi and Coke?
Not as easy, huh?
Slightly tangential, what about the fact that President Obama (in a cowardly move, in my opinion) congratulated the Eagles owner (after vick already was already in the league for two years) for taking a chance on him. Do you now not vote for him? What is he's running against (gasp!) Sarah Palin, someone who not only hunts, but brags about it?
And finally, what if you have a good friend, not really an animal lover, but certainly not an animal hater - What if this person is a big Philadelphia Eagles, or Nike fan? You tell them about the boycott, and they tell you that while they understand why you are doing it, they fell along the (ridiculous) lines of Nike (i.e. They dont care). How does that affect your relationship?
Me? I will do my best to boycott all associated products. In fact, I will use it as an opportunity to improve my health. For example, I drink a soda or two a day. I will stop drinking Pepsi (and Pepsi subsidiaries) now, and if Coke follows through and endorses him, I will give up soda.
I know Dunkin Donuts used to be an Eagles sponsor. They haven't responded to my email. Can anyone verify whether they are or not? I go to Dunkin at least once a day, some days up to four times (I have a day job/comedy job/writing/animal rescue/two dogs/six month old baby - 'nuff said)...I will definitely give that up if they are still sponsoring Eagles games. That will be sacrifice!
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Your Choice...
Your wealthy uncle has passed away (sorry!).
He has made you executor of his estate, and has left you with a ridiculous decision to make, the kind only imagined by Presidents of animal rescues and comedians -
ANYWAY, you can either give $1 million dollars to the ACC OR $500,000 to your favorite animal rescue/shelter. Which will it be?
This may be a leading question but would your answer be different if the ACC weren't an extension of the City's Department of Health?
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
He has made you executor of his estate, and has left you with a ridiculous decision to make, the kind only imagined by Presidents of animal rescues and comedians -
ANYWAY, you can either give $1 million dollars to the ACC OR $500,000 to your favorite animal rescue/shelter. Which will it be?
This may be a leading question but would your answer be different if the ACC weren't an extension of the City's Department of Health?
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
Friday, July 1, 2011
If Yer Bored....
I used to write a personal blog here. Since my wife and I had a dog (or two), there were several dog-related posts you guys may be interested in. So, if yer bored, here's a link to them -
http://harrisbloom.blogspot.com/search/label/dog
and
http://harrisbloom.blogspot.com/search/label/dog%20fostering
(some may be repeats)
Anyway, Happy 4th, and don't forget...
You Are Either Part Of The Problem Or Part Of The Solution.
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
http://harrisbloom.blogspot.com/search/label/dog
and
http://harrisbloom.blogspot.com/search/label/dog%20fostering
(some may be repeats)
Anyway, Happy 4th, and don't forget...
You Are Either Part Of The Problem Or Part Of The Solution.
Rock On,
Harris
http://www.stewietotherescue.org/
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