Thursday, November 7, 2013

Chester - "the kind of dog who makes people want a dog"

branwyne comes across things that just scream for my attention sometimes, like the forward in this dog book written by JIM GORANT.

this pussy cat journalist is a pet peeve of mine. while GORANT is a hero in the eyes of the pit nutter, he is a reckless hack in mine. he doesn't perform basic fact checking and he has no qualms about repeating dangerous propaganda that encourages gullible dupes that it is safe to bring a fighting dog into their homes. GORANT'S sources: AFF and BADRAP. the result was yet another cherry picked sugar coated book about the poor misunderstood abused nanny dog that would make JANE proud.













after handing the rough draft of lost dogs over to his wife to read, doggie fever began its descent on the GORANT household and shortly after he finished polishing the pit bulldog's turd of an image, he set out to add a dog to the family.

GORANT started his search on line, inquiring about dogs that caught his fancy regardless of location until an intelligent friend pointed out the foolishness of his ways.













it was refreshing to see GORANT admit that he is not a good journalist.

given this champion of the underdog's success at bringing the ultimate gladiator into america's living rooms and nurseries, one would think that the GORANT family would naturally gravitate towards the all american nanny dog.

NOPE. instead GORANT chose "the kind of dog who makes people want a dog."

GORANT chose a "spunky snaggle toothed" SCHNAUZER MIX.

no nanny dogs for JIM GORANT'S wife and kids. pit bulldogs are a perfectly fine choice for Darla Napora, Dax Borchardt and Jordan Ryan but like President Obama, pit bulldogs are not suitable for HIS family. and like President Obama, GORANT chose a safe breed for HIS family.



not one for pussy cat journalism, Animal People editor Merritt Clifton wrote an honest review of GORANT'S disingenuous pit bull puff piece.

*pussy cat journalism The failure of journalists to ask critical questions or raise important issues in their reporting; usually of controversial subject matter. It describes the path of least resistance to get a story. As a result, the story is usually one sided or one dimensional and many important questions are not raised or dealt with in the reporting.

The phrase is borrowed from observing the behavior of domesticated cats: It is used to describe how a cat may become accustomed to food from a bag or can, and thereby, its walking circle becomes a smaller path. For example, from the place where it lounges to the place where the food is set out in a dish. This cat no longer looks under bushes and hides in a tree. It is satisfied with the little effort, and enjoys snoozing whenever it can.

When comparing a native cat, their walking-about path is much larger. They might not return home for days. They enjoy spending time outdoors and scrutinizing things longer.

Whereas a domesticated cat knows where to look for food, the native or natural cat might spend more time looking and actually forgo eating, to stay in place, waiting for the right bird to come along.


76 comments:

Anonymous said...

"it was refreshing to see GORANT admit that he is not a good journalist."

LOL, he *did* do that, didn't he?

Anonymous said...


is obama a bit of a "pussy" too in regard to his stated opinion on B.L.S.? easy to claim a position but harder to prove its a genuine one . easy to not worry about someone else's kids or pets than it is to worry about your own . oh , yeah , allergies are so much more important than the danger posed by pitbulls in "our living rooms and nurseries". (snark)

Anonymous said...


BSL , i meant

Anonymous said...

LOL. Gorant "Not" at good journalist even though he is a multi-time published author and journalist at one of the largest, and most respected magazines and media companies in the world. And you consider Clifton to be a "good" journalist, even though he is self-employed and publishes a 6x per year rag newspaper that is barely coherent. Delusional are you.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Anon

I'd rather be delusional about journalists, than pit bulls.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

i've seen scorched earth and vintage keeping tabs on the death toll under obama. i think it is time to keep tabs on the death toll since gorant's book was published in September 2010. with the most recent death in washington, 73 people have now died since lost dogs hit the shelves.

Anonymous said...

They're one in the same. If you choose the wrong people to believe information from, you will believe incorrect information. Thus is the case here...

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

oh to have the simple mind of a nutter. must be nice to be that dumb. kind of like not having a care in the world, the happy idiot.

here let me explain popularity in terms that i think even you might understand.

according to amazon.com

the number two best selling is Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by RUSH LIMBAUGH

number 57 is my favorite fictional book - To Kill A Mockingbird.

number 63 is one of favorite non-fictional favorite books - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

OBVIOUSLY, rush limbaugh MUST be a better, more respected writer than Harper Lee or Susan Cain and his book must be more culturally relevant.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

do you see how that works? or are you still the happy idiot?

Anonymous said...

Time Inc publishing and Sports Illustrated > Animal People Publishing

This is indisputable and not a close battle.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

not even close. wtf is your point?

the "battle" is not between who's bigger, who's more popular. the "battle" is between which man actually practices journalism.

time and newsweek magazines beat out the progressive and the new republic in readership (or looking @ pictures as is likely the case of the time "readers").
NOT RELEVANT to my point.

you are apparently too stupid to understand my point OR you are deliberately tying to redefine my argument. there is a greater burden on jim gorant to ASK QUESTIONS and QUESTION SOURCES BECAUSE he is published by corporate america for mass consumption.

maybe a see n say would do the trick?

Packhorse said...

A couple weeks ago I saw a copy of a pit bull magazine for sale at a local farm & feed store, right next to other magazines about tractors, growing crops and raising farm animals.

It struck me how utterly ridiculous this was; no real farmer would want a gripper anywhere near farm property. I'm also certain that most real farmers wouldn't hesitate to grab a gun if they found one running loose on their property.

Anonymous said...

LOL. You compared Merritt Clifton to Jim Gorant in journalistic integrity. I just called you on the ridiculousness of the statement. Clifton is barely qualified to chew gum off the bottom of Gorant's shoes.

Yes. You should question sources....but accepting anything that Clifton says, and acting like he's a legitimate journalist, shows you have no ability to do that. At all.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

lol! your head is as blocky as the ugly dogs you defend.

but please keep on commenting, me and google analytics appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

Great retort.

When the facts get in the way, resort to a good insult.

Google analytics? I thought volume didn't matter to relevance? The inconsistencies never cease.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

is that you diane? i know that you have a real hard on for merritt. and not the "good" kind. or maybe you do have the "good" kind. lol.

it's just so difficult to refrain from insulting nutters. trying to have an intelligent conversation with a nutter is like trying to reason with an 85 yr old russian speaking woman with dementia. at some point, all i can do is poke fun at you.
please refer to these blog posts.

Anonymous said...

Maybe intelligent conversation would be easier if you had a coherent argument? But the complete lack of a legitimate argument from your side forces you to resort to insults because the facts don't support your idea. But hey, you've got Merrit Clifton (speaking of dementia)on your side, so you've got that.

Anonymous said...

I agree that volume and broad appeal trump limited audience and modest production. Look at the joy Thomas Kinkaide Painter of Light™ brings to the world. Scenes of nature, gardens, happy productive citizens, picturesque architectural details, bridges, flowers, chimneys wisping smoke, startling explorations of the sources of light, often 10 to 15 in a painting. He makes a whole, complex world, so, so beautiful, just the way it should, and if we believe faithfully enough, WILL be.
Then there's Vermeer. Tiny
body of work. Forgotten for centuries. And why? BORING!!
Little tiny pictures of a lady standing by a window. Pouring milk. Putting on a necklace. Wearing a yellow jacket that looks like a kid's
raincoat. Showing off a big fake-pearl earring with a bath towel on her head. Nothing about the REAL world and THEY look bored too! So do I want to look at Dutch people fashions or do I want to see the rich panorama of REAL LIFE? NOBODY should ask that question UNLESS YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE ANSWER.

scorched earth said...

Anon 2:44, You are being sarcastic aren't you?

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:44

Great post. I admit to having a soft spot for Mr. Kinkade, probably because my wonderful parents had loads of his prints framed all over the house when my siblings and I were growing up. But yes, the man was a total hack... lol.

Vermeer, on the other hand... *dreamy, contented sigh*

Miss Margo said...

I fucking hate Kinkade; at least Bob Ross was a really nice, gentle human being.

Merritt Clifton is an excellent writer and his research is sound. He is also consistent in the application of his moral principles, and I admire him very much.

I would castigate you for your idiocy, Anon, but I just graded 15 papers, and I'm done with scolding for the day.

zzzzzzzzz

P.S. LOVE Vermeer, obviously!

Anonymous said...


hard on for merritt , lol

are pitnutters as horny as their fugly mutant dogs ?

Anonymous said...


MISS MARGO
with a few exceptions , it is young, arrogant , idealistic fools who defend dangerous dogs .

PaginaDentata said...

Relevant: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/05/business/fi-kinkade5

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

creepy dude

vintage said...

Gorant should have brought a Beagle into his home, as Beagles are truly the "Lost Dogs".

Everyone (even Gorant)forgets that Mike Vick also had nine beagles on his property...totally unsocialized and used for baiting/blood transfusions for the famous pitties.

The Beagles were immediately adopted out into homes without rehab, million dollar insurance policies or fanfare.

Since the Vick bust in April 2007, 135 Americans have been killed by Pit Bulls

Beagles have ZERO Kills.

I am repeatedly told breed doesn't matter though...weird!

Anonymous said...


its not wierd its slimy people talking out their asses.

tropical storms said...

The things that really disturb me about this is the fact that now a lack of research, investigation and critical thinking in "non-fiction" writing are no longer even expected. How difficult is it to recognize that dogs bred to have extreme pray drive and an unrelenting attack style are extremely dangerous animals?
People here familiar with me know that I have nothing but sympathy for bulldog breeds. They were created by our species to do nothing but kill or die for entertainment and profit and that it our responsibility to correct. The only correction is widespread sterilization, differential licensing to cover costs for inspections and enforcement and the immediate euthanasia of dogs that have a history of violence. No more rescues, no more relocations, no more second chances just common sense in threat removal.
One more time: dogmen did NOT cull man fighters unless they were curs. NO ONE EVER CULLED A WINNING DOG. There have been several bulldogs I personally liked including a couple of well known man fighters. These dogs were not a public safety hazard because they were secured on chain sets on the yards of old time pros who bred their asses off. Research is no more difficult on this issue than reading archival history and pedigrees.
It's time to lay these "questions" and issues to rest by consigning bulldog breeds to history. We created them and we have to accept responsibility for uncreating them. When they're gone the nutters and rescue angels can focus on saving animals that are sane, safe and desperate.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

"We created them and we have to accept responsibility for uncreating them."

well said. another pet peeve of mine is that little "god's creation" crap. neither god nor nature had anything to do with creating gripping dogs. they are completely manmade and need to unmade by man.

Rumpelstiltskin said...

I don't know why Jim Gorant had to search all over the ends of the earth to find a dog when pit nutters claim, "it's all in how you raise them". Why did he have to search in KANSAS?

Sounds like a lot of trouble for a pit nutter to search for the "perfect" dog when there are probably thousands of game bred trash waiting in shelters for their next victim. Remember, his "perfect dog" was NOT a pit bull.

I do find it disturbing someone that tows the pit nutter line turns around and purchases a non-pit dog, talks about how they made such a monumental effort, and even forgot to factor in travel expenses when pit nutters claim any pit bull can make a "great family pet" aka "nanny dog".

Maybe he does know pit bulls present a much higher risk of death to children and he would rather not take the chance. What a jerk.

Anonymous said...

Certainly not! A painting should contain as many colors as possible. That is what you are paying for. Something pretty, with lots of colors and big. And Mr Kincaide could afford big sizes and many colors because he is SUCCESSFUL.

Anonymous said...

And Mr Kincaide could afford big sizes and many colors because he is SUCCESSFUL.


WHO CARES?!

tropical storms said...

So you're not a fan of Grimshaw?

Packhorse said...

"A BULLDOG CROSSED"
by Protest the Nutters

A breed, yes, a style of breed
That will keep going despite a bull's horn toss
Bred to be dead game at any cost.
Each year how many lives ruined and lost
And the innocent cry when a pit is crossed.
The innocent cry as a pit is crossed.

That child made a fatal error.
A snap decision causes screaming terror.
Death sentence passed down from shaking jaws.

Caving and twisting to threatened demands of the pit bull nutter masses
Ignoring crushed throats of "lower classes" of life
To sell that pit, to sell that pit

You will have no defense against pits' genetic influence.
Their natures decided by pedigree line.
And if you should feel remorse anywhere inside you for bringing home
canine abomination, They will feel grateful-
Grateful to maul anything at all.
Grateful to maul anything at all.
Grateful to kill anything.
Grateful to kill anything.
You are the heartless
for defending this beast.
They are bred to kill, that's the reason
They are bred to kill, that's the reason for existence.
Grateful to maul anything at all.

Maybe you should concentrate
on the vicious killings at an alarming rate.
On murderers and drug dealers with whom you share
the same taste in pets before you eviscerate some new victims.
Enhancing these qualities by combining killer breeds.
Breed specific legislation might put the dog fighters out.
A death squad assembled. Why put up a fight?
Better grab a a cell phone and call Life Flight.

In relation to temperament, euthanized, an overwhelming percent.
The American pit bull or the American dream?
The task is ours to keep our dogs and children safe.
Disregard the apologia, or the trainers with their crates.
With a different target every bulldog that roams
you can wait until they break into your home.
Repeat the lies you’ve bought and sold and say, “You should look up the facts”
when you should look up the facts your fuckin’ self.
Or you could admit this dog exists to kill because your own dog could be next.
I’m proud of every pit bull fan who turned and faced reality.
I oppose any group or trainer that promotes this insanity.
And if a pit bull is a weapon, we'll have to pry them
And if a pit bull is a weapon, we’ll have to pry them
They won't stop until they kill, so hope you never find out.
And if a pit bull is a weapon, we’ll have to pry them
And if a pit bull is a weapon, we’ll have to pry them from your cold, dead scalp.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

nice packhorse.

grimshaw?

Jake said...

"neither god nor nature had anything to do with creating gripping dogs. they are completely manmade and need to unmade by man."

Hear hear, this is an icon that desperately needs iconoclasm, pardon the expression.

Let's face it, evil, sadistic animal abusers deliberately created bull dogs and pit bulls so that they could use them to commit acts of animal cruelty for their amusement. The pit bull is thus an extension of their cruelty that lives on after their deaths.

There is nothing good, or noble or holy or innocent about this savagery, and stopping the slaughter of the innocents would be a top priority for anyone with feels the slightest compassion for animals - not to mention toddlers, elderly ladies and other living things.

tropical storms said...

John A. Grimshaw (and his son Arthur) ,British painter, didn't use a lot of colors, lol. I'm a fan.

Anonymous said...

Excellent Packhorse! The low, grumbling, relentless tread makes me think of useen footsteps that stop an instant after you'd pause to listen with hitched breath.
Ominous and circling. Outstanding.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

oooh. VERY nice

Anonymous said...

Love it Packhorse, bravo! *applause*

Trying to figure out what served as the template... was it something by "Protest the Hero"? I'd like to put on whichever is the right song and read your lyrics along with the music.

BTW "Blurred Lines" is a guilty pleasure of mine and I *always* think of your "Bloodlines" when it comes on, lol :)

Dawn: Wow... those paintings by are stunning.

vintage said...

GREAT PIT BULL CORRECTION MOMENTS IN HISTORY:

"Since the Vick bust in April 2007, 135 Americans have been killed by Pit Bulls"

http://www.katv.com/story/23920853/dog-attacks-kills-small-child-in-white-county

Since the Vick bust in April 2007, 136 Americans have been killed by Pit Bulls.

*DISCLAIMER: Sigh!....

orangedog said...

Comment from the article:
"he most important thing is that a mother and father lost their child. It's VERY tragic. But what's also important is that."*

*Unless the parent speaks out against pit bulls in which case the most important thing is to attack them mercilessly, and blame them and the child instead of the dogs.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

this is where me and a lot of my fellow haters part ways. i have no problem attributing at least some blame and sometimes a large chunk of the blame to humans. as far as i am concerned, the fault is always a combination of both dog and human. whether it's the breeder, the owner, the caretaker, the advocate, animal control, law makers, or a combination of them, somewhere there will be a human(s) who must assume some responsibility.

tropical storms said...

I've never considered myself a hater but rather a realistic assessor. What I hate is the fact that my species deliberately set out to create a dog which is truly the antithesis of canine behavior. Dogs are social animals who enjoy the company of their own kind. Normal canine dust ups end when one signals surrender. Normal puppy tussles don't end with a dead pup. Humans are notoriously irresponsible in the care and keeping of their animals and yet these same people strive for ever more ferocious dogs believing (or pretending) that they are better guard dogs. In reality true guard dogs are predictable in
behavior and not given to unexpected and unwarranted violence, they know their jobs and with training perform them well. Bulldogs are not, have never been and will never be guard dogs. Bulldogs have no inherent self governance and cannot be trained to this. Bulldog are purpose bred and they know their job as well. Their only job is to attack and kill others animals and lest we forget humans are a species of animal. The one and only job they've ever had is illegal in every civilized country on earth. It's time to humanely and compassionately end their existence. To me this is not hate it's simply recognizing and correcting a horrendous wrong.

Anonymous said...

Dawn and TS: Elegant, profound and precise statements. I have never witnessed a mutual intent-to-kill dog encounter. The most instantly reactive dog I've ever personally known was my neighbor (and friend)'s half husky/ half wolf. We were driving somewhere and I was climbing in, with her dog in the half-cab behind us, I was closing the door when suddenly the 80lb dog was scrambling across me, with such force her back claws left deep welts across both legs, through jeans. She had seen a loose dog 40 ft away on the PO. lawn. She bolted up on the dog, who dropped and rolled, instantly. My friend's dog straddled it, motionless, with a lifted lip, then stepped away. And that was it. She came back, climbed into the truck calmly. She showed no further interest in the dog. The other dog stood up, looked toward us, then, with deliberate, very casual dignity,
began to gently trot away home. There was not a sound
during the whole episode. Why was this combination of a primitive breed and wolf so observant of dog niceties? It says everything about what a perversion a pit bull's behavior is, but also a puzzle as to how that anomaly even became genetically expressed.

I would also be extremely interested to know what breed pit owners would choose if pits were not a available. To me, their motives seem unflattering on the surface. The almost never appear as normal. Is this their ticket to elude being "ordinary"? If pits are like "any other dog", why not choose any other dog? Someone please explain these deeply complex and enigmatic Free Thinkers. I'll wait right here...

Packhorse said...

Hey there Anon, I'm glad you like my song parodies!

"Blurred Lines" is certainly an earworm to end all earworms.

"A Bulldog Crossed" was my parody of "A Life Embossed", Protest the Hero's pro-pit bull nutter song.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

"To me this is not hate it's simply recognizing and correcting a horrendous wrong. "

yep, profound.


"I would also be extremely interested to know what breed pit owners would choose if pits were not a available."

i've thought about this. if i was a determined psychopathic dog fighter and the world successfully rid itself of that mutant mauler, i would take the most aggressive, most game patterdale and cross it with the most aggressive game boxer.


packhorse, i think blog post dedicated to all of your creative renditions is in order.

Anonymous said...


as a hater i hate the creator more than the pitbull. the human too is a product of his genes and environment but with the possibility to go against both of these elements . at least the dog doesnt defiantly buck reason and decency to continue down its path , it knows nothing of reason and the canine decency has long been bred out .

S.K.Y. said...

Just saw this news story of two pit bulls attacked by killer bees that had been in the owner's attic:

I love at the end how the owner says (about the bees): "I wouldn't put the community in danger like this. I wouldn't."

Lady, what do you THINK you have been doing taking care of two stray pit bulls that presumably wander freely between your yard and the rest of the neighborhood???

Even for pits, though, I would never wish such a horrible thing on them as a fatal (and near fatal) attack by Africanized bees...

Anonymous said...

I disagree S.K.Y. - by killing these 2 pit bulls, there's no telling how many poodles, yorkies and chihuahuas were saved by these bees.

Anonymous said...

I simply see the pit bull as a reflection of the types of people who breed them - sadistic and selfish. They are a ultimately a problem related to people, since it's sadistic people who selectively breed them for a very pointless, brutal spectacle. Dogs are not supposed to fight each other to death over anything, let alone nothing! But that's what dog fighters have bred dogs to do - fight to the death over nothing. Dogs that 'scratch' (approach with intent to attack) on a corpse in a dog fighting ring are most prized among dog fighters. Ugh! These people have taken a largely non-violent animal and have turned it into a mindless fighter. Why would anyone want to propagate dogs bred for such a horrible thing?

The dogs themselves are amoral, because they are animals. I'm not fond of them, but it truly is the breeders of them that I despise. They're propagating a breed of animal that does not need to exist.

I noticed from the dogsbite page that another child was just fatally mauled by a group of five pit bulls. Isn't that four pit-bull related fatalities in about one week now?

Garnet

Alexandra said...

Garnet, that's seven killed by pit bulldogs in the past three weeks.

That's probably about seven hundred ordinary, harmless animals tortured to death by pit bulls in the same three weeks.

I hate both pit bulldogs and their owners and fans.



Alexandra said...

P.S. Pit bulldogs are in fact the kind of undog that make people want to shoot every dog they see.

Branwyne Finch said...

Regarding Jim Gorant....he is a writer, no more or less. He is not a journalist, and especially not an investigative journalist. He got lucky with the Vick dog story, and saw a cash cow in becoming another "dog book" author. Everyone wants to strike gold and be the next John Grogan, and Gorant is no different. He approached this book from a marketing standpoint, and geared it to his intended audience. His intent was to make money selling books, and a truthful, nuanced look at the Vick dogs wouldn't have done that. So he cribbed his facts and "research" from pro-pitbull internet sites, and relied on "experts" like BadRap to support the angle he had already decided his book would take.

"The Lost Dogs" is a glorified opinion piece, marketed to a built in audience of dog lovers. Any decent journalist could easily annihilate Gorant's "facts", including the fake history of pit bulls as family pets. I grew up in the 60's and 70's about a half hour away from the Colby family's breeding operation.....one of the founding fathers of American dog fighting, whose dogs were actually the basis of the UKC breed standard. Neither me, my parents, nor anyone I knew had ever laid eyes on a pit bull until the 1980s. It wouldn't have been too hard to uncover the real history of these dogs, but that wouldn't have sold books.

Wanting to make money writing the next big "dog book", is not a bad thing....where Gorant fails as a human being is pretending that his book is the result of investigative journalism, and not just stuff he found online doing google searches on pit bull advocacy websites. When you attempt to convince American families that pit bulls from fight busts can be "rehabilitated" into safe pets for kids, then you need to check your moral compass.

And the fact that Gorant, after making money convincing the American public that pit bulls are simply misunderstood victims who just need love to blossom into the ideal family pet, then refuses to bring one into HIS OWN home, to be around HIS OWN kids...just proves his lack of integrity. I also suspect that his wife wears the pants in the family, (and maybe even is the primary bread winner) so her realistic assessment of what kind of dog she would allow around her children trumped her husband's fan base demands to "rescue a pittie".

DubV said...

"She bolted up on the dog, who dropped and rolled, instantly. My friend's dog straddled it, motionless, with a lifted lip, then stepped away. And that was it. She came back, climbed into the truck calmly. She showed no further interest in the dog. The other dog stood up, looked toward us, then, with deliberate, very casual dignity,
began to gently trot away home. There was not a sound
during the whole episode. Why was this combination of a primitive breed and wolf so observant of dog niceties? It says everything about what a perversion a pit bull's behavior is, but also a puzzle as to how that anomaly even became genetically expressed."

When my dog was attacked by a pit bull, the pit bull bolted from its property without a sound and its first by was a crushing bite that was held and shook.

The pit bull made no noise once it was driven off.

It was almost like a raptor swooping down on a squirrel in a business-like manner.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

wait a sec, two things. first, i thought gorant was a sports writer which technically would make him a journalist wouldn't it? in the immediate wake of the vick bust, before he copped to it, i was reading the sports writers' coverage of the bust and they did a spectacular job, far better than the non-sports writers were doing. second, branwyne, please start blogging. here or your own. damn what you wrote about this fucktaard is much better. in fact, i want to add it to the post or create a new one. can't stand this guy and i want to make sure he reads your words.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, DubV! very illuminating! It's great to
have a Science Guy in the house. I've often puzzled over how behavior parallells evolution. How does an organism cope with even a minor variation in it's survival mechanisms? Fun stuff.

Branwyne Finch said...

Dawn, thank you for the kind words. I was being a bit facetious, in that the term "journalist" has all but lost its meaning these days; everyone claims to be a journalist, but very few actually do the hard work that takes.

My husband has a subscription to SI, and there are many fine writers who contribute to that publication. If you want to read a first rate, beautifully written and researched piece of investigative journalism from SI, read "The Boy Who Died of Football", by Thomas Lake.

Just reading the Amazon excerpt from The Lost Dogs reveals Gorant's amateurish attempt to explain why a pit bull will fight another dog in the ring..... hunger,frustration,fear, and an attempt to "defend it's territory"...perpetuating the myth that fighting dogs are made, not born. There are scores of experts on pit bull dogs who would beg to differ, but Gorant didn't seek out their opinion...instead he got his information from folks that make a living, actually collect a salary, to promote pit bulls as safe family pets.

As the Crown Prince of pit bull books, Gorant's latest contribution is a book about Wallace, the disk dog, which several Amazon reviewers describe as "boring". I suspect he will soon run out of heartwarming pit bull tales to write about, and may be forced to find other ways to pay his bills. Nevertheless, he managed to convince enough readers who lack the ability to think critically that pit bulls are a great dog to have around kids (as long as it's not his kids)....and for this he should never be forgiven.

DubV said...

" How does an organism cope with even a minor variation in it's survival mechanisms? Fun stuff."

Not sure how to attempt to answer that one.

Can you give a few examples (can be made up ones even), so that I can get a better sense of things?

tropical storms said...

Bulldogs fight other dogs (or any other animal) because they were carefully, continually and purposely bred to WANT to do this. It's no more complicated or mysterious than that. Bulldogs fight because they were bred to fight.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

thanks tropical storms. now would be a good time to remind people of ockham's razor.

tropical storms said...

It certainly would Dawn, thanks for doing so. The simplest explanation is almost always the most correct.

Anonymous said...

Oh, sorry, I can see that I didn't put it very well. I know that evolution proceeds at an infinitesimal rate, but I'm puzzled that complex behaviors also evolved. For instance, spiders.. so a spider has spinnerets, and silk, and
Each are very unique and sophisticated structures, but how did the leap to beautifully designed bug catchers happen? I just have trouble seeing arachnids going in for experimentation. What about caring for eggs, which has a reward far in the future?
Diff subject, but color vision.. why do some animals have partial color vision? What purpose does it serve? I understand about nocturnal vision being one reason.
I know you're probably tearing your hair out right now, but really, I'm not a total dunce! When I was in high school manhmanymanymany years ago, and doing an extra-credit project in a hopeful attempt to GRADUATE on time, I wrote to the San Diego Zoo, wondering whether giraffe markings acted as thermoregulators. I had been puzzling over it a long time. I asked If the darker markings were differently vascularized. I wanted to know if giraffe oriented themselves in a particular way on cold mornings or very hot days. The zoo replied, in part: " giraffe wear a camouflage coat to escape detection by lions, their primary predator. We hope you visit our beautiful zoo soon, we have many fine animals besides Giraffe"

Now it's thought that the spots do act as heat regulation. And that makes me very happy!

DubV said...

Natural selection is a tinkerer.

The structures and functions you see now are the result of many small changes taken together.

Silk was being used for non-web services prior to the behavior and necessary physiology coming on the scene for the webs we now see.

As far as caring for young, the idea of future reward doesn't need to come into it.

I would recommend Dawkin's book The Selfish Gene.

Basically, if the constellation of genes necessary to invoke caring for young are present, then those genes will become more common over time. The opposite is obviously a potentially losing strategy. Imagine if an early human mother had no protective instinct towards her children. Her children would not survive to reproduce, and any genetic material causing her behavior would die with them.

Anonymous said...

Thanks much! I have read the Dawkins book, fascinating. I'll
have to reread it!

Packhorse said...

Who wants Veronica? She is on sale! Her adoption fee has been reduced to only $75, so let's get her out the door quick!

"Care should be taken" around children, and she "should not go to a home with cats"! I wonder how we found that out? Oh well, buy her now, let her pull you down the street on "walks" and hope she doesn't meet any children or cats!

http://theshelterpetproject.org/pet?id=26678137

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

what a prize. i bet veronica has already been snatched up or she is in the middle of a bidding war.

a bundle of enthusiasm and jubilation... Always loads of fun, always diving for attention... wants kisses, hugs - and more petting, please! she'd love to take you on a walk! With all her energy, the more time you spend romping around with her, the better! (And enjoy all the extra attention, too.) energetic, friendly and playful... goofball... Due to her energy and size... a fun dog

i'm exhausted just reading about her.

i can't stand this type of dog. i'm shocked that anyone would want a dog that fits this description.

Anonymous said...

"I hate both pit bulldogs and their owners and fans."

I feel the same way. It's true that absent human intervention pit bulls would never have existed, but that goes for *any* breed of dog... Humans didn't literally create the behaviours, they simply recognized traits that were already there and funneled those into more and more concentrated forms in distinct genetic lines, through selective breeding. Decent people chose to distill "good" qualities in certain breeds, and shitty people chose to distill "bad" qualities in others, but the good and bad qualities are innate in those dogs all the same. Just as one can love a golden retriever for its sweet temperament, so too can one hate a pit bull for its bloodlust... I don't think feeling hatred towards a "manmade" creature is any more irrational than feeling love towards one...

That being said I *do* (of course) place most of the blame for the suffering wrought by these furry abominations squarely on the shoulders of the humans who bred---and continue to breed---them. The bleeding hearts/useful idiots who stubbornly refuse to accept the truth about these dogs are also guilty to a great extent. The world would be a much better place if this disastrous genetic coding were sterilized into extinction.

Packhorse said...

Roaming pit drags home a skeletal human leg.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/11/us/dog-brings-home-human-leg/

Let's hope it never decides to seek out one with more flesh on the bone...

Anonymous said...

That reminds me of a joke:

"What has four legs and an arm?"

"A happy pit bull."

Garnet

tropical storms said...

Today in maulings : Connecticut owner has one entire arm and the lower arm and hand of the other amputated by her loving wiggle butt. Said wiggle butt dispatched by PoPo to rescue victim.

tropical storms said...

Today in maulings : Connecticut owner has one entire arm and the lower arm and hand of the other amputated by her loving wiggle butt. Said wiggle butt dispatched by PoPo to rescue victim.

Miss Margo said...

@packhorse

That ad for Veronica looks like something out of The Onion.

Remember that old standup-comedian joke..."Take my wife, PLEEZE!"

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

a variation

"What has four legs and an arm?"

"A pit bull in a play ground."


or in ct, a dead pit bull. i can't imagine climbing under my car to escape my own dog. sheesh.



"That ad for Veronica looks like something out of The Onion."

yes it does!

PutMeInCharge4OneDay said...

Addition to the "pit bulls not like other dogs"

Instead of "biting the hand that feeds you " when you have a pit bull it's "amputating the arm that feeds you".

Rhea L said...

I think she sounds like a nuisance. One of our local pounds or rescues I can't remember which is trying to pawn off a few pits at less than half of their normal adoption rate.