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.

Bellyfeel available in plush toy format soon

Junk science is the mirror image of real science, with much of the same form but none of the same substance... A hodgepodge of biased data, spurious inference, and logical legerdemain…It is a catalog of every conceivable kind of error: data dredging, wishful thinking, truculent dogmatism, and, now and again, outright fraud.
Peter Huber “Galileo’s Revenge: Junk Science in the Courtroom”

"There are scores of accounts of farmers being gored, trampled and killed by bulls. In addition to farmers, children, women and elderly persons were also killed when they had the misfortune to encounter an aggressive bull. In one twenty year span, from 1880 to 1899, there were over 150 recorded newspaper accounts of people being attacked and killed by cattle. Clearly, cattle presented a real and constant danger." KAREN DELISE

the above excerpt is on page 14 of the Most Famous Pit Bull Propaganda Piece ever written, THE PIT BULL PLACEBO: THE MEDIA MYTHS AND POLITICS OF CANINE AGGRESSION.

DELISE acknowledges that "cattle presented a real and constant danger" in the last 20 years of 1800's (based on the lowly newspaper), yet in the last 20 years, 233 people have been killed by JUST pit bulldogs (also newspaper sourced and therefore suspect in her opinion). DELISE then goes on to cite a dozen examples of dogs, primarily BULLDOGS that saved their masters from an enraged bull. the dozen or so examples of courageous dogs, primarily BULLDOGS, spans the years 1875 - 1930 (also based on newspaper accounts). apparently the dozen or so documented cases of dogs saving people from bulls during a 55 yr period is to offset today's carnage. (an interesting side note, during DELISE'S halcyon days of the mighty bulldog protector, at least 50 people were killed by JUST gripping dogs.)

DELISE appears to be unable or unwilling to concede two things. first, that EVERYONE relies on newspaper accounts and second, that danger evolves over time. For example, in 1907, you were more likely to be killed in a street car accident (1,880 deaths) than an automobile accident (294 deaths) and tuberculosis posed a greater threat than cancer. many of the diseases from the turn of the 19th century are all but non existent through advances in medical science and social reforms. when was the last time you heard of someone contracting cholera or dysentery, in the unites states? thank you public health and sanitation! this is especially troubling for me as DELISE based a large portion of her "research" on shifting breed trends and danger, "first it was the bloodhound..." btw, the cuban bloodhound, aka the human gripping dog appears to be the first dog swept up in the social reform known as a breed ban.

social reforms in the shape of breed specific legislation can go a long way towards minimizing catastrophic dog "bites" as well. of course, we then become vulnerable to enraged bulls. it's a trade off but with the cost of health care soaring out of control and the real and growing threat posed by pit bulls, i am willing to take my chances.

so, back to her disingenuous concern about the danger of bulls... 150+ people killed by cattle "presents a real and constant danger", yet 233 recorded newspaper accounts of people being attacked and killed by JUST by gripping dogs does not concern the vet tech. WHY? the standard answer goes something like this, there is no such thing as a pit bull and you can't trust newspapers. LOL! why is this funny? because DELISE claims to NOT rely on newspaper accounts of dog attacks. yet a paper that DELISE co-authored with LEDY VANKAVAGE, DONALD CLEARY, CYNTHIA BATHURST and some dupe by the name of PATRICIA RUSHING, states "Many eyewitnesses have problems correctly identifying dogs, even dogs that may have allegedly bitten them. In a high-profile case involving singer Vanessa Carlton, a dog named Bella was acquitted of biting Carltonbecause the bite wound on her leg didn’t match a mold of Bella’s teeth. (Source: Howard Frank, “Pit Bull Accused ofBiting Vanessa Carlton Wins Reprieve, Pocono Record Writer, July 8, 2010,available at www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100708/NEWS/7080315/-1/NEWS01, accessed August 1, 2012." their synopsis of the Vanessa Carlton case is a complete fabrication. at the time this propaganda piece was published (August 2011) the FACTS of the Vanessa Carlton case were known and officials court transcripts were available.

in fact, DELISE arrogantly states that she and SHE ALONE, does not rely on media sources for dog bite related fatalities. i disproved that claim here.

in the first five months of this year the pit bulldog death toll has already risen to 13 (IF you believe the media). fourteen fatalities if you count the man hit by a car as he fled from a rampaging gripper. while the cattle death toll is zero. i might add that the pomeranian death toll is also at zero. rather than acknowledge the unique danger that pit bulldogs pose (and have posed since their beginning) and promote public policy that not only protects citizens but also PIT BULLS, another ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION puppet trots out a toy pit bulldog to aid in the mass indoctrination of citizens, specifically targeting kids.

from badrap's facebook page:

Justice is served! GUND released images of Jonny's doll, set to hit the shelves sometime in late summer. Soon every kid in America can have his very own plushy mascot of the dogs who survived the very worst (Bad Newz Kennels) to show us their very best.

Oakland area folks: You better believe we'll be having a big happy party to celebrate. And a mass movement to flip that right ear over in honor of our little buddy and all he's done to shine a light on pit bulls and their blocky headed cousins.

america's dog - made in china

until the tangible bellyfeel hits the store shelves, nutters will just have to make do with KAREN DELISE'S sleight of hand tricks and snuggle with her rag of a book.

Gotta Getta Gund is just another deceptive tool in the pit bull apologia's very long and deliberate campaign to bury the truth about pit bulldogs. but this campaign makes no attempt to conceal the fact that kids are their target audience. in fact THIS campaign is openly celebrating their plans to have a propaganda toy in the hands of "every kid in America".

remember JOE CAMEL?

hello, Federal Trade Commission.



wouldn't it be a hoot if this plush toy violated the judge's order prohibiting the profiting from the vick dogs?

Depraved Indifference

Just when you think Best Friends Animal Sanctuary can't sink any lower, they trot out LAYLA. LAYLA is a VICK dog. She has lived on the Utah Cult's compound under the court mandated million dollar insurance policy for the last 6 years. That is LAYLA on the left in the photo below. That is as close as LAYLA can safely be around other dogs. LAYLA is available for adoption.

Lovely Layla is a 'Vicktory dog' who adores people, walks, food puzzles and car rides. After being rescued from the property of Michael Vick, Layla has worked very hard to heal from her hard life's journey and pass her Canine Good Citizenship test. And now, she's finally ready to find a forever home!

This social butterfly wiggles with joy whenever anybody comes near and leans in for body strokes and scratches. Layla just can't wait to be a special person's best friend and cuddle buddy. She walks very nicely on a leash and is learning how to wear a muzzle, so she can go on play dates.

Due to her history and pretty strong prey instinct, a home without other pets might be best. She takes medication for arthritis in her shoulder and tests positive for Babesia, a parasite that is easily managed. Although she's made amazing progress, new things and noises still scare her.

Because of her very sad history, before taking her home, her new person will want to come meet her and spend some time to make sure it's a love connection. Please fill out an adoption application today if you'd like to consider giving Layla her first and forever loving home.

After $18,000 and 6 years of rehabilitation, LAYLA is still frightened by new things and noises and requires a muzzle to be near dogs. But SOMEHOW she still managed to acquire the canine good citizen certificate and she is ready for her forever home (with no other pets of course). How in the world can it possibly be legal or ethical to adopt out aggressive contagious fighting dogs? Not only does LAYLA pose a serious threat to neighborhood dogs in terms of a vicious attack but she (as well as the rest of the VICK dogs) is walking around the community like Typhoid Mary.

Most of the VICK dogs have babesia. Last month the owner of HANDSOME DAN was mooching on facebook for the expensive treatment, which only controls, not clears the parasite from the blood. The cost for one vial of the drug: $1400. Hmmm... I wonder, if HANDSOME DAN'S owner can not afford the Babesia treatment, how can they afford the court mandated million dollar liability insurance?

Click HERE to read more about Babesia, the easy to manage parasite.

Click HERE to read about more VICK dogs at the Utah Cult.

Click HERE to read about successfully placed VICK dogs.

Click HERE and HERE to read more about the CGC.

pimping the vick dogs, ssshhh

Narcissism Revealed (LEO)

Francis Battista on Babesia 

Depraved Indifference

Best Friends: Good Deed or Irresponsible Actions?

Best Friends: Good Deed or Irresponsible Actions?

Best Friends: Good Deed or Irresponsible Actions?

Study Conducted by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Explains Why They Failed to Rehabilitate Vick Dogs and Why Fighting Dogs Will Never Make Good Pets

Money for Nutterin'

Money for Nutterin'

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it
You play the Lion Tamer on the APC
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and Dogs for free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb
Maybe get a lose your little finger
Maybe get a chunk outta your bum

We gotta install euthanasia ovens
Custom cages deliveries
We gotta fill these refrigerators
We gotta pimp on colour TV's

See the little felon with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy that's his own hair
That little felon puts pits on a airplane
That little felon he's a millionaire

We gotta install euthanasia ovens
Custom chaining deliveries
We gotta fill these refrigerators
We gotta pimp on colour TV's

I shoulda learned to play the nutter
I shoulda learned to burn dogs in drums
Look at that mama, break stickin' in the camera
Man we could have some fun
And he's up there, what's that? Growlin’ noises?
Rippin’ off faces like a chimpanzee
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Get your money for nothin' get your dogs for free

~vintage

2007 Vick bust

2008 BadRap 990
net income : 357K
Salaries & benefits : 150K
services & expenses : 101K
squirreled away into "Assets" : 100K

2009 new crib : $835,000

Narcissism revealed

Vick dog recipient and head pit nutter at our pack, MARTHINA McCLAY demonstrates to all of her youtube fans how cancer patients are helping in the rehabilitation of one of the MICHAEL VICK cash cows.

my favorite part of this little dog and pony show is at 1:35 when McCLAY says "Thank you for petting Leo. He loves it." you will also see LEO giving as much if not more love & kisses to McCLAY as to the cancer patients. that is not something that you will see in the NON-VICK therapy dog videos.

and now for something completely different...

PATIENT centered therapy dogs! who'd a thought that this could be good for the patient?!

and the easy peasy dogs of Walter Reed

what a novel idea, therapy dogs for PATIENTS!!!

*LEO died this week from a seizure disorder. does anyone know if seizures disqualify a dog from therapy work?

from a reader....

"What a profound difference between the train-wreck Vick Dogs, which had to be treated like a hand grenade with the pin pulled, and these sweet, normal dogs, who have known every bit as much torture and deprivation as the "celebrity" pit bulls, yet whose "cause" goes unrecognized and unsupported by the public."




these beagles did not come with a million dollar dowry and their rescuers were not required to carry a million dollar insurance policy. there was not a cadre of "behaviorists" waiting to assess their temperaments. these beagles will not require industrial strength fencing and their adopters will not have to undergo extensive screenings. these cute little faces will not grace pretentious wine bottles and calenders. there will be no media hype, no tv shows or factually challenged books to document their "progress".

why?

because these beagles are JUST dogs.

thank you branwyne.

Study Conducted by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Explains Why They Failed to Rehabilitate Vick Dogs and Why Fighting Dogs Will Never Make Good Pets

There has been a lot of press surrounding the new large-scale study conducted by Best Friends Animal Society and the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School of Medicine; in a nut shell, this study found that puppy mills inflict irremediable damage to pet dogs. It found that dogs used as breeders in puppy mills had long term psychological damage, regardless of how clean and well run it was. Here is an excerpt:

The results of the study indicate it really doesn’t matter if the breeding operation claims to be shiny and clean, abiding by the laws, or even whether or not they are licensed by the USDA,” McMillan said. “This study gives us strong evidence that the dogs kept in these large scale breeding facilities don’t just suffer while they’re confined there, but carry the emotional scars out with them for years even when they’re placed in loving homes. Many of the dogs show difficulty in simply coping successfully with normal day-to-day life.

There is no precise, legal definition of a puppy mill. It is generally accepted though, that they are large-scale commercial dog breeding facilities that operate for profit. It is generally understood that they will sacrifice animal welfare to maximize profits. In Defense of Animals notes that any breeder with 4 breeding animals that sells to wholesalers must obtain a USDA license, but that average puppy mills house 65 to 75 animals, though some house thousands.

The main contributing factor to the damage done to these dogs is poor breeding (inbreeding and over breeding), the isolation and lack of "normal" exposure to people, places, noise, etc. Even a small facility that keeps dogs in cages, inbreeds, over breeds, and limits stimulation and socialization can be damaging. The study admits that these dogs will often never be "normal".

So how is this different from what the Vick dogs experienced? The Vick dogs were kept like puppy mill dogs and in addition many suffered the added abuse associated with dogfighting. Federal officers reportedly removed about 54 apbts from Vick's property according to a transcript of his indictment. Of the 54 apbts, about 30 were found on chains in a yard.

Examples of dogfighter's yards show these are large scale

puppy mills designed to produce mentally damaged dogs

The Virginia Beach SPCA reportedly took Vick's 9 beagles, two rottweilers, and a cane corso according to other sources. The beagles had been kept in cages and reportedly had been used both as bait dogs and as blood sources for blood transfusions for the fighting dogs.

Read here about JR the rescued Vick beagle

Note that JR suffers from the exact

behavioral issues described in the BR study

Do you see any irony here? In fact, how is this different from what LOTS of pit bull breeders are doing with their "yards"? Vicks pit bulls were not pets, they were kept in isolated kennels, yet the public was told they all went on to assimilate easily and become normal pets! We all know that, in reality, thats not true. Read about Best Friend's Vick dogs: Shaky Mel, Handsome Dan, and the saga of Tug, Denzel and their victim, Beans). Then there is Sweet Jasmine, Sweet Pea and a third, nameless pit bull. Read their accounts and notice that these dogs were suffering in just the way the new BF study describes puppy mill dogs always suffer.

A perpetually terrified Sweet Jasmine bolted

away from her "responsible" owner, Catalina

Stirling, was struck by a car and died.

The HSUS, ASPCA, Best Friends, and other humane groups have previously been VERY careful when discussing commercial breeding operations, for good reason. MANY working dogs are raised in conditions that may constitute commercial breeding operations. Hunting dogs bred and raised on hunting plantations down south are very typically raised in outdoor kennels, whelped outside, and not treated or handled as pets. Some detection dogs used for security are kennel raised dogs...Some trainers stopped placing bomb sniffing dogs in homes, in part because they were using play drive for training, and the toy had to become a high value resource; in a family home, they were playing a lot, and lost motivation. Kenneling them allowed the rewards to be more controlled.

There is a very real distinction between working dogs, being used for a specific purpose, and pets, whose role is that of a companion animal. Working dogs who are kenneled and bred in commercial breeding operations are NOT pets, but they ARE afforded an opportunity to regularly engage in the type of meaningful "work" which they are genetically motivated to do. In doing this "work", they get companionship from their handler, appropriate excersize, and rewards, which may consist of food, playtime, affection, etc. Because of their inate drive and desire to perform the "work" which they were bred for, and the fact that this work allows them to form a close partnership with their handler, the quality of life these dogs have is often as good as, if not better than, many pet dogs.

On the other hand, the "job" of a pet dog is to be a healthy, friendly, biddable companion who can assimilate easily into our home and community. That is the "work" of a pet dog. The study makes it clear that commercial breeding operations do NOT produce dogs that are suitible for this "work".

One working dog that must also be highly companionable is the Seeing Eye dog. Long ago, The Seeing Eye recognized that they needed to raise their own dogs to develop dogs that have the best innate temperaments and that were physically very healthy. They also recognized that the had to raise the young puppies in families in order to produce mentally healthy, sociable, companionable and biddable dogs that were suitable for their work.

Companionable, biddable, working Lab puppy being

raised with a foster family as part of the Seeing Eye's

puppy raiser program

Dusty, a Seeing Eye dog in training, was living

with a foster family as part of the puppy raiser

program when a pit bull attacked him and he had

to be washed out of the program

So any kennel that claims to breed dogs as companions, yet houses them like livestock, can be labeled a puppy mill. Which begs the question....which type of breeder are these APBT breeders who run large "yards"? If both common sense and science show us that raising dogs on chains and in kennels does NOT produce a dog that makes a good pet, can we then assume these are "working dogs"? If they are "working dogs", what kind of "work" do they do? If you have 50 pit bulls on your property, on chains and in kennels outside, and are selling their puppies for huge sums of money, what kind of people are buying them? Since anyone looking for a pet pit bull can find literally hundreds of them in local shelters, with incentives thrown in such as reduced adoption fees, free or low cost training, s/n, shots, etc, why would someone buy one from a breeder? If pit bulls in pet homes are being abandoned by the tens of thousands and ending up in shelters, doesn't that mean they are failing at their "job" as pets? Doesn't it indicate that there is NO pet market for these dogs? So what is the real market for large scale pit bull breeders?

Why is it not OK for a pug to be raised in a kennel, but it IS OK for a pit bull to be raised in a "yard"? Why are the Vick dogs held up as success stories, when they show all the same symptoms as the permanently damaged puppy mill dogs? And if all these large scale breeders of fighting dogs are truly selling them as pets, why isn't Best Friends publicly condemning them for the damage done to these dogs?

So is Best Friends willing to take on the dogmen now? The Best Friends study concludes that dogs raised in large scale breeding operations will never be what our society considers "normal". We have no complaint with that conclusion. But at the same time that BF is paying for and promoting this survey, they also advocate for the placement of pit bulls found during dog fighting investigations. These pitiful victims of the dog fighting culture have been raised in isolation, have not been socialized, bred for an activity so violent that it is a felony in all 50 states, and they are inbred to an extreme. BF has successfully championed changes in state law to allow these most dangerous damaged dogs to be adopted into our communities.

Why isn't BF concerned with the breeding and husbandry practices of pit bull breeders? Why isn't BF concerned with the safety of the humans, pets, and livestock that will come into contact with the dogs bred and trained for dogfighting that they have placed in your neighborhood? Can Best Friends explain how dogs of a hundred different breeds are damaged by commercial breeders to the point where many never become normal pets, but pit bulls can be raised in yards, rescued from fighting rings by amateurs and, with hugs and kisses, become normal pets?

Can we ask Best Friends to publicly condemn dog fighters' commercial breeding operations? Who do you think is buying these old time dogfighter's dogs, and for what purpose? Can we conclude that dogs not bred by responsible breeders and raised and housed as pets will not be "normal"? Shouldn't that mean we should be looking at regulating large scale pit bull breeding operations? Shouldn't we demand that BF look at their own research and condemn the practice of attempting to rehabilitate fighting bred dogs from dogfighting busts? After all, they have just proven that these dogs can never become normal and safe companions in homes.

Authors: Branwyne, april29, snacksizeddog

Librarians: fighting for truth, justice and the american way

CRIS COHEN and JONNY VENGEANCE plotting their revenge on a librarian.

it's spring time and a pit nutter's fancy turns to media hype, lawsuits and sleaze to drum up, sympathy, donations and increase book sales.

like a "pit bull on widow's poodle", the BADRAP nutters continue to punish the Burlingame library on facebook, change.org, parade and badrap. DONNA et al are trying to make a federal case out of this. another shot of tequila might do the trick ;)

DONNA'S nickers are in twist over the library's audacity to ban gripping dogs from their reading program and she is upset the librarian "got away with breed profiling". the really bizarre and sad thing about all of this is the state california indulges this nonsense!

in january, PBS did a puff piece on the vick dogs. DONNA REYNOLDS claims that PBS wanted to see the great JONNY in action. in the words of DONNA, "no problem. COHEN has been planning to participate in the Burlingame's annual read-a-thon."

uh-oh, BIG problem. pit bulls were 86'd from the Paws for Tales program last summer. and i can't imagine that information not getting to BADRAP within 24 hours of the horrific injustice. i imagine the pit bull discrimination S.O.S. calls come in on a special red phone or flash the pittie beacon up in the sky and tapping out "a pittie has been dissed" in morse code. and if a vick dog is dissed, you can bet that's a shot that can be heard around the pit nutter world.

(DONNA is not the super hero, she is the villain TWO FACE)

so playing the innocent victim (which the nutters are quite skilled at), COHEN contacted the library about PBS wanting to get some footage of JONNY working his magic in order to get that necessary rejection to justify launching their crusade against Burlingame.

funny thing, if you watch the PBS puff piece, you will see JONNY VENGEANCE but you will not see him at work in the reading program. i thought that was odd. and it prompted me to try and find out why. PBS, according to DONNA, specifically requested a demonstration. why wouldn't they follow through? surely Burlingame wasn't the only reading program in the bay area.

on the contrary, i found the Paws for Tales 2011 schedule which listed 14 other participating libraries, 2 of which were closer than the 50 mile drive to Burlingame. i even found a plea from the san francisco spca for applicants into their Puppy Dog Tales Reading Program. apparently, they don't have enough dogs to meet their needs. but this simple drive across town for COHEN and JONNY did not quite pack the same sensationalized headline punch.

map of Paws for Tales reading programs available to CRIS COHEN.

Burlingame was included as a reference only.

WHY the petty mind games? WHY deprive all of those wine drinking, cheese eating, PBS watching, bleeding hearts of the opportunity to see JOHNNY work his magic while enlightening the ignorant?

could it have something to do with BADRAP's secret motto?

never pass up an opportunity to promote wiggle butts and if one doesn't exist, create one!

i think pit nutters thrive on media hype. just look at the comments on facebook, parade, badrap and don't forget change.org. they have the best comments of all.

TT writes:

I've personally observed Jonny Justice (& Cris) in a dynamic environment -- lots of people wandering around, sudden noises, etc. (a fund-raising party) & Jonny was cool, calm & collected & very friendly towards all people. He was aroused by other dogs, but Cris was clearly aware of that & kept him away from them.

Librarian Patricia Harding & the City of Burlingame have just provided the world with a pretty clear message -- they're idiots who would rather shut-down a beneficial program by claiming it wasn't cost-effective (hint: unlike Patricia Harding, Jonny Justice & Cris were in the library pro-bono!), rather than admit their blatant discrimination was wrong. Jonny Justice isn't an aggressive, ignorant nuisance but Patricia Harding is.

Good thing I don't still live in the area, or Harding would find some dog excrement on her desk! :)

uh-oh, looks like CRIS hasn't been able to love all of that dog aggression away.

then scroll up and read DONNA'S comment:

The many animal care professionals who've assessed Jonny deemed him not only adoptable but temperamentally suited for work with children as well as life with other dogs (which he's been doing successfully for several years). Perhaps you disagree with these professionals, but he's actually one of the most OVERLY-assessed dogs in this country, and any amount of intolerance to animals would have been duly noted by ourselves as well as the certified animal behaviorists on the team, the American Temperament Test Society staff and Canine Good Citizen evaluators.

looks like DONNA is lying, AGAIN. DONNA claims JONNY is suited to work with other dogs. what parent wouldn't want their child lying on the floor with JONNY when he becomes "aroused" by the sight of another dog? a side note, it's nice to see DONNA provide the BADRAP seal of approval on the fraudulent ATTS.

change.org commenter Susan Jeanne wraps this mess up beautifully:

The real question is, why BadRap wants to incite a cyber-bullying campaign against a 60 year old woman who is just trying to do her job. You have no idea what the city attorney advised her to do, you have no idea how many parents complained. As someone who has spent years volunteering in school libraries, I think the "dog assisted reading" programs are just a gimmick. I have done guided reading with children in groups, and what they really need is the one on one. The library's new "Book Buddies" program will pair kids up with High School students, who will recieve community service credit. This will be much more effective, and reach a lot more children.

Forcing your dogs on people who do not want to interact with them is the antithesis of what "therapy" work is all about, and reflects poorly on breed advoactes.

personally i think the pit bulls that are enrolled in the dog assisted reading programs are there to help pit nutters and their dogs, not kids.

my favorite BADRAP facebook comment from JOSEPHINE FAZZINO BOOTH:

Michael Vick and this librarian should be banned from life! They are disgusting poor excuses of human beings. They bring nothing into our world but death and hate.

JOSEPHINE FAZZINO BOOTH'S comment dovetails nicely into my favorite parade comment from bleckbluw:

Gorant benefitted from Vicks moral lapse

I guess the power of redemption (your words) does not apply to Vick. You state, "there is too much hate in this world, already" yet your hate and resentment of Vick comes through. Oh, the hypocrisy!

i picked up on that too bleckbluw. i am fascinated by the pit nutters obsession with redemption and second chances and forgiveness.

BADRAP accomplice WILLIAM BRANGHAM has been added to my growing list of lazy, unprofessional and unethical journalists. my favorite part of Willie's puff piece came at 12:30 "Nearly 4 years on, the assessments made by the evaluation team back in Virginia, have proven remarkably accurate for ALL the Vick dogs. NONE of those living in foster or permanent homes have shown ANY behavioral problems". and "Sadly, 2 others escaped their pens one night and LIKELY were involved in killing another sanctuary dog."

apparently WILLIE hasn't heard about MEL or HANDSOME DAN or google. in less than 5 minutes, WILLIE could have confirmed the killing at best friends. lazy reporting leaves journalists looking foolish. there is simply no excuse to not check the facts that are fed to you and there is simply no reason to believe that pit bull advocates will tell you the truth any more than big oil or tobacco or big pharma lobbyists. everything they tell you is suspect and every detail should be checked and rechecked and checked again. remember BUSH and the weapons of mass destruction?

this is just my opinion but i believe the BADRAP pit nutters have concocted this crisis and are trying to make examples out of Harding and the Burlingame Library. i believe every detail of this crusade was carefully crafted in an effort to bully them into reinstating the Paws for Tales program and force them to accept their wiggle butts. they are trying to paint Harding as ignorant, closed minded, stupid, fearful, hateful, prejudiced, and uneducated. of course ONLY the nutters have the magic bullet that will cure her of these ills: gorant's propaganda pamphlet!

the truth is, librarians are some of the most open minded, progressive thinking people out there. they are the ultimate champions of the first amendment (an area pit nutters are notoriously bankrupt in), privacy rights, intellectual freedom and the fight against censorship. two years ago, when the patriot act was trying to invade our privacy, guess who was on the front lines of that fight? that's right, LIBRARIANS. and where were the pit nutters? harassing other victims no doubt.

don't be fooled by the meek librarian stereotype.

i wonder, did Jonny Vengeance ever work out his "sshhh, no applause" issues?

Mel the Vicktory Dog: the terrors continue

Remember Craven's blog post about Mel, one of the Vick dogs? The scared shitless one?

Here is old footage of Mel, still in Virginia, soon after being rescued from the depraved Michael Vick:

Archive footage of 'Mel' and Nicole in VA from BADRAP.org on Vimeo.

And here is Mel after 3 years of "expert rehabilitation" at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and subsequent adoption. His owner says “When people pet him, I tell them, pet him from under his chin, not over his head. He lives in fear of someone putting their hand over his head.”(Did you catch the head rubs from the video?)

When he went to his new adoptive home, he was described as, "quivering in the corner. Shaking uncontrollably. Convulsing...scared shitless." The new owners said it took a while before they could even pet him.

What gives? Best Friends is not only an established and incredibly well-funded sanctuary that boasts having expert dog trainers and behaviorists, it was given $18,000 per Vick dog and mandated by court to provide adequate care of the dogs for the well-being of the dogs themselves and for the people who tend to them and to take special precautions to keep the dogs safely.

After three years, how could Mel be doing so badly that many people believe the most humane thing for him would be humane euthanization?

Evidently, even animal rescue groups are questioning Best Friends' handling of their dogs. Despite the court order, there have been so many problems with Best Friends and the Vick dogs that according to one blogger "a Bay Area animal group has recently challenged BFAS on their care of the former Vick dogs, citing their methods and progress as inappropriate and poor, and registering their complaints with the court that issued the original order for the disposition of the Vick dogs."

Second Link

But, at least they got the psychologically fragile Mel adopted into a carefully selected home with owners who are highly sensitive to Mel's needs and have a quiet lifestyle compatible with Mel's fragile mental health and who, above all, would not exploit Mel.

Meet the Owners

SUNNY HUNTER- manager of a tacky franchise strip club/jungle theme park/hooters with a $5 dollar lunch special

Richard Hunter - self-proclaimed narcissist who calls himself "Big Dick" even though his last name is Hunter. Avoid the trophy room.

Publicity seeking radio personality BIG DICK HUNTER hangs with a human aggressive dog.

About three years ago, he seemed to be building a career and was able to get some pretty big names on promotion tours - Jason Reitman, Jeff Bridges, and Jason Schwartzman. Then everyone found out he was a prick and suddenly he's interviewing the likes of OJ Simpson, Joe Francis, Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson.

Do check out the interview with Jason Reitman in which he totally confounds the director by asking if the "secret" message of his movie Juno is that teen sex with strangers is the better choice, especially if it results in an unintended pregnancy. BIG DICK HUNTER ends the interview by asking Reitman for acting advice on how to play a credible gay character and Reitman tells him to "just be himself" and "wear that hat."

If you check out his youtube channel, skip his attempts at improv , the interview with OJ Simpson and the clip of him hanging with Joe Francis on the Girls Gone Wild bus about 6 months before Francis went to jail unless you're wearing vomit proof shoes.

Poor Mel. Despite the extensive screening Best Friends did, he fell into the hands of a bottom feeding exploitative narcissist. And, it gets worse. BIG DICK HUNTER attempted to use Mel to climb back out of the scum and, instead of interviewing murderers, wife beaters and child pornographers, he decided to try his hand at being a morally superior ambush reporter bringing to light the injustices of the world.

He is going to confront Michael Vick. With what? With his poor, pathetic dog. He dares Michael Vick to meet Mel. Luckily for Mel, BIG DICK HUNTER fails miserably.

You'll see that instead of ambushing Vick, he only manages to get a shot of Vick's bodyguard's massive back while being manhandled by another bodyguard. He claims he showed the picture of Mel to Vick and Vick looked him right in the eye. What really happened is all he managed to get is a 2 second Big Foot clip of half of Vick's face which he freeze frames to make it look as if Vick "looked him in the eye." BIG DICK HUNTER is probably the only person on earth who could manage to make himself look like a bigger asshole than Michael Vick.

GREAT WORK BFAS!

Thank you Craven Desires for your info and the photos!

dogsbite.org: update on the vick dogs

Progress Report: Only 3 Vick Dogs from Best Friends Adopted in 35 Months

Denzel scores a vicktory

May 22, 2009 : From trainer Ann Allums' journal:

Denzel arrived at Best Friends very sick. I still remember his pale gums and lethargic behavior. After months of testing and treating, Denzel was diagnosed with babesia. All of the caregivers, trainers, and veterinarians have since learned a lot about the disease, what kind of vets have they hired? but at the time, we had never heard of it. Because Denzel was sick for so long, he spent a lot of time inside with the caregivers and trainers getting loved on (which he enjoyed), and getting poked and prodded by the vet techs and vets (which he endured like a trooper but did not enjoy). he was fantasizing about what he was going to do his neighbors once he was feeling better.

When Denzel was feeling better, his training regimen began. That’s when we discovered how intelligent he was! smart enough to frame another dog for murder apparently He was the only Vicktory dog who arrived already knowing how to sit on cue and walk on leash. He quickly picked up other basic behaviors, like down, wait, stay, and come.

He was so fun to work with that next I taught him how to target objects (i.e. touch them with his nose or paw). I started by having him target one of his toys. Then I introduced other objects, taught him a name for each object, and challenged Denzel to target a particular object among a group of objects. Denzel loved the training process, loved being able to exercise his brain!

Denzel is the first dog that I taught how to wave. Since he is not allowed to interact with volunteers, why not? I figured he could at least charm them by giving them a paw wave! We caught his wave on video and used it as an ending of a short movie that we showed at the 2008 No More Homeless Pets Conference in Las Vegas!

Denzel is always willing to try something new, like riding on a skateboard (our next goal!). or chewing through kennels. Several other caregivers interact with and work with Denzel on training. I hear he recently learned how to turn off a light switch, so his abilities never cease to wow us!

He is close to earning his Canine Good Citizen certification, (oh yay, another kid tested, mother approved, vetted fighting dog) if we can just get him to learn that he can’t say hi to every person he sees! While Denzel cannot live with other dogs, he has learned to exercise basic manners around other dogs. Yet he still loves to run the fence with other dogs. That is why he spends several hours a day sleeping on the doggy bed in the kitchen area, just so he can rest. This is an exciting place for many dogs.

We found out that Denzel practically inhales his food, so to slow down his feeding time, we scatter his food all over the floor so that he has to eat one kibble at a time! Or we feed him in a Kong or Buster Cube! Denzel loves working for his food!

I think Denzel will do great in a single-dog home where he can sleep on the couch for a few hours, go on long walks, and snuggle with his people! how about a single dog neighborhood?

Best Friends' Dogtown, living up to its reputation as Above Ground Cemetary

looks like the VICKTORY dogs got into a scuffle saturday night. nothing major, mind you. just a scuffle. one dog died and two were injured. the celebrities survived and that's all that matters.

the "official" story goes like this: BEANS, an adoptable pit bull at dogtown SOMEHOW escaped his containment and SOMEHOW broke into VICKTORY TUG'S containment who in turn SOMEHOW broke into VICKTORY DENZEL'S containment and "a fight ensued." when the rescue angels showed up for work sunday morning, BEANS, the adoptable cur was dead and the VICKTORY dogs were needing medical attention. the BEST FRIENDS nutter FAITH MALONEY is relieved that their cash cows, i mean that the VICTORY dogs will make a full recovery, while she makes NO mention of BEANS' name or identity in the blog post. BEANS is simply referred to as "one of the dogs". i love it when the nutters are honest. BEST FRIENDS is placing the blame on BEANS' prey drive towards deer. they are speculating that the site of deer pushed the loyal people pleasin' frankenmauler into berserking mode.

and the comments are just freaking awesome. some are actually suggesting that people who do not like BEST FRIENDS deliberately released the dogs to sabotage their work. i don't think there is enough B12 in the entire universe to fix them.

BEANS, the low ranking plebeian cur dog who doesn't even deserve to be named.

Beans really wants to be your friend --- really!

But you may not realize it at first. Beans loves it when people are willing to spend time with him and pet him, but it's hard for him to show his appreciation. We think he may have had bad experiences with people and when interacting with other dogs, because he tends to warn them away. (In fact, he'd like an experienced doggie handler because when you're out walking, he doesn't like bumping into horses, deer, rabbits, cats -- any of those things!)

But Beans is very obedient and loves to learn. He can sit, lie down, walk on a lead and he enjoys a good game of fetch. Beans wants to learn more tricks and recently has been trying agility training and is pretty good at it. He wants someone to take him into a forever home and give him the time he needs to know he's safe and loved. Is that too much to ask?

VICKTORY DENZEL

Denzel How did this boy get so happy? When 22 dogs arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary after they were rescued from the property of former NFL quarterback, Michael Vick, most of them were pretty scared and traumatized. But one of them - Denzel - seemed like he had somehow come out of the dog fighting ring fairly unscathed. He was so sociable and friendly! But he hadn't come out unscathed at all. Denzel turned out to be deathly ill.

VICKTORY TUG

Tug gets his name because that's his favorite thing to do -- pull hard! He's a very strong boy, and Best Friends caregivers are trying to think up lots of creative ways to help him channel that energy.

Tug is one of the 22 dogs who came to Best Friends from the estate of former NFL quarterback, Michael Vick after he was arrested and charged with "conspiracy to engage in dog fighting in violation of the animal welfare act." He may have been a fighting dog, but when Tug arrived at the sanctuary, he didn't want to hurt anybody; he just didn't want anybody to hurt him. He's still afraid of loud noises and camera flashes. (But we thank him for letting us take his picture! We know it was scary.)

Caregivers are working round the clock with him to help him feel comfortable, and to help him channel all that athletic energy. They take him for walks with an "easy walk harness" that keeps him from pulling them down the road in excitement. And they're looking into a scooter wagon so he can actually pull his caregivers on rides! They think he'll like that.

Tug has a lot of healing left to do. Please be his sponsor and cheer him on from afar. It's you that makes his new life at the sanctuary possible.

UPDATE the best of friends, worst of friends blogger is reporting that BEANS was killed in HIS kennel. it appears that these sickos will say and do anything to preserve the image of the VICK dogs. take a moment to poke around the blog. this muckraker appears to be completely dedicated to exposing the utah cult. good job.

Book Review: The Lost Dogs

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,

September 2010:

(published October 5, 2010)

The Lost Dogs:

Michael Vick's dogs and their tale of rescue & redemption

by Jim Gorant

Gotham Books (375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014), 2010.

287 pages, hardcover. $26.00.

The Lost Dogs, like a Three Stooges film, should open with the warning, "Don't try this at home, kids."

Yes, the American SPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, and several other partner organizations were able to avoid euthanizing 47 of the 51 pit bull terriers who were confiscated from football star and dogfighter Michael Vick in April 2007. About two-thirds of the dogs were eventually placed in homes; the rest remain in sanctuary care.

But, contrary to hype, this does not mean anyone has achieved magical advances in handling authentic fighting pit bulls. Little was done that might be within the means of local animal shelters. Much as the chairs that the Three Stooges smashed over each other's heads were made of balsa wood, most of the Vick dogs were not elite fighting stock. Most were barely more than puppies. The one dog who was a confirmed fighting champion was euthanized.

"Breeding no doubt plays a role in dog behavior," admis Lost Dogs author Jim Gorant. "There are border collies who are better at herding and retrievers who are better at retrieving because they have been carefully selected to perform that task over time. By the same logic there are pit bulls--so-called game-bred dogs--who are more inclined to fight and are potentially better at it than others. The Bad Newz crew, it seemed, had not been willing or wise enough to spend the thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars more it cost to buy dogs from elite lineages."

Vick and associates had ordinary pit bulls, not confirmed killers. The ASPCA and Best Friends, meanwhile, are among the wealthiest and best staffed humane societies in the world. They collected $1 million from Vick as part of a court settlement, and enjoyed national publicity that afforded them the pick of thousands of prospective foster caregivers and adopters.

More than 80% of the animal shelters in the U.S. have less funding per year for all of their programs combined than was invested in the Vick dogs. Probably fewer than 5% have as many volunteer and adoption applicants per year.

Understates Gorant, "Because there might be resources available to support them, it could be possible to save dogs who would otherwise probably not make the cut."

The success--so far--of the effort to save the Vick dogs has escalated the pressure on shelters to save every dog. The ASPCA itself felt the heat after euthanizing a pit bull named Oreo who recovered from physical injuries after being thrown off a rooftop, but proved excessively reactive.

Any of the Vick dogs may yet crack under stress. The odds are against it, but each year about one pit bull in 100,000 kills someone, compared with one dog of other breeds in about 10 million. About one adopted pit bull in 30,000 kills or disfigures someone after passing behavioral screening.

The ASPCA, Best Friends, their partners, and the Vick dogs themselves have all enjoyed a long run of good luck. But a more indicative case may be the disposition of more than 500 dogs who were seized from a fighting ring by the Humane Society of Missouri in October 2009. Through extraordinary effort, with more resources than most humane societies but still just a fraction of the resources available to the Vick dogs, the Humane Society of Missouri has also saved about two-thirds--and has had to euthanize more than one third.

--Merritt Clifton

craven coverage of "rehabilitated" fight bust dogs:

missouri fight bust dogs on tour

pimping the vick dogs, it's mel's turn

pimping the vick dogs, ssshhh

another less than stellar book review compliments of Mark Caro and the Washington Post.

pimping the vick dogs, it's mel's turn

this is what BEST FRIENDS and head pit nutter LEDY VANKAVAGE call an adoptable fight bust dog.

"quivering in the corner, shaking uncontrollably, convulsing, scared shitless" this is the reporter's description of MEL - today, in his new home after being "rehabilitated" by BEST FREINDS, not THREE YEARS AGO when he was rescued from MICHAEL VICK'S sanguinarium.

MEL'S new owner says "Mel's come a long way. We can pet him. He sleeps in bed with us. But he's scarred for life. He's never barked. Never made a noise. There are times when he's just terrified."

wow! MEL'S been in his new home since september and they can pet him! goose bumps.

personally, i think it is inhumane to keep an animal this psychologically damaged alive but hey, MEL has enriched the lives of his new owners beyond their wildest dreams and that's all that really matters. you just can't put a price on all of that admiration you receive from friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances and every stranger you meet when you tell people you have made the ultimate sacrifice and opened up your home to a VICK dog. this is what the rescue angels call a status dog.

even 7th generation pit dog woman TAYLOR HERNANDEZ thinks this dog should be culled. we finally agree on something ms gamedogs.

see also pimping the vick dogs, ssshhh