Boys, 10 and 12, charged with dogfighting

Here's an article and a news video that breaks my heart.  What, exactly, are we teaching our youth about respect and the value of life?  I read this article because I was sure there was an error in the ages of the perpetrators of this vicious abuse; imagine my surprise when I was wrong.

How can such young boys be so twisted?  Where are they learning these things?  How can we, as a society, help prevent this from becoming full-fledged epidemics?  These boys have lost their humanity before they even knew what that was.  I am so sad.
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Two boys — aged 10 and 12 — have been charged with fighting, baiting and cruelty to animals after deputies say they discovered the boys were operating a backyard dogfighting operation.

A neighbor called deputies in Orange County after the boys dumped a dead dog on his property. When deputies arrived to ask one of them about the allegations cops say the boy picked up a puppy and started beating it until deputies forced him to stop, according to Fox News in Orlando.

Three dogs were taken from the property after they were found covered with wounds, spray painted and living in unhealthy conditions.
 

Winston, dog that chewed up police car, gets a break

Could you ever imagine vandalizing a police car with an officer sitting behind the wheel? Probably not. As a law abiding citizen, you know that the end result of that kind of behavior would mean jail time. However, recently, a canine named Winston didn't realize the true consequences of this kind of act. So, after chewing off the front bumper of a Chattanooga, Tennessee police car, he was detained and locked up in a shelter. The good news is that officials gave him a break and sent him home.

Even prior to meeting with a judge, the police and Winston's owner had come to an agreement. While in the shelter, this newly famous dog displayed a meek and mild personality - a temperament opposite to the one caught on camera on the day of the incident. (See video below.) As a result, the presiding judge agreed to let him go home on a few conditions.

The main conditions of Winston’s release were that his owner secure his fence better and also take his wayward pet to obedience school. Considering the world wide attention this incident got, the sentencing was easy. Both Winston and his owner were left off easy.

Trouble in the life of my two dogs!

Here is a quick post about an incident we had yesterday.  I took the two boys out as I usually do.  We were on our way up to the mailbox to check the mail and drop off some letters in the slot.  As we were about to cross the parking lot toward the office, my left knee just buckled and Austen picked that exact moment to pull to the end of his leash, after wrapping my other ankle up in it.  Needless to say, I went down on the asphalt like a sack of potatoes.  I hit my hip and shoulder and rolled over onto my back.  Got a fairly big gash cut out of my toe and some nasty abrasions on my right knee.

As I lay there taking inventory to see if anything was broken, both my boys came running up to me and started licking me in the face.  It was then that I realized that even in falling, I had not ever let go of the leashes.  That's a good thing, because Satchmo will be gone with the wind if he has a chance.

Once I determined that I was not broken, I realized that I was laying in a huge grease puddle and everything I had on was now soaked with motor oil.  Great.  I had a terrible night and went to get checked out today, but I learned my lesson and will be walking these two young men separately for a while!

Here is another photo of Austen after the haircutting fiasco.  He finally let me take his picture, but he still looks ridiculous!

I just found this video on YouTube that shows the cutest hairless ratties!  Watch this and see if you don't just fall in love.....

The continuing saga of the foster dog!

Image by This Year's Love via Flickr

It is time to renew my lease, so being the proper person I am, I told them about the "foster dog" and added him to my pet form.  Well......I was asked, not too politely, a million questions about this "dog" and told quite rudely that there are stipulations and he needs to meet their rules or leave.  I answered all of their questions about Austen and apparently he meets the requirements--over 1 year old, small, all shots, etc.  I now am informed that I have to pay an additional $325 deposit (my original deposit was $175 for Satchmo) since the pet deposit for two pets is $500 total.  WTF???

So, OK, I will pay the deposit because I believe in rules and try to be a good pet owner.  My dogs go outside every two hours on leashes and I walk them in the area allotted for pets.  I even have bags to clean up after them when they are out to "do their business".  They are in good health, well-fed and have manners.  They do not run loose and bite or growl at others.

The big issue for me began this morning.  As is their norm, they woke me up early (still dark) to go out for their morning "constitutional".  Being dogs, they have a particular area that they have chosen for that purpose.  Makes taking them out easy and quick.  Anyway, we are on our way to this area when all of a sudden there is a Pit Bull male dog growling at my leashed little ones.  It seems that the owner of this dog, being lazy or uninformed, simply opens the door and allows his dog to run outside to do his business.  He never looked to see if there might be a problem. 

Austen and this dog are growling and sniffing and the pit bull starts getting excited.  I literally have to pick Austen up by his harness and hold him up in the air to prevent attack from the pit.  Meanwhile, Satchmo has finished his business and runs over to "see the new dog" who then begins to attack Satch.  I have to throw Austen down and lift Satch up by his harness out of "harms' way". 

So I am holding Satch up in the air and yanking Austen's leash to try to get away from this dog when the owner finally comes out to get his dog.  His only response was, "Did it rain all night?"  I, meanwhile, am dragging my dogs off as fast as I can and he has to call his dog "Champ" numerous times before he will come.

This family not only has this male pit bull dog, but also a pit bull puppy in this apartment.  I never would have thought they would simply open the door and let the dogs run out!  The issue here is not that these are pit bull dogs.  I actually like that breed of dog and have owned two pit puppies when I lived out in the country.  Generally, they are loving and loyal dogs--but the breed has been bred for years and years to fight and once the dogs get excited it is difficult to shut down that behavior.

All I could see in my mind's eye was the little dogs lying lifeless on the ground after being attacked by a much bigger dog.  I was shaking and so were the dogs.  Satch began to vomit once we got home.

So, do you think the apartment manager knows about these dogs?  Do you think these people paid $500 deposit?  I don't know and I don't care, but it will be some time before we walk by this apartment again.

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Austen got a haircut....and what a haircut!

My neighbor came over this week and graciously agreed to clip Austen.  I agreed to help him and we set about doing just that.  However, we both forgot to ask Austen if he wanted to participate...which he most definitely did not!  We got most of his hair clipped until we came to the face.  At that point, he went ballistic and we had to stop, so he looks kinda like a hairless schnauzer.  He is absolutely horrified at the way he looks and tries to hide under funiture and under bedcovers.  I think he probably is chilly, too, since he no longer has any extra hair on his torso.  His poor little tail is just a twig sticking straight up from his back.  I'll try to see if he will let me take a picture of him, but I don't think he will. 

I was going to try to work on his face tonight or tomorrow, but I am not sure if he can stand anymore trauma.  I think he may have to go to "The Pretty Parlor" from now on so he can get his hair clipped.

Okay, he let me take pictures, but he refuses to stand up and let me show you the full effect!

More on those cats!

Image via Wikipedia

Well, we now always have one of the black kittens sitting on the chair outside; every now and then the other will show back up and sit out there with the litter-mate, but then that little cat will disappear for days.

The one who stays on the porch, KT, is becoming friendly.  I still don't know if it is a boy or girl, but it will now rub against my legs and let me touch him/her to scratch its head.  I have even picked it up briefly.

It probably helps that we set canned food out twice a day for these little black fuzz-balls.  Hopefully, soon I will entice KT into the house and then I can see about getting medical care done.

My dogs, Satchmo and Austen, both seem oblivious to these cats unless they start darting around.  Then they want to go play with them.

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