Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Kathy Grosso's letter to the Riverside Press Enterprise

Kathy Grosso wrote this letter to the Riverside Press Enterprise after an article was run regarding the "egg abuse" video recently produced by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Cross-posted with permission.


Dear P. J. Huffstutter:

Since you have opened the door on the subject of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), I thought it might be appropriate to fill you in on some interesting side notes.

HSUS is a well-oiled political machine, that is not what it appears to be. There is little doubt that It is closely aligned with the so-called “animal rights” activists, a fanatical group whose consuming goal is to eliminate the meat industry (they believe that everyone should be vegetarians), all pet ownership, circus animals, dairy farms, horse breeding stables, chicken ranches, dog shows, etc. In that regard, they are incrementally pushing for mandatory spay and neuter legislation, one city at a time, forcing pet owners to neuter or spay their pets. Pet lovers need to consider where they will obtain their next pets, if these people get their way, and all dogs and cats are ultimately incapable of reproducing. Their euthanasia statistics have often been undocumented and/or grossly overstated. In fact, some shelters have been reported to have “imported” small dogs from other places, states and even countries, to satisfy the demand for such pets. Much of the euthanasia numbers actually pertains to cats, very old or sick dogs, and those with temperament issues, which make them unacceptable for adoption.

The general public should be aware that less than 1% of HSUS’ total income, generated by well-intended animal lovers, is actually spent on animals. The rest pays for lobbyists, self-promotion, advertising and management salaries. As an example, Wayne Pacelle, their reigning President, earns nearly $230,000.00 per year. Despite the implications of their emotional TV commercials, they do not operate ANY animal shelters. (Please do not confuse this organization with local Humane Societies, which are, hopefully, what they seem to be and are separate from HSUS.) HSUS has been known to take credit for animal rescues that either never happened (in Haiti), or in which they never participated. As an example, your attention is directed to the following web site: http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/12/04/hsus-fund-raising-pitch-raises-hackles/.

In addition, HSUS is under investigation by IRS, as a result of their outrageously lopsided financial reports, jeopardizing their current tax-exempt status as a non-profit.

FELD Ent., the parent company of Ringling Bros. Circus, filed suit in February against HSUS under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This occurred after the HSUS suit against Feld Ent., for animal cruelty, was thrown out of court.

One additional side note: a Federal Judge, Charles Simpson, recently handed down a decision in Kentucky, which essentially says that animals are “personal property”, meaning they cannot be legally seized by any public entity for failure to license, spay, neuter, microchip or vaccinate without due process of law. This landmark decision lends strength to the belief of many animal owners, that these decisions should be made between pet owners and their veterinarians, not by politicians and animal “activists”, who are often well-meaning celebrities duped into making huge financial contributions. It also means that should such seizures occur, those who perpetrate them can be sued personally and individually by the animals’ owners.

Just food for thought……..

Kathleen Grosso

Banning, CA

Friday, April 9, 2010

Another Dog Show, but the coolest venue EVER!!

Well, I suppose the premium and judging program for the Kachina Kennel Club and Arrowhead Kennel Club dog shows said it... and I read it... but today when I drove to the dog show, it was one of those "moments" where you think, "REALLY!?!?"

Oh yes, friends. Garrison and I are exhibiting this weekend INSIDE the University of Phoenix Stadium. The coolest feeling ever is to be down on the ground looking up and seeing the empty seats, players names surrounding the stadium, and I swear once or twice today I heard the first few notes of the NFL theme song. OH wait. That was just me singing it.
:-)

It is soooooooo cool!!!!!!!! Garrison put on his pre-game face on this morning and would have enjoyed playing ball inside... but no, no. We can't steal Kurt Warner's historic late-career thunder! ;-)



I learned today that the actual football field is natural and artificial grass with a built in irrigation system... and the ENTIRE FIELD is on a track that pushes into the stadium... or outside. No... Arizona Cardinal fans, don't worry. When #33 goes down on the field this season, he's not gonna get up saying, "Man... do you smell dog pee?" The entire football field has been rolled outside. The dog show is on the concrete that resides underneath the incredible field. I'm not necessarily a Cardinals fan... but I am a football fan... and a sports fan... and obviously a dog lover... which is why I created Sportz Dawgz two years ago. I like to look at this weekend being one step closer to getting my dog world and my dog toy world integrated into the sports world.

www.sportzdawgz.com

The venue itself is new to both me and the Gman, but he was ecstatic to see his friends Gina and KayCee Klang (Briard folks that we set up with in Tucson a few weeks ago) and then, oh happy day, Grandmommy flew into town! His cute little nub wiggle-waggled non-stop when he saw Grandmommy at the airport curbside and he showered her with special Gman kisses. He has chosen to sleep on her bed and next to her bed tonight.

So we're looking forward to showing again tomorrow INSIDE University of Phoenix Stadium (aka Cardinals Stadium), having Grandmommy around, talking about wedding stuff and possibly enjoying more Mexican food!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Workout Song Lists


The most recent workout song list from today, April 7 is:

Bullet The Blue Sky - U2
911 Is A Joke - Duran Duran
Music - Madonna
Just Keep Goin' On - Eric Bibb & Needed Time
I Don't Want Your Love (album version) - Duran Duran
Pulcinella: Allegro- Gnora Cediteme - Claudio Abbado; London Symphony Orchestra
Best Friend - The English Beat
French Rat Race - The Double Six of Pairs
Drive - Bobby McFerrin
She's Got You - LeAnn Rimes
Hold On - Allison Fraser (From "The Secret Garden")
Cherry, Cherry - Neil Diamond
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie
Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
Chelsea Rodgers - Prince

The man in the uniform

Yesterday I took Garrison to the park to have some awesome play time - one of our favorite things to do together. Last week I was fortunate to have a couple days of work from my former employer and it cut into our park time greatly, but I figured Garrison would appreciate me buying him dog food in the long run. At least I hope so... even though his puppy antics and ball bouncing in the house made it seem like the end of the world was upon him day after day.

One day last week I had some "down" time around lunch so I took Garrison to the park for a short play stint. As I stood in the grass throwing his beloved ball over and over, I could feel myself relaxing and enjoying the moment. For the last several years I have thought that this park time was necessary for Garrison to burn off energy, play, burn off more energy, practice herding skills, burn off even more energy, listen to me and then sleep later in the day and not chew my shoes.

The shoe chewing was a nervous puppy behavior and Mr. Chew Chew Shoe lost that nickname around December of 2008. He was actually caught in the act by a friend who gently told him, "No, Garrison. We don't chew shoes." I was told that he looked up at her with a quizzical expression, but since that day no shoe has lost its demise due to Garrison chompings. But I digress. Back to the park and ball playing.

Last week while I was enjoying this relaxing ball-throwing and happy puppy time at the park, I noticed some "workers" watching Garrison. I'm used to him getting lots of attention and stares and I admit that it's quite impressive and an amazing sight to see this large hairy dog fly across the field, stop the ball, and run back to a shady spot to sit before bringing me the ball again and hitting his own personal "repeat" button. So I didn't think much of it last week.

Yesterday we went during our normal morning time. No children were playing on the play structures. No other people were in the park. No one was playing tennis. The park was there for the Gman (or so he likes to believe every single day). The same man who walk/jogs with weights several times a week shuffled by. A car drove by and slowed down to stare at Garrison. And then I noticed a person in a blue shirt with badges sewn on standing by the fence over my left shoulder. They were on the outer side of the fence and just stood there. Then I noticed another man walk up. I wasn't sure who they were or what they were doing at the park... especially since they were in "uniform" and just watching Garrison.

Now then... I'm used to city workers at the park regularly. There is a Water Utilities building and a port-o-potty that gets quite a lot of use from them. I'm sad to say that I am aware of these things... but I keep my eyes open and observe things even if it looks like I'm not. Awareness is our best defense in life.

And I was aware of these men at the park staring at Garrison.

I was also aware of the precise moment when one of them decided to start walking over to us. I called Garrison over and he was solidly focused on his ball which I held in my hand... with his leash in my other hand.

"Excuse me... but I can't help but stare at your dog. I saw him last week and was so impressed. May I take his picture? My daughter loves dogs and she would not believe this."

"Oh sure."

Garrison stood still for the picture, but wanted his ball to be thrown again.

"Wow... he really likes having his picture taken, doesn't he?" (The man has no idea that Garrison has his picture taken on average once a day.)

And then the normal conversation took place.

What kind of dog is he? How much does he weigh? What is the breed name again? Where are they from? What were they bred to do? Are they good with kids? Who does his grooming? Does it require a lot of grooming? Do you really do it yourself? Wow he's so fast. May I pet him?

The man was from the Department of Water Utilities. He has a German Shepherd/Husky mix. The dog sheds. A lot. His daughter loves dogs. He was so excited to see us there today because he was intrigued with him last week. What an impressive dog. I agree.

Oh... and the Dept of Water Utilities is different than the Department of Water and Power. And I am thankful that Garrison is a very well behaved dog used to the "pup-a-razzi".