Tag Archives: opinions

Choosing A Puppy: What’s My Motivation?

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Before people get all inflammatory and weird and slam me for “not getting a rescue” and “contributing to pet-over-population,” just stop right there. Halt.  Cease,  Desist.

Almost all of my dogs have come from pure-bred rescue, a shelter or were “found-puppies.”  I’ve had 3 re-homes from reputable breeders and therefore I had a lot of information, good or ill, from those breeders. I had a bit of an inside track.

I was talking to a friend who has a handsome, rescue dog who has such extreme issues that he may never, ever live a normal life.  But she’s committed to helping him live the best life he can. But even she, a drinker from the Rescue-Rehab Fountain admits she’s looking into getting a good, sound, correctly raised puppy from a great breeder.  Rescuing a dog or cat is one of the noblest things you can do.  But it seriously is the luck of the draw.  I’ve been pretty lucky with my rescues.  But a lot of them have had Huge Issues too.

My friend would like to start it “right” and do it right without a bunch of unknown crap coming up.  She’s looking at a couple of different breeds too.

We hoisted a mental glass of wine because I know whereof she comes from!

For me, and this is just for me because I’m starting to think about a puppy in the fairly near future……I’m researching breeders.  I’ve got my short list.  But I need to ask myself the hard questions.  I know the breeders will ask me the hard questions.

One of my questions is one of Motive.  We don’t often think of Motive as a reason for getting or adding a dog to our home and life.  But it’s huge!  Do I want unconditional love, companionship? Do I want ribbons? Do I want accolades, recognition?  There is very little that is “wrong” with Motive.  Unless you’re some sicko, of course.

I think anyone who is adding a dog to their life needs to honestly look at their motivation for making this step!

Of course there is the obvious:

Health concerns?

Have both parents been tested?

Can I meet both parents? (Sometimes Dad is just frozen semen).

Do I want a male or a female?

Intact?  Or Altered?  Am I willing to take a lifetime of responsibility for an intact dog?

I’m up in the air on the sex but that’s just for me. I know, if I (we) put my mind, ability (and money) into it, I (we) could finish a female!  I have no worries about that but I’m also a “if I’m going do this damn show thing again, I’M doing it my damn self again!” kind of person.  Any professional handler can finish a decent dog. I’d rather do it my damn self!  As much as I enjoyed that part of our lives, I might not want to do it again.  Not in Conformation. And I really don’t think I want to raise a litter either!

When it comes to Motive, I guess you have to ask yourself: what is my goal for this purebred dog?  Do I want a happy, balanced, in-my-house dog or can I go higher maintenance?  Do I want him to win Westminster?  Am I willing to do a life-time of crate shuffling to have that dog in my house because s/he’s that exceptional but doesn’t get along with everyone?  Or do I want everyone lounging on the sofas and hanging out in the car, on a trail?

What is my goal for what I WANT TO GET from this dog? (Performance, Westminster, perfect hiking companion, herding, therapy?).  I think many people never face this, ever.

If you know it, you can say it out loud.

Face it, dogs love us.  They need love, food, proper care, a safe home, training so they’re not complete jerk-offs, etc. The titles, ribbons, accolades…they are cool. I won’t deny it.  But in the end, for me personally, they need to be our dog, our buddy. I really love the idea of a dog that does something cool and/or useful, and it can be performance, work, service, therapy.

My dream dog could help kids and adults learn about proper dog care and safety and bite prevention  He and I could educate together!!  I confess, I love the interaction and applause!

How much am I willing to put in? (time, money, training etc)  Is he going to be “my” show (performance) dog or is someone else going to do it?  In my case, Hell-NO.

What kind of personality can I live with and what can’t I live with?

As I get older, and less “able,” do I need an easier-going yet less “showy/driven” dog?

Can this puppy get along with Artie AND Elke??  Could he be OK with the cat?

Do I need to research other breeds?

What’s my lifestyle like?  It’s pretty busy, crazy with huge moments of “chill-out-sofa-time”.  My neighbors shoot off firecrackers in the summer.  Kids come in our house. We ride bikes and take hikes in the woods.  Kids play softball in the street.  I live in suburbia!

What will my lifestyle be like in 2, 5, 10 years.  Etc. etc.

To me, if the puppies are all pretty nice-looking, I really have to trust the Mommy Dog owner because she’s with those puppies day in, day out. But kennel-blindness can come into play.

I surely would get another opinion from someone, (even if they “do” another breed) on the litter because correct structure is structure!  I”m lucky that I could call in some cards and get someone from another breed to look at the litter. Most people that I’ve seen make a successful match do seek another opinion from outside that particular breed.

I need to see them interact with their siblings, other dogs, people. other animals if possible.  I’d drag along a dog person (like a trainer or behaviorist)  I trust to look at the litter because maybe the one that appeals to me most might not be the right dog for me, for us, for all of us!

I will definitively take the breeder’s advice; she should know that litter inside and out.

But I’ll also send it up to the Gods, and ask that the right puppy come into my life and be a blessing for its whole lifetime.

©2013 Mia Hess

Myth, Parable and The Modern Mode: An Opinion

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An old acquaintance of mine wrote this quote:


The question: How to reach the not-very-bright hordes, when they simply refuse to be reached by logic, fact, or modern mode? How to communicate obvious and vital truths (conservation, global warming, public health, sexuality, basic nutrition, religion as parable/myth, the general awfulness of Mumford & Sons) the lack of understanding of which keep the country straggling and embarrassing, the laughingstock of the civilized world?  

T. Alexander


My snappy answer was “Turn off Fox News.” But that is rather simplistic. 


First of all, it’s not just America or Americans that are to blame.  There is general stupidity and apathy, blind obedience to “leadership’ or what is fed to people by the government or media.  Anywhere.  In the world.  To make America and American the whipping boy, the lowest standard is just plain limited. We are not the only idiots in the world.


 Hello?  China throwing hundreds of pig carcasses in the river?  Oh, yeah, that was real bright and far-thinking, eh?  They could have a giant weenie roast and a big ass party!  No, instead let’s pollute one of our main rivers. 


Do people need to step up, look at and make positive steps towards conservation, global warming, nutrition?  Absolutely? We all share the world.  Hey, folks, here’s a clue-by-four: THERE IS NO WHERE ELSE FOR US TO GO. Hello, we have no colonies on the moon or Mars.  So if you screw this joint up, you’re screwed. 


Sexuality?  Of course, that’s a no brainer. Same sex couples should be able to marry.  We need, as a world society, more tolerance towards those who are not heterosexual.  Period, finished, end of story. If you think it’s bad for LGBT in the U.S. you have no knowledge of the rest of the world.  None, zip, zilch.


Women’s right and equality?  Again, a no-brainer.  Last time I looked men don’t have a vagina and can’t give birth.  So, grab your weenie and shut the front door.


Religion as parable/myth? Really? You honestly think that communicating “obvious and vital truths” in regard to religion is needed?  How exactly are you going to do that? Whose “obvious and vital truths”: would those be? I sense a disturbance in the Force. 


I shall start this off by stating that I am not a Christian, Jew or Muslim.  By the mere fact and dictionary definition I am a pagan. (See DEFINTION.)


I believe in a Higher Power, which at any given time I can call God, Goddess, Mother, Mother Earth, Father Sky, Gaia, Great One, The Universe, Divine Love, Angel Michael, Great Spirit, Father Of My Ancestors or “Hey, Ralph!”  And I’m not joking about the last one. 


I believe in something greater than myself, a power which can “restore me to sanity.”  Some days I am “coming to believe.”  Some days, moments etc. I truly doubt.  Some days I’m pissed off and don’t want anything to do with that idea. And there are days I forget too!  


I don’t hold that thought or belief in a Power Greater Than Myself all the time.  I forget to ask for help or guidance, to meditate, to turn things over when things are in the crapper, to let go and let that Higher Power do something positive, heal a situation (even if temporarily). to bless those around me, to help those in need, to open a closed door or show me another one.  Etc. etc. 


A Higher Power can be a “deity”, a group (such as a 12 Step type of thing), Nature, the Universe, Order, etc. 


My Higher Power is not confined to a couple of thousand pages in a book called the Bible, the Qaran, the teachings of Buddha or the Torah.  It’s “bigger” than me, it’s within and without of me.  


My question is: why don’t you believe in a Higher Power?  Why do you believe that religion is a “parable/myth?”  Isn’t that a rather simplistic view? Traditional church-temple-mosque type beliefs can be rather constrained, I’ll grant you.  But the Divine, that Higher Power is so much more than what’s found between 4 walls or a book.  Whether is be religious or educational!


Logic, you say?  What is logical about a tree?  A flower?  Nothing.  It’s not linear, it’s not logical.  Yes, it grows and dies but where was that original spark.  The big, cosmic, universe-colliding bang?  Sure, absolutely.  But why do people think that logic and belief are incongruous. 


Facts?  Facts can be misconstrued, re-phrased, re-tuned to suit the listener. Whose Facts are those?  Yours?  Look at pre-WW2 Germany and I rest my case. 


Statistics? Please. You can mangle statistics in so many ways that it’s almost ridiculous.


Math, you say?  Yes, math is very “pure” in concept but how is it used, explained, taught, related to? Math can all be expressed in a different ways.  Math to me and how it relates to my life is different from math to you.  Funny thing: so is the concept of a Power Greater Than Yourself.  


Science?  Science as truth?  The Ultimate Truth?  Really?  They have come up with so many ways to change our perceptions of how dinosaurs lived and looked in the last twenty years, that the old stuff I learned as a kid is barely relevant  That’s just as an example. “Hard” Science is ever-changing.  New discoveries are being made every day. Where does that spark of inspiration and sweat and try-again-because-that-one-didn’t-work come from?  The human will?  Sure.  But when a scientist says, “Hmm, I wonder if I did THIS, that would happen?”  Where does that come from?  Isn’t that the same as a musician writing a song?  Yes, he might know notes and theory but what is the essence that puts it all together and makes a decades-loved tune or symphony?  A touch of genius?  Luck? The hand of God? The Creative Spark?


So I ask again: Why don’t you believe in Something Bigger Than You?  A “Higher Power” if you will. Why do you try and negate that but using the fear-based “parable/myth: argument?  Why does it frighten you?  Because of the sheep-like devotion to rhetoric? You could say that about law or government or media   


That Something Bigger Than You inspires you!  It gave you the thought in your brain to write that paragraph and ask those questions about the “hordes.”  It doesn’t wipe the board clean of logic or facts.  It could inspire you in a way to help make those changes you want.


Modern Mode?  Let’s talk abut that, shall we? Exactly what is that? The Modern Mode of what? Communicating?   It  sure as hell isn’t the “Modern Mode” of compassion and forbearance and tolerance. 


The “Modern Mode” as I see it is: lighting fast communications, the Internet, social media, global satellites, force-fed, highly filtered, agenda-driven news, ever-growing ways to “connect” (without really connecting on a face-to-face level), new weapons, organ-regrowth, GMOs, super-farms, cloning, cell regeneration, new medicines and detection technologies, etc. 


Some of it is extremely useful and cool, some of it is great, mind-blowing, fabulously helpful, some of it is horrible, a lot of it is surprisingly de-humanizing and mind-numbing. (Think cyber-bullying.)  It’s slowly creating robotic thinking; the inability to learn and connect without some device helping you. 


The Modern Mode is being collectively disconnected from “real” world. It’s keeping you virtual, fed whatever you want or get the easiest way possible. For the most part, people are inherently lazy.  It’s Fox News.  It’s Rupert Murdock. It’s keeping us stupid.  It’s brain-numbing, soul-stealing.  We are more and more “of the world but not IN the world.”


The “Modern Mode,” in its most comic, yet true version, is two people sitting in the same room, texting each other, sharing a YouTube video. 


The “Modern Mode” has almost nothing to do with:

 Giving your neighbor a helping hand. Knocking on their door and saying, “Hi!” Talking on your porch, front stoop, hallway. 

Socialization face to face. 

Playing a game whether it’s Backgammon, Baseball, Bridge, Bocci or board games with real people not in some virtual la-la land of WOW.

Taking responsibility for your own actions. Accountability  Winning and losing gracefully. 

Fresh air. Open windows on spring night.  Seeing the stars, the moon, a sunset in real time, with real wind and temperatures. 

Live performances  the arts, music, museums, history. Touching a 2,000 year old stone carved by some long-dead person.  

Consequences for bad, negligent  stupid behavior.  Apologies. Amends. 

Fixing it. Healing it.  Making it work and last until its just dead, Jim. You break it, you fix it.  Duct taping it, bailing wiring it.  Shouldering on.  

Caring, kindness, the human touch.  

Commitment; whether to an animal, person, an ideal.  Staying the course. Manners, consideration, politeness, a thank-you. 

A sense of humor.  A sense of wonder and curiosity about things, people, the world. 


These are considered by many to be out-dated, old fashioned concepts. Not in the “Modern Mode” at all. 


I like, use and appreciate technology as much as the next girl (or guy). I might be able to positively impact your life through its use.  The Gods know I sure as hell could implode your life through its use. 


If I want to create change in the “not-very-bright hordes” I can surely use technology to do so.  But human nature is such that to make essential, cellular, holistic change, the surest way is through human contact.  We are screaming as individuals, as a society, as a world, to be touched.  You can watch a video of me singing a song but when you are there, and I make eye contact with YOU or I touch your hand, we are changing each other.  If I touch the shoulder of a gay man who is hurting because society rejects his lifestyle and give him my support, we are changing each other.  If I write to my congressman or testify at a hearing, that’s making change, even if it blows up.  If I walk outside the Afghani embassy with a sign saying, “Rights for Women.” I’m making a change.  If I don’t use a product because I don’t like their policies or spokesperson, I’m making a change. If I recycle, save, reuse, donate, I’m making changes.  If I’m in my yard or on a walk and I get a bolt of inspiration as to how to do something, or who to talk to and FOLLOW THROUGH,  I’m making change.


If you don’t like the “not-very-bright hordes” then quit bitching and blaming and make some changes. Make a shitload of money and buy a television station and do your own unbiased news.  Or if something you see on Facebook pisses you off, message that person or post or blog  and say, “what the hey?” or “Where are you getting your information from?  Here’s another point of view.” One person, face to face, at a time. You can be eloquent, you can get mad. To just blame all of society ills on Americans, stupidity  apathy and religion is too narrow, too easy.  


Don’t be afraid to let the Divine shine within you. Even if you don’t believe in Power Greater Than Yourself, last time I looked you aren’t floating.  If can’t look into the face of a child, a flower, a star, the sunset sky, an animals’s eyes; smell bread, a rose, the wind; hear music that makes you laugh or cry and not see something beyond your comprehension, than you are missing out.That is the Myth, my friends. Don’t blame anyone but your own lack of being a part of the Universe and Beyond. A part of .a Higher Power. A part of everyone and everything else in this world and beyond.



That is all.  I’m going outside.





Grumbling….Grumbling…..I Do Not Like This, Sam-I-Am!

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I have come to the conclusion that I do not like Word Press for a blogging tool. 

I think it’s hard to negotiate   I think it’s unfriendly.  I think when I type in “wordpress” it should take me to my main blog page and from there I can write a new blog. I think it’s hard to find stuff. I think they’re always trying to squeeze a buck out of you.  Upgrade?  For what?  Your interface sucks.

And since when should you have to PAY for templates???  What the heck is THAT about?  Some of the templates are $68, 75 and up!  Why?

I know lots of people use WordPress but I prefer Blogger or blogspot.  It’s probably because I started blogging there.  Even with the new interface, which I’m not thrilled with, I still prefer it. 

So please, if you are reading this….and I thank you for doing so, I’ll link all my blogs from now one indiviually to Blogspot and you can read, rant, comment there. I do encourage you to read my blog at blogspot too!

The address Is:

http://miaharted.blogspot.com/

MORE Shootings? Here’s An Idea

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Insert Heavy Sarcasm…..

Hey you idiot, murdering, shooting scum-buckets who really feel the need to shoot/bomb your mother, your co-workers, a school full of kids, a building full of people because you’re a (insert your handy “excuse” here)!

Hey, you!  I’m talking to YOU!

You, the idiot who ends your little joy-ride, killing spree by offing yourself?

Please SAVE SOME INNOCENT BULLETS — just cut to the quick, no foreplay —  get to the end.

Your mom, family and friends will be upset, depressed, pissed off etc because you’re dead.  I feel bad for the family of these men who go on these shooting, killing sprees.

And please don’t get all “You Femi-Nazi Man Hater” on me.  Yes, folks, it IS mostly MEN.

First of all, you are giving all real MEN who face major (or minor) illness, injury, employment loss, death, war, dismemberment, catastrophe, loss a really bad name.

For every one of you losers there are hundreds of thousands, millions of men, world-wide, of all faiths, ages, nationalities, socio-economics who pony up every day and just keep on keeping on. For every jerk who pulls this stupidity, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of men (and women) reaching out a helping hand. Worldwide.

So please, do us all a favor.

You decided to not man (or woman) up and face your problems, demons, whatever the latest catch-phrase or “excuse du jour” is.  Oh, wah-wah.  We all have problems.

So, OK, you decide to NOT take out a few or a bunch of people and you off yourself. Now your mother/family/friends have to grieve and wonder what the hell did they do wrong.  For the rest of their lives.  You got your revenge.  Nice job. A**hole.

Happy now?

I sure hope not.

Thanks, you jerk-off.  You weren’t dying of terminal cancer.  And even if you were, you sure as heck didn’t need to take out one, two or a hundred folks with you.

You’re not “wounded.”  You’re not “disturbed.”  You’re not a martyr. YOU, buster, are a jerk.

You know what?  I hope when you pass from this life into the next, it’s not a Next Life, it’s limbo.  It’s the worst kind of hell YOU could possibly imagine.  I hope for all eternity every life you took haunts your sorry a**.  I hope all the stuff you tried to get away from follows you for all eternity.  I hope Karma bitch-slaps you eternally.

Oh, and all your folks out there killing for any religious reasons or in a Paradise ridden hype-up?  I hope you never get to rest. I hope the 100 virgins you were supposed to get are 100 menopausal women who will harp on you. Forever. I need not bring up animal abusers….

I hope no animal you’ve ever owned meets you anywhere in the land of sunshine and rainbows. They’ll be too busy helping your victims cross over.

I hope the Universe kicks your ass.

I hope your family grieves, misses you, prays for you but eventually GETS on with their LIVES!  My prayers are for THEM.

If you just saved some damn bullets and shot yourself FIRST you would save countless lives.

Thank you.

The Rest Of Us

So Your Pittie Got Knocked Up….

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Heck, if your “any type” b*tch got knocked up….. 

 

It’s particularly bad for “Pit” or “Block-head” types for a wide variety of reasons.  Dog fighting, BSL, etc. etc. etc. 

 

Oh, dear, folks here are going to upset about this one.  The pregnant Pit. I can see them with pitchforks,  gathering wood for fires and setting up the stake in the courtyard…..they’re brushing off the pillory….plucking chickens, heating up the tar….

 

If I had my cat’s “oops pregnancy” to do over again, I’d spay-abort.  But she was due in 10 days. (So the vet at the APL said. Not.)  Granted, those kittens, (now well into their teens) had good homes and good lives. But I was a total Nazi when it came to homes for them.  A She-wolf!

 

Are you ready to take back any one of those puppies at any time during its life, which can be up to 16-18 years from now?  If not, don’t do it. 

 

Do you have totally checked and vetted-out homes for at least 2 times as many puppies as she will have?  Pittie type litters average between 4-10.  If you don’t have all those people lined up with large deposits, no “yeah-buts we’ll take one”…..Don’t do it.  

 

Many people from Rescue and Pit advocacy groups will be very upset about this mistake in dog management. And rightly so. I come from a slightly different angle here, having been in purebred dogs for over 20 years. And no, I’ve never bred a litter or stood my intact dogs at stud. Yes, admittedly you were completely at fault for not being vigilant  A solid tie can happen way quicker than you’d every imagine. (And if you don’t know what that term means….yikes!)  

 

Yes, she should be spayed and your boy should be neutered.  There is no question about that. We’re not talking show dogs here. And many people who show their dogs never breed them. And if neither parent has been health tested for hips, elbows, eyes (PRA, DLL), heart, Van Wildebraun’s etc. then spay-abort. Does one or both parents have skin issues, severe allergies? These are all genetically carried problems that can impinge on the quality of those pups’ lives. If you’ve never heard of any of this stuff or if you have NO idea what I’m talking about, you should spay-abort. 

 

However….if you are really going to go through with this, I hope like hell you have a clean, quiet, warm house, whelping box, old blankets, towels, tons of newspapers a SUPER great vet, a good ER vet clinic and some super-experienced dog people versed in whelping to help you.  If you’re going to continue forward with this….please, I beg you: DO IT RIGHT. Find someone reputable who breeds medium to large-sized purebred dogs on a very limited basis. Not a backyard breeder or an “Oops Breeder”. Not your friend down that street whose b*tch got knocked up last year. (Whelping Toy Breeds is a whole ‘nother story). You need their advice and wisdom.

 

Momma dog should be going to the vet every week for her pre-natal check up and probably be ultra-sounded as well. If she has a breech pup, it could kill her; she may need a Cesarean. That’s at least $1,000 there.  If you’re lucky.

 

Some vets will do very early spay/neuters on the puppies. I do beg you, SPEND THE MONEY. please do not let the puppies go without having them fixed, micro-chipped and fully vetted.  Parvo kills! 

 

People who responsibly breed dogs (and don’t ya’all dare flame me with your “all breeders are scum” vigilante spew) spend a ton of money and never get it back. She’s a Pittie type, so you are going to have to be uber-vigilant about who gets those puppies. I’d do serious background checks, check ALL their references, do a pre-home visit and have a contract that says at any time WITHOUT NOTICE you can visit where that dog lives. Are you ready to be their guardian and advocate for the rest of their lives?

 

You must be prepared to do the “Smart Puppy Program” with these little ones. If you have no idea what I’m taking about, spay-abort. You can Google that and see if you’re up to the task. It will make them much better dogs as they grow. 

 

The average responsible breeder of ANY breed, will spend $250-$1,000+ PER puppy on pre-natal, post natal care and puppy care. That’s not including testing done on both parents. 

 

It is a full time job 24/7 for 8-10 weeks.  By the way, don’t let anybody b.s. you….letting puppies go at any age before then (like 5-6 weeks) is totally irresponsible, in my opinion. I know I know, shelters do it.  I do not approve. Even though Mom has weaned them she still has a lot to teach them.  DON’T DO IT.  Once puppies are mobile, they really become a full-time job with full-time, never-ending clean up.  Puppies are noisy, adorable, messy, destructive, little heart-stealing monsters.

 

Since this was an unplanned pregnancy, I would SERIOUSLY consider a spay-abort even at this late stage.  She’ll be OK. Remember! She and the pups are YOUR responsibility for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Even when they go to new homes, THEY ARE YOURS ALWAYS. You should be there always for your puppy owners, revel in their accomplishments and cry with their owners when they go to The Bridge, old and grey and loved to the very end.

 

That being said…puppy breath is pretty special stuff, no denying that. But most people are woefully unprepared for the responsibility, time and expense to do it RIGHT. You must be totally committed to doing it right for the rest of their lives.