Kim Bloomer's Blog
Posted by Kim Bloomer
Some things here in NM have recently come to light for me that has me determined to be more of a voice for determining the health, care and wellbeing for my own animals myself. In my case this means my dog since he's the sole "fur child" in our home.
I recently learned (and you would've thought I'd know this already but I believe the "powers that be" don't want people to know all the ways our rights are being erroded) that it is a misdemeanor offense to have an animal chiropractor come to my house to adjust my dog unless there is a licensed veterinarian present also UNLESS the chiropractor doesn't receive pay for the work.
In most states it doesn't even matter if you don't pay an alternative care practitioner or not, you'd still be in violation of the law in your state. Did you know that? I keep wondering what this bent is in America to thwart all natural health care of animals (and people) UNLESS a licensed vet or doctor is present and we can all guess the answer to that one and it most certainly goes to the root of the problem. I think these sorts of decisions should not be left up to the government organizations that apparently have major conflicts of interest, or the health boards. Rather it should be left up to us the animal owners to decide.
Maybe the problem has been that too many of us have apathetically sat back and allowed our rights to just be taken away as concerns our animals. I'm of the mind that you can't mandate away all the problems in a free society. In a free society you are going to have some people who make bad choices but legislating it all doesn't make those who choose to do wrong stop doing wrong. I suppose somewhere we may come to a happy middle but I seriously doubt it.
I hope to make a bit of difference by educating animal owners about their rights and encouraging us to all stand in the gap for our own animals as regards their health care choices and their welfare.
I like what Mahtma Ghandi said about being the example or solution you want to see in the world. So together with a friend we are organizing the National Alliance for Animal Owners Rights and hope to bring the state groups together with us. At least we aren't sitting back waiting for someone else to do it so we hope as many as you who are willing will join us.
Have a tail waggin' day!
Posted by Kim Bloomer
Just yesterday on our podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, my co-host Jeannie and I talked about the awful inhumanity of humankind to to animals through factory farming and puppy mills. Since this is a Dog Topic I'll focus here a bit on puppy mills.
I was perusing some sites this morning really encouraging us to not support puppy mills through our purchases. By purchasing puppies from puppy mills, newspaper ads and yes the ever present existence of puppy millers online, WE the buyers are the ones who are supporting this horrid practice. Us and the USDA in many cases in fact. I won't go there because there isn't enough space in one short blog post about all I'd like to say about how our government not only supports these commercial breeders but obviously keeps them in business with our tax dollars.
I digress and I'll just get angrier the more I go on about that particular subject. At any rate we can do a lot by just not purchasing dogs -or any animals for that matter -from pet stores or online. There is just no knowing what horrible condition the parents are existing in. By buying these puppies we are condemning more dogs to a horrible existence inside a puppy mill, namely the parents who are bred until they can no longer breed or produce. Females typically wear out by age 5 since they are bred over and over from their first heat. When a female can't produce anymore she is "dealt" with in several ways:
1. She could be sold at auction to an upstart puppy mill subjecting her to further torture and misery. Her own neglected existence makes her very unfit to be able to nuture and train a puppy to be able to live in human society. Her life is one of mere survival at best.
2. She can be left to starve to death. No sense feeding an unproducing dog after all, right?
3. She can be beaten to death, shot, or even sometimes in a rare humane case euthanized by a qualified veterinarian. Howver, this rarely is the case since it costs money for the puppy miller to give any dog any care above and beyond junk dog food and water.
Disease and health problems abound within these horrid puppy mill colonies. The breeding stock are not cared for other than a little food and water at best in most cases.
Does this sound like something you'd want to support? Not me. The puppies are no guarantees either. They are randomly bred with no aforethought to genetics, temperament or any of the other things that reputable breeders provide for the soundness of their chosen breed. Most often you will pay exceedingly high prices for a puppy mill bred dog only to gain a puppy that will cost you high vet bills and loads of heartache eventually.
We can all be part of the solution by choosing to NOT purchase puppies from pet stores, internet sites, and newspaper ads wanting cash for their "for sale" puppies and dogs. I'd rather wait for a reputably bred dog or get a rescue or shelter dog. That's how I choose to make a difference: by being part of the solution.
Have a tail waggin' day!
Posted by Kim Bloomer
I was talking with a friend today about specific breed natures. I felt I no longer had wonderful Golden Retrievers and was handed a Neopolitian Mastiff because I personally had to learn something about my own nature. They're a rather stubborn breed while Goldens are obedient and sweet. I know that sounds so philosophical and it is in a way. For me it's deeper and more spiritual than that but I won't go there in this short blog post.
More to my point my Golden Retrievers were always two things:
1. High energy
2. Eager to please me
They were bred for hunting in water, with their cute, big webbed feet and their utter delight in pleasing their owners. We could learn so much from dog nature, that the sheer magnitude of what they can teach us if we're listening is overwhelming. My Goldens were so obedient and willing to please with the never ending wagging of their tails and happy smiley faces. This time around though I was given a Neopolitan Mastiff with all the drool. I have learned more about myself with this dog than any other I've ever owned with maybe the exception of my Great Dane.
Both the Neopolitan Mastiff and Great Dane are a form of hunting breeds along with the Golden Retriever, but more classified as working breeds now. However Goldens help the hunter with bird game, and other more tender game while the Mastiffs took on large game like bear. Neos -as they're more commonly called - were also bred as guardians. That means they'd have to be a bit independent thinking, more able to make a decision on their own , more tenacious which often means that our idea of obedience can fly in the face of their specific breeding.
It really pays to know all about the breed you decide to bring home for that purpose or you could be in for such a big surprise your sweet little JRT (now called Parsons) for example ends up in the shelter because you wanted a nice, sweet lap dog.
There aren't any bad dogs, just bad owners in my opinion. I don't think my dog is really being disobedient when I perceive it as such. He just has to see what the big deal is all about when I want him to do something. I've learned to work with his own specific breeding to get him to do exactly what I want while he thinks it's his idea.
What was really hilarious the other day though, we were walking our dogs off lead on the dog side of the park we go to in the wee hours of the morning when no one else is out and about. My dog, Shadrach, had lagged a bit behind, so we stopped and turned around and I said, "If you don't get up here right now boy you're going to be on lead the rest of the time we're here". I said it just like that, nothing else, and he got the goofiest look on his face and came dashing toward us really fast and ran just past us. It's hard for a Humvee tank to stop really quickly! Think of an eighteen wheeler trying to stop and that's my Shadrach, all 130 pounds of him!
It was pretty funny but he came, and he stayed by me the rest of the walk. I like to humor myself and believe he understood my words exactly. Maybe he did or didn't but he sure did understand my tone of voice I'm certain. I didn't get excited or start screaming like I see a lot of owners do when their dogs aren't "behaving" according to how they believe they should. I remained calm and very matter of factly called him brooking no argument from him, so he came. If we work with a breed's nature, we may find our dogs "ain't misbehavin' " at all!
Have a tail waggin' day!
Posted by Kim Bloomer
As I was sitting here wondering what to blog about this week the same theme keeps coming back to my mind about animals and for this topic, dogs in particular. I was talking on the phone today with someone who is not only a friend but is the media company who will be fulfilling our Online Dog Expo CDs. We were having an interesting conversation about animals feelings, emotions and thinking. We both definitely agree that they do think, feel, "talk" and have emotions but more specifically how those are from their own perspective not ours.
We probably humanize animals too much most likely due to all the things we see in movies, on TV and read in books these days. The entire topic of our conversation today was how animals DO feel, think, dream, have conversations, etc., but from THEIR perspective. That means a horse thinks and feels like a horse, a dog feels and thinks like a dog, and so on. Really, it doesn't take rocket science to know that if you live with any kind of an animal. Too bad science doesn't undertand this concept too well because these things can't really be determined in a cold, sterile research environment. I mean if I were locked in a cage being observed, prodded, poked, and hurt I think I'd shut down as many emotions and reactions as I HUMANLY could.
I've lived with many animals over the years and I know for a fact they can understand human words, feelings, and actions way better than we do theirs in return because animals are listening and observing all the time. They talk with their bodies and whether we are aware of it or not so do we but animals are just much more observant of these things than us. I suppose this is because they aren't distracted by TVs, IPODs, video games, computers, and the rest of the technological distractions we face everyday.
In fact there are a few videos out right now on YouTube.com about talking dogs and cats. They really do sound like they are speaking too and maybe they do understand what they're saying. I find that fascinating in light of the fact that we often don't know or get what they're saying as is evidenced by all the animals that end up in shelters because WE couldn't understand them. How truly very sad when all we need to do is listen, observe and learn -just like the animals.
Have a tail waggin' day!
Posted by Kim Bloomer
Recently I made a new friend in Colleen Paige the founder of National Dog Day. My co-host Jeannie Thomason and I brought up National Dog Day on a regular basis on our online radio show, Animal Talk Naturally, prior to and following the August 26th debut because we both thought Colleen's mission was not only an admirable undertaking but a very worthy one. National Dog Day was implemented to have a nationwide adoption of over 10,000 dogs in one day! They surpassed their goal by over 2,000 dogs working in conjunction with shelters all over the country. What an incredible success and how wonderful that so many dogs were adopted!!
Colleen Paige is the daughter of the late actor, Robert Paige. She works as a dog behavorist and trainer and is known as THE dog trainer in Seattle, WA. It seems to me that everything she does is to help animals in whatever capacity she can. She's a multi-talented woman and just lately I discovered her amazing singing talent. With talent like hers she could definitely be taking her show on the road paving the path to fame and fortune. She has a brand new CD that will be releasing in January 2007 entitled Save a Soul. The entire proceeds of the sale of this CD will be going to National Dog Day's Project Shelter, choosing instead to benefit animals rather than her own fame!
I listened to several of the songs and loved it so much I placed my pre-order immediately afterwards. Then I went back to her MySpace page and listened to my favorite song, Ocean View, about 10 more times! You can listen to some of the songs at Colleen's My Space Page.
I'm always so impressed with the right things people do to bring beauty, love, peace, forgiveness, second chances, and hope into a world that is increasingly just the opposite of all these things. Colleen didn't know I was going to blog this today but I was so moved by what she's doing I felt compelled to share it with others, especially because it is to help animals.
Another friend of mine started a new podcast, The Pawz Cauze, to bring animal welfare issues to the forefront and to expose some less than altruistic views masquerading as animal welfare. Her take is a bit edgy and different but as a feral cat rehabilitator and dog rescuer, she wants to expose the wrongs and shed light on the real animal lovers. I hope you'll go support her "cauze for the pawz".
Until next time...
Have a tail waggin day!
