This post is a follow-up to an earlier post entitled “Maybe this is something wrong with rescue.” In that initial post I shared a rather lengthy conversation between myself and Kris Kelly. In that initial post I also clearly laid out the reasons I had for deciding to share this conversation. It all speaks for itself.

Well, shortly thereafter I had my Facebook page targeted by false flaggers who apparently have nothing better to do than be coward scum. This has created a whole scale of problems, and none of them justified.

What I’m not going to do is stand idly by while this person and her bullish actions continue to go unchecked. I fully realize that this is dog rescue, and that this isn’t some huge ordeal that the entire world hinges on. But at the same time, this is dog rescue… And to those of you who actually love dogs, to those of you who find yourselves inside of this structure of “rescue,” well then this might actually be a welcome insight.

When I experience firsthand someone who is vindictive, and spiteful, and cliquey, and gossipy–someone who peddles in misinformation, and who is a bully in the most ludicrous ways imaginable–well, I’m going to state as much. When they make their living by twisting people’s words and dropping untruths into a pond of gossiper fish, well then I’m going to post those actual words, so that reality can speak for itself. When they then go out of their way to try and ruin someone else’s ability to speak openly to their peers, ruining that person’s ability to advocate for shelter dogs in the process, well then I’m going to make sure that anyone who wants to listen will know as much.

So here you go: The Kris Kelly Foundation (and her minions) have targeted my Facebook page, in an effort to get my posts (and ultimately my page) removed completely. How cool is that? And all because I dared to post HER OWN WORDS. I didn’t even say anything else, just sort of let it all speak for itself, which it does rather well. Yet, I’ve since been treated like I’m the one at fault for what Kris actually said. Why? Because I let the world see it. So yes, I’m the bad guy, for posting someone’s own words. All sarcasm aside, I still live by the notion that if you don’t want to be linked with some unsavory thing that you said, then you shouldn’t say it. So if you have a problem with what I posted (which she does) then you shouldn’t have said it in the first place. Right? Right. Moving on…

Days prior to the Facebook assault, back before I made it unequivocally clear to her people that I wasn’t going to just roll over to their “legal threats,” this interesting thing happened… Some “mediator” emailed me privately, clearly on Kris’ behalf, and in what was obviously an effort to fearmonger me into deleting all relevant info that I had posted pertaining to Kris. Why? This was apparently all part of some arranged “settlement” between Kris and another rescuer (Gabriela Mendelson) who she is also threatening to sue for totally separate reasons. I, or my posts (here or on Facebook), had nothing to do with these separate disputes between 2 individuals WHO AREN’T ME! So why was the bringing down of my Facebook post (simply linking to the screenshot) viewed as instrumental to Kris’ proposed “settlement” with Gabriela, you ask? I don’t fucking know either…

Actually I do know, but it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Kris connects them because once I made the Facebook post linking to my website post showing the screenshot, well that attracted Gabi and others, who then started commenting underneath my Facebook post. They made numerous comments, true or untrue (I don’t know), about Kris and their interactions and dealings with her. NEWS FLASH: My Facebook page currently has over 6,000 “likes.” ANYONE can go there and post under anything. I don’t control any other person, I only control myself. I’m not held accountable for what another person says, I’m only held accountable for what I say. Yet, to Kris, I’m somehow blamed for it all. It was evident by her actions, and by what came next. Gabi and others had even went and deleted all of their comments, caving to the same threats; I left my Facebook post up. That’s when the Facebook targeting began. Their intention must be to get my page deleted, because that’s the eventual implication of their actions. How loving. Way to “help” the shelter animals. This is all that I can do to respond…

Dear Kris,
Dear goon squad,
My common sense wants to speak on my behalf:
-You can’t bully me into deleting everything, in order to “help” someone else (in this case, Gabi), even though I have nothing to do with the problems that you and Gabi have/had with one another. Y’all are 2 ladies that I have nothing to do with, your problems reach back many months, you’ve worked together publicly and privately, and that encompasses a lot of shit that only you guys know about. And yet, MY obeying you in this instance is supposed to be the linchpin to your proposed “settlement” with Gabi? Huh? What? Um, no.
-You can’t bitch at me for not wanting to get involved with the many problems that exist between you and (insert here) rescuers. I don’t know, I don’t care.
-You can’t then get mad at me when I simply point out to you that YOU are actually the one that allowed these individuals to pull under your rescue. You had the past affiliation with them, not me. Just because I’m now exposing you as a cowardly, spiteful fraud, that doesn’t in turn mean that I’m now “defending” the other people by default. There’s a difference, a big one.
-You can’t target my right to freedom of speech, my platform for telling my truth, simply because you “don’t agree with it.” This isn’t communist China, asshole. My initial Facebook post wasn’t even making any statements about you, at all! I can’t help who it attracts, and I can’t help how it causes you or others to emotionally react. I can’t help that you would then initiate a conversation with me, trying to get me to cosign a version of events that I honestly cared nothing about, and then get mad at me when I just wouldn’t believe everything that you stated out of hand. And then what happens happened, and I felt it necessary to post our interaction publicly, as a way to take on the misconstrued blowback that was ultimately going to come. If I’m truly this asshole that you want people to believe that I am, then people who read our conversation will see that too, right? I’d think so. Clearly, that’s the most inconvenient part of all of this for you…
-It’s not “threatening” when I post your own words.
-It’s not “bullying” when I post your own words.
-It’s not “harassment” when I post your own words.
-It’s not “hate speech” when I post your own words.

Lastly, I fully realize that by engaging this person in this fashion, by attempting to report on what I’ve witnessed, that others may paint with a broad brush and discard everyone involved as “problematic.” I’m willing to take that hit, in order to bring you this perspective on this person. I’m fully confident that if people really want to understand what has been presented here, that I haven’t made it that hard. To those that have a problem with my language, I apologize. At this point, it’s warranted, and that’s all that I can really say about it. I’m angry that an individual who claims to be a “Mother Teresa” for animals can consistently act so insanely backwards to her own delusional perception. I’m angry that she’s actually targeting people, and using totalitarian tactics in order to flat out eliminate someone that dare not even state something about her, but just post her own words. Her hypocrisy and lack of perspective is off the charts. Kris, if you want to sue me then go for it. Keep throwing your pointless power around, people can see through it.

These are all dogs that I encountered over the last week or so at Carson… Each dog has their own story, and each likely has their own human that utterly failed them, but these noted cases all strike a similar chord.

This is Midi & Spider, 2 dogs from the same household that were surrendered together on 11/4. Midi, the black one, was sweet as the day is long. Super loving, super calm. Spider, the blue/gray one, was very timid and horrified to be at the shelter. He was a nice dog but would never even get a chance…

Spider was killed on 11/12, Midi was killed on 11/14.

This is Monster & Muneca, 2 dogs from the same household that were surrendered together on 11/6. I was actually onsite at Carson taking photographs when these dogs were dumped. The family was confronted by a fellow shelter-goer and they explained that a neighbor’s Chihuahua had been walked into their yard and Monster chased after it. Animal control was called and they “suggested” that the family take Monster to the shelter. Gag! Muneca, the Rottweiler, was not involved in any way and the owner even went out of her way to say that she was “very sweet.” When pressed further about why they were surrendering their dogs, the wife said that she “was really stressed” and just needed to “get rid of them.” After dumping these 2, the family actually walked through the shelter in hopes of adopting another dog… I shit you not, this happened. Monster was wound up that first day, but every day after (about 5 instances) he was extremely sweet to me. Right across the kennel hall was his sister, Muneca, who was also extraordinarily sweet…

Monster & Muneca were both killed on 11/14. I dread the thought of them being reunited in the kill-room, while 1 watches the other be put down. If not that, 1 watching the other being led from their kennel, never to return. Minutes later, their fate then plays out the same way. Literally heartbreaking and another fine reason why some human beings are pieces of garbage with no compassion, empathy, loyalty, humanity, morals, work ethic, desire, focus, determination, etc.

This is Jada, a 7-year-old girl who had a massive tumor hanging from her foot. She was dumped by her owner on 11/8, likely without ever receiving medical care. Point is, her person was a coward who would rather dump his/her companion at a high-kill shelter instead of provide her with the proper care (or try a laundry list of other options), all of which would have been better than abandonment at a scary shelter like Carson…

Jada was killed, scared and alone on 11/16.

This is Pirata & Sparky, 2 dogs from the same household that were surrendered together on 11/9. They are STILL at the shelter. They both have shelter ID numbers that are 1 digit apart–yet they are old ID numbers (A4318547, A4318548), meaning that they were adopted out together from the Carson shelter many months back. Now, whomever adopted them way back when has opted to dump them back at Carson to potentially die… If these types of people are friends, well shit, who needs enemies?

*Update* Sparky was killed on 11/22, Pirata was killed on 11/30.

These 2 dogs, 1 male and 1 female, came from the same household and were surrendered together on 11/12. They are STILL at the shelter. It was clear within 30 seconds of observation that they likely got into a fight with each other at home. The male had fresh puncture wounds on his chest. Both dogs were extremely sad and depressed. They are being held in kennels that are right next to each other. It’s only a guess, but what seems to have happened is that after their scuffle (or 1 they were a part of with another dog), their owner immediately brought them to the shelter and dumped them, rather than take them to the emergency vet and have their wounds cleaned. After all, why would anyone do that? Humans are so fantastic! Knowing this, it’s then obviously far too much to suggest that they look into an obedience trainer for whatever issue the dogs may have had. You know, doing those “necessary things” that you’d think you’d wanna do for a “member of the family.” Are these ideas really out of the ordinary? Too much to ask? I mean, they’re both 2, so chances are they’ve been coexisting for awhile now… Oh well–the owner opted to just discard them like trash, and now here they sit…

*Update* Both of these dogs were killed on 11/23.

And finally… Yesterday, while photographing, I witnessed a surrendered 17-YEAR-OLD Shepherd-mix named Rock! This poor guy is so old that he could barely move, or maybe it was because his nails were about 10x too long and it was absurdly painful for him to take steps. Nevertheless, he gingerly made his way over to the front of the cage for some rubs… Where’s the dignity? Where’s the consideration? Where’s the respect, the loyalty? Whomever dumped this dog is the scumbag of the century… I certainly don’t know what Rock has left in the tank, but even euthanizing him at the family vet while in the presence of his loved ones would have been highly appropriate over this disgraceful betrayal…

*Update* Rock was rescued on 11/18.

Apparently some people were actually surprised by yesterday’s outcome. Count me as not one of those people. Does that make me a pessimist? I don’t think so. I just know that for the most part, so many politicians (big and small) are out to serve the private industries, institutions and corporations that so freely give them money for their cooperation. Some of us call that “hush-money.” Show me a politician that doesn’t take the easy way out and I will be glad to sing their praises. Not saying that there aren’t any out there, but the list is small in comparison.

All that aside, I could fully tell within 5 minutes of viewing the online stream of the “hearing” (what a joke) that “Mayor” Antonovich was:
1) Checked out.
2) Rude.
3) Uncompassionate.
4) Inconsiderate.
5) Inappropriate.
And 1 better, he was a complete asshole… At one point (and this is true, see video below) telling one of the public speakers that her deciding not to have any more children was probably a good idea and then laughing about it! I mean, correct me if I’m wrong but those are the types of comments that people in his position get fired resign over.

Anyways–I’d originally intended to physically go there and make a public comment, like many other citizens did and did very well. My dog Neola got hurt the night before and by the time I contemplated an early morning vet visit, then ruled it out, it was already an hour into the meeting. I still drove up but then couldn’t find parking and ended up driving back home for an all around pointless day. Luckily I found out there was an online live stream of the meeting, so I tapped into that and waited for the appropriate item to come up.

When I say that I “waited” it literally means that I waited hours, plural. This thing was definitely a snail-train of carelessness from the point-of-view of our glorious “elected” officials. These individuals sat there twiddling their thumbs as they rattled off issue after issue and ignored public comment after public comment. It was kind of stunning and yet not at the same time… Every issue–no debate, approved, and then on to the next one. Their reaction to the constant flow of public emotion was a silent monotony of foolishness. Not bothering to entertain even a single point, just going through the motions like the bought-and-paid-for schmucks that they probably are. With the dog amendment item specifically there were numerous attorneys who gave public comments, as well as a doctor and a dog behaviorist, but yet ALL concerns fell upon deaf ears.

Now–due to the Board’s utter lack of care or concern for this (as of yesterday) potential change, the definition of “severe injury” has changed and been broadened, the definition of “potentially dangerous dog” has changed and been broadened, and most insanely, animal control officers (who are completely unqualified and bias beyond imagination) now have the right to play judge and jury with these animals lives. It is downright shameful. It is downright tyrannical. It is downright unconstitutional what has happened.

Since the Board of Supervisors and county officials (including entrenched drone Marcia Mayeda) were so set on focusing their energy on rearranging definitions, I was set on giving a public comment based around “other” definitions… Here is what I would have said if given a few minutes:

Allow me to present a few definitions for you guys to knock around in your mind… Starting with the all-encompassing word “potentially” that you place in front of the already vague phrase “dangerous dog,” then defining the words that may appear in the definition of the first word, in an effort to get to the “root” of what these types of words basically mean…

Potentially ~ possibly but not yet actually
Possibly ~ perhaps; maybe
Perhaps ~ maybe; possibly
Maybe ~ perhaps; possibly; a possibility or uncertainty
Uncertainty ~ the state of being uncertain; doubt; indeterminacy; indefiniteness
Doubt ~ to be uncertain about; considered questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe; distrust
Distrust ~ to have no trust in; to have no faith or confidence in

Hmm… That kind of speaks for itself, right?

Now let’s take an individual case of crime, centering around an individual of a certain race (which would be comparable to a “breed” of dog in the below scenario). If this individual, who for examples sake was caucasian, robbed a liquor store with a .45 caliber pistol and ended up shooting the attendant in the neck, fatally injuring him, does that then make HIM “dangerous”? My answer would be YES. Now let’s take the same exact scenario, except the individual doesn’t fire the pistol, but robs the store with the clear verbal intent to fire… Does that then make HIM “potentially dangerous”? My answer would be YES. Notice my emphasis on the phrase “HIM.” That’s me making a distinction based on the individual cases, and I’d think that that is all okay by any rational person. What is not okay is when you take and encompass ALL from any area or group or type, based on a common trait instead of a common action. So taking the above example into account, as well as the fact that I’m also clearly caucasian, does that then make me “potentially dangerous” as well? *Waiting for an answer from the Board* Because this is the standard that is essentially being rubber-stamped.

What kind of pandora’s box is being opened when using this kind of loose/non-specific/vague language? It quickly turns a person (in this case an animal control officer) into a dictator… No court, no jury, no debate–“It just is” because someone says it is.

Pit Bulls specifically have been and will continue to be more victimized by this type of broad-sweeping discrimination than any other type of dog. Animal control officers are the same people that generally, by policies that they themselves instituted, fail Pit Bulls on temperament tests, deeming them unfit for public adoption and literally sticking the needle into their arms in droves. Nice people indeed. And now these same people, who represent the entrenched and failed sheltering system, are now put into a position to legally decide what fits the bill of “potentially dangerous”? Well how about I save them all some time and proclaim that ALL OF US fall under the definition of “potentially,” just by definition alone, as we are all “possibly” capable of taking that gun into the liquor store… It’s an all-encompassing word based around a not yet actual act. Basically like the infamous concept of “precrime” from the Tom Cruise-movie Minority Report.

Fact: Animal control officers are patently unqualified to make these assertions. The phrasings of the definitions themselves, which the “assertions” would be based around are beyond flawed and non-specific. This is a magnificent cluster of criminality and yet it was rubber-stamped by these bozo’s quicker than a toad could pull a fly out of the air. The fact of the matter is that this “Board,” in tandem with our county shelter institution (LA County DACC), are absolutely peddling in a gigantic steaming pile of tyranny.

I’ll end this article with 2 definitions…
1 which this decision is FULL of:
Tyranny ~ unlimited or unrestrained exercise of power, absolute abuse of authority.
and 1 which this decision has NONE of:
Common sense ~ sound practical logic that is independent of specialized training.

Relevant links:
The online petition that was given less than a week to gather signatures prior to this “change” being secretly shoved down our throats at a rapid pace.
The letter created by a group of attorneys and presented to the Board in opposition to the proposed amendments to Title 10.
The press release entitled “Mayor Antonovich hands down death sentence,” based around the result of the “hearing.”

This news is just devastating. There’s no other way to state it, and so I will state it how it needs to be stated… This shelter is quite literally a Pit Bull concentration camp. Yes, I said it. And please know that I will continue to say as much, and there is nothing this shelter can do to intimidate me from relaying this message that I currently believe to be true.

It’s disgusting what they did to this dog. Not only the fact that they murdered her this morning, but just as equally how they suppressed her genuine chances of ever making it out the door safely.

She originally came into the shelter on 6/12, and was held as a “confiscate” due to her prior owner being imprisoned. From the very first day I ever saw her, she was being held in the back of their building–fenced off from the public, in their “quarantine” section. Okay, that makes sense at the time–her being “unavailable” while her owner goes through a legal process… What doesn’t make sense however is how the staff made her “available” for public adoption, but then didn’t move her out of the “quarantine” section.

There are numerous problems with this:
01) Visually, the impression that is given is that she is UNAVAILABLE!!
02) The public CANNOT interact with her because there is a big steel fence blocking access to the front of her kennel. (Yes, if you go around the back like I did in the below video you can then play with her, but that still doesn’t discredit any of my points concerning the average shelter-goer)
03) There was never any access to her kennel card (see: fence), which not only re-speaks to point 01) but also creates a scenario where any potential adopter would then need to go into the lobby and pull a number, waiting to be called. During Carson’s “busy” times (which is almost ALWAYS) this wait could take anywhere from 2-4 hours (like was the case when I went to get Lyla and Bart).

This type of shit is UNSPEAKABLE!! It’s just patently absurd to the highest degree. It is no exaggeration that this animal was literally the friendliest dog on the entire property!! Not only that, but she was highly adoptable and would consistently beg for public interaction from anyone within a 10 yard radius…

Please view how submissive she was, and how she would beg for attention:

Now–after watching that video please be aware of ANOTHER HURDLE Carson placed in her way: She scored a “C” on their ridiculous temperament test.
This test was automatically given to her because of her mix which included Pit Bull.
»a “C”!?!?«
Once again, this marks the finest example yet that Pit Bulls/mixes ARE PENALIZED/MARKED DOWN if they are considered “very submissive” or “shy” or “scared.” How is that not a complete travesty? This dog was the definition of an “A” temperament. If I had a huge rooftop to shout this from then I’d be up there right now losing my voice…

It has also been stated by others that there was 3 rescue-related IP’s on this dog’s file. And at least 1 of those individuals WERE NOT called to place a firm CTA on the animal prior to her being killed. If that was the case then this could possibly be in violation of a stipulated order. If you are one of the rescue’s that feel as though this dog was killed without notice to you, I urge you to please CLICK HERE and fill out and submit this stipulated order violation form…

Lastly I will just say: Whomever walked this animal back to the kill room and didn’t say “screw it” and run the other way, or didn’t refuse and beg for more time or didn’t quit right there on the spot is a coward. To the person that willingly stuck the death needle into this animal: You are a coward. To the person that ordered that this animal be killed: You are a coward. It’s a choice that these shelters are making, to not reform/change/adapt etc. Anything that they say otherwise is a deterrent to the truth, and anyone taking side with their shit is an apologist or scared for their current position.

Him ~ “This is what we do for aggressi….., err I mean dominant breed dogs.”
Me ~ Wait, you just said aggressive…
Him ~ “Oh, no I didn’t.”
Me ~ Well, actually you did, you kind of stopped yourself…
Him ~ “Well, if I did I didn’t mean to, I meant dominant breed.”

This is something that I recorded a few days ago… It is meant to note my experiences with this specific institution, and my opinions based around different decisions being made & actions being taken there… Feel free to share, as the sole purpose of recording these pieces is to start a conversation about the practices that are being implemented at this location… Dialogue is always healthy, and I embrace it all, agreeable or not. This specific video is centered around the topic of “temperament-testing.” This will not be the last video.

Every day that goes by is 1 more day that I become more experienced in the area of NOT understanding shelters…

Do I understand and see quite clearly what they are doing? Yes. But do I agree with the process? Does it make sense to me? Do I feel it’s the only way? All NO’s. Hence the “not understanding” part… We all know–there are some really unfortunate trends continuously playing out, and I’m going to start pushing back in the only way that I know how to…

This is BART:

Clear as day, THIS IS WHAT HIS KENNEL CARD READS:

It was written there by a volunteer who (you guessed it) actually INTERACTS with Bart! This same card has been out and on display since Bart came into the shelter back on May 23…

This past Friday I called the shelter (prior to the big holiday weekend) to ensure that the staff had noted “being networked” within Bart’s file… It was at this time that the phone operator said that Bart was deemed “Rescue only,” due to him getting a “D” on his temperament test. I will leave my immediate response out of this article, but lets just say that this judgment by the shelter is a complete disgrace… Anyways, this test that Bart apparently “failed” was given back on June 3. By my count that was 28 days ago… Even more shocking than this, was that I was told that 2 interested adoption parties were turned away due to this profiling…

On Saturday morning I called again, and made the request that Bart be Re-temp-tested… Guess what? I was told “No,” flat out. This was the same response that an actual volunteer was given when she called Friday afternoon and requested the same thing… When I asked the phone operator why not, I was told–because Bart was “VERY AGGRESSIVE”–so not just aggressive, but now VERY…

Let’s get back to reality here for a second… In the video you can see one of the volunteers going in and getting Bart out for a walk… As you can see, Bart is extremely scared. He’s putting the brakes on out of fear and uncertainty… He doesn’t know, for all he knows he’s being led to the “kill-room.” The volunteer eventually leads him out by being friendly and supportive–and notice Bart’s tail, always wagging (even after he initially retreated, he came back to her, tail constantly moving)… Yet, according to the phone operator, it was the kennel cleaners and feeding staff who were the ones that noted this mystery “aggression.” They claim Bart “cowers in the corner” when they enter his kennel… Well, maybe he does? And maybe it’s justified? What do you do when an unwanted person enters your space? It might be scary… Or maybe he’s afraid of water? These persons just hose down the kennels, sometimes with no regard whatsoever for the animal… My own girls run to the other end of the yard the second I turn the hose on… Does that mean they are aggressive? Or sketchy? Or unfit for living? No, No, and No!

Point blank, numerous things don’t add up… How has an “aggressive, rescue only” Pit Bull survived 42 days in Carson’s extremely high-kill shelter, when totally friendly and adoptable Pit Bulls on average only last there a fraction of that time? I mean seriously… Carson killed about 10-12 totally harmless pitties this last week alone, and that number is only based on the dogs that I know of, because I photographed them just days earlier… If Bart was even partially as nasty as they claim he is, how is he still alive after 40+ days? By their own logic it’s beyond puzzling… The only answer I can come up with is that every time someone asks about Bart, that Carson then confuses the dogs? And I know that’s not the case because you can’t mess up the same way 20 times in a row… Clearly Carson knows who Bart is, and they honestly think he’s an aggressive dog–or they are just taking the word of an employee and don’t care to check it out for themselves, or their temperament-testing methods just suck, or all of the above…

All I know is that this bungled, confused, mess of a reality is costing dogs their lives! Carson shelter discriminates against all Pit Bulls, by putting them (no matter the age) through this rigorous situational course of foolishness before allowing them to be adopted out by any member of the public… Am I against temp-testing as a concept? No, not really… I think all dogs of EVERY breed should be payed attention to, showed love, and monitored accordingly… But when it’s being done by uncaring individuals with bad energy, with big sticks, and with fake hands, used to pull at the dogs food while it’s eating and so forth… It’s just bullshit. You know your concept of “temp-testing” ISN’T WORKING when angelic dogs who wouldn’t harm a damn fly are getting scores in the D-percentile range… But enough about that.

Back to Bart… Look at him, watch that video, go visit him and see for yourself… This dog is the exact opposite of an aggressive dog. It insults my intelligence to have this shelter staff even utter that phrase… To know that they have DISALLOWED 2 separate opportunities for Bart to actually get a home, it’s enraging. Not only that, but that they are now denying multiple requests coming from myself and others, to have Bart re-tested by their shitty temp-test… Why? Why fight so hard against people that are actually wanting to help? You’ve kept him alive for this long… All I’m trying to do is get that “aggressive” label back off of him so that he’s given the pure chance that he deserves… Maybe 1 of the interested parties are even still interested in adopting him? It’s worth checking into… Isn’t the point to save the dog? (Sometimes I feel I’d be horrified at their honest answer back)

As it stands right now, Bart is still alive… Since there has been this level of push back concerning the original temperament test, he has been spared until at least Tuesday–which is when the sargeant gets back in, at which time he will hopefully reassess the situation.

Just to be clear, I have used some very harsh phrasing within this article… Should that then categorize every person who makes up the shelter staff? No. Absolutely not. There have been individuals who I’ve found to be helpful, others who I’ve found to be just the opposite, and then others still who obviously exist and who are allowing things like this to continue to happen… 3 different realities, but 2 different problems, and sometimes the problematic areas seem to overlap.

Finally–yet another thing I found interesting… Even though the kennel card pictured above remained on Bart’s cage through his intake week AND THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE, it is now GONE… Replaced with a new card that has no notes on it… Carson shelter.

Here is an updated story concerning the actual charging of the Pit Bull owners from the incident in San Diego… Is that specific portion good news? Yes! Unfortunately the media–at the behest of a boatload of hateful human beings–have already skewed the conversation and spent the better part of the last 2 weeks beating the “ban-drum.” Not to mention 13 Pit Bulls lost their lives, 11 of which were completely innocent 3-week-old puppies.

But back to the story… I was drawn to 2 particular portions of the article, which I’ve screenshot below:

The first part being: Why weren’t the Boxers as a breed then targeted by the citizens? By the media? By the city?–after this “attack”?

And secondly: Why, in a span of 25 long years was there only 1 instance where an owner was actually arrested and then subsequently convicted after a “mauling” incident?

To my first question…
Am I proposing the banning of all Boxers? Hell no, I love ALL dogs… I’m just using the absurdity of the witch hunt-mentality and applying it to all incidents NOT involving Pit Bulls, and then asking myself if there is/was a discriminatory precedent set? If the answer is “NO,” which in this case it was, then why not?

To the media… Was this just not a juicy enough story for you? Do some of your staffers personally have Boxers? What gives? Where was the lynch mob? All of these are sarcastic questions of course, but it shows the lack of consideration given to Pit Bulls when an animal of that “type” finds itself in a situation such as this…

And another question, going out to Boxer guardians… Do you feel lucky? Knowing that your dogs are on the “okay” list? Do you recognize dog racism when you see it, or only when it applies to your type of dog? Would you stand with Pit Bull guardians when their dogs are marked for extermination? Or would you join in on the conversation, villainizing the pitties amongst the mob? I know plenty of Boxer guardians that LOVE Pit Bulls and could write this article verbatim, for me, and on a pit’s behalf… But at the same time, there are some guardians of all breeds that talk pitties down–clinging to the safety that exists in knowing that their dogs would never be targeted… I find that highly disturbing, shallow, ignorant, lacking in long-term conceptual thinking, among other things…

What happens if this tyrannical world one day comes to fruition? A world where the scum owners continue to get off, free from charge and media scrutiny, and where the pitties then perish and are phased out? Well, obviously those same scum owners would just move on to another breed… Maybe yours? And then the cycle repeats itself.

And to my second question…
That makes 2 cases in the last (now) 30 years, where the owners have been a partial target… How only 2? I guess that’s 2 better than 0. Can’t this situation create some sort of momentum in the direction of COMMON SENSE? How about the owners become the ENTIRE target, and then make that the precedent. Now that’s a world I’d like to live in.

Important: I was notified that the San Diego Union Tribune is doing a phone survey concerning whether the city should BAN PIT BULLS…
It takes 30 seconds, I just did it…
1-800-244-6397 x2506, choose option #2 (It’s the owners, not the breed, against ban) ~ It doesn’t matter if you live in the area or not, you can still participate and it’s free…

You can also go directly to their website and vote…

From a grassroots level doing both is advisable, and it gives us the opportunity to speak up resoundingly loud in favor of the millions of fantastic Pit Bulls and out against any potential spreading of BSL legislation… It’s been thoroughly proven to not work, thoroughly rejected by the majority of people, and does nothing but induce hate, increased killing, stereotyping, scapegoating and ugliness.

All of this comes in light of a horrible incident that occurred on Saturday involving a 75-year-old woman from Paradise Hills… An incident that in my view should prompt the DA to file charges AGAINST THE OWNERS of the dogs…

What we don’t want, and what we constantly have to deal with, is opportunists and vile human beings using this tragedy as justification for banning and subsequently killing ALL Pit Bulls.

No Pit Bull is inherently dangerous or inherently violent, and especially towards human beings… It is just not reality, but yet continues to be exploited by media and the like because it drives ratings and is a hot button topic for people who’ve never taken a minute of their time to ever be around or bother to get to know one… If they did, they would see almost instantaneously that the very-high-majority of all Pit Bulls in existence (even the ones in shelters, many of which have never had a home, a person, or been shown love) have some of the most generous and loving dispositions towards their human counterparts. This is irrefutable. It is bad owner’s–made up of dog fighters, gang members, drug runners and just downright careless human beings of all color and creed–and placated by irresponsible breeder’s (who allow said individuals to continue to occupy these animals) that are the problem, and make no mistake about it.

Quite bluntly–anyone with a shred of common sense, dignity and decency can see that it’s an “owner” or “circumstance” to blame, not a dog… And villainizing an entire ANYTHING based on the actions of a few is patently ignorant and flat out wrong, always, and every time.

Please participate and then share, WE HAVE THE POWER, our voices…

So this post was originally crafted back in January on my personal Facebook wall… It was essentially a 1-line rant that, due to me not shutting up, ended up turning into a 20-point rescue manifesto-type thing.

I don’t know exactly what sent me into it, but it was plenty of built up frustration over all that I had experienced since first taking shelter photos and immersing myself into this rescue world. To be honest, being online and getting tagged in hundreds of different rescue scenarios–you see plenty of wild stuff… And plenty of it is of a very quick and careless nature. Not only that, but I’ve also seen it play out locally as well, so it was probably prompted by a combination of just seeing how not very responsible certain people are capable of being.

More directly, there’s a fine line you walk when wanting so badly to help all the animals you can, and then balancing that with what you are capable of concerning the animals that you may already have… And for a few of us it’s very easy to tilt that responsibility and all that “should” go into it for a chance to save 1 more dog, and then 1 more, and so forth… Some people get taken advantage of, some overwhelmed, others just lose perspective on the process–but it all opens the doors for sloppy mishaps, and who then suffers? The animal.

Just to be clear: Save as many animals as possible, I’m all in favor of that… But do it responsibly, be accountable–if not for yourself and your reputation, then for the animal’s safety! As they should always come first regardless, yes? And what happens if you get out of control and do your reputation harm? Well then people take note and it minimizes your ability to legitimately help those animals going forward, even if you learned your lesson prior…

Bottom line… It seems as though sometimes rescue work gets treated like an assembly line, where checks and balances are forgotten for the draw of saving another. People just need to do their due-diligence, to protect the animals they do have, or else they may sloppily throw something together where the animal then ends up in a more dire strait than it was in while in the shelter… What follows is essentially my explosion on anything relatable to this topic, and what I thought was relevant in that moment…

~Josh Liddy // 1/3/2011 // SwayLove.org

01) If you want a dog and then are asked for a reference, give the reference! No one is too big to not be properly verified as legitimate. Your reputations do not precede you in this. If you think that your shit doesn’t stink, got news for you, it does–everyone’s does. If you disagree with this then you have simply lost sight of what is important and you need to go back to the drawing board ASAP.

02) If you want a dog and then are asked for a verifiable environment check, give that check… Allow your area to be deemed as appropriate or safe by the person currently caring for that animal. It’s only meant to protect the animal and is rather simple and not intrusive at all.

03) If you are in the position as a citizen/puller/rescue/etc. to pass off an animal, and then are not doing 01) and 02) prior to passing off said animal, then you are being highly irresponsible.

04) If you are a puller, and yet the dog you are about to pull does not have a legitimate plan in place, with checks made and ducks in a complete and structured row, then do not pull the dog… Unless of course you yourself are going to foster the dog while said things are completed.

05) If you are a puller, and yet are then not doing your due-diligence to make sure that the animal that you pulled is fully accounted for at all times, then you are simply failing at your responsibility.

06) If you would rather censor other people’s opinions by deleting/blocking/badgering people to do said things, instead of simply explaining yourself out in the open and then standing on your own opinions/actions, then you are not cut out for doing this (or any) important/meaningful work in the way that it should be done.

07) If you cannot take criticism without getting confrontational, if you cannot take criticism without running to others to defend you, if you cannot take criticism without clearly defending your position and then proceeding to rationally respond to anything that follows, then you are not cut out for doing this (or any) important/meaningful work in the way that it should be done.

08) If you are commenting about a dog in a picture or a video, and are proceeding to ask questions that can be answered by you simply taking 30 seconds of initiative, then damn it, take the initiative. It goes a long way and speaks volumes to your sincerity.

09) If you are commenting about a dog in a picture or a video, and all you can add to the comments are whiny statements i.e. “Why is no one saving this dog yet?” — My advice to you is this: Get off of your butt and save the dog yourself. Make a call. Send an email to a rescue. Google something. Share a post. Drive down to a local shelter and pet the dogs in your area. Take their pictures. Tag people. Compliment the animal or just make a simple silent prayer for its well-being. Do anything besides sitting behind a keyboard and berating others for not doing anything, when you yourself are not doing anything.

10) If you are wanting to save an animal, but yet live across the country without a way or a desire to pay for any potential pull/vetting/boarding/transport, then be prepared to not only do 01) and 02) to the fullest extent that may be requested, but to also take part in helping to raise those funds and then making life as easy as possible on the people that actually raise those funds for you.

11) If you post things like “I am done with rescue” every time the wind blows in the wrong direction, then you are clearly not passionate enough to just keep plowing forward regardless of the situation. It silently says a lot.

12) If you have a disagreement with someone that you are working closely with, please contact them directly. It saves a lot of time and is a way to illustrate that we are actually all adults. It’s also responsible and eliminates hearsay or opinionated versions from 3rd parties.

13) If you are ever above saying that you are sorry, admitting that you made a mistake, owning up to said mistakes, or simply just reaching out to someone to hear their side of the story, even while intending to air your own grievances back (and even if it’s inevitable that you will never totally agree)… It’s sometimes still appropriate, and that lack of action speaks loudly to your character, or lack thereof. If you are above this basic exercise in humility, based in respect and open communication, then you may just want to rethink your approach.

14) If rescue A and rescue B cannot seriously come together and eradicate any road blocks that were manifested purely by egotistical means, then you have simply lost sight of what is important and you need to go back to the drawing board.

15) If for whatever reason you feel that you are ethically obligated to ever speak up, about anything, then do so. Because if it gets to that point, then you must believe in your heart that you are doing the right thing… On the other hand, if your concerns were to be knowingly misplaced, or based in jealousy, or based in vindictiveness, or based in ego, or all of the other ugly human traits that we are all susceptible to at one point or another… You would simply then run into someone who holds 06) and 07) in high regard and those things would be clearly seen through by your peers.

16) If you treat the rescue world with a clique mentality, then you are treating it like it’s a game and like you are a child. You should be able to form your own opinions and not just have opinions that fall in line with other people whom you may in some way be affiliated with, personally or professionally. If someone you respect says or does something that you disagree with, you should have no problems with respectfully stating as much. And you should also want to be held by that same standard, which would obviously keep you accountable.

17) If you are a bystander or uninvolved in a situation, do not then blindly insert yourself like a keystone cop and create a fabricated version of what was reality. This is Facebook, and rumor travels fast. But if you still cannot contain yourself, just know that at the end of the day you will most likely take the fall after someone who cherishes 06) and 07) thoroughly makes a fool out of you.

18) Human ego and self-glorification should never come anywhere near trumping an attempt at safely and efficiently carrying out an animal’s rescue. Never. Ever. Solo or amongst 20 different people. Never. Never. Ever.

19) Keep the line of communication open to those that are intimately involved with your rescue attempt… Be it assets/helpers/funders/supporters… As they are what, in tandem with your own actions, then builds your name and your reputation. If you take advantage of those people by misrepresenting yourself when using certain tools of the trade, then you are also discrediting those outlets as a whole for everyone… This usually results in less new people coming to the table who are willing to trust, and ultimately less lives that you are able to save.

20) Finally… If you have a problem with the bluntness, or feel offended by anything that I’ve said, then (I’m sorry, but) that kind of speaks for itself. I am just a photographer who does everything that I do in order to maybe have the chance to affect 1 Pit Bull’s life in a positive way. Thankfully I’ve already done that, so everything beyond this is just a pleasure that is very embraceable. I love what I do, because I love more than anything in the entire world who I did it for, and who I continue to do it for.

It was also requested that I make this a PDF document so that others could download, and you can do that by clicking HERE.