Thank you

In the title is a link to an article that has run in the Denver Post.  Finally, someone had the temerity to take on the press regarding their publication of articles about attacks by strong breed dogs, especially Pit Bull type dogs.  Maybe rational heads are prevailing after a long drawn out battle.  It is hard to say what will come next.  My hope is that it goes viral and there is some real discussion about the problems and ultimate failure of Breed Specific Legislation.  Anyone who has ever owned this kind of dog and is a rational, reasonable human being, can't help but get on the band wagon to try and save them from this holocaust that is happening across our nation.  I am more amazed every single day by how lucky I am that Callie is sharing my life.  I wish human beings would get it.  Dogs love us so much and expect so little, and what we do to them is indefensible.  For those out there who are responsible and caring, if you haven't yet, kiss your dog today.   


My comment to the post:


Thank you Monika Courtney for your well spoken rational thoughts about the media's responsibility and poor reporting. Credit also to the Denver Post for being willing to take a look and publish the truth. It's about time. I did a tremendous amount of research on the Pit Bull "type" dog before making a decision to keep my dog who was a stray given to me by friends. What I found are incredible heroic acts by reasonable human beings to dispel the myths surrounding these dogs. I found grass roots organizations taking on the establishment to save innocent lives, and I found a fantastic dog, who has become an incredible friend, terrific hiking buddy and loyal companion to me, my family and yes, other dogs and cats around me. I am glad that I found out the truth or I would have missed an incredible experience to have this pure joy in my life. I feel sad for the dogs that suffer at the hands of irresponsible and often criminal human beings because they happen to be a "strong breed". The web is replete with stories of these dogs unbelievable acts of kindness in spite of the hand they've been dealt. Fabulous resources are BAD RAP, and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary who have shown, because a compassionate judge ruled Michael Vick's dogs victims, a capacity to heal and help heal others through their therapy work. I have never been more impressed with an animal than I am with the Pit Bull "type" dog. They are fantastic animals who have been the victims of a holocaust, and the media is greatly responsible for publishing human beings inability to take responsibility for their failings. Human Beings are responsible for abusing them, using them wrongly and that's why it is dog fighting is a felony. No matter what breed or type of dog you have, please love them. They give us so much and expect so little.

Aren't they cute?

Crag Crest

It finally got hot enough in the valley that hiking in Bangs Canyon and Devils Canyon became unavailable.  So I talked my best friend Dana into heading up to the Mesa with Callie and me and hiked Crag Crest.  Round Trip is ten miles, starting at a little over ten thousand feet and climbing to somewhere over 11,300.  We didn't do the round trip since we only had the morning available, but I think we will.  It was just the kind of hike we both like and Callie had a blast too!

Good news for a change

Good news for all the animals in the United States.  Click on the title to check out the link.  It really is about time.  On a different note, I am continually grateful to the grassroots organizations who work tirelessly educating the public about Pit Bulls and more humane treatment rather than dog fighting.  Especially former gang members such as Sean Moore.  http://www.hsus.org/acf/news/sean_moore_profile_ada_052209.html


He is a truly impressive human being, coming from the streets and dog fighting to fighting for the proper treatment for our best and loyalist friends.  

Three years

Today I celebrate three years of sobriety.  I don't care what anyone says, I like getting that chip.  It shows a milestone of progress in spiritual, emotional and financial growth.  All of the things promised by the program are coming true.  "If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.  We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness."  That portion of the Big Book goes on to say so much more.  We will know serenity and we will know peace.  I am surprised most days still.  One of the men in my group used to say a lot, "time takes time".  That annoyed the crap out of me.  I wanted to know how long, what time, when would it all arrive.  I had stuff to get done now that I was sober, I didn't have time to take time.  HA!  Once I started to take it easy on myself and let the process of life unfold before me as  I worked on my recovery, time showed up.  Everything that I thought I wanted was here, seemingly suddenly.  Though I know better.  It is through the process of working the program and living life on life's terms.  There are no shortcuts, and I am grateful for the journey I have been on and hope to continue down this path for the rest of my life.  Things have not always worked out the way I want, but I am convinced they have worked out the way they are supposed to work.  There are still things I miss.  A relationship is a big one, but it is not time and I know deep in my heart I am not ready.  I don't know if I ever will be.  The rest has come in it's own time, maybe this will too.  In the meantime, today I have choices that three years ago I didn't have, and I am forever grateful that I found sobriety and am alive to share my experience, strength and hope, however skewed it may be.

From the Huffington Post - by Gary Hart

On September 12, 2001, I wrote an opinion piece for the Times of London that concluded: "we will find Osama bin Laden, give him a fair trial as we did in the old West, and then we'll hang him." Since we haven't found him in almost a decade, we could hardly give him a fair trial and then hang him.

Virtually without exception, Americans supported the initial focused invasion of Afghanistan to crush al Qaeda and prevent its return to sanctuary in Afghanistan. We were a nation out for vengeance and right was on our side. In addition, the national economy was booming (that is, before the dot.com bubble burst).

In that almost-decade's time, things have changed. Mostly, around 2005, our mission changed. We decided to broaden the mission to include the creation of some kind of stable, self-sustaining democracy in that perpetually troubled land. History will show that was a big mistake. History will also show that the new President Obama would have been well-advised to adopt the original, not the replacement, mission.

Not only are we struggling to succeed in Afghanistan, our own economy is in deep trouble. Probably close to 15% of American workers are unemployed. Our friends and neighbors are in trouble and have been for months and sometimes years. Our war of necessity that became a war of choice is costing hundreds of billions of dollars needed to employ our workers and get our country back on its feet. We are funding our foreign wars with money borrowed from our children and the Chinese.

There is now a great cry for austerity, largely from people who will not put the Afghan war on the budget cut list and who themselves are not suffering and will not suffer from austerity. Sometimes even great countries cannot do everything. When those occasions arise, our own neighbors and fellow Americans must come first. History's road is littered with the wreckage of empires that tried to rule the world even as they were collapsing at home.

We are failing the fundamental duty to our nation created these 221 years ago.


I am not a democrat, but article is absolutely right on the money.  And I doubt the failure runs along party lines.