I had Neola down at the ocean yesterday for the first time since her initial attempt at doing Splash Dogs. There’s these little pockets of still sitting water down there, almost like a pool, that are 3-4 feet deep. To my total surprise she went right into the water and started swimming in circles. I didn’t have to prompt her at all, 100% her own curiosity and trust in her own ability to swim. It was the cutest thing in the world. She kept looking back at me to make sure that I was still there, and for approval, and she just kept going and going. This is a dog that normally isn’t a fan of the ocean, doesn’t like to get a bath, is terrified of the water hose from the yard and of the spray bottle. And now she’s a willing swimmer? Yes she is, apparently.

Michael Moore says, “If you are worried about your safety, get a dog.” This was said to a reporter asking about his stance on gun control. Sigh. Get a dog? Why? To perpetuate taught violence coming from “status” or “guard” dogs? With this stupid statement he’s basically advertising that people should get dogs and purposely make them vicious. And another point: Anyone breaking into your home, any criminal, and even the cops or the feds showing up at your house… They’ll just shoot your dog. With a gun. And kill it. So his argument against guns is not only to exploit dogs, but to pose like dogs will actually protect people from real threats, people that will STILL HAVE GUNS! What a joke.

Is it true that dogs might deter some petty criminals and just certain people in general? Yeah, probably. But dogs wouldn’t deter violent criminals, nor do they deter the cops or would they deter the feds. So if he wants to place dogs in the middle of a gun control debate then those are the scenarios that need the focus. It’s a stupid argument and one that not only aims to justify the use of “guard” dogs, but will also serve to create more idiots that are treating their dogs like shit. The last thing that dogs like Pit Bulls need, the media-made “monsters” of the present time, is to have more people flock to them in an effort to make them vicious or use them as anything other than a family pet. More important for the gun control debate, what Moore is conveniently leaving out is that those dogs (any breed or type) that he is promoting ownership of will quickly be killed by the same guns that he is constantly talking out against. So he’s blatantly attempting to fool the people into trading guns for dogs, knowing full well that the dogs would ultimately be mowed down instantly were anything to happen.

So as a dog-lover you should be appalled by this statement, and as a 2nd amendment supporter you should laugh out loud at his purposeful ignorance. There’s 2 ultimate points here, they couldn’t be more different. You don’t have to agree with both not to have a problem with either point on its own. You can email Michael Moore directly at MMFlint at AOL dot com and let him know what you think about his flippant exploitation of dogs in the face of such an important and turbulent issue.

If you’d like to take and submit your own picture (high resolution) of a kiss fest that you’re having with your own Pit Bull/mix (or with them kissing other people or other dogs) then I’d love to include it in a series of YouTube videos that will carry the text tag line on each image. Please send any pictures to: josh@swaylove.org and be sure to share this request with other friends!

Debra Boswell of Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL, a shelter) just recently opted to kill the 24 “rescued” Pit Bulls from a shoddy situation in Utica, rather than actually rescue them, and this decision was all admittedly based on the lies spread by Colleen Lynn and her anti-Pit Bull website, DogsBite.org.

^This, taken from a statement made by Boswell, clearly embraces the shit sandwich that hatemongers like Colleen Lynn have made a career out of serving. None of the dogs were assessed. Any attempts at any kind of rehabilitation apparently wasn’t considered. They just killed the dogs, and then put out their vaguely damaging diatribe that essentially leaves you wondering what is going to happen to any future Pit Bull-type dog that finds itself in her shelter, especially now after seeing her embrace the misinformation peddled by the likes of Lynn.

^And then there’s this gem, towards the end, that looks like PETA actually wrote it themselves. Debra, no, euthanasia isn’t a “kind” or a “good” death. Euthanasia means kill. Don’t fluff up language. You think that you “saved” the dogs by killing them? I think that you’re misinformed. You killed the dogs. They won’t “suffer again” because you killed them. They’re gone now, dead. That’s why they won’t have the potential to ever suffer again, nor will they have the potential to never suffer again and live and actually be happy with someone who loves them–because you took their lives and you killed them. And now you’re justifying your actions by parading around bullshit statistics from a website that was created solely for the purpose of demonizing any dog that remotely resembles a “Pit Bull.” That’s what you did.

The city of Chicago is abuzz with unmitigated panic as select policy officials have recently come out in favor of a public ban on white women. Others, including white women who are actually policy official colleagues working out of the same building, reacted in horror. I spoke with one woman who was adamant about not being named and she wanted it printed that some of her politician coworkers were “f***ing lunatics.” This comes on the heels of the Valentine’s Day “attack” that left one unnamed boyfriend without half of his tongue after an attempt to squash an argument turned violent. The culprit? Elaine Cook, white woman.

Cook went so far as to disguise a makeup kiss as genuine affection, then, without any warning, unleashed a violent clamp down on this man’s tongue, severing it in half.

People on the street were quick to weigh in… Sally Braverman, a local teacher who was visibly shaken for her own safety said, “I’m of white decent and I’ve never hurt anyone.” “I live right down the street and Chicago has been my home now for 12 years. I have a son in the 11th grade. My husband works for a brokerage firm and we have a mortgage that we are in the middle of paying. What does this exactly mean for me?” I couldn’t immediately provide her with an answer. Gracie Stewart, 22 years of age and also white, was far more blunt… “I’ve tongue-slayed my boyfriend many times, never has it ended in a trip to the emergency room.” We had a quick laugh and in the spirit of full disclosure I did give her a high five. She was really cute and very friendly, but still white. Apparently she’s got to go? Hold on… Excuse me, I meant, apparently she’s got to go.

Responding to an inquiry from my website, policy official Billy Duncey quoted stats taken from the “more rational website,” WhiteWomenBite.org. “Over the last calendar year they’ve charted 9 different instances of violent acts against other human beings that are being perpetrated by these vicious white women,” said Duncey. “2 of which have happened right here in our home state of Illinois. What other alternative do we have?” I immediately replied that there are lots of alternatives, hundreds even, and that people should be treated as individuals instead of vaguely grouped and then blanketly labeled “monsters.” I also pointed out that 99+% of the white women residing in Chicago are upstanding citizens who do not have any record of violence. I’ve yet to get a response.

I’ll certainly keep you posted if I hear more…

Caisen Green, teenager, shoots a stray Pit Bull with a crossbow. This unprovoked act of violence ultimately kills the stray Pit Bull. Green then takes a photo of the dead dog, writes a bait-specific message in the caption and then posts the picture to Facebook. This is what hate looks like. Visual hate, right up there. And this pathetic kid is proud of it. People then get wind of this photograph. Picture goes viral. Shock and outrage ensues, and justifiably so. Some folks go off the handle, want to meet violence with violence. An eye for an eye is not condoned here, or by me, as that does nothing good ever. Tough guy kid then goes into hiding. And if things couldn’t get any more pathetically sad… A Facebook page entitled “Caisen Green Is An American Hero,” run by the klan (pun intended) of known Pit Bull haters, immediately springs up. What’s its purpose? To applaud his actions and worship a young psychopath. All decency and empathy out the window so long as it serves to prop up their hatemonger agenda. This is what hate looks like. Visual hate.

Now imagine if this was any other type of dog, or God forbid, another person that fits into a category known to be routinely stereotyped. With that, let’s play a little game of word replacement…

“For all you Chihuahua lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead dog.
“For all you Shepherd lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead dog.
“For all you Rottweiler lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead dog.
“For all you black lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead person.
“For all you Mexican lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead person.
“For all you Jew lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead person.
“For all you gay lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead person.
“For all you handicapped lovers out there. Here’s what happens when one shows up around my house.” Dead person.
Going even further… Now replace “black” with “n*****,” or “Mexican” with “spic,” or gay with “fag,” or “handicapped” with “retard.”

Which, if any, sound cool to you? I thought so. He certainly has a right to SAY whatever he wants, this is America. But be prepared for others to be disgusted with you, and be prepared for others to actually move to let the world know what you actually did, as in kill a stray dog with a crossbow in order to get online attention (and then have a group of known exploiters move to praise him). What he doesn’t have a right to do is torture something, or kill it for his pleasure. And beyond any legal context, and the cases that will ultimately be made either way, why would you ever want to do such a thing? Why do we, as people, actually do this type of crap? Aren’t we capable of better behavior? Godspeed to that poor dog.

*I apologize for the offensive nature of some of the words used in this piece, but they are paramount for illustrating a bigger point.

People have very strong feelings about Nathan Winograd and the “No Kill” shelters that his No Kill Advocacy Center work to create. I find that the majority of the people that criticize him and what he speaks about haven’t even read any of his books or his website. Instead they tend to parrot back a catchphrase or two, which ultimately amounts to getting the news of the world through a media sound byte, and just dismiss everything else as routine. They don’t want to read anything, they don’t want to hear anything, they don’t want to even attempt to understand it, they’d just rather call him a name and say what he talks about is “impossible.” They can’t tell you why it’s impossible because reality often shows that they have no idea what they themselves are even calling impossible. This attitude is a huge disservice to animals everywhere.

Shortly down the thread…

Again, don’t accept another person’s version of what is actually discussed in these books (many people’s versions are hearsay in and of themselves, so we have a multiplication of hearsay), instead read them for yourself and then do this crazy thing that’s called “coming to your own conclusion.” Whether it’s ultimately supporting or not supporting his claims is beside the point, because at least then you have the potential to actually know what you’re talking about when you move to either criticize or praise.

*To those already familiar with these types of people: Please read my commentary at the bottom, numerous worthy points are discussed…

^You may also notice that the “lady” (quotes will make sense later) that fired back at me actually has a Pit Bull-type dog as her icon. Hmm, I thought. So I clicked on her profile, surprise, I should have known…

There was also this…

And this, right out and on the front…

So wow, this post, which was meant for 1 purpose, is now going to take on 2 topics… The “locking jaw” stuff is pretty fleshed out in the first image. That stands on its own. What is highly disturbing though is that there are actually people out there like Debbie Bell who devote their entire energy towards disingenuously villainizing Pit Bulls. Some of the most vile and cruel blogs on the entire internet exist for this purpose alone. Many of the same people, under different aliases, run them. I’m not claiming Debbie is actually a fake person or profile, but you simply gotta look at the company she keeps and put it on the table…

As you can see with her enlarged profile image, “Harve Morgan” (aka H.P. Morgan) also makes an appearance in the comments. Just go ahead and Google “Harve Morgan, Pit Bull.” Click on any of the links and go directly to the “comments” section, he’ll be all over each without fail. There’s a small group of them, and they all have multiple fake profiles and basically “Catfish” the internet, supporting each other and looking for any incident supposedly involving a Pit Bull… When they find one the script is simple: Troll through the comments and spout their vague and disturbing garbage. They not only insert their own flawed (and all-encompassing, overtly cruel) talking points, but they purposely argue with Pit Bull owners, argue with Pit Bull supporters, deflect any and all questions, ignore points, repeat themselves, stereotype all people who have their own Pit Bulls as “gangbangers” or “criminals” (notice a trend?), refer to anyone not agreeing with them as “nutters,” and so on and so forth.

Now I acknowledge that there’s also people that a 3rd party could define as “Pit Bull supporters” that go onto these things and do many of the same things that I just detailed, irrationally pissing back and forth with a group of known irrational pissers. I grant you that. The difference is that they aren’t supporting the mass murder of an entire anything, nor are they stereotyping groups and moving to unjustly demonize them. What they are doing is not communicating well enough and letting their emotions get the best of them. That’s the difference.

What’s interesting though, and consider yourself warned, is that you can now see some of these Pit Bull-hating individuals actually abandoning their outright and nasty calls for total breed bans (i.e. “All Pit Bulls deserve to die because they are vicious killers”) and moving instead to the softer talking points that PETA actually uses… “Euthanasia for their own good,” “Mercy killings,” “They are victims too and we need to protect them by killing them,” “Let’s kill them all now so none potentially ever have to suffer later,” and so on and so forth. This type of language allows people to pose as compassionate while also wielding an ax and having the blood lust to repeatedly swing it. Both tones have the same goal: Ban and eliminate Pit Bulls. For example, PETA supports breed bans, they just doublespeak while pushing the ban.

And now, as you can see with Debbie above, she openly goes out of her way to state right there on the front of her profile: “Don’t ban the breed, but do ban their breeding.” Wow. Some people aren’t sophisticated enough to realize that these things are actually the same thing. If mandated effectively, one gets rid of all tomorrow and the other gets rid of all within a single life cycle. Same goal, different time frames. She then goes on to state that with discrimination-based mandatory sterilization laws all dogs will win, “especially the tortured Pit Bulls.” Ugh… By being culled and killed? They win? By being con-gamed into disappearing forever? They win?

Just know… To all of you folks that see all of the Pit Bulls in the shelters, see the abhorrent killing that routinely is initiated instead of life-saving programs that are proven to massively decrease killing, see the failures of the human element (neglect, abuse, exploitation) and would then actually move to talk yourself into a breed- or type-specific sterilization law in order to curb it: Just know that you would be aligning your position (albeit unbeknownst to you) with this anti-Pit Bull crowd, the ones that I’ve taken this opportunity to attempt to detail. Please ponder that. This is an essential message and everyone needs to hear it and understand it.

People from all corners of animal avocation may move to say that I “support breeders” then… How? My own dogs are spayed and neutered, Sway was, and it is a consistent recommendation that I make to others. If this is truly about mandating that dogs be sterilized, and that that’s the single answer to “overpopulation” (claimed by many), then bump the “breed-” or “type-specific” part of any proposed law. Make all dogs undergo a mandatory sterilization and we’ll see how happy people are when in 10 years dogs, as a whole, are extinct (PETA would actually love this, as their overall goal is to end the idea of having pets altogether). And when talking about this you must convey a nationwide or worldwide theme, and assume it would be carried out efficiently, even if the law or idea is only being proposed in random spots. As MLK said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That applies. You fight bans in one spot, even if you are unaffected in a far off and different spot. Critics will say that dogs will never be extinct, even if a mandatory spay/neuter law is put forth and flawlessly enforced in 90% of American cities. That isn’t the point, is it? Those critics are missing (or ignoring) the point!

So that’s simply an example meant to get people to think about this stuff. I don’t support a mandatory anything, because it routinely shows that more laws (poorly aimed, poorly enforced) discourage ownership and increase abandonment, which in this current sheltering culture increases killing. Los Angeles is a prime example. But to those people that do: At least be aware that disingenuous and disgusting Pit Bull-haters are moving to mask their message in an effort to blend in with your good intentions. Think on this.

Watch who you piss off in this town. People will apparently cut you off in an instant for even moving to see another version of the presented reality. That’s what I’ve now learned. And without a word. Good for them. When you need help and ask me, I’ll still give it. Just putting that message out there. I hope that goes both ways. But my questions remain questions. So if I’m to be condemned for seeing someone’s side who is going up against a multifaceted juggernaut, then so be it.

Truth is, it seems that with each week that goes by, almost without fail, another example is provided of how this animal welfare/rescue community is one of the most fractured and vindictive slices of work you could ever get involved in. Sad, but basically true. I hope that me being candid doesn’t serve to make others want to not get involved. Actually, the point of what I’m about to write is meant to inspire exactly the opposite. I want others to get involved, become engaged, speak your truths and try to be as decent as possible. All this is relevant when it’s of popular opinion, and same goes for when it’s not. I don’t claim ownership over all of the facts, nor do I know even remotely close to everything, but I can recognize when something doesn’t make sense and I will state as much.

I actually have to go out of my way to state that “I don’t know all of the facts” and that “I don’t know everything,” because people will actually parrot this back to me as if I’ve ever acted as though either was true. They’re not. I admit that I’m dumb and blind on more than I’m smart and sighted. But I try to pick and choose things that I deem important, and things that I find interesting, and then become as knowledgeable and open to possibility as I can be. That choice makes sense to my own heart and that is really all that matters.

With all that being said, I’ve taken some extreme heat here lately from 2 rather large organizations and their supporters. Much of this comes in public communications from people disagreeing with me, which is totally great and necessary for healthy communication, and I embrace and respect this each and every time as I’m nobody any more important than the next person. But then many times I find myself asking if some of these people actually genuinely disagree with me or are they just defending for the sake of defense? And beyond that, much more is what people don’t see, but what is ultimately being said and done in private, the hidden influence and the gossip, because that’s how most people work.

So, many of you are probably like, “Well, what the heck is this about?” A few days ago I put out a Facebook post questioning the validity of some of the storylines coming from the recent raid in Palm Springs known as “Operation Desert Dogs.” This was done by the Animal Rescue Corps, otherwise known as ARC, on a man that was caring for between 13 and 15 dogs in his home. If you watch the media clips, many which are still available (some that are not), you will hear phrases like these: “Hoarder,” “hoarding situation,” “covered in scars from fighting,” “deplorable conditions,” “animals were not cared for and neglected,” “excessive feces” and “cockroaches coming off of the dogs.” Okay. Sounds really bad. The videos don’t look ^that bad, aligned with all of those statements, even on first view. Now before anyone jumps the gun, I’m not saying that what these videos show isn’t extremely unfortunate, sad, bad, all of it. But I’ve seen “really bad,” and this doesn’t even come close to quantifying as that. Unsafe? Yeah, potentially. Overwhelming? Yeah, for sure. You can clearly see that all of the dogs are of sound weight and are displaying pretty good temperaments during this frenzy. Odd, considering what was stated.

What’s far more odd is that I was actually contacted privately by someone that I know and trust, someone who is actually in direct contact with the man in question, and there seems to be a ton more to this raid/rescue than what meets the eye. First of all, the shelter apparently adopted out an unaltered male dog to this man, while at the same time telling him he was already fixed (they even provided a neuter certificate). He had an unaltered female at home and wala, nature ran its course and by the time he realized it the deeds had already been done. Also, this man actually reached out to (and was covered by) the news back in August of 2012 after he was cited for having an “illegal kennel.” The man who cited him? The same shelter employee who adopted out the unsterilized male! He openly asked for help then, was given no options by the shelter and even turned away when the new litter came. So the guy raised them himself. They gave him 2 months to find homes for the dogs, those 2 months came and passed, they did nothing. Also, he actively tried to surrender 11 of the dogs to the shelter (due to pressure from outside areas and not getting re-homing help from the rescue community) just a week before this raid happened and they turned him away again. Why? Why? Why? Why? And why?

Why was a dog adopted out from the shelter intact, while at the same time telling the adopter that the dog had already been neutered and providing him with a certificate of the neuter to boot? Why did his media appearance from 8/2012 and subsequent requests for help go ignored by the rescue community? Why did the shelter fail to act upon their threat regarding the “illegal kennel”? Why did the shelter turn away the newborn litter? And why did the shelter turn away 11 of his dogs just a week prior to the planned raid? No one can answer any of these questions.

But oh, I have more… Why was there no feces shown laying anywhere in any of the videos or pictures? The conditions were far from ideal, granted, but the words thrown around the media don’t match the numerous visuals. Why were all of his dogs of sound weight, 2 even residing at his private vet during the raid (and they were also seized), and yet the promoted talking points were that he “didn’t care for his dogs” and “neglected” them? Why was a huge 501c3 welfare organization allowed to act under the color of law, in apparent conjunction with the shelter, animal control and the police department? Has the 4th amendment been eroded so badly that 40+ people of no legal authority can rummage through someone’s home, taking pictures and recording video, all to be used to villainize him in the media later? Why would that ever be done in such a way, and to a man that has asked for help and been both ignored and turned away? Why is this man’s personal dog, Bowser, constantly trotted out in front of the cameras as the prime example of how all of the dogs were constantly fighting? This man will tell you that Bowser was found on the streets over 2 years ago and has had those scars the length of their time together, that they came from being beat up pretty badly by multiple Dobermans. He has the vet bills that show that care was provided. Why does this man refute their constant claims that he willingly gave up all of his dogs? And if they really wanted to rescue the dogs, why didn’t they privately work with this man (at any time) in order to do just that, instead of setting all of this up and absolutely dragging him through the mud?

So I called out character assassination and started defending this man on numerous points. I also said that based on many of the things that I’ve now stated here, that it was my opinion that the shelter refused his dogs because the raid was already in the works and had he been able to surrender 11 of his 15 dogs there would have been no justification for any kind of a raid. You take what you want from that. But it’s hard to dispute, especially with the many questions that have gotten no answers. I called it an unnecessary spectacle. Yup. I stand by that.

ARC supporters started calling me a “conspiracy theorist.” They started questioning what kind of animal advocate I was if I didn’t have any problems with the condition of the home. Putting words in my mouth. Then after trying to beat back some of the more extreme judgments about the condition of this person’s home, they then started saying that I was implying that all poor people lived like hoarders. Putting more words in my mouth. Tim Woodward, COO of Animal Rescue Corps, dismissively stated that I was “not even credible enough to take seriously” and then called the points that I raised “hazy conspiracy theories.” There’s that label again. Okay.

So there’s that. And that coupled with all of the backlash that I’ve taken over the last 2 months regarding what is going on with NKLA and their “No Kill December” stuff. Good God, I’m simply asking questions and pointing out some highly legitimate shit. But no, that apparently quantifies me as a “hater” of NKLA. Really? Let me state this again, and again, and again…

I LOVE BEST FRIENDS AND THEIR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE SHELTER ADOPTIONS AND RESCUES AND TO DECREASE KILLING.

I LOVE ANIMAL RESCUE CORPS AND THEIR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS ANIMALS.

I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY. BUT IF YOU WANT TO MAKE ME OUT TO BE YOUR ENEMY SIMPLY BECAUSE I ASK SOME DAMN GOOD QUESTIONS AND ATTEMPT TO BRING FORTH SOME GENUINE POINTS, WELL, THAT’S YOUR PREROGATIVE. THAT STILL DOESN’T MAKE ME YOUR ENEMY, THAT JUST MEANS THAT YOU ARE LYING TO YOURSELF.

SO ONCE AND FOR ALL, I LOVE YOU BOTH AND AM GENUINELY YOUR ALLY IN YOUR NUMEROUS POSITIVE EFFORTS. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I’M A ROBOT THAT DOESN’T HAVE MY OWN THOUGHTS, NOR DOES IT MEAN THAT I’LL STUMP OFF OF A PREDETERMINED SCRIPT IN ORDER TO BLINDLY DEFEND ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. IF THAT IS OFFENSIVE, OR A THREAT TO YOUR GOALS, WELL, THEN THAT’S JUST REALLY SAD. THAT IS ALL.

In my opinion this is one of the most important videos I’ve ever made. Yes, it is a rant. But yes, it is very important. If you are a volunteer, rescuer, shelter staff member or even a manager then please consider what is being said here.

City Council meetings for San Bernardino are the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, the next being 1/21. Councilman John Valdivia oversees the ward where the shelter is located.
To email the San Bernardino City shelter supervisor, Ryan Long: long_ry@sbcity.org

City Council meetings for Rancho Cucamonga are the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, the next being 1/16.
To email the Rancho Cucamonga City Council: council@cityofrc.us
To email the Rancho Cucamonga shelter director, Veronica Fincher: veronica.fincher@cityofrc.us

L.A. County, to the best of my knowledge, doesn’t do City Council meetings. You’d instead need to go directly to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, also known as “the 5 little kings.” They appointed Marcia Mayeda, who oversees all of the county shelters, including Carson. She was responsible for firing Ric Browde, head volunteer at Baldwin Park, simply because he voiced his own opinion on his personal blog.
To email the director of the L.A. County DACC, Marcia Mayeda: mmayeda@animalcare.lacounty.gov

Original Facebook thread showing Lucia (embedded rope).
Video #1 of the SB City kennel mates, Lucia (embedded rope) & Britta.
Video #2 of the SB City kennel mates, Lucia (embedded rope) & Britta.
Video taken while shelter staff informs Maria that she now needs to do public records requests to obtain a report she was freely receiving prior to 1/5/13.

Shelter retaliation against volunteers is illegal, unconstitutional.
Retaliatory Rancho Cucamonga shelter spiraling downward.