Doggies!

Apparently Michael Vick, of the Atlanta Falcons, has been indicted on charges of "knowingly sponsoring and exhibiting an animal fighting venture" on his property in Surry County, VA. Raising dogs for the purpose of making them fight to the death is a really, really sick thing to do. In rural Tennessee, I am surrounded by this type of thing, and it makes me want to punch people in the face. And then sic a pit bull on them, preferably one of theirs.

I have recently been accused of being afraid of dogs. I am not at all afraid of dogs, I love dogs. I do, however, have a healthy respect for the potential damage a skittish Great Dane or an Over-enthusiastic Malamute (each weighing in at around 140 lbs or more) can do. I was bit in the face by a dog that I was not at all afraid of, until about .0001 seconds after it bit me. I developed a very reasonable fear of that dog at that point, but still was not bothered at all by "Dogs" in the abstract.

Nor was, or am, I afraid of "Pit Bulls" in the abstract. And in the abstract is the only way you can fear "Pit Bulls", because the breed most commonly associated with the term "Pit Bull" is actually, according to the American Kennel Club, called the American Staffordshire Terrier, or "AmStaff" for short. (although the term is sometimes associated with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or the plain ol' "Bull Terrier. And yes, there is controversy among breeders on nearly all of these points.) These dogs have massively strong jaws, and other characteristics that make them ideal for use by sickos with Neanderthal notions of entertainment.

One of the things that has been bred into the breed is a tendency for "Dog-on-dog" aggression. This is a completely separate trait from a propensity for aggression against humans. Keep this in mind if you are pondering adopting an AmStaff. But Remember, potential Adopters...

------ Daily Haiku of the Day™ -------
If You Can't Afford
The Veterinary Bills,
Then NO PET FOR YOU!
---------------------

Or as the bumpersticker puts it (but not in elegant Haiku Form):
If You Can't Afford the VET; You Can't Afford the PET!
This Story is a happier story about a doggy. And in case you were wondering, here are my doggies. They're Kyeeewt!!