This is a new one for me, ironically. When I consider how much my pets rule my life, I'm shocked I haven't written more about the treatment and care of our pets. Really! I have 4 cats, a German Shepherd, and my sister and I are forever picking up and rehoming strays. So, now that I've had an epiphany, with the help of said sister, I am going to start a series of blog posts about pets. I have no clue how many "Parts" this series is going to be broken up into...10? 15? ...108? Who knows?!
These pet posts will be available at: http://simplyfurry.blogspot.com/ as well as here on my personal blog.
Aaaaand, here we go:
Topic #1: PETS ARE FOREVER!
If you commit yourself to doing hours of research, driving to the pet store, breeder, or local shelter, paying the adoption/purchase fee, buying food, beds, toys, tanks, filters, heat lamps, I.D. tags, and whatever else your animal requires, you're committing yourself to caring for an animal for the rest of its natural life.
Pets are not status symbols. They're not a method to "keep up with the Joneses." They're not toys. They're not anniversary gifts. They're not temporary distractions from heartache. They're not lawn ornaments.
They are a life-time commitment. Period.
With this commitment comes a lot of responsibility. You know what responsibility is, if you're over the age of ten. Your parents (if they were worth their salt), your teachers, your pastor, they all tried to teach you how to be responsible for your decisions, how to own up and follow-through with your commitments. They wanted you to be a person whose word is solid and reliable. Don't forget that when you bring an animal into your home.
Dogs typically live between 7 and 15 years, cats can be as old as 20, birds and turtles/tortoises live for decades! That's YEARS of costly vet visits, thousands of pounds of food, gallons upon gallons of water, millions of little pet turds to clean up, hundreds of training hours, and every drop of blood, sweat, and tears that you're capable of shedding.
I think you get the point I'm trying to make, especially if you're an animal lover like myself.
I decided that this post would be the first one, because this is the one that hits closest to home...
My roommates/landlords have an affinity for trying to one-up, people. Their friends get a new car, they get one a year newer. New TV at the neighbor's? Well, theirs is 3-inches bigger! Et cetera! A little competition among friends is good, and to be completely honest, it's just FUN! However, when you bring that competition and desire to be better than your friends, into your choice to get a pet, you...well, you just plain piss me off!
Case in point: My Leonidis, the pain-in-the-ass German Shepherd.
My landlords got Leo (then short for Leonardo) because their coworkers got a GSD puppy, and "Aw, look how cute it is!"
*sigh*
German Shepherds are not a lazy man's dog. Believe me, this dog is no exception!
This adorable pup (now nearly two years old) came into a house with a spoiled Pomeranian (don't even get me started with that thing...), and two cats, not including my clutch of cats that live in my trailer with me. My roommates' hearts were in the right place, but they just plain didn't have the patience or drive to give this dog what he needed, at an early age, to make him a well-balanced adult. I told them that they needed to train him, because they kept getting upset that he was pooping in the house, or chewing on cords/shoes/the couch. I told them that GSDs need a lot of maintenance, and training, or they go a little...bonkers...yeah, that's a good word!
Their response?
"We'll deal with it later."
REALLY RIGHT NOW?!
Well, as you have probably figured out, "later" never came. Leo's behavior got worse, because he was never taught what not to do, or how to act. He was never socialized with other dogs, or people. Eventually, they decided that they couldn't "deal with him" because he was "dangerous". (He wasn't dangerous. Just bored out of his skull.) He ran over their grandkid, he nipped, he jumped on people, he destroyed everything he could get his teeth on; he was just...bonkers. So, they decided to get rid of him.
I just...
Grrr...
My sister and I said, "No, you're not!"
She decided to take him in, and help him. He needed a lot of it. The only problem with her having him was that she was working 12-hour days, and the roommates she had weren't exactly...responsible enough for her to trust to take care of him when she wasn't there, so he continued with the destructive behavior, even though he did make a vast improvement. When she was home, he was an angel, but he reverted as soon as she left. It was an unhealthy cycle that eventually stressed them both out. Then, he jumped into her neighbor's yard, one day, and her neighbor threatened to shoot Leo. That went over like a ton of bricks, and Leo came back here, under my care.
I have been his official owner, now, for about 3 months and he is a completely different dog. He gets regular exercise. He has rules and boundaries, and he is disciplined when he's being a dick. He's bitten me, a couple times, because he was never properly socialized, he's destroyed (and I mean d-e-s-t-r-o-y-e-d) some of my things. He's chased my cats. He's done all kinds of things that people usually send their pets to the pound for.
I didn't.
I stuck with him, and I pushed through the frustration and the tears, and even the blood, and one day it just clicked. We had a bond, and I was the pack leader. It wasn't easy, and I still consider him a "work in progress", but I've seen enough of a change in him to be able to see that light at the end of the tunnel. I was exhausted and sore, and frustrated beyond belief for the first couple weeks, but I stuck to my guns, and I didn't give him an inch, and now the jumping has all but stopped, the chewing only happens when he doesn't get his daily run, the charging after kids/other dogs/cats has slowed (with the exception of my orange tabby, with whom Leo likes to play tag...there is nothing funnier than an 8-pound-cat chasing a 100-pound-dog around the yard).
That's what I'm trying to tell you people who like to pick up and dump animals left-and-right. To those of you who get rid of animals because they destroyed your favorite shoes, or because they grew out of being "cute, or because you're simply bored with them, or because they got diarrhea on your new carpet, or because you had a baby. The animals only act out because you let them. Period.
If you cannot take control of a lesser-species, how the hell do you expect to be successful as a manager, or a parent?
...?
Seriously, though, if you can't control your dog, how the hell are you going to control a group of humans who are probably smarter than you?
Yes that was harsh. Yes, I probably insulted you. No, I don't care.
When it comes down to the choice between a human's feelings and an animal's well-being, I will side with the animal. Every. Time.
Honor your commitment to your four-, two-, no-legged pets.
Yes, there are times when it is in the best interest of the animal that you give up ownership to somebody who is more capable of caring for them. But none of those reasons are ever because you WANT to. Those reasons only come out of need, and those reasons will break your heart, every time.
I've had to rehome pets in my lifetime, because I was homeless, or because my Big Boy (my oldest tabby) was getting attacked. I rehomed a pitbull, because I was living with people who wanted to start a dog-fighting ring, and I had nowhere else to live. I have never rehomed an animal because they were an inconvenience. And, I have cried, as each one of those animals walked out my front door for the last time.
If it doesn't break your heart to "get rid" of them, then don't get rid of them. Find another way to fix whatever problem you're having with them. Change your own routine. Do whatever you possibly can to care for them, and then some, because that's what you signed up for.
Don't back out of the contract because of a little bit of adversity. Cleaning diarrhea out of the carpeting, replacing chewed up shoes, repairing window screens and, yes, even whole doors, are all small potatoes when you consider that no matter how shitty your day was, no matter how many people screamed at you, or how worthless the outside world made you feel, to that animal, you are the one. You are it. You are literally their whole world and they rely on you for their food, their shelter, their drink of water. They don't play unless they play with you. They greet you at the door with open hearts and wagging tails, and lots of kitty purrs, in my case. You're their best-friend, and they will never, ever turn their back on you for anything, ever...
Even when you turn your back on them.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Police Officers: Heroes in Blue, or Villains with Guns?
I want to start this one off by redirecting you to a local news page that posted a video of a incident that occurred last year. I want you to especially concentrate on the comments section of that video. It is...amazing, to say the least.
https://www.facebook.com/KOAA/posts/10203286864874680
Now, I want to direct your attention to my comment; I so very badly wanted to continue my rant, but I decided to turn it into a blog discussion, instead. Yes, I said "discussion". I want to hear from my readers, whomever you are, whether you agree or not. Do you think the officer did the right thing?
For a different perspective, here's another link:
http://www.centredaily.com/2014/03/04/4066904/video-albuquerque-officer-shot.html
This article states, "Ortega is not seen holding a gun in the video...".
That is false. You can clearly see him toss the firearm over the van as he runs.
This is the comment I left on my local News crew's Facebook post about this incident, after reading through the nearly 100 comments:
"Good lord. A lot of hostility toward cops in this thread. I truly hope that none of you ever needs help from the police...wow.
The being said, I absolutely think the officer did the right thing in this instance. He, and other officers, are trained to "Protect and Serve", and to enforce the law. This man BROKE several laws and put people's lives in danger...
If the officer would have let this man go, and he would have been allowed to continue committing crimes, the argument would be that the officer was "negligent". Since he was shot and taken into custody, the officer is suddenly deemed "overzealous"? Really???
Are there crooked cops, and egomaniacs behind the badge? Absolutely, just as there are egomaniacs behind the keyboard (as this comment thread proves).
I absolutely cannot stand this attitude the public takes toward the men and women who protect us. They put on vests and load their weapons, and keep *your* children safe, all while praying to make it home to *theirs*. It's amazing how one group of people can be, simultaneously, the heroes AND the villains...how does that work?"
I'd love to elaborate upon that, further. Here is my full opinion of the police: They are heroes. Period.
These are men and women who put their lives on the line to help complete strangers through difficult times. They dry the tears of abused and battered women. They provide teddy bears to children who have just watched their house burn down. They stop and help stranded motorists along-side busy, treacherous roads. They are out in the elements 365 days a year. No matter what is going on in their personal lives, no matter how bad the weather is, how icy the roads are, how bad that flu is kicking their asses, how deep the flood-waters are...they are there, with the courage to help their community.
They are not teddy bears, themselves. They are armed public servants. They protect their community with deadly force when it is required. When the wolf comes howling at your door, you call the police, because simply the thought of someone coming to your rescue is comforting. They are sheepdogs, overlooking their flock, because they really, truly, just want you to be safe. They want your children to be able to play in the yard without fear of getting kidnapped. They want you to walk to the corner store without fear that you are going to get killed.
Yet, somehow, somewhere along the road, they've become Villains; arch enemies of the people. Children in elementary schools are being taught to fear and loathe the police, by their (no doubt) criminal parents. They are being taught to hate the very people who have the means to help them.
Whaaaa???
I just...
Wow.
Yes, officers sometimes make mistakes. They are human. I truly believe, however, that in the heat of any potentially scary moment, the first instinct is usually the best decision. Could the officer have done something differently? No. In that moment, he did what he believed was the absolute best thing: he stopped a dangerous criminal from going loose, back into society, the quickest way he could. He shot him.
Now, six months later, the media has gotten hold of the tape, and are starting to sling adjectives around. They are calling the man dangerous, "trigger-happy", negligent, overzealous...etc...
(I have to stop here. I need a deep breath, or I'm going to explode...)
It's easy to look back at any situation, from the comfort of an office chair, and say, "That could have been handled more efficiently." However, until you've been placed in the exact scenario, you can never know what that officer was thinking, or feeling, in the seconds before he pulled the trigger and stopped a dangerous fugitive in his tracks.
It's easy to place blame on the officers, because to be frank, officers are easy marks. It's easy to blame them for all the things that have gone poorly in your life:
Late for work? "Damn cop should have just let me go. He didn't *have* to stop me. Surely there are worse things out there than speeders!"
Find yourself landed in a jail cell? "Fuckin' PIG! He could have just let me go! Surely there are worse things out there than drunks."
Got a ticket:? "Jesus Christ! Why did that asshole have to stop me? It's only a headlight!"
...it's easy to redirect blame. It's easy NOT to take responsibility for our own actions. Cops are easy to hate, simply because of the nature of the job. They, in the very basest sense, are professional scolders. Whenever you do something wrong, and get caught, there they are in all their uniformed glory to tell you exactly what you did, and make you pay for it. Nobody likes being scolded, and nobody likes being disciplined.
What nobody considers is what the police officers have seen earlier in the shift, what they've gone through in their careers that make them so hardened, so unlikely to "let things slide."
The public doesn't see the dead pedestrian, caused by a car going too fast to stop at the red light.
We don't see the carnage of a fatal accident, where the driver was drunk; the child who is now parent-less.
We don't see the wife-beater who got away, simply because the license plate lights on his car were out.
We just don't SEE...
I get so very pissed off at people when they trash-talk the police. Perhaps it's because I have friends who are officers, or perhaps it's because my uncle was a Deputy for a short time...or maybe it's just because I was raised right.
Don't take me the wrong way. I'm not an angel. I have my fair share of speeding tickets. I have a misdemeanor on my record. You know why? Because I screwed up. Me. Not them. I am pissed at myself for doing something stupid, not them for doing their jobs...
Until we are thrust into the same situations that the men and women in blue deal with, everyday, for 20 years or more, we cannot understand the split-second decisions they make. Until we walk in their shoes, we cannot judge them for their mistakes. Until we wear the badge, we should leave the Kangaroos out of the Courts.
https://www.facebook.com/KOAA/posts/10203286864874680
Now, I want to direct your attention to my comment; I so very badly wanted to continue my rant, but I decided to turn it into a blog discussion, instead. Yes, I said "discussion". I want to hear from my readers, whomever you are, whether you agree or not. Do you think the officer did the right thing?
For a different perspective, here's another link:
http://www.centredaily.com/2014/03/04/4066904/video-albuquerque-officer-shot.html
This article states, "Ortega is not seen holding a gun in the video...".
That is false. You can clearly see him toss the firearm over the van as he runs.
This is the comment I left on my local News crew's Facebook post about this incident, after reading through the nearly 100 comments:
"Good lord. A lot of hostility toward cops in this thread. I truly hope that none of you ever needs help from the police...wow.
The being said, I absolutely think the officer did the right thing in this instance. He, and other officers, are trained to "Protect and Serve", and to enforce the law. This man BROKE several laws and put people's lives in danger...
If the officer would have let this man go, and he would have been allowed to continue committing crimes, the argument would be that the officer was "negligent". Since he was shot and taken into custody, the officer is suddenly deemed "overzealous"? Really???
Are there crooked cops, and egomaniacs behind the badge? Absolutely, just as there are egomaniacs behind the keyboard (as this comment thread proves).
I absolutely cannot stand this attitude the public takes toward the men and women who protect us. They put on vests and load their weapons, and keep *your* children safe, all while praying to make it home to *theirs*. It's amazing how one group of people can be, simultaneously, the heroes AND the villains...how does that work?"
I'd love to elaborate upon that, further. Here is my full opinion of the police: They are heroes. Period.
These are men and women who put their lives on the line to help complete strangers through difficult times. They dry the tears of abused and battered women. They provide teddy bears to children who have just watched their house burn down. They stop and help stranded motorists along-side busy, treacherous roads. They are out in the elements 365 days a year. No matter what is going on in their personal lives, no matter how bad the weather is, how icy the roads are, how bad that flu is kicking their asses, how deep the flood-waters are...they are there, with the courage to help their community.
They are not teddy bears, themselves. They are armed public servants. They protect their community with deadly force when it is required. When the wolf comes howling at your door, you call the police, because simply the thought of someone coming to your rescue is comforting. They are sheepdogs, overlooking their flock, because they really, truly, just want you to be safe. They want your children to be able to play in the yard without fear of getting kidnapped. They want you to walk to the corner store without fear that you are going to get killed.
Yet, somehow, somewhere along the road, they've become Villains; arch enemies of the people. Children in elementary schools are being taught to fear and loathe the police, by their (no doubt) criminal parents. They are being taught to hate the very people who have the means to help them.
Whaaaa???
I just...
Wow.
Yes, officers sometimes make mistakes. They are human. I truly believe, however, that in the heat of any potentially scary moment, the first instinct is usually the best decision. Could the officer have done something differently? No. In that moment, he did what he believed was the absolute best thing: he stopped a dangerous criminal from going loose, back into society, the quickest way he could. He shot him.
Now, six months later, the media has gotten hold of the tape, and are starting to sling adjectives around. They are calling the man dangerous, "trigger-happy", negligent, overzealous...etc...
(I have to stop here. I need a deep breath, or I'm going to explode...)
It's easy to look back at any situation, from the comfort of an office chair, and say, "That could have been handled more efficiently." However, until you've been placed in the exact scenario, you can never know what that officer was thinking, or feeling, in the seconds before he pulled the trigger and stopped a dangerous fugitive in his tracks.
It's easy to place blame on the officers, because to be frank, officers are easy marks. It's easy to blame them for all the things that have gone poorly in your life:
Late for work? "Damn cop should have just let me go. He didn't *have* to stop me. Surely there are worse things out there than speeders!"
Find yourself landed in a jail cell? "Fuckin' PIG! He could have just let me go! Surely there are worse things out there than drunks."
Got a ticket:? "Jesus Christ! Why did that asshole have to stop me? It's only a headlight!"
...it's easy to redirect blame. It's easy NOT to take responsibility for our own actions. Cops are easy to hate, simply because of the nature of the job. They, in the very basest sense, are professional scolders. Whenever you do something wrong, and get caught, there they are in all their uniformed glory to tell you exactly what you did, and make you pay for it. Nobody likes being scolded, and nobody likes being disciplined.
What nobody considers is what the police officers have seen earlier in the shift, what they've gone through in their careers that make them so hardened, so unlikely to "let things slide."
The public doesn't see the dead pedestrian, caused by a car going too fast to stop at the red light.
We don't see the carnage of a fatal accident, where the driver was drunk; the child who is now parent-less.
We don't see the wife-beater who got away, simply because the license plate lights on his car were out.
We just don't SEE...
I get so very pissed off at people when they trash-talk the police. Perhaps it's because I have friends who are officers, or perhaps it's because my uncle was a Deputy for a short time...or maybe it's just because I was raised right.
Don't take me the wrong way. I'm not an angel. I have my fair share of speeding tickets. I have a misdemeanor on my record. You know why? Because I screwed up. Me. Not them. I am pissed at myself for doing something stupid, not them for doing their jobs...
Until we are thrust into the same situations that the men and women in blue deal with, everyday, for 20 years or more, we cannot understand the split-second decisions they make. Until we walk in their shoes, we cannot judge them for their mistakes. Until we wear the badge, we should leave the Kangaroos out of the Courts.
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