arthursanchez.com Blog

Having worked at the SPCA it’s only natural that people send me animal stories. It’s also only natural that I end up aware of a lot of the animal related stories that are out there. So, it’s no surprise, that I was very aware of the Michael Vick controversy when Mr. Vick was caught and convicted of running a dog fighting ring.

Dog fighting is a pretty heinous crime. If you don’t know the details of how one is run then consider yourself lucky. The details aren’t pretty and you won’t feel good about your fellow human beings after you learn them. The worse part is, of course, the abuse the poor animals go through. They don’t know any better. They had no choices. And even after a ring is broken up they often remain the victims because they are deemed too dangerous to live – and they are euthanized.

That’s where the Michael Vick story takes an unexpected turn. The judge in the case decided that Michael should have to pay for rehabilitating his dogs. As a result a bunch of them got a second chance at life.

And that’s where this post gets good. People like sending me the stories of how well the Michael Vick dogs are doing. Now, remember, these are pit bulls that were trained to tear each other limb from limb. And many of them are turning out to be great dogs. Hector is one of those dogs.

Here’s the link to the video of the story. A friend of mine sent it to me. It does a perfect job of showing off what can happen when an animal is taken in by the right person. If you didn’t know Hector’s history you wouldn’t have guessed he was a fighting dog. This is a feel good story so go ahead and click the link – and feel good.

http://www.fox21online.com/animaltales/vicks-victim-enjoying-new-life-minnesota

Ok, like a lot of people I’ve watched in fascinated horror over the Health Care Debate. I used to take such things very seriously and would love to have an intelligent conversation with someone for, and with someone against, the new proposals. I have some questions. But it seems that the “inmates have taken over the asylym” and the crazies are only interested in yelling at one another. So, I’ve pretty much given up hope on any intelligent conversations as the cries of “socialism,” “death panels,” and “defending the constitution,” flies over my head. (Yes, the other side has their catch phrases as well but none of them are catchy enough to remember.)

So then I get an email with this link to a You-Tube video. This guy has made up a song about how “We’re #37″ and he makes a bunch of statements that I find interesting. In fact, I agree with him. So I thought I’d share it with you. It’ll be funny to some, sad to others, and infuriating to the rest. Which I guess is his point. At least I got a laugh out of it and it gave me something to post.

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgOl3cETb4

I’ve been getting so much attention to my posts about Dustin that I thought I’d take advantage of the opportunity to let you know of some other dogs who are desperately in need of homes. Please know that this isn’t meant to make anybody feel bad or guilty. On the contrary, it’s to take advantage of the power of the Internet and alert as many people as possible to the loving animals that are available. It’s like the old shampoo commercial — if I tell ten friends, and they tell ten friend, and so on, and so. Eventuallly, the person who is meant to adopt a certain animal will find out about that animal. And the rest is Kistmet. So if you know anybody who might be ready to adopt, let them know about these guys.

Kathy Cremer emailed me this list from Sabbath Memorial Dog Rescue. Sabbath is facing an eviction notice and, while they are fighting the eviction, are trying to get as many of their dogs adopted as possible. Here’s the gist of the note.

1) First and foremost . . . We need to get as many off the property as we can . . .

2) . . . the animals still need vet care, food and medicines . . . if anyone has the financial means, please donate to Sabbath by:
Mail: Sabbath Memorial Dog Rescue Center
P.O. Box 472933
Miami, Fl 33247

or

go to www.sabbathrescue.org and donate by paypal

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED in adopting, CALL ROBBIE 305-799-1567

BRANDY…Female Lab mix that is as playful as could be. Gets along with all people and other dogs. 65 pounds, 1.5 yrs old w/brindle coat. Great with kids, adults and everyone.

ASHLAND… Great looking Husky mix is only 1.5 yrs old and has one blue eye and one brown eye. He is friendly w/ all persons & other dogs. About 50 lbs now.

JACK… Yellow-Lab mix about 2 years old. He is about 65 lbs & very friendly. A strong dog that likes to play and run. He loves
attention.

BONES…AM BULLDOG mix. 1 yr old. Neutered. Current on vaccines & heart-worm prevention. Found weighing only 30 lbs & now is 90lbs. Full of energy, very friendly & affectionate. He is Alpha so another Alpha in the home would not work.

WHITNEY..is a 5 yr old female pure breed boxer, very sweet & loving. Very mellow but would be better w/ a family of adults & older kids. She is very friendly w/ all people. She really is an excellent dog.

CAMI.. Is a beautiful smooth skinned 2.5 -3.5 yrs old & very sweet. Poor baby was given up by owner due to $$$ problems. We are not sure of her breed but she is a beauty. 60 lbs & good w/other dogs

STARLETTE…Is a beautiful Black Lab mix that is about 3 years old and weights about 60 lbs.Very friendly, playful & affectionate with all. Older kids are ok.

Andie A beautiful small dog that looks like a Rat Terrier mix.She was turned into us after being found roaming the streets in SW Miami. About 20 lbs., very friendly w/all people & good w/other dogs.

BRISCOE… A really fine looking reddish Lab/Chow mix. Under 4 yrs old & weighs about 60 lbs. Fully trained, acts like much young- er & good with dogs & cats.

MISTY…..This girl is a Boxer mix. Only about 2 years old and gets along great with all people and other dogs. She is about 45 pounds and not a big dog. Misty has been with us a few months now and we are hoping someone will adopt her and give her a new home and a new life. She is well worth it. A very good deserving

Being unemployed (yes, I am a victim of the economy) I’m constantly looking for new employment opportunities. So, imagine my surprise (and amusement) when the following two headlines appeared, one above the other, on my Yahoo.com Home Page:

“Florida’s hydroponic pot: House-grown and super-potent”

“Earn your keep on vacation by being an organic farmer”

Hmmm, Florida is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country. Maybe there are opportunities for a bright young man like me in organic farming. AAAAAAnd, Florida’s hydroponic pot seems to be going for $400 a brick ($800 if you sell it in the Northeast). Hydroponic is sort of like organic, isn’t it?

All I can think is that the poor guy who labors to make sure there are new and interesting News feeds going into the Yahoo Home Page every minute of every day must not have been paying attention.

Or maybe it’s a sign. Maybe God wants me to . . . Sorry, sorry, that’s wrong and I know it. May the Good Lord forgive me for such thoughts. But let’s face it, the Devil is having some fun at our expense. I read the article on Florida Pot. Seems it’s really good stuff. Seems it brings in a really good price. And it seems that the number of arrests for growing pot in your living room in Florida has doubled in the last year. No surprise given the economy.

All I can say is that it’s hard enough being unemployed. It’s just wrong to tease people like that. We’re only human.

I know more than a few of you have been following Dustin’s progress. So here’s a quick update.

Dustin is doing great. It’s been a month now and he’s slimmed down a little and has built up some muscle. He thoroughly enjoys the yard, the walks, and chasing balls across the living room floor. He’s a cheat when it comes to tug-of-war in that he’ll work his way up to your fingers and nip you so as to get you to let go of the toy. But it’s without question just play since he has no aggression issues at all. He’s a very mellow and relaxed dog. So far everyone who has met him has fallen in love with him and nobody can understand how he went all this time without being adopted. We’re very happy to have him. He’s still obsessed with the cat but the cat has finally decided to ignore him — so long as he keeps his distance. We are taking this as progress.

Sometimes the world makes me smile. Take this tidbit from late last week. Ninetendo, the makers of video games and video games systems, gave the Queen of England a (get this) gold-plated Wii. Why? Cause it seems that the Queen is a Wii addict. She (according to insiders) spent a lot of time last Christmas playing on Prince William’s Wii set. The good people at Ninetendo (spotting a promotional opportunity when they see one) decided the Queen should have her own Wii console and, since it IS the Queen of England, decided it should be gold-plated. There is no word yet on what the Queen thinks of the gift.

Now I get that the Queen is just like anyone else and probably enjoys a rousing game of Wii bowling. And I get that Nintendo saw an opportunity to get a little press and maybe charm a few British citizens with this gift. But it’s practically June. Six months to gold-plate a Wii console? Come on, that’s dragging your feet. Given the attention span of most gamers they may have completely missed the window of opportunity here. For all we know the Queen may now be on to playing “Halo” on a Sony Playstation. And what does that mean for Sony? They’ll have to come up with a diamond-encrusted Playstation just to keep up.

This could start a whole new kind of arms race.

Today I read an article on Yahoo about a blogging Great-Grandmother whose death is being mourned in Spain. It seems the granny got a blog page as a gift back in 2006 at the age of 95. Since then she dictated her blog entries to her grandson to enter (she had cataracts) and the remembrances of her life and experiences drew over a million and a half visitors. There were over 500 messages of remembrances on her page today. The article (which I’ve just summarized for you) is here: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20090522/wr_nm/us_spain_granny

Cool, huh?

I was particularly touched by this story since I’ve longed lamented the loss of our connection to each other. People rarely live with extended families any more. Grandkids don’t often sit to hear what life was like for Grandpa. The life lessons, family history, stories, family recipes we are all entitled to are being lost. When you consider that for thousands of years that was the only way one generation of human beings could impart to the next generation all the important stuff they’d learned, it seems like a real shame. And technology often doesn’t help. How many of us know a kid who spends so much time with his Ipod that he doesn’t notice what he’s missing.

But technology can also help. I keep up with friends and family on the internet. My neice loves to text me just to text me. And in the case of this grandmother an entire world got to know one little old lady and to hear her stories. Her life, her lessons, and her thoughts will be remembered.

If that isn’t something to aspire to then I don’t know what is.