Showed that she had Feline Parvoviral Infection, also known as panleukopenia, which house cats can get as well. The poor girl had NO food in her stomach or intestine, and no feces either, which shows she hadn't eaten in awhile. Life in the wild is not easy for these cats, that's for sure.
While it isn't as dramatic as the snake bite theory, I'm glad that we didn't inadvertently kill her, since she ran under the tree to get away from us. I guess we just happened along when she was nearing the end, and she used her last bit of energy in her final run.
May she rest in peace.
Tammy
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Bear, the Bobcat, and the Coyote
What a Wild, Strange Trip it's Been: AKA the Bear, the Bobcat, and the Coyote
I've started walking the dogs back in the woods about 3 miles from my house, near a beautiful creek, which is where I photographed Flag and Chia for this year's calendar. I've actually always been one of the majority of females, I'm embarrassed to admit, who is a big coward in the woods, afraid of being there alone.
It's my theory that this fear in inborn in us, carried forth from times long past where a lone female in the woods was sure to be tortured and killed by either man or beast; therefore, I rationalized, this fear is a survival instinct handed down through the ages, which was certainly not my fault, right? It was just programmed into my genes...
That being said, I'm sure there are brave women out there who go it alone in the woods daily without a second thought. I wasn't one of them.
Walking with the dogs in the woods is a whole 'nother matter, and I'm excited that I feel secure when they are with me. I don't hesitate now to get right out there and revel in the glory of this forest...I absolutely LOVE these woods, they're so mysterious, so gorgeous, so full of peace, something I'm sorely lacking in the rest of my life.
I've finally learned, after repeatedly being told by dog experts, that dogs NEED a good daily walk. For the longest time I figured the large fenced yard should do fine and dandy for them, that they should get plenty of exercise on their own. But dogs aren't like that. They're too busy being up my or Kim's butts all day long to go out and roam the yard. They want to travel as a pack in search of food, as one trainer told me, and it finally hit home with me that I have to really understand their nature, their needs, which go well beyond even just living inside the home as part of the family.
I had to start making this walk a priority, because I'm busy as hell like most of you. Taking time out every day to walk the dogs seemed like something that had to come only 'if there was time', which of course there never was. Meanwhile, I was eating too much (my self-medication of choice...at least it's legal), not exercising at all, and whatever hot sexy body I may have ever had had truly gone to the dogs. The day I decided that this walk had to be a priority was a great day both for the dogs health and well-being, and for my own.
Now if a day goes by that we don't get a walk, either in the forest or the new rails-to-trails near me, I feel guilty for both them and me. When I get ready to go out the door, they are excitedly jumping around thinking it's FINALLY time for our walk...their disappointment thereby becomes my burden.
So we've started walking in these woods some days, usually when it's just me and the dogs because I can let the ones I trust off leash. Kim, my office mate at DDB, went with me a few times back there, but now when she walks we always go to the rails to trails—ever since the day I saw the bear.
I'm assuming most of you had an animal who chased you in your dreams over and over...mine was always a bear. He would chase me through the woods at the farm where I grew up, and I'd finally make it inside the farmhouse, thinking I was safe...but suddenly he'd break through the door and chase me inside the house as well, and I knew there was no place I was safe. At this point I usually woke in terror.
Suffice it to say, a bear is the last thing I really WANTED to see in the woods. The day I saw him we weren't even half way through our walk, I had three dogs on leashes and Heidi, my rottie mix, and Levi, the cocker were loose. I was experimenting with getting the loose dogs to stay behind me so I could be the true pack leader (an exhausting pasttime which I've given up for the present), so I kept telling Heidi and Levi to stay behind me. I looked about 100 yards up the path, and I saw a big black animal with it's back to me, sniffling around in the ground. At first I thought it was Heidi, and I thought to myself, 'I told her to stay behind me'.
I slowly turned and looked behind me, and there was Heidi trotting away...and I thought, 'Uh-oh, if that's not Heidi, then it can only be ONE thing...a BEAR!'
Luckily for me, the dogs hadn't noticed him/her. I'm not sure why, but I'm happy about it, because no one made a peep, which would have alerted the bear to our presence and forced action in a way I may have had no control over. The bear hadn't seen us, since his/her back was to us. So I stopped, thought about my fear of bears, decided this was no time to be challenging these fears, and turned and ran like a little girlie mon back in the direction of the van.
If it's any consolation to those of you who thought I was braver than that, I did laugh at myself while I was doing it, a step in the right direction at least. The dogs were very confused, wondering why we were cutting our walk so short, and why we'd suddenly taken up running. I figured I'd explain it all to them later.
If I were truly as cowardly as my running seems, I would not go back in the woods again, but the opposite has in fact been true. I've gone back time and again, always keeping my eye out for the bear, but enjoying sharing the woods with other living beings and gradually relaxing a bit more again. I haven't seen him/her since.
I started experimenting with letting the other dogs off leash, and they're all doing pretty well except for Magnum. He's had three offleash chances, but he just doesn't get it, and takes off in the opposite direction the second he's let off the leash. He doesn't seem to have the pack mentality he needs to have to stick with us. Each time I had to hunt him down or come back and get him later when he'd run himself out and finally decided to come looking for me.
This actually works out better for me, because it gives me a reason to keep one dog leashed up close to me. I noticed that when they were all running around, which was a joy to watch, I felt pretty insecure, realizing if something came right up to me I would have no dog next to me to protect me. So Maggy, whether he likes it or not, is my guard dog on the woods-walks.
This Sunday was a GORGEOUS fall day. Both days this weekend were awesome; Saturday we'd walked in the woods in the late afternoon, and I'd taken my camera along to capture the beauty of the fall leaves. We've had a glorious fall for leaf color, after the disappointing show the past few years. The heavens smiled upon us this year, and the colors were vibrant. I thought I'd walk them in the afternoon again; but, wanting to procrastinate with work, and seeing the sky so blue, I asked the dogs if they wanted to go early. They did, so off we went.
I took my camera along again, but as luck would have it, left it sitting on the passenger seat of the van. I had Magnum on leash, and was carrying one more leash, just in case. This left only Heidi, Miss Deer, and Cassie offleash. We were nearing the spot where I usually turn around, probably a mile back in the woods, when something growled at Miss Deer, who came running like a girlie dog back to her mommy. My first thought was a badger, which we apparently don't have in Pennsylvania (you'll see that my knowledge of PA critters is very poor, although improving as I go), and my second thought was that someone dropped a cat off in the woods.
Of course, a homeless and needy cat would have been unacceptable to my rescuer mentality. I had to see what it was in case I needed to take it along home with me...so I walked toward the end of the path where it dropped down to a high, grassy area. Suddenly, out sprang a bobcat, shocking the crap out of me, and probably her too! (I didn't know for sure what she was, as I said, my knowledge is/was poor.) She ran about 20 feet to the small stream, and crawled under a tree that hung over the stream's edge, it's roots creating a cavern beneath.
Miss Deer ran after her, so Magnum and I went down to see her and get Miss Deer away from her. Miss Deer probably would have lost a battle with a bobcat, but I wasn't taking chances of either of them harming the other. She was standing in the water looking right at me from probably about 20 feet away, and she was the most gorgeous creature I'd ever seen! I was so ticked I didn't have my camera...her image is emblazoned in my memory, but will never be seen by anyone else, and will surely fade over time.
Immediately after all this happened, and only about 100 yards away, a coyote howled, a very piercing yip and a howl together. Once again, not knowing PA wildlife, I thought it could be wolf or coyote, but I've since learned we don't have wolves here...not sure I'm buying it. Turns out from my research, the eastern coyotes seem to be a cross between the western coyote and the wolf, so I was kinda right either way.
By this point I'm pretty freaked out, like, WTF is going on here? I'd somehow landed in the wooded version of the twilight zone. After seeing no more than a chipmunk for the past 20 or so walks, I was suddenly being inundated with new and somewhat scary critters! I'd hoped it was one of my dogs who decided to take up howling, but they were all right with me until that point, when a couple of them decided to go investigate where THAT noise came from.
I figured the best thing to do was get the dogs and continue down the path a bit further, giving the bobcat time to get out from under the tree and either climb or find another spot further away where we wouldn't run across her again. And giving the, hopefully lone, coyote time to go in another direction himself.
Ten minutes later, when we got back to the same spot, the bobcat was now on top of the roots, and Heidi ran over to check her out. I wondered why she was still there, but I wanted to get Heidi out of there and away from her. When I got over there, she had crawled in between a root, and was just laying there in a funny position. I suddenly realized that she didn't seem ok, that there must be something wrong with her. This of course put me in a quandary, because you can't just walk up to a bobcat and give it a hand they way you could do with a housecat. Meanwhile, all the dogs were barking at her, and I had no idea how to proceed. I got the other leash I'd carried with me, and leashed Heidi and Magnum to a tree to keep them away from her. (Yes, I admit, I did it! Chained ma durn dogs to a tree...but I swear, it was only for a few minutes and out of grave necessity.)
The bobcat was now sitting in the water, but she was swaying back and forth. I needed to help her get out of the water, so I got a large stick and tried to put it under her to drag her to the edge. She didn't take kindly to it, and with what little strength she had she growled and hissed and struck at the stick, which helped me pull her toward shore. When she was close to the edge, her head fell forward into the water, and she started drowning. I was able to get her head up with a smaller stick, still afraid she'd bite me, and finally she was too weak to even growl anymore. I knew at this point she was dying. I was able to pull her totally out of the water with my hands, and I sat with her for five minutes until she died.
It was so damn sad!
And confusing...I could swear that when I first saw her she was a normal, healthy bobcat. And then suddenly she was dead. I had been SO excited and felt so privileged to see a bobcat in the wild, something most people never get to see, and so bummed I didn't have my camera. And then she was gone, a mere shell of the vibrant being I'd seen 1/2 hour ago.
I went through quite a few theories...rabies, some other disease, worn out from the coyote chasing her, lack of food...my latest theory, and the one which seems most plausible to me, is that she was bitten by a rattlesnake or a copperhead when she went under the tree, and it killed her that fast. Seems to be the only thing that makes sense, the only thing that would cause her to fail so suddenly.
I didn't want to leave her there, and not knowing whether she was endangered or not or what to do with her, I decided to carry her out with me. This was no easy task, given that I had to keep Magnum on a leash, and she weighed a good 20 lbs. It was at least a mile to the car.
When I finally made it home with her, I called the game warden, but since it was a Sunday I doubted anyone would get back to me right away. I ended up putting her in my freezer (quadruple-bagged, just seemed gross) to await instructions from the game warden. God forbid I get arrested for doing the wrong thing with wildlife, and I had no idea what 'proper protocol' was in this sort of case.
He did come by and pick her up on Monday. I learned that she should have been refrigerated and not frozen, but he was very nice about it all. They are doing testing now to see if they can determine the cause of death.
When/if I find out, I'll let ya know. One last thing worth mentioning, I thought the game warden would tell me "for my safety's sake, I should stay out of the woods" (keep the little ladies safe and all)...and he didn't! He told me to get myself a whistle, and keep on walking back there, which I thought was pretty cool. Seems he's the only one who thinks I should continue to walk my dogs in the wilds of Pennsylvania....
Here's my video of her, after death.
I've started walking the dogs back in the woods about 3 miles from my house, near a beautiful creek, which is where I photographed Flag and Chia for this year's calendar. I've actually always been one of the majority of females, I'm embarrassed to admit, who is a big coward in the woods, afraid of being there alone.
It's my theory that this fear in inborn in us, carried forth from times long past where a lone female in the woods was sure to be tortured and killed by either man or beast; therefore, I rationalized, this fear is a survival instinct handed down through the ages, which was certainly not my fault, right? It was just programmed into my genes...
That being said, I'm sure there are brave women out there who go it alone in the woods daily without a second thought. I wasn't one of them.
Walking with the dogs in the woods is a whole 'nother matter, and I'm excited that I feel secure when they are with me. I don't hesitate now to get right out there and revel in the glory of this forest...I absolutely LOVE these woods, they're so mysterious, so gorgeous, so full of peace, something I'm sorely lacking in the rest of my life.
I've finally learned, after repeatedly being told by dog experts, that dogs NEED a good daily walk. For the longest time I figured the large fenced yard should do fine and dandy for them, that they should get plenty of exercise on their own. But dogs aren't like that. They're too busy being up my or Kim's butts all day long to go out and roam the yard. They want to travel as a pack in search of food, as one trainer told me, and it finally hit home with me that I have to really understand their nature, their needs, which go well beyond even just living inside the home as part of the family.
I had to start making this walk a priority, because I'm busy as hell like most of you. Taking time out every day to walk the dogs seemed like something that had to come only 'if there was time', which of course there never was. Meanwhile, I was eating too much (my self-medication of choice...at least it's legal), not exercising at all, and whatever hot sexy body I may have ever had had truly gone to the dogs. The day I decided that this walk had to be a priority was a great day both for the dogs health and well-being, and for my own.
Now if a day goes by that we don't get a walk, either in the forest or the new rails-to-trails near me, I feel guilty for both them and me. When I get ready to go out the door, they are excitedly jumping around thinking it's FINALLY time for our walk...their disappointment thereby becomes my burden.
So we've started walking in these woods some days, usually when it's just me and the dogs because I can let the ones I trust off leash. Kim, my office mate at DDB, went with me a few times back there, but now when she walks we always go to the rails to trails—ever since the day I saw the bear.
I'm assuming most of you had an animal who chased you in your dreams over and over...mine was always a bear. He would chase me through the woods at the farm where I grew up, and I'd finally make it inside the farmhouse, thinking I was safe...but suddenly he'd break through the door and chase me inside the house as well, and I knew there was no place I was safe. At this point I usually woke in terror.
Suffice it to say, a bear is the last thing I really WANTED to see in the woods. The day I saw him we weren't even half way through our walk, I had three dogs on leashes and Heidi, my rottie mix, and Levi, the cocker were loose. I was experimenting with getting the loose dogs to stay behind me so I could be the true pack leader (an exhausting pasttime which I've given up for the present), so I kept telling Heidi and Levi to stay behind me. I looked about 100 yards up the path, and I saw a big black animal with it's back to me, sniffling around in the ground. At first I thought it was Heidi, and I thought to myself, 'I told her to stay behind me'.
I slowly turned and looked behind me, and there was Heidi trotting away...and I thought, 'Uh-oh, if that's not Heidi, then it can only be ONE thing...a BEAR!'
Luckily for me, the dogs hadn't noticed him/her. I'm not sure why, but I'm happy about it, because no one made a peep, which would have alerted the bear to our presence and forced action in a way I may have had no control over. The bear hadn't seen us, since his/her back was to us. So I stopped, thought about my fear of bears, decided this was no time to be challenging these fears, and turned and ran like a little girlie mon back in the direction of the van.
If it's any consolation to those of you who thought I was braver than that, I did laugh at myself while I was doing it, a step in the right direction at least. The dogs were very confused, wondering why we were cutting our walk so short, and why we'd suddenly taken up running. I figured I'd explain it all to them later.
If I were truly as cowardly as my running seems, I would not go back in the woods again, but the opposite has in fact been true. I've gone back time and again, always keeping my eye out for the bear, but enjoying sharing the woods with other living beings and gradually relaxing a bit more again. I haven't seen him/her since.
I started experimenting with letting the other dogs off leash, and they're all doing pretty well except for Magnum. He's had three offleash chances, but he just doesn't get it, and takes off in the opposite direction the second he's let off the leash. He doesn't seem to have the pack mentality he needs to have to stick with us. Each time I had to hunt him down or come back and get him later when he'd run himself out and finally decided to come looking for me.
This actually works out better for me, because it gives me a reason to keep one dog leashed up close to me. I noticed that when they were all running around, which was a joy to watch, I felt pretty insecure, realizing if something came right up to me I would have no dog next to me to protect me. So Maggy, whether he likes it or not, is my guard dog on the woods-walks.
This Sunday was a GORGEOUS fall day. Both days this weekend were awesome; Saturday we'd walked in the woods in the late afternoon, and I'd taken my camera along to capture the beauty of the fall leaves. We've had a glorious fall for leaf color, after the disappointing show the past few years. The heavens smiled upon us this year, and the colors were vibrant. I thought I'd walk them in the afternoon again; but, wanting to procrastinate with work, and seeing the sky so blue, I asked the dogs if they wanted to go early. They did, so off we went.
I took my camera along again, but as luck would have it, left it sitting on the passenger seat of the van. I had Magnum on leash, and was carrying one more leash, just in case. This left only Heidi, Miss Deer, and Cassie offleash. We were nearing the spot where I usually turn around, probably a mile back in the woods, when something growled at Miss Deer, who came running like a girlie dog back to her mommy. My first thought was a badger, which we apparently don't have in Pennsylvania (you'll see that my knowledge of PA critters is very poor, although improving as I go), and my second thought was that someone dropped a cat off in the woods.
Of course, a homeless and needy cat would have been unacceptable to my rescuer mentality. I had to see what it was in case I needed to take it along home with me...so I walked toward the end of the path where it dropped down to a high, grassy area. Suddenly, out sprang a bobcat, shocking the crap out of me, and probably her too! (I didn't know for sure what she was, as I said, my knowledge is/was poor.) She ran about 20 feet to the small stream, and crawled under a tree that hung over the stream's edge, it's roots creating a cavern beneath.
Miss Deer ran after her, so Magnum and I went down to see her and get Miss Deer away from her. Miss Deer probably would have lost a battle with a bobcat, but I wasn't taking chances of either of them harming the other. She was standing in the water looking right at me from probably about 20 feet away, and she was the most gorgeous creature I'd ever seen! I was so ticked I didn't have my camera...her image is emblazoned in my memory, but will never be seen by anyone else, and will surely fade over time.
Immediately after all this happened, and only about 100 yards away, a coyote howled, a very piercing yip and a howl together. Once again, not knowing PA wildlife, I thought it could be wolf or coyote, but I've since learned we don't have wolves here...not sure I'm buying it. Turns out from my research, the eastern coyotes seem to be a cross between the western coyote and the wolf, so I was kinda right either way.
By this point I'm pretty freaked out, like, WTF is going on here? I'd somehow landed in the wooded version of the twilight zone. After seeing no more than a chipmunk for the past 20 or so walks, I was suddenly being inundated with new and somewhat scary critters! I'd hoped it was one of my dogs who decided to take up howling, but they were all right with me until that point, when a couple of them decided to go investigate where THAT noise came from.
I figured the best thing to do was get the dogs and continue down the path a bit further, giving the bobcat time to get out from under the tree and either climb or find another spot further away where we wouldn't run across her again. And giving the, hopefully lone, coyote time to go in another direction himself.
Ten minutes later, when we got back to the same spot, the bobcat was now on top of the roots, and Heidi ran over to check her out. I wondered why she was still there, but I wanted to get Heidi out of there and away from her. When I got over there, she had crawled in between a root, and was just laying there in a funny position. I suddenly realized that she didn't seem ok, that there must be something wrong with her. This of course put me in a quandary, because you can't just walk up to a bobcat and give it a hand they way you could do with a housecat. Meanwhile, all the dogs were barking at her, and I had no idea how to proceed. I got the other leash I'd carried with me, and leashed Heidi and Magnum to a tree to keep them away from her. (Yes, I admit, I did it! Chained ma durn dogs to a tree...but I swear, it was only for a few minutes and out of grave necessity.)
The bobcat was now sitting in the water, but she was swaying back and forth. I needed to help her get out of the water, so I got a large stick and tried to put it under her to drag her to the edge. She didn't take kindly to it, and with what little strength she had she growled and hissed and struck at the stick, which helped me pull her toward shore. When she was close to the edge, her head fell forward into the water, and she started drowning. I was able to get her head up with a smaller stick, still afraid she'd bite me, and finally she was too weak to even growl anymore. I knew at this point she was dying. I was able to pull her totally out of the water with my hands, and I sat with her for five minutes until she died.
It was so damn sad!
And confusing...I could swear that when I first saw her she was a normal, healthy bobcat. And then suddenly she was dead. I had been SO excited and felt so privileged to see a bobcat in the wild, something most people never get to see, and so bummed I didn't have my camera. And then she was gone, a mere shell of the vibrant being I'd seen 1/2 hour ago.
I went through quite a few theories...rabies, some other disease, worn out from the coyote chasing her, lack of food...my latest theory, and the one which seems most plausible to me, is that she was bitten by a rattlesnake or a copperhead when she went under the tree, and it killed her that fast. Seems to be the only thing that makes sense, the only thing that would cause her to fail so suddenly.
I didn't want to leave her there, and not knowing whether she was endangered or not or what to do with her, I decided to carry her out with me. This was no easy task, given that I had to keep Magnum on a leash, and she weighed a good 20 lbs. It was at least a mile to the car.
When I finally made it home with her, I called the game warden, but since it was a Sunday I doubted anyone would get back to me right away. I ended up putting her in my freezer (quadruple-bagged, just seemed gross) to await instructions from the game warden. God forbid I get arrested for doing the wrong thing with wildlife, and I had no idea what 'proper protocol' was in this sort of case.
He did come by and pick her up on Monday. I learned that she should have been refrigerated and not frozen, but he was very nice about it all. They are doing testing now to see if they can determine the cause of death.
When/if I find out, I'll let ya know. One last thing worth mentioning, I thought the game warden would tell me "for my safety's sake, I should stay out of the woods" (keep the little ladies safe and all)...and he didn't! He told me to get myself a whistle, and keep on walking back there, which I thought was pretty cool. Seems he's the only one who thinks I should continue to walk my dogs in the wilds of Pennsylvania....
Here's my video of her, after death.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Grimes Motion Hearing Monday, DA Seeks to Bar Defense Evidence
for immediate release
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Controversial Pennsylvania Dog Rescue Case Goes to Second Motion Hearing October 29th
Blair County D.A. seeks to bar defense evidence from the courtroom
October 24, 2007, Altoona, PA—Dogs Deserve Better founder Tammy Grimes will be back in court October 29th at 9:00 a.m. for a motion hearing to defend against the Blair County DA's attempt to bar her most-compelling evidence—video, photos, and vet testimony of the dog's condition—from the courtroom. Grimes was arrested September 11, 2006 after taking a dog—unable to stand for three days—for veterinary care; then protecting him from returning to the abusive situation.
Grimes maintains that there were clearly Pennsylvania cruelty laws being broken for at least three days by the time she arrived on the scene, and charges should instead be filed against the Arnolds for abuse and neglect.
She states, "We need to take a serious look at a justice system that favors animal abusers, and I would ask what kind of example this is setting for our children. We have ample proof of abuse in this case: neighbor testimony, vet testimony, video and photo evidence. If we as humans see an animal or human dying and in need of immediate help, it is our moral duty to help that being and protect him/her from further harm. A system that instead requires an abused child or animal to be returned to the situation in which the abuse is occurring is corrupt, and must be questioned and examined if we are to evolve as a society."
The dog, who Grimes dubbed Doogie, had been kept safe and lived inside as part of a family until March 1, 2007, when he passed away due to age and a lifetime of neglect. Doogie's body was returned to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where an autopsy was performed. The DA subsequently ordered the body to be held at the vet and returned to the Arnolds.
Grimes continues, "Barring my evidence from the courtroom may change the verdict in my case, but it will never change the truth. The DA knows that, and so do the supporters of our work at Dogs Deserve Better. I am confident that in the end the truth will set both Doogie and I free."
Dogs Deserve Better has put out two new t-shirt slogans poking fun at the Pennsylvania justice system in Grimes' case, and in honor of Monday's motion hearing. "Only in Pennsyltucky: Save a Life=Go to Jail" and "Only in Pennsyltucky: The Best Offense is to Bar All Defense" shirts and other items are available from http://www.cafepress.com/dogsdeserve.
The Grimes case has made national headlines, and has been featured on Inside Edition, the National Enquirer, Animal People, animal magazines, and on blogs all over the internet.
Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France. Grimes was a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Controversial Pennsylvania Dog Rescue Case Goes to Second Motion Hearing October 29th
Blair County D.A. seeks to bar defense evidence from the courtroom
October 24, 2007, Altoona, PA—Dogs Deserve Better founder Tammy Grimes will be back in court October 29th at 9:00 a.m. for a motion hearing to defend against the Blair County DA's attempt to bar her most-compelling evidence—video, photos, and vet testimony of the dog's condition—from the courtroom. Grimes was arrested September 11, 2006 after taking a dog—unable to stand for three days—for veterinary care; then protecting him from returning to the abusive situation.
Grimes maintains that there were clearly Pennsylvania cruelty laws being broken for at least three days by the time she arrived on the scene, and charges should instead be filed against the Arnolds for abuse and neglect.
She states, "We need to take a serious look at a justice system that favors animal abusers, and I would ask what kind of example this is setting for our children. We have ample proof of abuse in this case: neighbor testimony, vet testimony, video and photo evidence. If we as humans see an animal or human dying and in need of immediate help, it is our moral duty to help that being and protect him/her from further harm. A system that instead requires an abused child or animal to be returned to the situation in which the abuse is occurring is corrupt, and must be questioned and examined if we are to evolve as a society."
The dog, who Grimes dubbed Doogie, had been kept safe and lived inside as part of a family until March 1, 2007, when he passed away due to age and a lifetime of neglect. Doogie's body was returned to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where an autopsy was performed. The DA subsequently ordered the body to be held at the vet and returned to the Arnolds.
Grimes continues, "Barring my evidence from the courtroom may change the verdict in my case, but it will never change the truth. The DA knows that, and so do the supporters of our work at Dogs Deserve Better. I am confident that in the end the truth will set both Doogie and I free."
Dogs Deserve Better has put out two new t-shirt slogans poking fun at the Pennsylvania justice system in Grimes' case, and in honor of Monday's motion hearing. "Only in Pennsyltucky: Save a Life=Go to Jail" and "Only in Pennsyltucky: The Best Offense is to Bar All Defense" shirts and other items are available from http://www.cafepress.com/dogsdeserve.
The Grimes case has made national headlines, and has been featured on Inside Edition, the National Enquirer, Animal People, animal magazines, and on blogs all over the internet.
Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France. Grimes was a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
An Artist Seeks to Better the World, An Artist Does no Harm
I received this today from numerous sources...upon searching the internet, it is too disturbingly true:
An "artist" from Costa Rica, named Guillermo Habacuc Vargas, put a starved dog as a work of art, the poor dog died there, he did not want anyone to give him food or water."
PLEASE sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/13031953/petition.html
His photo, his face hurts my heart so violently that I can't inflict that pain onto our supporters...cannot allow them to feel the suffering I feel, feel his ending as I know it. To be so helpless for another living being...to know it's too late for him...to cry and feel like my guts are exposed, but all for naught...to look at his face, want to run to him, protect him, most of all get him water, food.
To feel a hatred for his captor and for those who stand by drinking, socializing, watching "the exhibit." Fuck you.
As an artist I document suffering, push society's boundaries, challenge ideas. As an artist I seek to better the world. Guillermo Habacuc Vargas, the 'human' who starved this dog as part of his exhibit, calls himself an artist. I call him a coward, a murderer.
Worse than a murderer, I call him unfeeling. To deliberately take life, any life, in the name of art defiles the very meaning of art. Art is feeling, feeling art. One without feeling enough to stand and watch death and not intervene, seek to exhibit and promote that death is no more than death itself.
As a rescuer, every cell in my body screams to help this dog. These cells are denied.
As founder of an organization working for chained dogs, I long to step in to give him what he needs. But he no longer needs our help.
Forgive my kind, little old yellow dog. I'm ashamed of my species.
Now it is we who need help, help to come to terms with the cruel world in which we are forced to co-exist with those who abuse and torture our companions.
I wish I had words to soothe your souls, but my soul is too tormented, so betrayed by the cruelty of another artist that I cannot even process the depth of the depravity, cannot fathom the darkness within.
As one arrested for aiding a dog in a similar situation, in essence little more than an 'exhibit' for passers-by and neighbors, I despair of a world where sanity reigns.
Why are abusers not punished, why are those who save life criminals? Those who take life protected, honored? Are we of the same world? Is there a huge dichotomy that we cannot ever move beyond? Are we to suffer the painful deaths that result from bearing constant witness to torture by depraved beings?
I ask these questions and more, silently in my soul, over and over. All my questioning won't help you now, little old yellow dog.
You sweet, precious, innocent little old yellow dog. I'm so sad for you, for us, for humanity. God help us.
Non-profit warns of Halloween dangers to chained dogs
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Tddb@dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447 • Cell 814.207.4586
Non-profit warns of Halloween
dangers to chained dogs
Asks caretakers to keep dogs inside every night—especially on Halloween
Tipton, PA, October 12, 2007 -- For dogs that are kept perpetually chained, a dark, autumn night is just another night to be cold, lonely and longing for affection. On Halloween, a chained dog may also have to fear for his life.
Halloween is a particularly dangerous time for dogs that are kept chained outside, warns Dogs Deserve Better, a non-profit dedicated to ending the suffering endured by dogs that are kept perpetually chained or caged. At Halloween, the group frequently sees an increase in the number of dogs that are helpless victims of attack. Fireworks or rocks are sometimes thrown at them and more horrific crimes, such as dogs being set on fire, have occurred in recent years. In addition, chained dogs can easily become agitated by strangers in or near their yards. Dogs Deserve Better representatives have encountered incidents of dogs breaking free from their chains and attacking trick-or-treaters.
Dogs Deserve Better works on numerous fronts year round to change minds and laws, educating about the dangers 24/7 chaining pose, both to dogs and to people, who can become the victims of chained dogs that grow angry, frustrated, or aggressive from their constant confinement and exposure to the elements.
“Chained dogs are always vulnerable to cruel or mischievous children or adults. However, on Halloween, when people are out at night and often looking for mischief, chained dogs are particularly vulnerable," says Tammy Grimes, founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c(3) non-profit based in Tipton, Pennsylvania. “Around Halloween, our rescuers have encountered chained dogs that have been pelted with various objects, stabbed, even set on fire. The practice of 24/7 chaining is cruel at any time of year, and it is a practice that is starting to be addressed legislatively in states and cities nationwide. Accordingly, Halloween is an ideal time to remind people to think about the suffering endured by chained dogs and to take action -- by talking to people who keep chained dogs, alerting animal control, and otherwise helping to end the suffering.”
In the past two years, California and Texas, as well as hundreds of cities nationwide, have passed laws that put reasonable limits on how long people can chain a dog to a stationary object. Other states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina, are currently considering “anti-tethering” legislation.
Dogs Deserve Better (www.dogsdeservebetter.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has over 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Tddb@dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447 • Cell 814.207.4586
Non-profit warns of Halloween
dangers to chained dogs
Asks caretakers to keep dogs inside every night—especially on Halloween
Tipton, PA, October 12, 2007 -- For dogs that are kept perpetually chained, a dark, autumn night is just another night to be cold, lonely and longing for affection. On Halloween, a chained dog may also have to fear for his life.
Halloween is a particularly dangerous time for dogs that are kept chained outside, warns Dogs Deserve Better, a non-profit dedicated to ending the suffering endured by dogs that are kept perpetually chained or caged. At Halloween, the group frequently sees an increase in the number of dogs that are helpless victims of attack. Fireworks or rocks are sometimes thrown at them and more horrific crimes, such as dogs being set on fire, have occurred in recent years. In addition, chained dogs can easily become agitated by strangers in or near their yards. Dogs Deserve Better representatives have encountered incidents of dogs breaking free from their chains and attacking trick-or-treaters.
Dogs Deserve Better works on numerous fronts year round to change minds and laws, educating about the dangers 24/7 chaining pose, both to dogs and to people, who can become the victims of chained dogs that grow angry, frustrated, or aggressive from their constant confinement and exposure to the elements.
“Chained dogs are always vulnerable to cruel or mischievous children or adults. However, on Halloween, when people are out at night and often looking for mischief, chained dogs are particularly vulnerable," says Tammy Grimes, founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c(3) non-profit based in Tipton, Pennsylvania. “Around Halloween, our rescuers have encountered chained dogs that have been pelted with various objects, stabbed, even set on fire. The practice of 24/7 chaining is cruel at any time of year, and it is a practice that is starting to be addressed legislatively in states and cities nationwide. Accordingly, Halloween is an ideal time to remind people to think about the suffering endured by chained dogs and to take action -- by talking to people who keep chained dogs, alerting animal control, and otherwise helping to end the suffering.”
In the past two years, California and Texas, as well as hundreds of cities nationwide, have passed laws that put reasonable limits on how long people can chain a dog to a stationary object. Other states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina, are currently considering “anti-tethering” legislation.
Dogs Deserve Better (www.dogsdeservebetter.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has over 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Vote for the 2008 DDB Calendar Cover Model, Formerly Chained Dogs
Vote for the DDB 2008 Calendar
"Formerly-Chained-but-Now-Free-and-
Lovin'-Life" Cover Model of your Choice:
6 Choices, 6 Days to Vote, .60 Cents per Vote
Will it be Cassidy, Chia, Douwe, Flag, Sonny, or Taz?
Welcome to our First Ever Group Vote for the "Formerly-Chained-but Now Free-and Lovin'-Life" Dogs Deserve Better 2008 Calendar Model! Each dog pictured was rescued from a chained or penned life, and is now happy, loved, and FREE to enjoy life the way dogs were meant to do...living as part of the family, with responsible and understanding caretakers.
The rules are simple: the dog with the most votes will be our 2008 Cover Model! (But don't worry...they will all find a place INSIDE the calendar.) Also, please limit your votes to 15 per person, in order to make the contest fair to all income levels...
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/2008calendarvote.html
Cassidy
Chia
Douwe
Flag
Sonny
Taz
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/2008calendarvote.html
"Formerly-Chained-but-Now-Free-and-
Lovin'-Life" Cover Model of your Choice:
6 Choices, 6 Days to Vote, .60 Cents per Vote
Will it be Cassidy, Chia, Douwe, Flag, Sonny, or Taz?
Welcome to our First Ever Group Vote for the "Formerly-Chained-but Now Free-and Lovin'-Life" Dogs Deserve Better 2008 Calendar Model! Each dog pictured was rescued from a chained or penned life, and is now happy, loved, and FREE to enjoy life the way dogs were meant to do...living as part of the family, with responsible and understanding caretakers.
The rules are simple: the dog with the most votes will be our 2008 Cover Model! (But don't worry...they will all find a place INSIDE the calendar.) Also, please limit your votes to 15 per person, in order to make the contest fair to all income levels...
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/2008calendarvote.html
Cassidy
Chia
Douwe
Flag
Sonny
Taz
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/2008calendarvote.html
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Dogs Deserve Better, No Chained Dogs
Dogs Deserve Better than life on the end of a chain or in a pen...visit our site at DogsDeserveBetter.org to find help for a chained dog near you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)