Please, please don't ever call me a 'hero' again! Between the judge and the DA, they have taken a word that SHOULD make a person feel good and turned it into something so ugly, I can't even bear to hear it again! What is wrong with these people?
2/22/08. Today Grimes was sentenced to 300 hours community service for a 'people organization', because 'people are dogs too'. She was also ordered to pay for the cost of the trial. This was justified by the judge because she said that Grimes chose to go to trial over ARD, therefore she should have to pay for it. Isn't it every person's right to go to trial? Does that right come with a price tag? Interestingly enough, according to Grimes' attorneys, this is not only NOT OFTEN done, but RARELY done. The costs were around $1700.
She was also ordered within 10 days to take everything Doogie related off any any site she 'has control or influence over'.
We will be appealing most if not all of the sentencing asap.
The absolute worst part of it all was the way she was treated by both the DA and the judge. The saddest thing is that they actually seem to BELIEVE the horrible things they said about her. They seem to actually BELIEVE that the taking of Doogie was a publicity stunt by Grimes, so that she could be a 'hero'. That the Arnolds are 'victims' of her lies, and that 'the dog was just old'.
The DA said he was shocked this was her first offense, because her disrespect for the law and it's officials is like his worst hardened criminals. He also said that everything on the DDB site is a lie, twisted by Grimes to make people believe her. He was seriously ticked off that the Arnolds received Valentines and a brochure attempting to educate them this Valentine's Day. Yet, at trial he insisted DDB should try to educate them, so which is it? Do you want them educated or not?
She is now again not to have any contact with 'the victims'.
The judge said that Grimes was no Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. That she has disgraced herself and her cause, as well as her supporters by her actions. That two wrongs don't make a right. (If she's admitting there were 'two wrongs', then why are the Arnolds still not being convicted of abuse?)
We are saddened by the state of affairs in Blair County, Pennsylvania. Saddened by the people 'in control', and saddened by the beliefs they put out into the world.
Pictures and video do not lie. If it were a he said/she said situation, we could understand how they would believe the Arnolds when they say the dog was just old. But with the abundance of evidence of neglect, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for the behavior of both DA Richard Consiglio and Judge Elizabeth Doyle. Pictures and video DO NOT LIE.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Grimes Requests Jailtime for her Actions in Saving Doogie
To view this statement on YouTube, visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI0xStNQSnU
On December 14, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property for coming to the aid of this dog, who lay chained, unable to stand, and suffering in an East Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard.
Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty on the part of the dog's caretakers, no charges were ever brought against them by either the humane officer or the police. A private criminal complaint filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better languishes unaddressed on the desk of DA Richard Consiglio.
Both video evidence of the dog struggling to get up and after-photos and video of the dog walking were suppressed from the jury. These videos are currently available for viewing on YouTube and our site.
I am to be sentenced by Judge Elizabeth Doyle on February 22, 2008. I am expected to receive a fine and/or community service, as well as probation for this supposed crime. I am morally and ethically unable and unwilling to pay any fine that goes to pay the salaries of those who use power wrongly; those who punish citizens for helping animals and allow animal abusers to go free will not receive monetary support from me.
The DA has taken flack in the opinion columns of local newspapers for wasting Blair County taxpayer money on my trial. His solution? To charge ME for the cost of the trial, reported to be over $1000. He expects me to pay costs for a jury who knew nothing of jury nullification, and knew not that they were free to exercise their own judgment based on their consciences rather than follow the advice of those in power just because they said they had to. They were therefore railroaded into a conviction by the actions of the DA and Judge Doyle.
It is not enough for Mr. Consiglio to drag my name and the name of Dogs Deserve Better through the mud in order to distract our citizens from the fact that cruelty laws were already being broken, and that the humane officer and the police failed to do their jobs. He would have me foot the bill for it. As a taxpayer of Blair County, Pennsylvania, I have already contributed my share to this trial. I will contribute no more.
As founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, I do community service virtually ever day of my life. If fact, I was performing community service the day I picked an aged and dying dog out of the mud and got him the veterinary care he was entitled to by law.
I am a law-abiding citizen of both Pennsylvania and the United States of America. I have served my country as a top-secret cleared linguist in the U. S. Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant at my first available opportunity, and honorably discharged in 1988. I strive very hard to obey all laws that seem fair and do not cause harm to others. I stop short of obeying any law that would force me to watch a dog die in the dirt, just because he is considered mere property of another. I will continue to fight for better laws for man's best friend, as well as shine a light on the current lack of enforcement of existing cruelty laws.
This dog was not just another piece of trash that a Pennsylvania couple could allow to die unassisted, chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces in their yard. Doogie had the right to live or the right to a death free from cruelty, and the right to veterinary help by Pennsylvania law.
It is incumbent upon Blair County voters to remove from office anyone who by their actions or inactions condones animal cruelty and abuse and punishes those who seek to help these animals. This includes Judge Elizabeth Doyle and DA Richard Consiglio.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "noncooperation with evil is just as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." And Thoreau stated "Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison...where the state places those who are not with her, but against her—the only house in a slave state in which a free man or woman can abide with honor."
The only way for me to maintain a clear conscience is to choose prison as punishment for my crime. I hereby request that Judge Doyle jail me for however many days I should be imprisoned for the taking of a piece of property who's value, while stated in the misdemeanor charges at 0-$50, after vet fees was more like negative $960.65. However, as one of our supporters said, Doogie's freedom from abuse and restoration to health was truly more valuable than any precious gem; it was indeed priceless.
On December 14, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property for coming to the aid of this dog, who lay chained, unable to stand, and suffering in an East Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard.
Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty on the part of the dog's caretakers, no charges were ever brought against them by either the humane officer or the police. A private criminal complaint filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better languishes unaddressed on the desk of DA Richard Consiglio.
Both video evidence of the dog struggling to get up and after-photos and video of the dog walking were suppressed from the jury. These videos are currently available for viewing on YouTube and our site.
I am to be sentenced by Judge Elizabeth Doyle on February 22, 2008. I am expected to receive a fine and/or community service, as well as probation for this supposed crime. I am morally and ethically unable and unwilling to pay any fine that goes to pay the salaries of those who use power wrongly; those who punish citizens for helping animals and allow animal abusers to go free will not receive monetary support from me.
The DA has taken flack in the opinion columns of local newspapers for wasting Blair County taxpayer money on my trial. His solution? To charge ME for the cost of the trial, reported to be over $1000. He expects me to pay costs for a jury who knew nothing of jury nullification, and knew not that they were free to exercise their own judgment based on their consciences rather than follow the advice of those in power just because they said they had to. They were therefore railroaded into a conviction by the actions of the DA and Judge Doyle.
It is not enough for Mr. Consiglio to drag my name and the name of Dogs Deserve Better through the mud in order to distract our citizens from the fact that cruelty laws were already being broken, and that the humane officer and the police failed to do their jobs. He would have me foot the bill for it. As a taxpayer of Blair County, Pennsylvania, I have already contributed my share to this trial. I will contribute no more.
As founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, I do community service virtually ever day of my life. If fact, I was performing community service the day I picked an aged and dying dog out of the mud and got him the veterinary care he was entitled to by law.
I am a law-abiding citizen of both Pennsylvania and the United States of America. I have served my country as a top-secret cleared linguist in the U. S. Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant at my first available opportunity, and honorably discharged in 1988. I strive very hard to obey all laws that seem fair and do not cause harm to others. I stop short of obeying any law that would force me to watch a dog die in the dirt, just because he is considered mere property of another. I will continue to fight for better laws for man's best friend, as well as shine a light on the current lack of enforcement of existing cruelty laws.
This dog was not just another piece of trash that a Pennsylvania couple could allow to die unassisted, chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces in their yard. Doogie had the right to live or the right to a death free from cruelty, and the right to veterinary help by Pennsylvania law.
It is incumbent upon Blair County voters to remove from office anyone who by their actions or inactions condones animal cruelty and abuse and punishes those who seek to help these animals. This includes Judge Elizabeth Doyle and DA Richard Consiglio.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "noncooperation with evil is just as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." And Thoreau stated "Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison...where the state places those who are not with her, but against her—the only house in a slave state in which a free man or woman can abide with honor."
The only way for me to maintain a clear conscience is to choose prison as punishment for my crime. I hereby request that Judge Doyle jail me for however many days I should be imprisoned for the taking of a piece of property who's value, while stated in the misdemeanor charges at 0-$50, after vet fees was more like negative $960.65. However, as one of our supporters said, Doogie's freedom from abuse and restoration to health was truly more valuable than any precious gem; it was indeed priceless.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Simple yet Truly Kind Gesture
This morning I was eating breakfast alone at my favorite breakfast establishment, Friendly's. I love them because they are always nice, but mostly because you can substitute home fries for meat, and garden vegetables for toast. Yummy and almost downright healthy if you don't count the deep-frying!
So there I was, one of only three customers in the place. My waiter, a cute 20-30ish boy with tattoos and a nice smile who I had seen in there before (and maybe I did think for a moment about getting a closer look at those tattoos), was pleasant but we didn't chit chat or anything like that. I tend to be on the shy side, which many people don't believe, but it's true.
I had no book to read because I'd inadvertently left it at the VA. (Apparently when I picked up my antiobiotic for possible Lyme's Disease...which I may or may not have gotten from the deer tick I found embedded in my head a week and a half ago, totally creeping me out...but as always when this happens, I figure God took it because someone else needed it more than me...the book, not the tick...so I just let it go.) Bottom line, I was done and kinda aimlessly sitting there waiting for the check cause I had nothing better to do.
The cute waiter comes over and tells me there's not going to be a check today. Now, this has never happened to me before and I'm thrown for a loop, so I say, 'what do you mean?' He says 'I'm getting it, you're not paying today'. Now even more confused, I say, 'why?'
And that's when he says the words that just may have changed my life, but I don't know how yet.
He says, 'I know who you are, and I know what you do.'
Wow. I'm not sure I've ever been so touched.
A simple gesture of kindness when least expected can truly change your world.
Thank you, cute tattoo waiter. Truly.
So there I was, one of only three customers in the place. My waiter, a cute 20-30ish boy with tattoos and a nice smile who I had seen in there before (and maybe I did think for a moment about getting a closer look at those tattoos), was pleasant but we didn't chit chat or anything like that. I tend to be on the shy side, which many people don't believe, but it's true.
I had no book to read because I'd inadvertently left it at the VA. (Apparently when I picked up my antiobiotic for possible Lyme's Disease...which I may or may not have gotten from the deer tick I found embedded in my head a week and a half ago, totally creeping me out...but as always when this happens, I figure God took it because someone else needed it more than me...the book, not the tick...so I just let it go.) Bottom line, I was done and kinda aimlessly sitting there waiting for the check cause I had nothing better to do.
The cute waiter comes over and tells me there's not going to be a check today. Now, this has never happened to me before and I'm thrown for a loop, so I say, 'what do you mean?' He says 'I'm getting it, you're not paying today'. Now even more confused, I say, 'why?'
And that's when he says the words that just may have changed my life, but I don't know how yet.
He says, 'I know who you are, and I know what you do.'
Wow. I'm not sure I've ever been so touched.
A simple gesture of kindness when least expected can truly change your world.
Thank you, cute tattoo waiter. Truly.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Just Another Piece of Garbage? I Don't Think So!
Online link to the article
Every week at Dogs Deserve Better we receive pictures of chained dogs that are obviously just another piece of trash, left and forgotten, in the caretaker's yard. The dog sits, day after day and year after year, amidst old junk cars, broken toys, rusted tools, and nameless and sundry other used up and broken paraphenalia, becoming too sad to even bark or make a fuss anymore.
I believe a good portion of the blame for the pervasiveness of this attitude rests upon the shoulders of this state's law enforcement agencies and judicial system. Three recent Pennsylvania cases not only support this argument, but were, in fact, what has led me to this conclusion.
Contrary to what many of us may think, Pennsylvania DOES in fact have anti-cruelty laws in place. They state: A person commits a summary offense if he wantonly or cruelly ill-treats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and keep it dry. A person convicted of a summary offense should pay a fine of not less than $ 50 nor more than $ 750 or to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.
So why does Pennsylvania have so many cases of dead and dying dogs, oftentimes abandoned on the end of a chain or locked in a shed where they remain until death?
The problem seems to lie in the actual ENFORCEMENT of these laws. More often than not they are simply not enforced. The police feel it is not their job to enforce them, and the humane officers, few that there are, are both overwhelmed and beaten down by a judicial system that all too frequently sides with the abusers. They become lackadaisical about enforcement because they know whatever work they put into building a case, the judge may very well throw it out and let the abuser walk. There is no reward for their efforts on behalf of the animal, only loss after loss in the courtroom, leading to an eventual paralysis of both heart and mind.
Recently in Centre County, PA, Dogs Deserve Better volunteers twice tried to get a humane officer to go look at chained dogs to ascertain if laws were being broken. They were told both times that the officer had more than 30 counties to oversee, and there was no way she could get there anytime in the near future. What happens to a dog who is near death in these counties without adequate humane enforcement and police who feel it's not their job? I think we all know the answer to that. And I think it's happening daily, with no one held accountable for yet another death of another helpless companion.
The attitude that dogs in Pennsylvania are JUST PROPERTY, and can be treated as such, is archaic and in need of some serious overhaul. In a sad nod to the effects of this 'just property' notion, and in what may horrifyingly become a legal trend, is convicting animal abusers of 'scattering rubbish' instead of the actual crime of cruelty to animals.
Scattering rubbish, a dead dog? With insane verdicts such as these appearing in our state newspapers and other media, the court system and law enforcement agencies are putting forth and reinforcing the notion that dogs are just another piece of garbage; that it's ok to kill a dog as long as you dispose of it properly. This lends credence to the already prevalent notion amongst Pennsylvania's animal abusers that dogs are not living breathing creatures deserving of our respect and just treatment according to the law, but merely chattel, refuse, something worthless and of no value. That you can dispose of one and get another with no consequences and no thought.
On January 8, 2008 in Stroudsburg, PA, Arnold Wheeler was acquitted of animal cruelty charges in the 2006 shootings of three of his dogs. Wheeler use a .22-caliber rifle to shoot a 2 year old male dog 4 times, an 8-month-old female dog 3 times, and another female with puppies 1 time, and then dumped their bodies off along the road. For these crimes he walked, but was instead convicted of scattering rubbish for dumping the dog's bodies. He was ordered to pay a $200 fine and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Then on January 24th, 2008, Cheryl Magnotta of Smethport, PA was sentenced for 6 counts of animal cruelty, after pleading guilty to abandoning 21 Great Danes and leaving them to die of starvation on her property. She was initially charged with 44 counts of 'scattering rubbish' and 21 counts of animal cruelty, but she pled out of all 44 counts of rubbish charges and all but 6 of the animal cruelty charges. She received time served and probation.
On September 11, 2006, I helped a dog left to die on the end of a chain in a yard, a useless 'piece of refuse' who could no longer stand or even bark. Despite video and photo evidence of cruelty, as well as eye-witness and vet testimony, no charges were ever filed by either the police or the humane officer against the dog's caretakers. Private criminal charges filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better remain 'in limbo', probably in a 'let's avoid this' stack of charges on the DA's desk. Instead, I was arrested for 'stealing their property', and refusing to give it back when it was demanded of me. I was convicted and will be sentenced on February 22th...for standing up for 'just another piece of Pennsylvania garbage'.
Maybe, and that's a big maybe in East Freedom, Pennsylvania, if Doogie had died that day and been dumped along the road by the Arnolds, they too would have been convicted of 'scattering rubbish'. We will never know, because this one time someone stepped in and picked up the trash before it was all the way dead. With my conviction, the message being sent once again to the Pennsylvania public is that it's ok to kill your dog, because it's just another piece of junk laying in your yard; treat it as you see fit.
Just make sure you dispose of it properly when you're done.
Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better, www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Every week at Dogs Deserve Better we receive pictures of chained dogs that are obviously just another piece of trash, left and forgotten, in the caretaker's yard. The dog sits, day after day and year after year, amidst old junk cars, broken toys, rusted tools, and nameless and sundry other used up and broken paraphenalia, becoming too sad to even bark or make a fuss anymore.
I believe a good portion of the blame for the pervasiveness of this attitude rests upon the shoulders of this state's law enforcement agencies and judicial system. Three recent Pennsylvania cases not only support this argument, but were, in fact, what has led me to this conclusion.
Contrary to what many of us may think, Pennsylvania DOES in fact have anti-cruelty laws in place. They state: A person commits a summary offense if he wantonly or cruelly ill-treats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and keep it dry. A person convicted of a summary offense should pay a fine of not less than $ 50 nor more than $ 750 or to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.
So why does Pennsylvania have so many cases of dead and dying dogs, oftentimes abandoned on the end of a chain or locked in a shed where they remain until death?
The problem seems to lie in the actual ENFORCEMENT of these laws. More often than not they are simply not enforced. The police feel it is not their job to enforce them, and the humane officers, few that there are, are both overwhelmed and beaten down by a judicial system that all too frequently sides with the abusers. They become lackadaisical about enforcement because they know whatever work they put into building a case, the judge may very well throw it out and let the abuser walk. There is no reward for their efforts on behalf of the animal, only loss after loss in the courtroom, leading to an eventual paralysis of both heart and mind.
Recently in Centre County, PA, Dogs Deserve Better volunteers twice tried to get a humane officer to go look at chained dogs to ascertain if laws were being broken. They were told both times that the officer had more than 30 counties to oversee, and there was no way she could get there anytime in the near future. What happens to a dog who is near death in these counties without adequate humane enforcement and police who feel it's not their job? I think we all know the answer to that. And I think it's happening daily, with no one held accountable for yet another death of another helpless companion.
The attitude that dogs in Pennsylvania are JUST PROPERTY, and can be treated as such, is archaic and in need of some serious overhaul. In a sad nod to the effects of this 'just property' notion, and in what may horrifyingly become a legal trend, is convicting animal abusers of 'scattering rubbish' instead of the actual crime of cruelty to animals.
Scattering rubbish, a dead dog? With insane verdicts such as these appearing in our state newspapers and other media, the court system and law enforcement agencies are putting forth and reinforcing the notion that dogs are just another piece of garbage; that it's ok to kill a dog as long as you dispose of it properly. This lends credence to the already prevalent notion amongst Pennsylvania's animal abusers that dogs are not living breathing creatures deserving of our respect and just treatment according to the law, but merely chattel, refuse, something worthless and of no value. That you can dispose of one and get another with no consequences and no thought.
On January 8, 2008 in Stroudsburg, PA, Arnold Wheeler was acquitted of animal cruelty charges in the 2006 shootings of three of his dogs. Wheeler use a .22-caliber rifle to shoot a 2 year old male dog 4 times, an 8-month-old female dog 3 times, and another female with puppies 1 time, and then dumped their bodies off along the road. For these crimes he walked, but was instead convicted of scattering rubbish for dumping the dog's bodies. He was ordered to pay a $200 fine and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Then on January 24th, 2008, Cheryl Magnotta of Smethport, PA was sentenced for 6 counts of animal cruelty, after pleading guilty to abandoning 21 Great Danes and leaving them to die of starvation on her property. She was initially charged with 44 counts of 'scattering rubbish' and 21 counts of animal cruelty, but she pled out of all 44 counts of rubbish charges and all but 6 of the animal cruelty charges. She received time served and probation.
On September 11, 2006, I helped a dog left to die on the end of a chain in a yard, a useless 'piece of refuse' who could no longer stand or even bark. Despite video and photo evidence of cruelty, as well as eye-witness and vet testimony, no charges were ever filed by either the police or the humane officer against the dog's caretakers. Private criminal charges filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better remain 'in limbo', probably in a 'let's avoid this' stack of charges on the DA's desk. Instead, I was arrested for 'stealing their property', and refusing to give it back when it was demanded of me. I was convicted and will be sentenced on February 22th...for standing up for 'just another piece of Pennsylvania garbage'.
Maybe, and that's a big maybe in East Freedom, Pennsylvania, if Doogie had died that day and been dumped along the road by the Arnolds, they too would have been convicted of 'scattering rubbish'. We will never know, because this one time someone stepped in and picked up the trash before it was all the way dead. With my conviction, the message being sent once again to the Pennsylvania public is that it's ok to kill your dog, because it's just another piece of junk laying in your yard; treat it as you see fit.
Just make sure you dispose of it properly when you're done.
Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better, www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
DDB in Review on YouTube by Aubrie Kavanaugh
Hold On...A Look Back at DDB
This slideshow was put together by Aubrie Kavanaugh, a DDB supporter in Alabama. It's a look back at our origins and some of the dogs we've rescued, and it really does touch my heart to see how everyone has pulled together to take in so many dogs and give them the life they deserve.
Thank you, both to Aubrie for such a great production, and to every one of you who has reached out to a chained dog near you.
This slideshow was put together by Aubrie Kavanaugh, a DDB supporter in Alabama. It's a look back at our origins and some of the dogs we've rescued, and it really does touch my heart to see how everyone has pulled together to take in so many dogs and give them the life they deserve.
Thank you, both to Aubrie for such a great production, and to every one of you who has reached out to a chained dog near you.
10,000 Addresses? No Sweat...Just Get Me One Each!
Meet my newest foster, Delilah. (Rumor has it is considering me for her new mommy...she talks in her sleep when she's snuggled up to me at night, and I swear I heard her say it!)
She, like Riley who so many of you generously sponsored this Holiday Season, had been living on a chain without even the ability to see to relieve the daily boredom, loneliness, and yearly sojourn into Pennsylvania's winter cold. For she's blind.
Can you imagine even for a moment living your life on the end of a chain not able to see? How terrifying, so helpless to even defend yourself against intruders.
Thanks to a network of Pennsylvania volunteers, Delilah is now free and loving her inside home and family here with me, even sharing in the Christmas joys with her siblings.
Sadly, her beagle friend remains on a chain at the home where she lived; he's a 'huntin' dog', and they would not release him. I have sent them a special letter offering fencing if he could come into the home to live with them, but have not heard back yet. He will be one of the 25 new addresses I am personally pledging for our 2008 Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Campaign. But I know there are hundreds of thousands more of them out there across America and Canada!
I don't need you to pledge 25, but I am asking each of you to send us just 1 ADDRESS.
If everyone who reads this sends in 1 address, we will have well over 10,000 dogs receiving Valentines this year, and our 2008 HAVE A HEART FOR CHAINED DOGS campaign goal will be met and even exceeded!
To make it 'more anonymous' and easier than ever, I've put a form on the Valentine's page where you can submit your addresses simply and quickly, and include pertinent information such as how many dogs live there and whether they are chained, penned, or in some cases, both.
Drive by chained dogs Daily? Weekly? Please get those addresses today!
Truly don't see a chained dog anywhere near you? Consider making Valentines, sending coupons, or donating to cover the cost of the campaign.
Here's the link to our Valentine's page
Read this great article by Sandy Eckstein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the Valentine campaign:Some construction paper, glue and scissors could help a dog get a better life... Read More
She, like Riley who so many of you generously sponsored this Holiday Season, had been living on a chain without even the ability to see to relieve the daily boredom, loneliness, and yearly sojourn into Pennsylvania's winter cold. For she's blind.
Can you imagine even for a moment living your life on the end of a chain not able to see? How terrifying, so helpless to even defend yourself against intruders.
Thanks to a network of Pennsylvania volunteers, Delilah is now free and loving her inside home and family here with me, even sharing in the Christmas joys with her siblings.
Sadly, her beagle friend remains on a chain at the home where she lived; he's a 'huntin' dog', and they would not release him. I have sent them a special letter offering fencing if he could come into the home to live with them, but have not heard back yet. He will be one of the 25 new addresses I am personally pledging for our 2008 Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Campaign. But I know there are hundreds of thousands more of them out there across America and Canada!
I don't need you to pledge 25, but I am asking each of you to send us just 1 ADDRESS.
If everyone who reads this sends in 1 address, we will have well over 10,000 dogs receiving Valentines this year, and our 2008 HAVE A HEART FOR CHAINED DOGS campaign goal will be met and even exceeded!
To make it 'more anonymous' and easier than ever, I've put a form on the Valentine's page where you can submit your addresses simply and quickly, and include pertinent information such as how many dogs live there and whether they are chained, penned, or in some cases, both.
Drive by chained dogs Daily? Weekly? Please get those addresses today!
Truly don't see a chained dog anywhere near you? Consider making Valentines, sending coupons, or donating to cover the cost of the campaign.
Here's the link to our Valentine's page
Read this great article by Sandy Eckstein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the Valentine campaign:Some construction paper, glue and scissors could help a dog get a better life... Read More
DDB to Pair 10,000 Valentines with Chained Dogs
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
tammy@dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Group set to pair 10,000 valentines with chained dogs
during "have a heart for chained dogs" week, Feb. 7-14
Seeks Elementary School Students, Clubs, Groups, and
Individuals to Make Valentines for Delivery to Chained Dogs Nationwide
Tipton, PA -- January 01, 2008 -- As Valentine's Day approaches, non-profit Dogs Deserve Better is asking for help from dog lovers and others in an unusual direct mail outreach which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs.
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering endured by perpetually chained dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to chained canines across the country. The group includes a brochure for the dog's caretakers, explaining why the antiquated practice of chaining dogs for their lives is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.
By the end of January, the group needs 10,000 addresses for perpetually chained dogs, volunteers to make the Valentines, and donations of coupons for dog treats or dog food.
"Winter is a critical time to reach out directly to the people who chain their dogs, and what better excuse than Valentine's Day to send these forgotten animals a little love," says Tammy Grimes, founder and director of the five-year-old non-profit. "Every winter our rescuers see dogs that have frozen in the snow, suffered frostbite, or otherwise endured horrific living conditions because of the longstanding misperception that it is appropriate to chain a dog outside in any kind of weather."
"This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day, or who live next door to these poor animals, but feel powerless to make a difference," continues Grimes. "People can anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or perhaps make a batch of Valentines, and we do the rest."
Dogs Deserve Better sees success stories every year from its grassroots direct mail campaign. "Of course, we get angry calls from people who are mired in habit or tradition and don't see anything wrong with chaining a dog for 10 or 15 years. However, on the flip side, we always learn of situations where the recipients of our Valentines take the opportunity to think about the suffering they are causing and either bring the dog inside or find the dog a better home."
The creation of the Valentines is an ideal project for schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations. "Children have a natural affinity for animals and they enjoy making art projects," says Grimes, an artist herself.
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, states and cities have, in recent years, started to pass laws against the practice. California passed a law in 2006 and Texas followed suit in 2007. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and South Carolina are among the states currently considering laws that would put reasonable limits on how long a dog may be chained outdoors. Hundreds of cities have passed, or are considering, similar legislation.
Meanwhile, countless "backyard dogs" are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in leaky, uninsulated doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention. Perpetually chained dogs can become aggressive or insane from their constant confinement, often posing a danger to people.
Dogs Deserve Better provides a variety of services to people who agree to take their dogs off their chains, including providing help with socialization, housetraining, and fencing.
For more information about the Valentine's Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Valentines, addresses and donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 23, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684.
For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
END
Note: For hi-resolution photos, please visit the site at
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html.
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
tammy@dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Group set to pair 10,000 valentines with chained dogs
during "have a heart for chained dogs" week, Feb. 7-14
Seeks Elementary School Students, Clubs, Groups, and
Individuals to Make Valentines for Delivery to Chained Dogs Nationwide
Tipton, PA -- January 01, 2008 -- As Valentine's Day approaches, non-profit Dogs Deserve Better is asking for help from dog lovers and others in an unusual direct mail outreach which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs.
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering endured by perpetually chained dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to chained canines across the country. The group includes a brochure for the dog's caretakers, explaining why the antiquated practice of chaining dogs for their lives is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.
By the end of January, the group needs 10,000 addresses for perpetually chained dogs, volunteers to make the Valentines, and donations of coupons for dog treats or dog food.
"Winter is a critical time to reach out directly to the people who chain their dogs, and what better excuse than Valentine's Day to send these forgotten animals a little love," says Tammy Grimes, founder and director of the five-year-old non-profit. "Every winter our rescuers see dogs that have frozen in the snow, suffered frostbite, or otherwise endured horrific living conditions because of the longstanding misperception that it is appropriate to chain a dog outside in any kind of weather."
"This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day, or who live next door to these poor animals, but feel powerless to make a difference," continues Grimes. "People can anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or perhaps make a batch of Valentines, and we do the rest."
Dogs Deserve Better sees success stories every year from its grassroots direct mail campaign. "Of course, we get angry calls from people who are mired in habit or tradition and don't see anything wrong with chaining a dog for 10 or 15 years. However, on the flip side, we always learn of situations where the recipients of our Valentines take the opportunity to think about the suffering they are causing and either bring the dog inside or find the dog a better home."
The creation of the Valentines is an ideal project for schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations. "Children have a natural affinity for animals and they enjoy making art projects," says Grimes, an artist herself.
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, states and cities have, in recent years, started to pass laws against the practice. California passed a law in 2006 and Texas followed suit in 2007. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and South Carolina are among the states currently considering laws that would put reasonable limits on how long a dog may be chained outdoors. Hundreds of cities have passed, or are considering, similar legislation.
Meanwhile, countless "backyard dogs" are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in leaky, uninsulated doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention. Perpetually chained dogs can become aggressive or insane from their constant confinement, often posing a danger to people.
Dogs Deserve Better provides a variety of services to people who agree to take their dogs off their chains, including providing help with socialization, housetraining, and fencing.
For more information about the Valentine's Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Valentines, addresses and donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 23, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684.
For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
END
Note: For hi-resolution photos, please visit the site at
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Announcing Dog Warrior Tattoo Design, Plus Valentine Rescue Graphics
New Tattoo and Attire, Gift Art
"Dog Warrior"
Welcome to the debut of my second tattoo design, Dog Warrior. The first one was so much fun, and so many of us are sporting them today, that I couldn't wait to get working on the second! It took awhile, though, due not only to the trial and custody battle, but also making sure I got it right.
I know I don't want a design on my wrist that I'm not ok with looking at every day for the rest of my life. To be honest, I'm still not sure I'm ready to commit to my first tattoo, (which is now on my left inner wrist) let alone add another to my right wrist!
The Dog Warrior tattoo follows a similar design style as the Rescue Angel tattoo, but while the rescue angel is serene and calm, the dog warrior is strong and sure, moving forward to win rights for Man's Best Friend.
But for me these tattoos are more than tattoos, and that's why I'm doing it. They are my promise to the animals that I will fight for them for the remainder of my lifetime....read more and see the new tattoo design at http://www.littlegirllooking.com/dogwarriortattoo.html.
You can also buy the art on clothing and other gift ideas at http://www.cafepress.com/littlegirllook.
In addition, I've added a couple of Valentine Rescue graphics to my store:
http://www.cafepress.com/littlegirllook
"Dog Warrior"
Welcome to the debut of my second tattoo design, Dog Warrior. The first one was so much fun, and so many of us are sporting them today, that I couldn't wait to get working on the second! It took awhile, though, due not only to the trial and custody battle, but also making sure I got it right.
I know I don't want a design on my wrist that I'm not ok with looking at every day for the rest of my life. To be honest, I'm still not sure I'm ready to commit to my first tattoo, (which is now on my left inner wrist) let alone add another to my right wrist!
The Dog Warrior tattoo follows a similar design style as the Rescue Angel tattoo, but while the rescue angel is serene and calm, the dog warrior is strong and sure, moving forward to win rights for Man's Best Friend.
But for me these tattoos are more than tattoos, and that's why I'm doing it. They are my promise to the animals that I will fight for them for the remainder of my lifetime....read more and see the new tattoo design at http://www.littlegirllooking.com/dogwarriortattoo.html.
You can also buy the art on clothing and other gift ideas at http://www.cafepress.com/littlegirllook.
In addition, I've added a couple of Valentine Rescue graphics to my store:
http://www.cafepress.com/littlegirllook
Monday, December 17, 2007
Open Letter from Tammy Grimes December 17, 2007
On September 11, 2006, I rescued a dog that was dying at the end of a chain in a muddy yard in a small Pennsylvania town. I was subsequently arrested. A little over a year later, on December 15, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property.
The last year has been the most traumatic and the most inspirational of my life. I have been labeled a "terrorist" a "vigilante", and an "anarchist." I have been called a hero. I have been humbled by encouragement and well wishes from people all over the world. I have been attacked in person and in print in my small town, where the prevailing view is that it is fine and dandy to tie a dog to a tree or a dog house and leave it to pace back and forth for year after agonizing year, in skull-cracking cold or 100-degree weather, with nothing but parasites for company.
I don't regret what I did. Not for one second. And when it comes to rescuing dogs and changing minds and laws, I'm just getting started. Here's why.
The dog at the center of all this, a dog we would eventually name Doogie, had been lying in the mud and rain for three days, chained to the dog house he had been attached to for years. He was unable to stand and was pawing the air in desperation. His owners chose to go four-wheeling and to work on Monday instead of getting him the vet help he needed and deserved, but most importantly was entitled to by law. A distraught neighbor had called animal control repeatedly over the course of the three days. But as so often happens, no "humane" officer called back. No one ever showed up. (Surprised? Trust me, it happens all the time, and not just in my town.) The frantic neighbor eventually reached out to me and to Dogs Deserve Better.
What I did next set in motion a chain of events that would eventually garner national attention, the wrath of some, the support of others, and an agonizing trial during which I had to listen to lies and mischaracterizations for three days: I removed that dog's chain and I took him to the veterinarian. It was all very clear to me as I lifted the emaciated, wet dog into my van. I had been in animal rescue long enough to know that I would probably be labeled the villain while the dog's caretakers wouldn't even be questioned for leaving a suffering dog on the ground for three days, not to mention all the years they tied him to a shabby box in the yard; letting his toenails to grow so long they were curling back toward his pads, denying him vet care when he most needed it.
But I also knew that what I was doing was morally correct. It was the compassionate thing to do. It was the only thing I could do. Time was of the essence. A dog was suffering. I felt he was dying.
In court, it became increasingly clear that our 'humane officer' left me "holding the bag." He had been offered the dog by me as part of what should have been a cruelty case against the caretakers 2 times on September 11th, but ignored me both times. On the witness stand the officer, in an attempt to cover his own ass, stated he told me and the vet assistants not to remove Doogie from the vets. This is absolutely untrue, and if he had done so I would not have been put in the position of choosing between Doogie's skin and my own.
So, now I'm guilty. Ah yes, guilty of caring about a dog that had been left to die. Guilty of putting myself and my reputation on the line because I can't stand to see suffering. Yes, call me guilty.
At Dogs Deserve Better, we see dogs in horrific situations every day. Sometimes these sad animals are neurotic or aggressive from years at the end of a chain. Sometimes, they are half-starved or have collars embedded in their necks. Sometimes they are dead. So, why go out on a limb for one old dog? Why take a moral stand in this one instance? Why challenge a law, when Dogs Deserve Better has stuck to the letter of the law in almost 1,000 rescues to date?
The answer is simple: because it was the right thing to do. Because our laws regarding personal property and animal welfare are contradictory and archaic. Because Michael Vick can't kill his dogs, but the Arnolds can. Because, at the end of the day, I knew I simply couldn't live with myself if I walked away from that dog and left him to suffer there in the mud.
Doogie blossomed after we got him medical care and showed him a warm bed and a little love. He not only walked again, but actually ambled around with a spring in his step. Imagine. A dog that for many years could not take more than a few steps before being yanked back by a chain, was trotting around a yard and enjoying soft hands and a warm home!
I have no illusions about my life's work. I know some people will never get it. I know some people think "it is just a dog." I know some people consider me the representation of all that is evil because I have compassion for animals and because in one isolated incident, where the clock was ticking and life was ebbing, I took someone's "property" -- property that the owners had for all intents and purposes abandoned on the ground like a used-up piece of junk. But I don't care what my detractors think because I now know that I have more support, more friends, more allies, than I ever dreamed possible.
The support I have received during the last year has made me stronger in my convictions and more steadfast in my work. I know that the vast majority of reasonable, educated, compassionate people believe that it is barbaric beyond imagining to chain a dog for its life. I know that anti-tethering laws will continue to be passed in states, cities and counties across this country. ("No-brainers" a recent news article called these laws.) And I'm going to work harder than ever to make sure that happens.
Five years ago, when I started Dogs Deserve Better, people laughed in my face when I talked about laws against chaining. Today, three states have passed laws that severely limit the practice, as have hundreds of cities and counties, some banning chaining altogether. I know that I will see the day when our society sees tying a dog to a doghouse for 15 years as abhorrent as eating a dog.
Oh yes, make no mistake: times change and morality and compassion eventually triumph over ignorance and stupid, blind habit. Slavery ended. Women got the right to vote. Wife beating is no long accepted. You don't see a lot of kids working in mines or sweat shops anymore. Even dog fighting was made a crime.
I can't help but think about Rosa Parks. We can be sure she never regretted refusing to budge from that Montgomery bus seat. And though I may never be as brave as she was, I'll never regret taking a half-dead dog from someone's yard.
In memory of Doogie. May he rest in peace.
The last year has been the most traumatic and the most inspirational of my life. I have been labeled a "terrorist" a "vigilante", and an "anarchist." I have been called a hero. I have been humbled by encouragement and well wishes from people all over the world. I have been attacked in person and in print in my small town, where the prevailing view is that it is fine and dandy to tie a dog to a tree or a dog house and leave it to pace back and forth for year after agonizing year, in skull-cracking cold or 100-degree weather, with nothing but parasites for company.
I don't regret what I did. Not for one second. And when it comes to rescuing dogs and changing minds and laws, I'm just getting started. Here's why.
The dog at the center of all this, a dog we would eventually name Doogie, had been lying in the mud and rain for three days, chained to the dog house he had been attached to for years. He was unable to stand and was pawing the air in desperation. His owners chose to go four-wheeling and to work on Monday instead of getting him the vet help he needed and deserved, but most importantly was entitled to by law. A distraught neighbor had called animal control repeatedly over the course of the three days. But as so often happens, no "humane" officer called back. No one ever showed up. (Surprised? Trust me, it happens all the time, and not just in my town.) The frantic neighbor eventually reached out to me and to Dogs Deserve Better.
What I did next set in motion a chain of events that would eventually garner national attention, the wrath of some, the support of others, and an agonizing trial during which I had to listen to lies and mischaracterizations for three days: I removed that dog's chain and I took him to the veterinarian. It was all very clear to me as I lifted the emaciated, wet dog into my van. I had been in animal rescue long enough to know that I would probably be labeled the villain while the dog's caretakers wouldn't even be questioned for leaving a suffering dog on the ground for three days, not to mention all the years they tied him to a shabby box in the yard; letting his toenails to grow so long they were curling back toward his pads, denying him vet care when he most needed it.
But I also knew that what I was doing was morally correct. It was the compassionate thing to do. It was the only thing I could do. Time was of the essence. A dog was suffering. I felt he was dying.
In court, it became increasingly clear that our 'humane officer' left me "holding the bag." He had been offered the dog by me as part of what should have been a cruelty case against the caretakers 2 times on September 11th, but ignored me both times. On the witness stand the officer, in an attempt to cover his own ass, stated he told me and the vet assistants not to remove Doogie from the vets. This is absolutely untrue, and if he had done so I would not have been put in the position of choosing between Doogie's skin and my own.
So, now I'm guilty. Ah yes, guilty of caring about a dog that had been left to die. Guilty of putting myself and my reputation on the line because I can't stand to see suffering. Yes, call me guilty.
At Dogs Deserve Better, we see dogs in horrific situations every day. Sometimes these sad animals are neurotic or aggressive from years at the end of a chain. Sometimes, they are half-starved or have collars embedded in their necks. Sometimes they are dead. So, why go out on a limb for one old dog? Why take a moral stand in this one instance? Why challenge a law, when Dogs Deserve Better has stuck to the letter of the law in almost 1,000 rescues to date?
The answer is simple: because it was the right thing to do. Because our laws regarding personal property and animal welfare are contradictory and archaic. Because Michael Vick can't kill his dogs, but the Arnolds can. Because, at the end of the day, I knew I simply couldn't live with myself if I walked away from that dog and left him to suffer there in the mud.
Doogie blossomed after we got him medical care and showed him a warm bed and a little love. He not only walked again, but actually ambled around with a spring in his step. Imagine. A dog that for many years could not take more than a few steps before being yanked back by a chain, was trotting around a yard and enjoying soft hands and a warm home!
I have no illusions about my life's work. I know some people will never get it. I know some people think "it is just a dog." I know some people consider me the representation of all that is evil because I have compassion for animals and because in one isolated incident, where the clock was ticking and life was ebbing, I took someone's "property" -- property that the owners had for all intents and purposes abandoned on the ground like a used-up piece of junk. But I don't care what my detractors think because I now know that I have more support, more friends, more allies, than I ever dreamed possible.
The support I have received during the last year has made me stronger in my convictions and more steadfast in my work. I know that the vast majority of reasonable, educated, compassionate people believe that it is barbaric beyond imagining to chain a dog for its life. I know that anti-tethering laws will continue to be passed in states, cities and counties across this country. ("No-brainers" a recent news article called these laws.) And I'm going to work harder than ever to make sure that happens.
Five years ago, when I started Dogs Deserve Better, people laughed in my face when I talked about laws against chaining. Today, three states have passed laws that severely limit the practice, as have hundreds of cities and counties, some banning chaining altogether. I know that I will see the day when our society sees tying a dog to a doghouse for 15 years as abhorrent as eating a dog.
Oh yes, make no mistake: times change and morality and compassion eventually triumph over ignorance and stupid, blind habit. Slavery ended. Women got the right to vote. Wife beating is no long accepted. You don't see a lot of kids working in mines or sweat shops anymore. Even dog fighting was made a crime.
I can't help but think about Rosa Parks. We can be sure she never regretted refusing to budge from that Montgomery bus seat. And though I may never be as brave as she was, I'll never regret taking a half-dead dog from someone's yard.
In memory of Doogie. May he rest in peace.
Friday, December 14, 2007
I Was Found Guilty
I wanted you to hear it from me before you heard it from anyone else. Today at 5:00 p.m. EST I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property in a Blair County, PA courtroom.
I'm sure I will have much more to say about this at a future date. For now I need a day or two to mourn and then begin to pick up my pieces and move on.
Please realize this is just a bump in my road, and I will not stop working for chained and penned dogs. I hope those of you who are on this list as supporters will stay with me...but I need you still believe in me and the work I've done to free dogs from lives of hell on the end of chains. To still believe in us and the differences we are beginning to make in the lives of chained dogs.
A very special thank you to the wonderful angels at Best Friends in Utah. They stood behind me, and I know they took flack for it. You are special people, and I am honored and touched to know you.
For all the rest of you who gave your time and energy to help me in my case, my deepest gratitude. You touch my heart.
For you, Doogie. May you rest in peace, knowing you were loved and cared for. Tammy
I'm sure I will have much more to say about this at a future date. For now I need a day or two to mourn and then begin to pick up my pieces and move on.
Please realize this is just a bump in my road, and I will not stop working for chained and penned dogs. I hope those of you who are on this list as supporters will stay with me...but I need you still believe in me and the work I've done to free dogs from lives of hell on the end of chains. To still believe in us and the differences we are beginning to make in the lives of chained dogs.
A very special thank you to the wonderful angels at Best Friends in Utah. They stood behind me, and I know they took flack for it. You are special people, and I am honored and touched to know you.
For all the rest of you who gave your time and energy to help me in my case, my deepest gratitude. You touch my heart.
For you, Doogie. May you rest in peace, knowing you were loved and cared for. Tammy
Friday, November 30, 2007
Free Student Memberships through January 31, 2008
Dogs Deserve Better, a non-profit working on numerous fronts to end the suffering endured by dogs that are kept perpetually chained or penned, is offering free memberships for students through January 31, 2008.
"A large percentage of our membership and volunteer base is young people," explains founder Tammy Grimes, who started DDB five years ago after watching her neighbor's dog endure years of loneliness and neglect, chained to a dog house in the yard. "Without the energy and ideas that young people and students bring to our group, we wouldn't be able to rescue nearly the number of chained dogs that we do. Because many students make New Year's resolutions to make a difference, we wanted to reach out to those young people who care about animals – who perhaps are upset by the sight of chained dogs in their neighborhood – and who want to finally take a stand."
Students wishing to take advantage of the limited-time free memberships can visit Dogs Deserve Better
"A large percentage of our membership and volunteer base is young people," explains founder Tammy Grimes, who started DDB five years ago after watching her neighbor's dog endure years of loneliness and neglect, chained to a dog house in the yard. "Without the energy and ideas that young people and students bring to our group, we wouldn't be able to rescue nearly the number of chained dogs that we do. Because many students make New Year's resolutions to make a difference, we wanted to reach out to those young people who care about animals – who perhaps are upset by the sight of chained dogs in their neighborhood – and who want to finally take a stand."
Students wishing to take advantage of the limited-time free memberships can visit Dogs Deserve Better
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Gag Order Issued, Court Date Set
Everyone involved in the Doogie case is now on 'gag order' per the judge.
As a matter of public record, court dates for the hearing at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, PA are December 12, 13, 14.
While my voice may be temporarily silenced, you still have yours.
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html
Tammy
As a matter of public record, court dates for the hearing at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, PA are December 12, 13, 14.
While my voice may be temporarily silenced, you still have yours.
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html
Tammy
Friday, November 02, 2007
Animal Rescue Angel Tattoo, now in Temporary as well as Permanent
I've been asked to provide the Animal Rescue Angel Tattoos in temporary tattoos, for those who are not interested in permanent tattoos, or would like to give it a try before deciding if they want the real thing.
So check it out! I have to tell you all I still haven't gotten the real thing yet...It's been more a matter of logistics and time than anything else, but I'm getting much closer.
My experiment with the temporary version has made me even more sure that's what I want. I've had the temporary tattoo on my inner wrist for the past 4 days, and it's still going strong. And I LOVE It! I'm glad I had the chance to see my vision there first, it makes me more sure.
Meanwhile, if you never want the real thing, try a temporary tattoo, or get them for an event. It's fun!
Rescue Tattoo Link, in both permanent and temporary, as well as links to attire and gifts
So check it out! I have to tell you all I still haven't gotten the real thing yet...It's been more a matter of logistics and time than anything else, but I'm getting much closer.
My experiment with the temporary version has made me even more sure that's what I want. I've had the temporary tattoo on my inner wrist for the past 4 days, and it's still going strong. And I LOVE It! I'm glad I had the chance to see my vision there first, it makes me more sure.
Meanwhile, if you never want the real thing, try a temporary tattoo, or get them for an event. It's fun!
Rescue Tattoo Link, in both permanent and temporary, as well as links to attire and gifts
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Autopsy on the Bobcat
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
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
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.
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