The National Safety Council published a report showing the odds of dying by various types of injury in the USA in 2002. I have sorted it by the number of deaths for each type of injury and excluded the odds columns for ease of viewing. Note the deaths from being…
The Media – Friend, Foe, or Impartial Watchdog?
Yesterday, in response to my various articles that have analyzed, dissected, and attacked news reports and opinion columns in the media, a friend asked me, “Why do you care what words the media uses? Why do you pick on certain phrases?” A good question deserves a good answer.Never, ever forget…
"Pit bulls" and "animal rights" – HSUS in Florida
In the past, I have written various e-mails and articles, although not through this forum, about the under-the-table, behind-the-scenes, and sometimes not so subtle, attempts by Animal Rights organizations to influence politicians, lawmakers, and law enforcers. The results of this influence peddling (and meddling) include: breed bans; breed-specific legislation in…
Killing dogs in Florida
Without a doubt, these articles from the St. Petersburg Times in Florida are some of the hardest I’ve ever had to read. It took me four tries and three cigarette breaks just to get through the one entitled “Kennel Trash”.WARNING: These are not easy to read or see, especially “Kennel…
Toronto sticks it to responsible dog owners
When proposing the latest amendments to Toronto’s dog licence fees, the authors of the proposal state that “The proposed revisions to the fee structure will continue to positively reward responsible pet owners that sterilize their animals.” However, upon closer examination of this proposal, it appears that their decision to remove…
Ontario could be worse than Denver
In response to Caveat’s article pointing to Denver’s breed specific ordinance, I decided to list all the cities within the province of Ontario that have their own, usually more restrictive, breed specific legislation.Legal note: This article is an attempt to inform the public regarding certain instances of dog legislation found…
Peter Worthington: Master of the unresearched "fact"
In a previous post, I mused about the possibility that, in this May 18 column attacking “pit bulls” and their owners, Peter Worthington may have been guilty of defamatory libel and inciting or promoting hatred.To avoid any repercussions to the dog-related organizations for which I volunteer, I decided to remove…
Breed Specific Legislation – Sorta, Kinda, Maybe
Just prior to the provincial election in Nova Scotia, Rick Conrad, writer of the Petpourri column in the Halifax Chronicle Herald, posed questions about pet ownership, sale, cruelty, and breed banning to each of the three major party leaders. Their answers, along with the comments of a local NDP candidate,…
The Best of the Best
I have to say I am in awe after reading Caveat’s June 8th entryRead it at http://caveat.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/6/8/2017198.html
Writing a Letter to a Newspaper Editor
Eric Sparling, a freelance journalist and Staffordshire Bull Terrier owner, has written a guide on how to write an effective letter to a newspaper editor. He starts his article with the mantra “The media is my friend. The media is my friend.” Dear EditorBy Eric Sparling “The media is my…