Normally, I write pieces where there’s a bit of humor mixed in with the serious points I try to make, but this isn’t one of those pieces. Instead, I want to talk briefly about a topic I care about deeply because it’s affected me personally.
For the past ten years, I have been a proud dog owner and recently became a foster dad for an older dog for the first time. Growing up, I always wanted a dog, but my parents (correctly) decided I wasn’t mature enough to take care of one. That, and the fact I had a fear of dogs from a young age, made dog ownership more of a dream than a reality.
Then, a little Bichon Frise named Chico came into my life. My wife and I adopted him from the local Animal Rescue League at the age of 9 without knowing much about his history. After watching him react with a combination of fear and anger at males (and me specifically), we surmised Chico came from a puppy mill.
Puppy mill. Two words that make me cringe every time I hear them.
To put it mildly, puppy mills are the worst way a dog can live, if you call what goes on at puppy mills living. Cramped cages, lack of love and care, a perpetual breeding ground where puppies aren’t allowed to be with their mothers and adults are only useful as long as they produce litters. Once they can’t, they’re sent away to shelters for others to adopt them.
In doing so, these puppy mill breeders leave their former revenue sources with injuries. Some of them are physical, but most of them are psychological. Dogs are trusting and loving by nature, unless their environment is such that trust and love are alien to them. Then, they act on instinct, an instinct fostered by how they were treated prior to being adopted. That leaves a lot of broken dogs that will need patience and love to live anything close to a normal life.
That was Chico. It’s also Stella, the mini poodle we’re fostering right now. And so many more. Too many, really.
The problem is there’s a market for dogs and so many ways to get one from puppy mills. All it takes is a little dishonesty, a lot of looking the other way, and keeping as many potential buyers in the dark as possible. You may not even know you’re getting a puppy mill dog until after the transaction is done. Sure, you can adopt through a seemingly reputable source, but that doesn’t mean the dog you’re getting is free from the puppy mill experience.
Then, when your new dog starts acting up in ways you didn’t anticipate, what happens? In today’s disposable world, those broken dogs get put back into the system until they’re either adopted, fostered, or even put to sleep.
All because some scumbags wanted to make a buck by any means necessary, even at the expense of a dog’s life.
The way to counteract this is to do your homework. Work with only reputable dog breeders if you want a dog to raise. Sure, it’s going to cost more money, but the love you get far exceeds the money you’re going to pay to get it. But if you’re not willing to raise a puppy, there are older dogs that need the same love you would give a puppy. And, yes, some of them will be puppy mill dogs by the law of averages alone, but they need a chance to live, too.
Regardless of which way you go, be prepared for a lifetime commitment. That requires a lot of patience and love for an animal whose whole life is you.
Chico and I went through a lot together, but at the end, we were the best of friends. I hope to replicate that with Stella. Even if she is adopted next week or next year, she will need to know how to trust again. And as long as it takes, I will do my best to earn her trust and give her a happy home full of love.
After all, isn’t a dog’s life worth it?
Month: March 2024
Our Brother-In-Law
This is your annual reminder the war between Russia and Ukraine is still going on and we still don’t have any idea of what the fuck we’re doing in it yet. I mean, aside from giving billions of American tax dollars to a cause that’s ill-defined outside of “Putin Bad” and has no clear end date in sight.
Oh, and did I mention we’re backing the losing side?
Actually, that’s a bit premature. They haven’t lost yet, so there’s always a chance Ukraine can turn things around…provided, of course, we send more money and arms.
It was at this point I came to a realization: Ukraine is like the stereotypical lazy brother-in-law. They don’t do much, spend what little money they have on shit they don’t need, and always come around when they need just a few bucks to get them through until they can get on their feet. And, because they’re related by marriage, we tend to relent in order to keep the peace within the family.
That doesn’t work so well when an entire country is the brother-in-law and we’re strapped for cash ourselves. Regardless of what Leftist squawking head tells you, the economy isn’t so rosy. Inflation continues to rise (although at a much lower rate than the previous 2 years, so yay, I guess?), and Puddin’ Head Joe keeps finding ways to make the US Dollar worth less than the acknowledgements section of a narcissist’s autobiography.
Like, oh I don’t know…giving billions to a foreign country without asking for any of it back?
Of course, the Leftist warmongers will mention Ukraine is fighting for freedom and we should support it or we’re Russian assets. Which is why so many of these same warmongers are trying to tie aid to Israel to aid to Ukraine because…freedom, I guess?
Actually, the two are not connected in any way. And if you’ve been following the events in Ukraine prior to the war with Russia, you can see why, but for those who haven’t let’s just say Ukraine has…a bit of a neo-Nazi problem. Which means we have a bit of a neo-Nazi problem because we’re funding them in the name of freedom, all the while telling us neo-Nazis are all over the US and evil, nasty people who can’t be reasoned with.
You know, just like Antifa!
This contradiction doesn’t seem to bother the Left that much, but it bothers me. We cannot hold Ukraine to a different standard than we hold our own citizens, even if we don’t like the implications. This is the kind of idiocy that got both Iran and Iraq hating our guts in the early 80s when they were having their own war. We tried playing both sides at different points and we got fucked as a result.
Now, we’re repeating the same mistake. After trying to be buddy-buddy with Russia as far back as the Obama Administration (remember Hillary Clinton’s “Reset” button?), we’re now blaming them for everything from inflation to supply line issues to the fact Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce. And when you consider Russia and China are getting along like the aforementioned Swift and Kelce, that doesn’t bode well for us.
But freedom…I guess?
So, it looks like we’re going to be letting Ukraine sleep on our couch for the foreseeable future. But I’m sure they’ll find a job…I mean win the war with Russia soon. They just need a few billion to tide them over until they win…
Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week
With almost every election in the past 25 years or so, there have been accusations of one side or the other trying to get an unfair advantage though what is loosely called “election interference.” This can take on many forms, but the Left seems to be particularly concerned with election interference this year.
Maybe it has something to do with their Presidential candidate being only slightly more coherent than a piece of burnt toast…naaaaaah. If we’ve learned anything from Leftists, it’s that they’re honest brokers truly looking out for the best interests of their ideological cult…I mean country. Regardless, we have a tough nut to crack, so let’s get cracking.
No, Hunter, I’m not talking real crack here, buddy.
election interference
What the Left thinks it means – outside parties influencing American politics through underhanded and illegal means
What it really means – election shit Leftists do, but never get held accountable for doing
One of the bedrock principles America’s had throughout its existence is fair elections. Voters across the country would spend more time in local libraries and churches than they would the rest of the year and cast ballots for candidates they felt would do the best job in a given role. When we started electing incompetents, though, that dynamic shifted to whichever scumbag we liked more.
Anyway, this came into question in 2000 in the election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. I won’t go into a lot of detail here because I’m still going to therapy over it, but for those of you who weren’t there, the Readers Digest Condensed Version is Al Gore tried to use recounts in select Florida counties to win the state’s electoral votes and failed. This sent shockwaves throughout the political landscape. I mean, who could have imagined a thoroughly unlikable and out-of-touch former Vice President would lose?
I mean, aside from anyone who paid attention to Al Gore.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Hanging Chads, Leftists decided Bush cheated, thus he wasn’t legitimately President. This lead to conspiracy theories involving then-Florida Governor and W’s brother Jeb, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, the US Supreme Court, and several boy bands getting their hands dirty while installing George W. Bush. Never mind the fact most, if not all, media-generated recounts repeatedly showed Bush won Florida. It was a conspiracy, dammit!
Then, before you could say “Not My President,” the election interference disappeared in 2008, even though not much in the lines of election security had changed. Hmmm…now who won the Presidency in 2008? Surely the fact the Left’s choice for President winning had no bearing on whether the Left thought election was tampered with, right? I mean that would be totally be a dick move to selectively call out election interference based on who was in office!
And it was just such a dick move they did in 2016 when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. The only difference between the 2000 conspiracy theories and the 2016 ones was the particular parties involved. And election security? Still not that different than it was back then.
Then, before you could say “Orange Man Bad,” election integrity wasn’t an issue in 2020…except where it was and glossed over by Leftists and turned into treason if you dared not accept one of the most fucked-up elections in history as totally legit. And now Puddin’ Head Joe is fucking everything else up and is in jeopardy of losing the White House to Trump, guess what’s coming back? That’s right, election interference!
But what does that actually look like? Depends on who you ask. To a normal person, a lot of the shit that’s been going on since 2000 has been election interference, ranging from potential threats of violence (Black Panthers outside polling places in 2008) to irregular counting procedures (counting ballots after the counting was supposed to be concluded in 2020). In other words, Leftist Election Strategy 101.
To Leftists, it’s anything Republicans and conservatives do to prevent the Left from cheating. Pass a law preventing campaign volunteers from handing out bottles of water to people in line, which could be considered electioneering? That’s election interference! Call for Voter ID laws? Election interference! In fact, I think you can count on the one hand of the world’s worst shop teacher the number of things the Left wouldn’t consider election interference.
To put it mildly, Leftists care about election interference like they care about the gay community: only when it suits their larger political ends. Otherwise, it’s issue non grata. The way you can tell? Leftists aren’t overtly spending money on election security. If they were really concerned about Russia, China, or even Nickelback affecting the 2024 election, they would be coming up with all sorts of election integrity boondoggles where Leftists could get rich..er and nothing would get done.
See what I mean?
The Left’s ideal version of election integrity is one where they’re the only ones allowed to cheat and win. But by taking this approach, they’ve ensured they can never be taken seriously on this subject by anyone who has a brain, which means anyone who isn’t a Leftist. Meanwhile, real election integrity is eroding before our eyes because few Republicans care to even touch the issue, let alone take the heat from the Left for trying to do something to restore faith in the system. If we want to see a return to the good old days where we can accept election results without all the bullshit, we have to take the heat and pack a lunch. Just avoid mayonnaise and cole slaw.
In the meantime, call out the Left’s bullshit when they bring up election integrity as an issue. Ask them what they intend to do the next time one of their preferred candidates win to ensure outside forces don’t tip the scales. And be prepared not to get an answer. Or have them call you a bigot. Or have their heads explode. You know, whatever works.