They Are Not 'Less Than'

That's right. My dogs, several of which have had the appearance and all the characteristics of purebred dogs, are not 'less than.'

I have always adopted my dogs from humane societies and rescue groups. Six of my dogs have had all the hallmarks of purebred dogs, but without the fancy names, pedigrees and 'papers.' Five of my dogs were golden retrievers, and one was an English springer spaniel. I also have adopted seven dogs of mixed parentage.

The first of my goldens got a PAL (Purebred Alternative Listing, previously known as an ILP) number, which allowed him to compete in American Kennel Club-sanctioned obedience trials. And compete he did! He won several matches in the 'novice handler' category. He earned both his CD and CDX titles. It always made me so happy when Casey (that was his full name -- no long and fancy names for him) defeated a bunch of 'papered' purebred golden retrievers.

Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of people who have magnificent, beloved goldens purchased from reputable, careful breeders. But not everybody wants or can afford to spend thousands of dollars on a purebred dog. And I always get a good feeling when I give a loving home to a dog that had no home. So to each her own. People have many reasons for buying from a breeder. And as long as the breeder is responsible, does his/her research, breeds only the occasional litter with the goal of actually improving the breed and isn't just churning out puppies to make a quick buck, who am I to criticize? The important thing is that these animals are beloved family members.

But I sometimes got the feeling that the breed snobs -- and they do exist -- always looked down on my 'less than' dogs. I definitely don't get that feeling from the purebred dog people I know now, but it was definitely a feeling years ago when I got my first few goldens.

The area where we all agree is that backyard breeders and puppy mills — not responsible breeders — are the problem. These are, in the first case, people who think it would be 'fun' to breed their dog because she is 'nice' or pretty or 'has a good temperament.' There is no testing for genetic diseases or temperament issues. But hey, let's breed our sweet Molly and get some puppies to sell for cash, right? Oughta be fun.

And the puppy millers -- don't get me started on those devils! Animals to them are just a cash commodity. Dogs are bred constantly regardless of health or temperament issues. Veterinary care is nonexistent. The breeder dogs spend their lives in small, cramped, wire cages with little to no human interaction. It's all about maximizing profits. Puppies are usually shipped to stores such as Petland and other mall stores that sell puppies for high prices. Among the biggest offenders are the Amish, who see dogs as nothing more than a cash crop. For more information about these hell-hole facilities (which are licensed and 'approved' by the US Department of Agriculture), visit www. harleysdream.org.

So the feeling that my adopted dogs are 'less than' isn't an issue these days. What prompted me to write this post was a recent item on Facebook that claims that the 'adopt don't shop' movement is an attack on responsible breeders.

I don't believe that is the case at all. It is an attack on puppy mills, backyard breeders and stores that sell puppies from these places. And it is a plea to people in search of a new canine family member to either adopt a dog or go to a reputable breeder.

I love my dogs regardless of where they were born or whether they meet the breed standards. I am proud to let people know that the beautiful dogs they see at the end of the leashes in my hands are rescues. What matters far more than whether the dogs have papers or don't is that they are beloved family members.

But for me, the source of a new canine member of my family will always, always be a rescue or humane society.

I Need Some Good News

I need some good news.

I really need something good to happen. In the past year, I have had eight planned and paid for trips canceled due to the pandemic. One of my dogs died suddenly of cancer. I had four surgeries to remove kidney stones. I have had four uncomfortable tests for the coronavirus. I have spent hours scouring humane society and rescue group pages in search of a golden retriever to adopt. All I find are countless pit bulls and Chihuahuas, with some cattle dogs thrown in for good measure. I am still waiting for my group (iC in my state) to be able to receive the coronavirus vaccination. In the meantime, people I know in other states, who are several years younger than I am, have received either one or in some cases both Covid vaccinations. Although winter seems to be crawling on its way out, this incessant cold and wind is becoming unbearable.

So yes, I need something good to happen. My remaining dog is lonely as an only dog. I, like so many others, am going stir crazy from being home 23 hours/day. The most excitement I’ve had in nearly 2 months was a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s. How pathetic is that.

Things have got to get better.

A Shameful Milestone

More than half a million Americans -- 500,000 people -- have died from the coronavirus.

Half a million people -- roughly the number of people who died during World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined. And why did these people die? They died largely because of incompetence, denial, ignorance and a cult-like mentality and attitude toward science. They died because far too many -- from the previous president on down to millions of his followers -- decided the pandemic is a "hoax." They died because so-called leaders of state governments refused to follow the recommendations of public health officials and epidemiologists to stay home, wear a mask, and to avoid large gatherings. They died because some Republican 'leaders' decided that keeping the economy open was far more important than protecting people's lives. They decided because some religious 'leaders' decided that holding large church services and collecting the tribute from the congregations and parishioners was so much more important than keeping those people safe.

And now, roughly a year after the pandemic first hit, we have passed a tragic milestone. Half a million people won't celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation or the birth of a child. How many memories have been lost, how many hearts have been broken?

This virus hits without regard to age, race, gender, political affiliation or any other defining criteria. We have lost grandmothers and grandfathers, mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, brothers and sisters. We have lost physicians and nurses, teachers and trash collectors, Republicans and Democrats. We have lost the elderly, the young and the middle aged. We have lost the healthy and those with chronic health conditions. We have lost the well-known and the anonymous citizens.

And beyond the mounting death toll, we have lost hundreds of thousands of businesses that have closed their doors forever. Millions are unemployed or underemployed. The economic loss is terrible. Suicides have increased. Children are struggling with exclusive online learning. Frontline health care workers are on the verge of collapse.

Now at last the rates of infection, hospitalization and death are declining as people finally wake up to reality, and as vaccinations are being administered to millions. Yet the incompetence and ineptness of the previous administration continue to hamper distribution of these life-saving vaccines. 

How far the United States has fallen, from world leader to a country struggling to right itself. The country that was once the most powerful and admired on the planet now is in some ways little more than a third world country. The Biden administration is working hard to address the pandemic, but resources remain tight.

I wonder how history will remember this period of American history. I believe this time will be regarded as shameful, as one of the low points in this nation's history. 

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

I Will Not Mourn

Ultraconservative mouthpiece and talk radio host Rush Limbaugh died yesterday.

I am not cheering his death, but neither will I mourn his passing. He was a vile, hate-filled, racist, misogynist who holds great responsibility for the current deep division in American society. He used his on-air platform to spread hate. He read the names of people who had died of AIDS, and then celebrated their deaths with ringing bells and honking car horns. He verbally assaulted and insulted women and Black Americans on air. This was no simple 'shtick' for ratings. He really was that way.

I am sure his friends, family and fans mourn his death. I feel for those who do, but I am not among the mourners.

Rolling Stone magazine reported that Limbaugh "did his best to ruin America." He cast the pandemic as a culture war pitting patriotic Americans against the evil "libs." He called Kamala Harris, the first woman of color nominated for the vice presidency, a "ho." He referred to the teenage Chelsea Clinton as "the White House dog." He said that Michael J. Fox was faking his Parkinson's disease. He showed a similar lack of compassion to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her years-long fight against cancer, to Iraq war veterans and to the victims of gun violence. His hatred and vitriol were directed at anyone and everyone who crossed his radar screen. His hate speech helped create the polarization of America we now must face.

Limbaugh also got rich -- very, very rich -- from his hate speech, racism. homophobia and lies. His worth at the time of death is estimated at $600 million. 

He was one of those figures people either loved or hated. There wasn't, and isn't, much room for a middle ground. So while I won't celebrate his passing, I certainly will not miss his hate-filled rhetoric. And let's be very clear: this isn't about a mere disagreement with his politics. No, it runs much deeper than that. How I feel about the man runs to disgust with his total lack of morality and his lack of compassion and his callousness toward all but white male Americans. His was not a life I will celebrate. His death is not one I will mourn.

Perhaps what saddens me the most is that millions of Americans followed -- and believed -- his racist, homophobic, misogynistic rantings, as countless others felt emboldened to act upon them.

Ready to Hibernate

I am ready to hibernate. 

Why you may ask? Well, let me tell you why.

There is a big storm hitting my part of the country, which brought an overnight temperature of 21°, with a balmy 9° tonight. And we’re looking at snow and incredibly cold and windy weather. Anybody who knows anything about me knows that I detest cold weather. so that’s the first thing.

Secondly, the cowards in the US Senate voted to acquit the former president who very clearly and obviously and with overwhelming evidence of his guilt incited the January 6 insurrection and tried to overturn the results of a perfectly legal and legitimate election.

The third reason is that I have been searching for a golden retriever to adopt. Goldens are as scarce as hens teeth these days. And if I do find one, it’s in another state and the rescue refuses to adopt out of state. So I finally found a golden in El Paso, my dog and I went to visit last week, and I decided I would like to adopt this dog. She had just been spayed and was unavailable to come home with us just yet. Yesterday I was told that his dog isn’t good with other dogs. So once again, no adoptable golden.

I have, over the course of my adult life, adopted 13 dogs, five of them goldensi (5 1/2 if we count my current dog that is half golden retriever). Never have I had so much trouble finding a dog to adopt. And I’m not willing to settle for a dog that is not a golden. I know what I want, I know what I love, and I’m not going to settle.

The snow will melt. Temperatures will rise ... eventually. But the political fallout and the threat to our nation are not going away any time soon. And golden retrievers will remain scarce. 

So this is why I would be more than happy to hibernate for a few months. Between this endless pandemic that was so incredibly mismanaged by the former traitor-in-chief, and now all of this political and weather bad news, I’m ready to just go away.

Simple Decency

It's amazing what a difference a few weeks can make.

I no longer get up each morning dreading reports of what idiotic, inflammatory or dangerous things the president has done overnight. Now I wake up confident in the sanity and stability of our new president and his administration.

This morning I read that the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, had placed large heart-shaped signs with encouraging messages on the White House lawn in honor of Valentine’s Day. Then she and her husband, the president, dressed in jeans and a leather bomber jacket and accompanied by their two German shepherd dogs (one of which is 14 years old) walked around chatting with the few reporters present. 

These are signs of normality for Americans -- walking with the dogs, enjoying a cup of coffee, and chatting with neighbors. These are things for which so many of us have yearned during the previous four years. There were no lies, no inflammatory statements, no bragging. Just ordinary people starting their Saturday morning the same way millions of other Americans start theirs. And the president handed his untouched cup of coffee to one of the reporters. People all across America are enjoying this touch of common human decency. What a relief and refreshing change it is after the past four years of vitriol and anger.

Gone are the days of incessant lies, name-calling, insults and threats. The Bidens have restored a sense of normality to the White House. The president has been busy addressing the pandemic, ordering 200 million doses of the vaccine and signing an executive order mandating the wearing of masks on all mass transit and on all federal property. 

Make no mistake: He was left an absolute disaster, by design. There was no plan for efficient distribution of the vaccine to the hundreds of millions of Americans desperate to get vaccinated. There was no money to help states organize and set up mass distribution centers. Biden was left some foreign policy messes, also by design, as well.

But I, and so many others, are loving this 'boring' presidency. We can breathe again. We can sleep. We can relax. We can revel in the simple human decency of this family. America isn’t perfect, of course, and there is still a great deal of work to do to address issues of poverty and racism, as well as the massive divide inflicted on our country by the previous president. 

But scenes like what we saw today on the White House lawn are a first, critical step.

So Joe and Jill, thank you for bringing our country back to the way it should be. Thank you for reminding us how normal, mentally healthy people live and act.

I Believe

I believe in science.

I believe in honesty.

I believe in kindness and compassion.

I believe in treating others with respect. 

I believe in protecting children, the elderly and the environment.

I believe that all animals, not just the cute and cuddly ones, deserve to live their lives in peace.

I believe that no animal should be killed as a 'trophy.'

I believe in integrity.

I believe in doing the right thing even if no one is watching.

I believe in staying true to one's beliefs.

I believe in keeping one's word to others and to oneself.

I believe in staying informed about the world around us.

I believe that those who break the law, regardless of the positions they hold, must be held accountable for their actions.

I believe in helping the less fortunate. 

I believe in treating others equally, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation.

The bottom line is, I believe in things that much of this world has discarded or refuses to accept. That makes me very sad.

What do you believe?

Pretending. Preparing. Hoping.

 I am pretending that I will get to go on a photo safari in a couple of months.

As with everything in life during this pandemic, nothing aside from isolation and masks is certain. But I am acting as if I will get to take this trip. To that end, I have made an appointment 72 hours before my first flight to get a Covid-19 test and to buy malaria pills.

I have made reservations at a boarding kennel for my dog.

I have started purchasing a few things I will need for this trip, such as a beanbag to steady my camera with its long telephoto lens. I also have ordered a battery to run my CPAP machine for the nights I will be in a camp without overnight electricity. Sadly, I need to try on all the pants I will take with me to make sure that after a year of staying at home and a cold winter that is not conducive to a lot of outdoor exercise, they will still fit comfortably. My weight is the same as it was, but things tend to shift as we get older. I bought an extra battery for my cameras. I have ordered extra filters for my masks.

Am I nervous about traveling internationally at this time? Of course I am. I haven't yet been able to receive a vaccination against the virus. I am cautiously optimistic, however. And I have several masks, including four that have a pocket to hold a disposable filter. I will take lots of hand sanitizer with me. And once the most dangerous parts -- the flights --  are behind me, I will be in remote areas that have had almost no visitors since the pandemic began. I have been assured by the group leader -- someone I know from a previous photo safari -- that camp staff are tested regularly and follow recommended safety precautions.

So I will be as safe as I can be outside my home. Besides, this trip will be a necessary psychological boost after a year of not traveling and not being able to engage in photography on a regular basis.

So unless tings change dramatically between now and departure, I will continue to pretend and to prepare for this trip. I have reached the point where I have done everything I was asked to do by public health and government authorities. I have reached the point where I must do something fun once again.``