Lets take this blog to the next level

If you have a photo of crappy show riding, know of a jerkwad trainer or judge, or someone in the show world that is an abusive piece of shit then send the info to me. This blog is not anti-showing, it's anti-abuse. So there is no truth to the claims from the TWH, ASB, western pleasure and dressage zombies that I'm trying to shut showing down. Instead I'm trying to make showing more honest and to get abusive practices out of the showring! Email me at shameinthehorseshowring@gmail.com



I have a request for my readers: If you have successfully rehabbed a show horse, or gotten a rescue and taken it on to a show career then let me know, I'd love to feature you here!






Thursday, October 1, 2009

Not horse show related, but a sure sign of the times:

I was fucking horrified when the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick. Are they crazy? Like I want to see his dog-killing ass handling any balls but his own, and then only to put them on the chopping block.

But it gets worse. Now the worthless piece of shit has been re-signed by NIKE.

NIKE being FUCKTARDS

Are you fucking kidding me? You can almost get that some sports team would pay for his sorry ass, because, face it, the IQ level in professional sports is in the double digits.

But NIKE? NIKE, signing this douchbag? NIKE, the sports item that kids want as a status simple? NIKE, the same company that endorses the Olympics?

They should be fucking killed. I hope every dog owner in America sends NIKE a nasty letter and boycotts their sweatshop-produced, over-priced, not worth a shit on a horse farm, sneakers.

NIKE, the worst ass lappers in America

I'm sure all the music stars that have let NIKE use their music for their fucked up commercials are pissed. I can't see Sir Paul McCartney going along with this crap.

BOYCOTT NIKE and the EAGLES. Do not give either of these franchises a single dime as long as they keep Vick on the payroll!

50 comments:

barnaddict said...

I had just gotten to my grandparent's house after class when this came on the channel my grandfather was watching. I flipped. Lets do a run through. Open door, hear that bullshit, flip about how stupid this is, scared my grandfather since he has never seen me show any emotion towards football, made popcorn.

This is just showing all those assholes that hey if you're famous, dog fighting charges won't ruin your career. Want some extra money? Join a dog fighting ring. Oh you may get a little jail time, and some fines but hey, you can still go back to [insert professional famous career here.]

I went on for 15 minutes about this. I am definitely sending nike (purposefully didn't capitalize the name in anger LOL) a nasty email tomorrow in between classes.

cattypex said...

If anyone has the right email for a Nike person, please post it. UGH. I'm really disappointed in the NFL (a lifetime ban would've been JUST FINE with me, and entirely appropriate a message), the Eagles, and now.... nike.

This country (and WORLD) is so F'ed up.... where some people spend five figures keeping a cancerous 15 yr old cat alive and send their dogs to daycare, while other POS wastes of oxygen make $$ forcing abused animals to kill each other.

Psychotic Raccoon said...

That is disgusting. That soulless cretin has no business sucking oxygen, and now he's playing again. Does anyone know how to contact Nike?

dressapp said...

Nike doesn't care about anybody except their own profits. They've gotten crap about the child labor making their shoes. Have they changed? They say they have, but not really. Nike seems to like controversy. They like profits and anyways what's a couple of hundred of common people not buying their shoes going to do? Not much. People have been boycotting Nike everytime they do stupid shit like this.

Jennifer RP said...

I've been boycotting Nike for years, so not much more I can do. I'm sure other sneakers companies use sweatshops too, but Nike seems almost *proud* of it.

horsndogluvr said...

OK, folks, pipe down.

(quote) Nike says it does not have a "contractual relationship" with Michael Vick, a day after the quarterback's agent announced a deal with the manufacturer.

In a statement released Thursday morning, Nike ( NKE - news - people ) says it has "agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike." (end quote)

It just gets that swoosh in the public eye. He won't be shilling their stuff. Not that I think it was a great business decision!

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/10/01/sports-fbn-vick-nike_6954931.html

As for the Eagles... ptui. Their excuse is that he's "paid his debt to society." Apparently, he's very good at what he does, or they'd never have hired him. Aah, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Barry's baggy boxers, what a misnomer.

PSAs about dog fighting should be aired every time he plays. Should have been part of the sentence.

Ruthie, still pissed at the Eagles

Anonymous said...

As to your lsat sentence: WILL DO! And I will send messages out to my friends to boycott Nike and the Eagles as well.

I like that you posted this, though--it's another example of when the "show ring" of the human world has no respect for animals, then why would the show ring of the animal world be any different?

Off to write my angry letters... Well, a thoughtful, well articulated, intelligent letter that I hope will communicate to them to rethink their decision.

Anonymous said...

Oops--hadn't read your post yet Ruthie. Good idea! Nike is still getting a letter from me, though, and I'll post it here for everyone. They need to know that supporting him in general is only supporting animal abuse, even if it's a roundabout way. I'll be sure to write to the NFL and the Eagles as well.

We should also bombard the HSUS and the ASPCA with this info--they might be able to find good contacts to write to about this. The worst part is all the hard work they did to save these dogs...and now this prick will be at it again.

Hillside Stable said...

Your post is misleading and making it sound like Nike is paying him to wear their stuff. I have not seen evidence of that.

As well, Nike has a good reputation in many third world communities for providing education, health care, child care, subsidized nutrition among other things to areas where people would normally not have those things.

Visit a community with a Nike plant and you will see that its workers are far better off than before the plant arrived, and that the benefits trickle down to the entire community. Working conditions that would seem harsh to most of us, are a godsend in some parts of the world.

If these plants closed, those communities would suffer greatly.

Karen

Amy said...

*shrug* I'm a little disappointed but not suprised. Also- this isn't really news at this point? NFL is big-money biz, and it's entertainment... you don't see actors who are role models being blacklisted for drug problems... there was a story on NPR the other day about this, and another reformed dog-fighter was talking about how he talks to young men in ghettos, discouraging this behavior, and maybe Michael Vick could be a "reform" story... supposedly the guy wants to help the Humane Society with anti-dog-fighting campaigns... does he really feel bad, or is it all an image thing..? Who knows, but maybe some good can come out of this.

ShameintheHorseShowRing said...

If Nike is giving him their product then they know he will be wearing it in public, which advertises their crap. He will be shilling for NIKE.

And while the argument could be made that Nike gives jobs to areas which wouldn't otherwise have them, it's also true that when they moved their manufacturing out of the US they *took* jobs from people that needed them. They cannot have it both ways. They want the cheap product at sweat shop pay, but they also want the high prices the US economy allows them to charge. I will be a cold day in hell before I ever spend another dime on a Nike product.


T Jean Maus

LolHorse said...

I hate Michael Vick...He does not deserve to come back to football OR make a relationship with Nike! He did something HORRIBLE...What do we do...? OH YES here Michael Vick your allowed back on the NFL and you also get to be part of the Nick thingy! Vick needs to be punished, it's such a shame for the NFL, Nick, and his team...the Eagles.

Kudos for you for briging this up!

LolHorse said...

And even if Nick isn't paying him why does Vick get another chance in the NFL...? I think someone else deserves his spot better..

ZTIG said...

Paid or not he is still getting free product to advertise for Nike, FROM Nike. Therefore Nike is showing support for Michael Vick and his career. The not having a contract is a loop hole to hopefully get those on the fence about their promotion of Vick to come over to their side. Since they aren't paying him, they aren't that bad right?

Nike, has lost me as a customer for life. And I did send them an email to inform them that their continued association with a Vick is the reason why. No, my single email will not make a difference. But combined with 10,000 emails it may.

horsndogluvr said...

Another aspect of this thing is that these highly paid athletes are getting free clothes, while the rest of us have to pay big bucks to wear it.

I don't buy logo clothes. I'm not about to shell out $$ to a manufacturer so that I can be a walking advertisement! Sheesh!

If (big if) Vick is truly repentant, then I can forgive him. He'll have to prove it to me, though.

And I hope he fires his frickin' stupid agent.

Ruthie

cattypex said...

Logo clothing is gauche anyway. I even hate those handbags from formerly respectable companies that have logos all over them. D&G, Dooney & Burke, Coach.... UGH.

I don't mind a man's golf shirt with a little alligator, polo dude, UnderArmor mark, or whatever, but ... giant "designer" logos all over the place are so 1983. And it was tacky THEN.

OT, but relevant to this blog:
http://www.peruvianpaso.com/homog.htm

Interesting thoughts about how American horses are all starting to look alike.

Kallista said...

HSUS...guys, they didn't do a thing for those dogs, it was the local authorities that took care of the dogs, etc. HSUS is nothing but an animal rights organization that wants to take away all "abuse" by taking away our animals and letting them run free. Please don't give them any creedence at all...

MV is getting free shoes so he can wear them and "advertise" them. Not a contract but surely a reward for being such a big name player. I think Nike should have said put on your big boy pants and BUY them yourself, you idiot. They don't "have" to give anything to anyone. Better to have taken these shoes and given them to kids who don't have any opportunities to buy an overpriced product such as Nike sells.

I'll never buy their shoes again.

Vectormom said...

Yes, Nike is giving Vick their shoes for free advertising but they also do it for tons of other players. I don't condone anything even remotely close to what Vick did for sure but Nike does give their shoes to under privledged in many communities. I think boycotting the NFL is more appropriate. They're the ones who gave him back his job. But then again, it's a fine line to walk whether to believe in our justice system or not. There are alot of people who have been charged with felony animal cruelty and not served the sentence that Vick did. Again I don't condone those horrific things he did but when do we accept that someone has 'served their time' for any crime? We can only hope that he is rehabbed and understands that what he did was horrific and he will never again, be associated, participate or support animal cruelty.

Dena said...

Dear Nike,

I wear Adidas and Reebok. That should be enough said.

However, with all of the truly garden variety assholes of today to choose from?
You are to be commended for having the ability to choose one of the magnitudinous proportions of Michael Vick.
As far as, subliminal imprinting goes you picked a winner!!!
Because a company of your prolific profile would know that people will be watching this prick everywhere he goes...

Marketing Win! Character and integrity fail.

Did I mention I wear Adidas and Reebok?

Sincerely the bitch who would not wear your shoes if you gave them to me.

That said, my other personalities would like to know is there no forgiveness then?
Ever?
And are we playing God?

And maybe the best thing to do is to keep him in the limelight.
We already have some idea of what he is capable of doing when he is not closely supervised.

Just a thought...

Cut-N-Jump said...

And yet Pete Rose was handed a lifetime ban for gambling.

Because placing a bet is soooo far more dangerous, painful and harmful to others...

Then we have Darryl Strawberry who was repeatedly forgiven for repeated drug abuse.

But poor Pete, no hope for him.

nccatnip said...

I was just hoping to post the link of a very well written letter I found but I found it is not working. Here is the link to my blog and entry:

http://ponyrescue.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

She says it all, IMO.

Anonymous said...

"HSUS is nothing but an animal rights organization that wants to take away all "abuse" by taking away our animals and letting them run free. Please don't give them any creedence at all..."

Kallista, if you truly believe that, then I'm very sorry for you. You obviously have them mixed up with PETA. And don't give me that "Oh, they're all in it together" crap--there is no proof of it, and most of the people I know personally who work for the HSUS have said there's no truth to that.

The HSUS is the ONLY animal rights organization that is fighting to help us end the fight against soring TWHs. If you're reading SHTHSR, then I would hope you would understand how important the HSUS is in saving our show horses.

nccatnip said...

And it goes on and on. This morning rumor has it on the news that MV is being offered a reality show.

Another network to boycott.

cattypex said...

UGH.

NOBODY gets their entire worldview "rehabilitated" in this short a time. I don't believe that MV is truly sorry AT ALL. I think he's congratulating himself and his agent at pulling this con, and I think that the NFL is beyond shameful for letting him back in.

I do applaud efforts made by other org.s to deal with dogfighting on a whole 'nuther level: getting to the root of violence that's become so entrenched in substantial pockets of society.

horsndogluvr said...

"You obviously have them mixed up with PETA."

Since many of PeTA's best & brightest are now working for HSUS, including Wayne Pacelle, I will continue to regard them with a jaundiced eye. IIRC (and I have a bad memory, so feel free to correct me), HSUS was *against* trying to rehab Vick's dogs. The local HS allowed BADRAP to take the dogs, and all but 3 were successfully rehabbed, and are now happy pets.

I've seen too much of the very real damage HSUS has done in the dog world to give them a clean slate.

I'm expecting them to attack the "fugly" breeder problem by proposing draconian laws that will hurt only the responsible breeders. (As soon as they have collected enough film showing the abuse.)

That's what they've been doing to us dog fanciers for the last 20 years or so. Mandatory spay/neuter is just one. Want to be forced to spay your mares ($$$) and geld stallions? Even the ones who are truly excellent and worth breeding?

Yes, they've been doing a lot for horses - but I'm watching my back.

Ruthie

Anonymous said...

I think it was the ASPCA who said that Vick's dogs couldn't be rehabilitated, not HSUS. But I could be wrong on that.

Honestly, I don't blame either of those groups for thinking that way. Some fighting dogs truly cannot be rehabilitated, and the manpower and time it takes to rehabilitate them is overwhelming. I doubt I'd be up to that task unless I didn't have to work a "real" job. :)

Yes, they were definitely proven wrong, and I'm glad that the task was taken on by someone and only four of the 50+ dogs were euthanized. But then again, where are these 50+ dogs going to go? I know I would love to have one of them to "save" him, but they are still pits that were trained to fight, and sometimes they can snap. Unfortunately, I've seen it happen, only with an American Bull Terrier. I can also imagine that some of my neighbors would be none to happy if I got one.

There was a great article about these dogs in SI magazine a while back--I think it was their 2008 Dec issue. They talked about how some of the dogs have gotten home, but it worried me as to what would happen to the rest of them. Would they end up in homes where people wanted to be a part of the media sensation and say "I own a MV pit," or would they ever find homes at all due to the risk?

I of course believe that fighting dogs are made, not born, but once they are made, sometimes they can revert back. Of course it's not their fault or the fault of the person who rehabilitated them, but it's still an issue that has to be recognized.

Actually, I have no problem with mandatory spaying and neutering of any animal. As an owner, it is my responsibility to help control the pet population. All of my pets, even my purebred national champion collie that I got as rescue, are spayed/neutered. It's not even an option in my house--any new cat or dog that comes in gets spayed/neutered, period. And I acutally would spay mares that aren't breeding quality if it were cost effective since it would shut down their hormonal moments. It would make them easier to sell since I live in a trail-riding state. Our gelding was stallion-worthy and was a stallion for 5 years, but we gelded him because we weren't getting any breedings to him. It wasn't fair for him to continue to be a stallion when no one in AZ wants to breed to tall and plain chestnut (they all want short and spotted, palomino or buckskin). If owners don't start taking responsiblity in producing more unwanted pets, then I believe drastic measures such as mandatory spay and neutering may be the answer. What barn needs 20 stallions and 200 head of mares anyway when our economy is failing and more and more horses are being given away and auctioned off as it is?

Also, let's think of this: maybe the folks from PETA who now work at HSUS went away from PETA BECAUSE PETA is so rabid. Maybe they were tired of it or decided it wasn't right and wanted a change.

Hey, if we were to spay mares, then they wouldn't be mares anymore: we could call them feldings. Although isn't there a name for a spayed mare?

Not trying to piss you off or anything, hdnl--just looking at it from all sides. I'm friends with Keith Dane, the head of the horse protection branch of the HSUS, and they are being absolutely instrumental in helping us end soring and are the only national animal rights group that is. It's sad, really, that groups that claim they want to help all animals ignore such a serious crime that continues to happen in America. They get pissed about the sizes of cages that pigs live in which are legally mandated and want the laws changed, yet they ignore the fact that in TN and KY, the law is broken everyday when the sore horses are shown. I just don't get it.

cattypex said...

We could call them "spares"!

People tend to look at non-breeding mares that way anyhow *grumble*

I loves me a good mare - that tiny "bitch factor" !

Anonymous said...

Spares is a great name! I like that much better than felding.

ZR said...

Boycotts sadly don't work, but I don't buy Nike anyway. Overpriced and they don't make anything that is comfortable for me for more then 15 minutes. Not to mention, no longevity for those that wear our shoes out from the bottom up.

Watch 10 minutes of most of the reality competition shows and you know we are encouraging our kids to be assholes anyway. Which is why I don't watch those shows. Lie, cheat, back stab and you will succeed. Oh wait, that's what they teach the kids in team sports anyway. I actually had someone tell me once, "If you're not cheating, your not trying." as that is what he learned playing high school football.

What's sad is this guy is rewarded time and again, though his only remorse is for getting caught. After all, they were 'just' dogs in Vick's mind. You can see it in his eyes, 'what's the big deal he's thinking.' Good thing I'm a Bears fan.

What's really ridiculous is Pete Rose still is banned (or was that finally overturned) from the baseball hall of fame for betting on his team to win. Ya know, if he had bet on the other team, OK, but you bet on your team to win, I think that's a whole lot more forgivable then an illegal dog fighting ring.

Anonymous said...

ZR, I totally agree with you about reality competition shows. Especially ones like American Idol, where it is suddenly okay to make fun of people who didn't make the cut and continue to poke fun at them throughout a whole season of shows. I cannot stand what our society has done when it comes to destroying respect for our fellow man, or fellow living beings, for that matter.

horsndogluvr said...

Hi, Kat,

Yes, I have considered that the ex-Petaphiles may have left because of the stuff Peta pulls. To me, the animal rights radicals are not pro-animal, but anti-human.

But HSUS has sponsored both breed bans and mandatory spay-neuter; also number limits.

The problem is that these laws ONLY affect the law-abiding, the people who WANT to be responsible. People like you and me, who S/N our critters, or breed to improve the breed, not to make $$.

The back yard breeders, hoarders, and dog fighters will just continue to ignore the laws. Their irresponsibility "creates" the laws in the first place, but they don't pay until they get busted. The rest of us sacrifice to obey the law.

You and I don't need these laws, because we already do the right thing. We are responsible critter owners.

That's why the laws should apply to behavior, not the animals themselves.

As for dogs - I've never known a dog to "snap." There is always a reason. Some dogs are unfortunately punished for growling - leaving them with no way to warn us that they are afraid or aggressive.

Like horses spooking, their reason may not make sense to us - but there is always a reason.

Check on the Vick dogs here

Anonymous said...

hndl,

Yeah, I get what you mean. I'm just all for more laws being passed. Yes, people will continue to ignore them, but at least they're there when we need them. Plus, the more difficult we make it for people to do things like dog fighting, soring, etc. the better chance they will give it up, whether or not they've had a change of heart.

Honestly, I had never known a dog to snap either, but I some friends who are a lesbian couple that it happened to. But I mean snapped as in what was a harmless situation suddenly turned deadly. The dog was an American Bull Terrier (not to put the breed down--I actually really like Bullies), and he attacked one of their greyhounds while it was sleeping. The dog was completely asleep and the Bully attacked the dog and would not let up. The owner (unfortunately not thinking straight) stepped in the middle and the dog literally bit half her calf off--she is missing half her calf now. The dog literally ripped the greyhound to pieces and it died due to blood loss and shock. Now they had never seen any signs of this dog being agressive, and these are animal people who rescue greyhounds and used to own boxers and train their dogs using non-agressive methods. It's like his brain just went into primitive mode and that was it. They tried to rehabilitate him, but he ended up just being dangerous to be around because he would attack for what seemed like no reason. They put him down but not after a seriously long talk and trying everything they could think of short of calling Ceasar Milan. Believe me, these are women who wouldn't make this kind of decision unless it was absolutely necessary. I knew that dog from a puppy, and I know those women, and they were not going to raise a dog to be agreessive. They never played agressive games with him, things like that, particularly because he is a terrier and we all know how freaky terriers can get. It was a strange situation.

But my main worry is that dogs like Vick's will end up in homes where the owners are not educated enough to know how to handle a former fighting dog. Yes, we can rehabilitate them, but it take a lot of finesse and continued work. Of course, we all know we see it in horses, and just a few episodes of Ceasar Milan will educate you real quick. I just believe that while these dogs deserved every possible chance, high scrutiny and followup should be used on whatever owners get them, and we all know the resources are not always there for that. It doesn't mean the dogs shouldn't be put down--it just means that we have to use our heads when it comes to rescuing as much as our hearts want to fight it.

Anonymous said...

I meant to say it doesn't mean the dogs SHOULD get put down. UGH. Sorry.

cattypex said...

KP - I wonder if the Bulllie had a brain tumor or some other neurological anomaly that caused schizophrenia-like behavior?

Is anybody studying that kind of thing in animals? I'm sure SOMEbody is.

My cousin had a great little cat who all of a sudden began attacking and actually injuring people, after he'd had her for 4 or 5 years.

He had to have the poor miserable thing PTS, and an autopsy indeed showed a brain tumor.

horsndogluvr said...

There is a neurological disease called idiopathic rage syndrome. You may remember about 20 years ago hearing about Springer Spaniels having it. It seems to be related to epilepsy. That could be behind the attack on the sleeping greyhound.

There's a rare kind of it that happens to Bull Terriers, but only when they wake up from sleep. Our first bully would get it, but only when he had recently been anesthetized.

By the way, what is an "American Bull Terrier?" I've never heard of it. This isn't a snark; I want to know if I'm missing something.

I know of the APBT (American pit bull terrier), the Amstaff (American Staffordshire Terrier) and the American Bulldog; and a lot of really obscure breeds, too.

Oh, and BADRAP would NEVER release an ex-fighting dog to a "newbie" home, and they do monitor intensely.

Plus, they've found that most fighting dogs do it out of fear - they know that if they don't stop the other dog, they're going to get badly hurt. They have to attack and down the other dog first. Yes, prey drive is involved, and willingness to please - but most fighting pits, once they learn that the world is full of dogs who are peaceful, and owners who are proud of them for being calm and obedient, settle down well.

I've always said that you have to be a good actor to be a good dog trainer. Same goes for horses!

Ruthie the dog maven

cattypex said...

(...and parent)

Isn't an American Bull Terrier like the RCA dog?

GoLightly said...

Not necessarily, will the dog need training to kill.
I will never forgive the breed. I can't. Not the dog's fault, I know.

A neighbour behind my sister had a pit. It was never "trained". It jumped the fence, and ripped my sister's much-loved cat to death, right before the eyes of my 4-year old nephew.
Right "out of the blue".

p.s. The message you're sending, Trojan, is drowned out by the frothing at the mouth cursing.
No-one takes a swearer seriously.
Try saying all that to NIKE and Michael's face. You will not get very far.
In the meantime, try to learn how to be angry, without resorting to such incredibly childish cursing.
You're just as bad as fugs used to be. Check out the post NCC put up, written by someone else. Eloquence, and (gasp) no swearing.

You won't touch a subject like hoof-sanding? But you will hurl obscenities at a huge corp., and a ball-player. About old news, at that.

For shame.
see ya.

ZTIG said...

Cattypex,

The American Bull Terrier is best known as the dog in remake of The Incredible Journey. The dog Michael J Fox did the voice over for.
A couple of breeds claim they are the RCA dog, mainly JRT and Rat Terriers. Most likely he was of similar breeding to the large Rat Terriers, known today as Decker Terriers. If you have seen any of the 40lb RT's than you can see a strong resemblance. All RT's are considered a type of dog known as a Fiest, however not all Fiest's are RT's. Since RT's have only in the last few years become a breed, with an official standard, most likely the RCA dog was a Fiest with similar breeding to the larger RT's.

ZTIG said...

Wow, that was stupid... the American Bull Dog is the Incredible Journey and The Budweiser dog is the American Bull Terrier.
God I can't believe I mixed that up! (More sleep is helpful!)
Sorry bout that.
Here's a good link to help clarify it
http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/

ZTIG said...

hndl - you have some great points about rehabilitating fighting dogs. :)
As a Bully owner you do have to be extra careful so you don't incur the wrath of the less educated. (My mom is one of those :) ) What most would overlook in every other breed becomes exaggerated when a bull terrier type breed is involved.
It is common knowledge that certain dogs don't like cats, certain dogs have high prey drive, certain dogs are more prone to attack, but because of the media attention and the gangster/drug image the bull type has gotten a bad rep. Take for instance the killed cat story. Would the entire breed be blamed and not trusted if it were say, a Golden Retriever or a Great Pyr?
I knew a GR that killed chickens, rabbits, cats, etc. She was hunting dog lines not show lines. I knew a GP that would kill any cat that came on the property. Gentle as they could be with children and dogs, but cats and other prey animals? On the list for dinner. Do we demonize the whole breed? Those dogs would lay their life down for their family, should they be killed because they had prey drive?

CP said: "Is anybody studying that kind of thing in animals? I'm sure SOMEbody is"
I actually doubt there is anyone studying it. Most people don't have a necropsy done on their dogs, and AC doesn't unless a court case is involved.

horsndogluvr said...

ZTIG, You're so right about blaming the breed! My sister's beloved cat was severely mauled by the most popular breed in America - two Labs.

Just as all equids are prey animals, all canids are hunters and have prey drive. Selective breeding has reduced it in some breeds and increased it in others - but it is ALWAYS there.

Oh, and the Budweiser dog, "Spuds McKenzie," was a Bull Terrier. Her name was Evie, she was a show champion, and a very mellow girl. I met her breeder; she has a T-shirt that says "I sold Spuds McKenzie!"

We sometimes call them English Bull Terriers, but the proper name is just Bull Terrier. The Target dogs are also BTs. (They've used several different dogs.) Some of my friends call them "English Terriers" - for insurance purposes.

What I've heard about the RCA dog is that it was a cross between a BT and a Fox Terrier. But I've also heard that nobody knows for sure, because there are no records. (Records, ha ha.)

cattypex said...

SPUDS MCKENZIE! *ROFL*

Hanging out with the Swedish Bikini Team... did we even realize how disturbing that was?


Knew a woman with a Chow. Untrained and basically feral. Had killed several cats, never restrained.

She got him when he was a pup because he was sooooo kewt.

He almost killed me.

Fortunately I was able to get into her house and slam the door just as he launched and THUNKED the door himself.

"Oh, he's just playing." I kind of let her know that *I* was NOT playing.

So glad I left that job not long after - she lived on the grounds and the dog would skulk around and BITE PEOPLE! ANd no one DID anything about it, including her employer that she RENTED from. I know, because I asked him to do something.

ZTIG said...

HNDL, that is actually probably fairly accurate, more so than the RCA dog being any one breed.

The RT's and a lot of feists are bred to be the ultimate hunting/herding/family dogs from a variety of types including the Bull terriers, Beagle, Italian Greyhound, Fox Terriers, Manchester terrier, and the now extinct white bull terrier. I suspect there is also some type of herding dog, since two that I have owned, and many I have met, take to herding so naturally that the training was only on direction cues. They also can have a very soft mouth, which makes me wonder about a retriever type breed being mixed in there as well.
It wasn't until the last few years the RT's moved from being a feist to a RT. Many old timers still call them Fox Terriers, since for many years that is what the farmers thought they were.
The combination of instincts in a well bred RT is amazing. (can you tell that's my breed? :) )However, finding a well bred one is a little difficult. :)

ZTIG said...

Lol, that's right Spuds! I loved that dog. They are so ugly their uber cute! :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, my bad, hndl--it should just be Bull Terrier and not American Bull Terrier. I had gotten American Pit Bull Terrier mixed with Bull Terrier. I am taking about the Spuds McKenzie and the Target dogs. :)

The Bully was REALLY cute--a cardigan brown and black brindle. His markings were perfect--he really looked like he was wearing a cardigan sweater.

I also agree that it doesn't matter what breed. I was bitten by my neighbor's Lab who didn't recognize me in the dark when I came over to feed them while their owners were out of town. I actually felt sorry for him--he was only trying to protect himself and his wife (they were a breeding pair and where I got my Lab from). He bit me and then I stood my ground without freaking out and said Canyon, no! Bad dog! He realized it was me and immediately went submissive, so I praised him for being submissive. He broke the skin, but didn't bite me really bad. We forgave each other. :) I would not say he was a "made" dog--they lived outdoors, and he was a breeding stud, but they had tons of interaction with the man who owned them. No, they weren't trained well--they couldn't sit to save their lives--but they were played with on a daily basis. So I really feel he was protecting his territory and his mate.

And hndl, I also agree that "trained" fighting dogs do it out of fear. It's kinda like it's their only reason for fighting in a ring, since they're not necessarily being territorial or agressive as they have no reason to be.

Poor dogs. And cats, and horses...mutilation, brain washing, and terror tactics all for human convenience.

ZTIG said...

Katphoti, that is so true! I've been bitten by a Chihuahua and a Lab. The Chi, well he's a Chi... what can you say other than that.

And the Lab was in for training, the owner told us he had some emotional issues, and wanted us to work with him. I hadn't noticed anything in 3 weeks, he was progressing through obedience wonderfully. He had been an angel. We were walking along the driveway in heal position and all of a sudden he launched over and bit my left hand, all the way through.(Thank goodness for our GSD, he took him down to submissive, before I could even get no out of my mouth) The only thing I can think of is that I may have swung my left hand further than normal and he thought I was going to hit him. There was no warning, not a peep. You just never know.

Anonymous said...

ZTIG, that's a fascinating story. I love how your GSD helped you out! Sometimes it's great to have that stable dog to "help" train the other dog, like Cesar has with his pack.

And yeah, Chi's are Chis. I find that most of them are just frightened and don't know what to do other than bite.

All this talk reminds me of my favorite TV show, Family Guy, when Brian gets petted too hard by the special needs kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_H77DIRvbc

horsndogluvr said...

Chihuahuas and other tiny dogs - Saints preserve me from the idiots that think their baby's aggression is kyoot. Just watch a few episodes of Planet's Funniest Animals for examples. And there's the "Teddy Pom Pom" episode of "It's me or the dog."

And then there's bite inhibition. Puppies taken from their litter too soon (under ten weeks) don't really learn it and we have to teach them. They learn it from their littermates and their dam - so if she doesn't have it...

Ok, Ruthie, step off the soapbox!

Anonymous said...

No kidding, hndl. I have seen some of the Funniest Videos where they are making fun of dogs that obviously have issues. One time they were laughing a Chihuahua pup that was circling backwards and couldn't stop. That is a SERIOUS neurological issue in Chis that wasn't funny at all. It is due to them not getting enough nutrition as puppies. Such idiot owners...

ZTIG said...

hndl, that is exactly the issue with this chi. He is super sweet, but his mother died from an undetectable genetic disorder when the pups were only a couple days old. So, they none of the pups got mamma's teaching.

Kat, that is so sad! I will never understand people and why they think it is ok to laugh at an animal in such distress.