it's gotta stop...

it's gotta end, this horror that is the puppy factory / farm / mill industry - it's gotta stop, this enslavement, brutality, abuse and neglect of imprisoned sentient nonhumans by humans...

"Large scale puppy factory rescue.

On Thursday 9 August 2012, five RSPCA Inspectors attended a property in the South Gippsland region of Victoria. What was found was later described by even our most seasoned Inspectors and Senior RSPCA Veterinarian as one of the worst living environments for animals that they had ever seen. Simply, our rescue team was shocked and appalled.

62 dogs, including puppies as young as two days old, were living in filth and squalor. Sadly, they were made to live in as much as 3-4 inches of their own waste, in tiny pens or cages - some without water. One particular dog that was rescued could not be identified by breed because its hair was that matted and caked in mud and waste...." read more

 

 

are you outraged?

 

then make your voice heard on sunday, september 16 at one of the

puppy factory awareness rallies in melbourne, sydney or adelaide

it's gotta stop - but it takes us to give voice to the voiceless - so come along and send a loud, clear message to the baillieu government - let them know what you want - countless lives are in our hands... 

i'll be at the melbourne rally - what about you?

another step closer...

the compliance certificate for the plumbing and sewerage works is got – the paperwork has exchanged hands... it’s now 'full steam ahead' for irene to be able to sell the land at Malmsbury... it's been valued at $100,000 - it's in a superb spot - as they say 'location, location, location'!! - it's fully serviced and fenced on three boundaries - it's 5 mins from the train station and the shops - it's in a street that has no traffic because it goes nowhere and there are only a couple of houses - and if you're artistically inclined, it's in the 'heart' of a burgeoning 'artists' colony' - it'll be advertised online in the next couple of weeks - i'm going there new years eve and we'll be working on the ad and taking photos - they'll be online new years day hopefully... and for me it means i'm one step closer to reuniting with my wee louie boy (and that'll be good for irene - one less dog to have to share her bed with - he's the smallest, but he takes up the most room!!!!) - getting my own space out of the city (and escaping the claustrophobic horror of flat-dwelling) - it will be my home, my retreat, my sanctuary – and security for old(er) age... (the top pic is of the malmsbury mill - right opposite the block - and the bottom is the 'older persons retreat' being considered - similar in style to the existing house, in the right price range and perfect for the spot chosen...)

it also means peace of mind and a sense of safety from the ever expanding tourist and pub area encroaching on my home and (fast disappearing) comfort zone for so many decades (i was 'born'n bred' in st. kilda but it's a different 'world' now)... there's that ever present undercurrent of anger, hostility and violence... very noticeable last night when irene and the gang came for a visit and we decided to go for a lovely, leisurely stroll around the streets - and they are beautiful streets to wander - so many amazing old buildings and houses and such wide, green streets - it was about 9 pm and there was just something unnerving about the groups of young people (mostly male) just hanging around the streets drinking - so many groups, so much booze, so much ego and testosterone - a volatile combination - a time bomb waiting to happen...

there’s also the on-going ‘gentrification’ of st. kilda which has forced so many of the long time residents and lifeblood of the area further and further into obscurity if not oblivion with the cost of rental accommodation being so very expensive... take this house for example - it's a single fronted, 1 of 4 (not even semi-detached) 3 bedroom townhouse being advertised around the corner in cowderoy street for $690 per week ($2,998 per month!!!!) yeah, ordinary people can really afford that!!!!

anyway, in case you're not aware, it's the longest day today - the southern hemisphere summer solstice - or midsummer, or lithia - there are so many ancient cultures that celebrated these astrological events... so many interpretations and varying beliefs - and of course it was something else the christian invasion could exploit, claim and change...

"The Summer Solstice was incorporated into the Christian calendar during the spread of Christianity, and like so many of the old festivals, was given new meaning which was considered less Paganistic and more suited to the Christian festival. The Summer Solstice became the feast day of 'St. John the Baptist'.

Several hundred years ago, across Europe, healers were usually women who carried out healing using a mixture of herbs. Hildegard of Bingen put together a book recording many of these herbs and what they could be used for. In time, it became the foundation of herbalism and medicine in the western world. Shortly after its' publication, the Spanish Inquisition was established and it is believed over nine-million women were persecuted and then executed for what was termed as the practice of witchcraft. Witchcraft at this time had many definitions, one of which was "The knowledge and practice of the traditional ways of healing".

The connection of herbs and healing to witchcraft is that many of the herbs used for healing were believed to hold more healing power if they were gathered at significant times of the year such as Summer Solstice. During this time, it is believed by some, the feminine earth energies are at their most powerful. " (read more at the mystical world wide web)

and while i'm talking 'this time of the year' - if you have the need for 'last minute' gifts, why not make a donation to petrescue in someone's name, or victorian dog rescue - a donation would be greatly appreciated from any of the myriad animal rescue agencies.. maybe donate to help feed a rescued farm animal through animal liberation or "help bring emergency vet care to abandoned and neglected pets, new life for orphaned bear cubs or an end to the cruel hunting of seal pups" through ifaw or help wspa build a sanctuary for bears in pakistan, survivors of the barbaric "sport" of bear baiting - fuck, there are just so many animals and agencies needing help - how about purchasing the puppy mill documentary about the changing face of our relationship with dogs - i watched it today - it's thought provoking, heart-wrenching and informative - people need to start acknowledging the cruelty behind the pet shop puppies and take a stand, at least by getting the message out there and making others aware it's happening, otherwise the industry continues - it's extremely interesting and does show the positive action some ethical pet suppliers have instigated in america to 'thwart' the profit-at-any-cost and totally inhumane industry (australia is lagging behind but there are some ethical independent suppliers here taking their own stand) - it's well worth giving to someone as a gift... maybe you'd prefer to buy a toilet or a water supply for a village here...

HAPPY, PEACEFUL SUMMER SOLSTICE

herstory - a contemporary tale...

i worked yesterday so was looking forward to a quiet sunday morning to just ease into a lazy day - me and the gang had the place to ourselves last night and so far today it's just been us, so how else would we spend it but quietly relaxing!!!!... but alas, 'quiet' is not to be had around st kilda apparently... i was 'rudely awoken' this morning around 7 am by fucking helicopters buzzing and hovering overhead - it's after 10 now and they're still there - the noise is deafening... i'm pissed off - so's shadow (he's not going outside) and allie is already deaf or she'd be 'freaking out' - noise pollution to the max!!!!

i'd had plans to read today - but it's soooooo hard to concentrate with such surround sound noise - so i did a bit of 'surfing' to discover it's the great australian run today and it's being televised - far out, the residents of port phillip have to deal with a lot of disruption over spring and summer - cycling, running, car racing, festivals - and as part and parcel of these 'activities' there are planes, jets and helicopters - so many road closures and re-routing of public transport, so much noise, so many tourists...

but i guess because of the cacophony i've immersed myself in cyberspace and discovered an interesting event just over the yarra - an 'herstoric' occasion...

the women's circus turned 18 this year... their aim is 'to inspire and empower through contemporary circus', with a "strong focus on creating a safe, supportive and stimulating environment in which participants can extend their skills, build confidence and have fun, and in presenting engaging, high quality public performances of social relevance."

"The Women’s Circus began as a project of Footscray Community Arts Centre in 1991. In 2003, the Women’s Circus became an incorporated, non-profit organisation and remained at Footscray until relocating to the Drill Hall in West Footscray in September 2006." you can read more here... or just have a wander around their website...

if you've got some time between now and december 6, you might like to check out "Herstory", their major production for 2009 at the Living Museum of the West, Pipemakers Park on the Maribyrnong River - which, according to an article on onlymelbourne.com.au "will take the audience on a wild ride from the Circus’ own birth to her coming of age" - sounds grouse!!!!

or maybe you've always wanted to run away and 'join the circus'??!!

oooh, it appears the noise has abated, so now i might just try and get into my read of the moment...

'the fire' by Katherine Neville... i just 'happened' upon this when i was doin' some shelving at work... it was released in 2008 - it's the sequel to a book i read over 20 years ago(!!!) - "the eight" - one of the most memorable novels i've read... part historical fiction, part medieval mystery, it's an action packed thriller, a tale full of suspense - it has two storylines set centuries apart, spanning from 1790 to 1972 - the fates of both major characters - Mireille, a novice nun at montglane abbey at the time of the french revolution, and Cat Velis, computer expert and 'dabbler' in mathematics and chess - are intertwined as they both try to unravel the mystery behind the montglane chess service, purported to have once belonged to charlemagne, a gift from the moors - a chess set that holds the key to a game of unlimited power... interested??? sorry, not giving anymore away except to say it's rivetting and well worth the read - and having only read a couple of chapters of 'the fire' so far - there's more suspense, cryptic riddles, secret societies (the carbonari) and 'players' such as shelley, byron and keats - a tapestry of historical references - it certainly holds the promise of a worthy sequel!!!!

and later on today i might watch "the puppy mill" - "a documentary that explores the domestication of dogs and how our demand for the ultimate family pet has led to increasingly inhumane treatment" - i received my copy only 3 days after ordering it online (see my last post 'how much is that doggie in the window') so my day is sorted - no doubt it will be a heart-wrenching film to watch and the tears will flow...

how much is that doggie in the window??

no doubt we’ve all thought at some time or other when walking passed a pet shop "ooooh, how cute" ... tiny wee bundles of fur that you just want to take home and lavish love and affection on...

but where do these cuties come from??

definitely not from a caring, loving, affectionate environment - the reality is that their mothers gave birth to them while surviving horrendous conditions in total misery in puppy factories / farms / mills - these poor girls produce litter after litter after litter for the greed of humans, and then are 'disposed' of after 4-5 years - that's if they have survived that long from intensive breeding, cruelty and deprivation.

I seem to re-visit this topic each year at this time, but as it's possibly the major commercialized buy-buy-buy time of the year in this capitalistic society, with pets being popular (easy) 'presents' to obtain, it seems appropriate - and unfortunately change is a long time in happening - the cruelty continues, so i feel compelled to mention the horrors of this heinous industry yet again until we no longer see animals as commodities to be bought, sold and treated appallingly...

"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight"... Albert Schweitzer

Debra Tranter, animal liberation activist and rescuer, says "to look into the eyes of a confined dog and into the next and the next and the next and the next makes you feel like you’re on the edge of your sanity. Their eyes scream a silent agony of despair, their spirits broken. I can’t pick up 400 dogs put them in my car and leave, all I can do is film they’re suffering and get the footage out there because the truth cannot be changed until it can be seen. " the following is some of that footage... (my old girl allie only just survived one of these death camps...)

australian filmmaker William Wolfenden has created a documentary "The puppy mill" and you can view the trailer here - according to the australian website Where do puppies come from - "William Wolfenden has created a documentary that every animal lover should see. This is not an extremist animal rights film, but a realistic look into the world of the domesticated dog and where we are suddenly going wrong. Buy it, share it with your friends, have a think, have a cry and know that by watching this film you are making a difference."

if it's a gift giving time for you this december, why not give a gift that may help save lives - you can order a copy of the documentary here (i've just ordered mine!!!) 20% of the sales go to PetRescue, "a not-for-profit organisation that finds new homes for lost and abandoned pets. We believe every homeless pet deserves the chance to find a new loving family, but with rescue groups across the country struggling to feed and care for animals, many pets miss out on homes simply because nobody knows they are available." They have the largest online searchable directory of rescue pets in australia - if you're not looking for a companion you can always make a donation!

According to Death Row Pets "250,000 healthy, but unwanted cats and dogs are killed in Australian pounds each year" and they have 5 ideas to stop this slaughter that they'd like to see turned into a reality:

• Restrict the sale of cats and dogs to ethical regulated breeders, pounds and animal shelters
  


• Stop all sources of mass production of kittens and puppies for profit i.e. stop puppy and kitten farms and backyard breeders
  


• Achieve widespread desexing of all pets
  


• Increase the re-homing rate in pounds and shelters via better low-kill policies
  


• And of course educate everyone on responsible and caring pet ownership...
  

not unrealistic goals... you'd think it would be easy... why not visit the lead the way website and sign the petition to support the Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill - if it's passed in new south wales (Clover Moore keeps trying) then the precedent is set which gives a greater chance of change throughout australia... it's time to take a stand... go on, stand up and be counted - spread the word - help educate to eradicate this industry!!!!

please, visit the sites mentioned - people really need to know what's going on and to what extent...

END THE SILENCE

END THE PUPPY FACTORIES

END THE CRUELTY

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man."... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi