Memorial

I am writing this mostly as reference for the future. I should have done this two weeks ago while it was fresh in my mind, but I am still recalling details about the night in pieces from time to time. You'll have to excuse if it's all scattered and I may edit this often if I feel I missed something or the order of events is off. I'll jump right into the actual event instead of what I feel led up to it. Not sure if this will help bring me some peace but here goes.

The date was December 22nd, 2012. My then boyfriend, who I will simply refer as "D" for the rest of this post, and I were out of town for my friends wedding. I was doing photos for my friend so I stayed sober for the night. Not to mention, I was rather off put by drinking anyways as I saw D with a new bottle of wine every time I saw him. Part of me knew what I was going to deal with since it's happened many times before we moved to our current residence, where returning home after drinking was not an option.

One of my friends plus her boyfriend had there stuff in out hotel so I decided I just wanted to hitch a ride with them as they left early. D was getting out of hand really fast and was making a fool of himself at this small family wedding. When we arrive at the motel, D recalls that his keys are not on him, but infact in his car. My friend decided to go get them with her parents so we didn't have to illegally cram ourselves in the vehicle again. Besides, he continued to make an ass of himself infront of my friends parents on the extremely short ride to the hotel.

As they were leaving, he was acting like an idiot and shouting at the car, trying to run after them so I grabbed his arm and managed to get the hotel door slammed on my finger. I was pissed to begin with, yet being incredibly patient considering his actions. This just provided that extra push for me to finally snap and tell him to calm the fuck down. He instantly got really dramatic and dark. Like day and night really. He was accusing me of not loving him, and that everything was my decision(he was so drunk he couldn't even say decision)...really just over the top, unnecessary drama. I was attempting to calm him because honestly, we were standing outside of our hotel room and I was being embarrassed by my wasted boyfriend. Maybe 5 minutes pass of this and my friend/her parents come driving back up. As soon as they got out of the car, he switched back into the happy/annoying drunk. We said our goodbyes as they packed there stuff in the car and drove away. The second they were gone, before we even got in the door, he went dark again and was running his mouth on the same topics as before. I've been through this before, but in the past have yelled back at him. This time, I decided to remain quiet, or plead for him to just talk to me about it in the morning in hopes that he wouldn't escalate. But escalate is exactly what happened.

At first i was just sitting around as he continued to run his mouth. I decided to do as I usually do in this situation to calm myself, and I went to the bathroom to be alone. I prepared myself for bed and took quite awhile doing so. The entire time, D was still talking. I of course, was trying my best to ignore him. Finally, I was much calmer and decided to try and go to bed. I opened the door to see D standing right in the doorway. I assumed he was sitting on the bed the entire time...not standing infront of the door. Again, still talking in a negative manner. I tried to get past but he stood there blocking the door. I don't recall, but after some struggle I managed to get through. Probably via physical force because he was not being even remotely cooperative at this point. Or actually, he was not being cooperative since I was left alone with him.

After I got past him in the bathroom doorway, I just sat on the bed, ignoring him, staring at the wall. I recall D attempting to shut off the light and knocking over the lamp where it shattered on the ground. He kept trying to get close to me, trying to kiss me, climb on me, but I didn't want to be touched. I tried pushing him away several times, but he is much stronger then I. I was incredibly worked up again and was just sitting there as a big ball of anxiety, crying. Again, as a reminder, this whole time I was either quiet, or pleading him to stop, telling him we'd talk in the morning.

I finally kicked him off of me and stormed to the bathroom where I stood there, hyperventilating/crying by the sink. He followed me of course and got in my face. I don't remember exactly what happened here, but I was panicking and did whatever I could to get out of the tiny bathroom. I grabbed him by the throat and pushed him/clawed him a few times before I managed to get out. I told him that I might go see my parents since they were so close and spend the night there. That set him off on a whole new topic to be negative about. Now it was about me having supportive parents and how he had nothing growing up.

This is where I am confused about the whole timeline of this event. I know at some point I went back in the bathroom with my dog and sat on the floor, in the corner and held him in my chest and just bawled. I locked the door but apparently this hotel was even shittier then it looked, and he easily walked right in where he crouched down over me with his face in mine, like a predator. He yelled at me abit, telling me to "look at myself" like my reaction was absolutely ridiculous. Then he focused on my dog, trying to remove him from my arms. I guess it was a control thing because he knows I'll go where my dog goes. I pleaded with him, telling him that I needed the dog. I was upset, and the dog was really upset and that we just needed to be together to calm down. But he continued anyways, and tried physically ripping my dog from my arms. I was just...I can't even explain the emotions I had going through me. I've never experienced anything even close. I threatened to hit him if he didn't let my dog go, which he didn't. He kept claiming that the dog wasn't happy and that he should take him. Eventually I hit him. A few times. He wasn't even phased by it. He started screaming so hard at me, he was spitting in my face. The whole time, I'm am in a ball in the corner of the bathroom with him hovering above me, trapping me. I know he tried to take the dog again and I threatened to hit him again and he lost it and started punching himself in the side of the head and the chest. The rest of this bathroom incident is a tad blurry, but he eventually grabbed me by my arm and ankle and dragged me out of the bathroom. I kicked him off once I was outside the doorway, and stood up, shaking and he grabbed me and threw me on the bed. I got up right away and went for the touchpad to try and find my moms phone number in an email. I NEEDED to get out. I was trying to hide the touchpad and get the number quickly, meanwhile the whole time he's screaming at me about how I don't know how it's been for him and all his issues. He obviously noticed me using the touchpad and ripped it from my hands and threw it away from me where it bounced off the bed and fell between the wall and the bed on the floor. I begged with him, and pleaded, just telling him I wanted to go visit my parents. He screamed right in my face some more. He attempted to throw me on the bed a few more times and pulled me around by the wrist. He was very drunk so tossing me down didn't always work. I waited for him to move to the other side of the room and quickly snatched the touchpad and tried to find my parents number again. I found it and snuck over to a desk, where I typed the number into D's cellphone and hid it in my coat pocket(the phone was not activated but I figured it was the easiest option since I had no pen or paper). I guess somewhere during this I threatened to leave since I had my coat on already. Not sure when.

I had everything I needed. I had my coat and now all I needed was Jackson, my other dog who was in his crate this entire time.When I went to grab him, of course D pulled him from me and jumped on the bed and wouldn't let me take him. Again, I was just pleading with him to let me take him and that I was just going to visit my parents. I physically tried taking Jackson from D's arms but I didn't want to hurt Jackson and D wasn't letting up. I begged, and D yelled and eventually got up and let Jackson go. I tried to get him but D then went after Bleak so I snatched him up quickly again. D of course grabbed Jackson a second time and I tried getting him again. I was just praying that Jackson would turn into that little prick he could be and would bite him, HARD. But he didn't. He just looked freaked out.

During all this, whenever I threatened to leave, he blocked the exit so I couldn't. When he snatched Jackson back up, he laid back on the bed, holding him again and I had no choice but to to leave without Jackson. This absolutely broke my heart to do and I swear, it's was the hardest decision I have ever made. I didn't really think D would hurt him, but the chance was there and clearly D was not stable at all. It just..was so hard I can't even describe it.

As soon as I was outside, I saw a man walking to a started van. I considered asking him to call the cops if he had a cellphone, but my first instinct was to avoid strangers and just go to a public place. But of course, this was out of town and I had no idea where I was. I also didn't want to risk D coming after me and pulling me back to the room if I tried to navigate my way to a convenience store or something.. Again, he's much stronger then I. So I ran over to the van and told the driver to call the cops. I was a mess...shaking, hyperventilating, crying...

While the guy was on the phone with the police, D came out over to me and calmly and quietly told me "Don't do this". As fucked as this is, I felt immensely guilty as things were and that just put the sugar coating on it. Thinking about it after just made me feel like the biggest piece of shit, when really, I should not have felt that way. At all. 

So D eventually left and the police found him in his car, passed out. Once they managed to get him out, he went to jail overnight.

Meanwhile, I waited in the "waiting room" with the owner of the place and the guy who called the police. Thinking back afterwards, they were both incredibly insensitive pricks.

I talked to many police officers, then had to go back to the station to record my statement very thoroughly, like I've written this.

I do not know exactly how long the hotel incident went on, but my guess would be an hour. I left the wedding rather early, maybe around 10-11pm and called my parents afterwards around 11pm-12am. I was then at the station until 4am. So that's why I am guessing an hour. It felt like a very long time.

So, that's all of it. Maybe I will write about other stuff that isn't about the actual incident, but for now, I'll leave it at this.

Mah Pooches

Oh how I adore my dogs! Need proof? :D

I already posted a photo of this one, but this is after touch ups. I didn't think it could look any better then it did, but somehow he made it even more realistic! This one took four hours and then the touch up was about 30-40 minutes.

the colours have blended and toned down a tad now that it's completely healed.

 I just finally got Bleaks done last month! We had to split it up in two sitting though since I REALLY wanted to squeeze my appointment in with him before he moved. First session was about 2 hours. I think the second took about 3...maybe 2?

Here's after the first session.

<3

And after it was finished! It still is not healed though.

I'll get a better photo up once it's totally healed. :)

Manly mens

Men seem to have it hard when it comes to veganism/vegetarianism. I mean, ALL of us compassionate folks probably have it hard in certain ways. I have been harassed day after day at my old job. The funny thing is I usually don't tell people I'm vegan unless they ask or the topic comes up, That joke that goes something like "How can you tell if someone is vegan? Don't worry. they'll tell you" is very false in my experience and among the other veggies I personally know. So anyways, at my job, they found out because they were teasing another girl for being vegetarian so I spoke up. After that, the lame jokes rolled in. I can definitely take a joke. I have a great sense of humor. However, there's only so much that I can laugh when it comes to a very serious issue, like animal welfare. If they were vegan too and we were making fun of ourselves, then cool. But these people who joke are the people allowing this massacre and abuse to carry on full force.

On the topic of jokes, my personal favorite is "how many meat eaters does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None. they'd rather stay in the dark about things".

Anyways, I came here with the intent of writing about male troubles and went on about my own personal bullshit I've gone through. I just have one thing to say and it's about the one comment I am sure a majority of the veggie males get, and that is "Be a man! Eat meat!". So you identify your manliness with animal cruelty? What a tough man you are to let someone else do the dirty work for you! I can hardly contain myself from throwing myself at you naked....yeah, not. Grow some balls. Stand up for something once in your life that actually matters.


Annnnd that is all. Farewell for now and I am hoping to write up more about dog related stuffs tonight as well.

Dog training shiz

I've been reading alot about dog training for quite awhile now. One reason would be because I got my first dog almost three years ago. I am also in the process of picking out a trainer to help me with problems I can't seem to fix myself. So naturally, I am doing research. 

Ok, so here is my issue and I can't honestly believe people go for this when they know about all training methods. 

"Remember how happy you were if your parents gave you a dollar for every A on your report card? They made you want to do it again, right? That's positive reinforcement.
Dogs don't care about money. They care about praise … and food. Positive reinforcement training uses praise and/or treats to reward your dog for doing something you want him to do. Because the reward makes him more likely to repeat the behavior, positive reinforcement is one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your dog's behavior. "

So basically what positive reinforcement is is shoving treats down your dogs throat at every opportunity. I assure you from experience with my one extremely food motivated dog is that, sure, using treats does help then get what you want them to do. IN THAT MOMENT. So say I am working on the "sit/stay" commands with treats, my dogs is definitely going to do it. But if I go outside and I don't have treats, if he sees a squirrel, or even if there are no distractions, he's probably not going to listen to me unless I start waving food in his face.
 

"Remember how happy you were if your parents gave you a dollar for every A on your report card? They made you want to do it again, right??"

First of all, since when did that method work? I've been bribed with MANY things throughout school and it never guaranteed that I would do good. I did it when I wanted to, therefore all the control was coming from me. With my dogs, I don't want to bribe them into doing something. If I tell them to do something, it is for their safety and well being so they damn well better do it. Plain and simple. I don't want them to think "Oh, she doesn't have a treat? F^%k that" and that's exactly what happens.
 

I've been watching Cesar Millan and so many people say he's outdated and such and that dogs actually don't have a pack leader. Regardless of that, his methods clearly work. I have personally tried a few simple things with my dogs that he pointed out in his shows and I've seen immediate results.

"The aggressive manhandling of dogs as Cesar does doesn’t make the dog respect you, they just get scared."

Really? This person is referring to how he pins, "chokes", and "kicks" dogs. *facepalms* Everything he does is not in excess. So for example, he will use the lead to "snap" dogs back into focusing on him. So all he does is alittle, quick tug on the leash. It's equivalent to tapping someones shoulder to get their attention. Same with when he taps them on the side with his foot, or as some crazy people say, "kicking" the dog.

Another thing people need to remember. DOGS ARE NOT WOLVES. We have domesticated them and bred them over and over again to the point that they aren't even close to wolves. So saying that Cesars technique is wrong because wolves do this, or don't do that is just completely flawed.

I understand since "The Dog Whisperer" aired, most uneducated people who watch it think he's just the greatest thing in the world. But for other trainers to actually bash him? That's just ridiculous.

If you actually watch dogs interact, you will see that they don't "bribe" one another to get shit done. They demand it and if you don't do it, you get reprimanded. I think this is also an issue with kids these days(Oh geez, I sound so old. :P). People are too soft on them and now kids are running around all crazy causing all kinds of unpleasant shenanigans. When a mother dog sees her pup doing a unwanted behavior, she doesn't sit him done and say "that's a nono! No treats for you.". She snarls and snaps at the pup and says "Bitch. Stop that shit or else!". And guess what? Shit gets done real fast.

A comparison.

I just was just grooming up my two dogs and decided I'd make a post regarding something extremely important. Two words. DENTAL HYGIENE. Yes. I am telling you to brush your dogs teeth.

Click to see larger, more detailed image.

Bleak, on the left, has significantly better teeth than Jackson as you can clearly see. There is a one year age difference between the two. I highly doubt Bleaks teeth will look like Jacksons in a year though.

Ok, so onto what I actually do with them. I got Bleak as a puppy, however I did not start brushing his teeth regularly until he was just under a year old I believe. I did this so that I wasn't accidentally brushing while he was teething. If you do this, the dog will become bitter towards getting their mouths played around with since they associate it with pain.

Jackson I got back in April and he is four and I very highly doubt he has had his teeth bruushed. Since being with his new family, aka me, his teeth have not gotten worse and have improved abit. I will still need to take him into a vet to get them professionally cleaned. He may need to be put under, which is a pretty expensive procedure.

If dogs(and cats) had their teeth regularly cleaned, then we would save a shitton of money on vet fees. What people do not realize is that so many very serious health issues start with bad teeth. These can include heart and kidney desease(and failure). When growing up, my family had a dog and he died of kidney failure, which I believe was either caused by bad teeth or bad nutrition(but that's another topic).

The fact of the matter is that we are causing not only ourselves, but the animals that become part of our lives to be predestined to a huge increase of disease. :(

Love triangle...or triforce if you will

I forget how long ago, but I was on www.etsy.ca looking for vegan eyeshadows and came across not only vegan ones, but Zelda and Pokemon inspired shades! Zelda+Pokemon+Vegan= well...perfect. :D I hadn't had the cash at the time so I didn't get around to buying any until recently.

www.shirocosmetics.com

I just got my order in on Tuesday. I bought the following shades;

  

And I also got these two samples for free! Yay awesome!

I haven't used all of them all yet, other than swiping them on my hand, but I can say the colours are vibrant and gorgeous. Unfortunately, photos never truly justify the true intensity of an eyeshadow. Fo example, I don't think "Veran" looks anything like the photo. It's much prettier in person.

 The look above was done with "Midna" allover the lid and "Ganondorf" on the outer corners. I absolutely love these shades. The photo doesn't really show it, but "Ganondorf" is a black base, with red sheen, and "Midna" is a grey with aqua sheen. Such a gorgeous and creative mixture of colours. On my lips, I put a lip balm on first, then smudged "Hearts" over it to create a stain. I prefer it over any lipstick. But then again, I've never been a fan of lipsticks.

I look cross-eyed lolol

This above look, I smeared just some shimmery white over my lids and then put "Link" on the outer corners. You can't tell, but I added some "Ganondorf" just to darken the outer corners as well.

And this above look is my favorite so far. I've always liked red makeup the best. I find it brings out my eye colour, and just overall appeals the most to me. I combined "Hearts" and "Ganondorf" on the outer corners and smeared the shimmery white over the lid, same as the "Link" look.

Clearly all these shadows are very pretty....but do they last? YES! If you touch your lids alot, it will come off. You shouldn't be touching your face with your dirty ass fingers anyways so stop! >:c I have never used eye primer personally, but would think that intense shades like these would benefit from it.

That is all I have to say about this wonderful line of shadows. I will post more pics once I try more looks. :D BUY HER STUFF! :D  :D  :D

Another thing relating to this topic. I am seriously considering making my own vegan makeup line. It appeals to me in so many ways. I obviously love make up, for one. Veganism is a huge thing for me, so hopefully I will have close friends and family members trading in there usual animal tested drugstore makeup for my stuff. I also would really love to, and kinda need to work for myself, at home, and not have to deal directly with people. I plan on making shades based on things that I love. So things like movies, books, TV show, music....wiener dogs. :D I was obviously inspired by the makeup line shown above. I do not mean to copy her creations in any way.

I have alot of research to do.

A few words

First and foremost, I am running out of blog titles here. >:c

Secondly, I have fantasticly awesome blue hair.

Unfortunately, I had to cut like two thirds of it off thanks to damage from bleach. But I am happy with it. It takes minimal time to style, and since I wash it every three days now, it's just so much easier and looks better. I very rarely ever straightened my hair when it was long. I'd usually just throw it in a bun or something to get it out of the way since it took like 40 minutes to straighten and that was a daily thing. :/   Ideally, I'd like it longer then it is though. Methinks in a year, it will be perfect. Also, the blue does fade super fast, but that is due to the bleaching damage. My hair has a hard time holding colour where it took the most damage.

Moving on to the next topic...Bleak has been off his medicine for epilepsy for a couple weeks now with no recurrences. This thrills me of course. Both dogs are doing great. :)

:D

This is alittle random, but since it just happened, I feel the need to share. I just burned my thumb on the lentils I am cooking for the pooches. D:

Annnnnd last but not least! Voila!

This one speaks for itself. I got it done December 30th, 2011 by Daniel Fowler. I will get a better photo after touch ups in a couple weeks. It took almost four hours, three of which were quite unpleasant to say the least. I am getting the same thing on the other thigh, but of Bleak. I am hoping in a month or so I'll have the money....

And this brings me to the next subject;
I am now accepting donations. :D Please????

Sweet Jesus

I have discovered something amazing. Blue Menu brand scallions with pasta sauce. Mother fucking CHICKEN PARMESAN. The scallions taste like chicken btw. *DROOLS*

That is all. :D

Same old

I feel like...I can't live in this world. That sounds like some super dramatic thing an angst filled teen would say, but fuck(butt fuck lol), it's how I feel.

I have no idea where to start and I have a feeling this is going to be a jumbled mess of random frustrations.

Thought #1; I love when people are told, or notice you are vegan(this happens to me at restaurants or grocery stores when they see you have no meat) and they say "Well, I've been to a farm and it's not bad". Really? You honestly believe that because you have seen one or two farms that that is what it's like everywhere? There is a profound difference in organic or small family owned farms, and factory farms.

"Over 95% of the 650 million animals raised and slaughtered for food in Canada today are mass-produced on factory farms. Here they live their short lives indoors in intensive confinement systems, deprived of everything that is natural to them including sunlight, family, and even the ability to turn around. The horrific conditions that exist on Canada’s modern farms include animals being crammed by the thousands into filthy windowless sheds, wire cages, gestation crates, and other cruel confinement systems. These animals suffer staggering neglect, mutilation, genetic manipulation, and drug regimens that cause chronic pain and debilitation. During transport, many animals are beaten or shocked, and thousands die from overcrowding and extreme temperatures. Their tortured lives end in terror with violent and gruesome deaths in slaughterhouses across the country."

Is this the farm you went to? If so, you are fucked for thinking it's "not bad at all".

It just baffles me how some people allow themselves to believe that small local farms must be where the dairy, eggs, or meat they ate comes from.

I had so much more to say about this, but alot of it has slipped my mind.

Thought #2; "I went vegetarian and then got sick". No. You didn't get sick from not eating animals. You got sick from improper diet, which is just as easily done on a diet containing meat. Veganism/vegetarianism isn't improper diet. Infact, most people find they get sick less. Veganism has even been known to not only prevent certain diseases, but to reverse them.

Thought #3; when I notice someone posting bullshit as facts and I call them out on it, I am not trying to start a flame war. I am trying to educate you. My friend just posted this on his facebook;

"I read today that people a majority of people respond to the word "LEARN" with negative feelings."

This is so sad to me...I have no idea why my font suddenly changed and I can't fix it. Why to kill my train of thought, blogspot.

 I guess I'm done. I said a significantly less then I was expecting to say. 

 

Oh I was also going to say how people need to stop making excuses for why they gave up vegetarianism and just admit they gave up. By saying it made you sick, it could possibly turn others away from it. People don't realize the impact of their words sometimes.

Wish I spoke dog

I am very confused. Jackson has developed, quite randomly, some weird new unpleasant behavioral problems. I am not sure if all of them are connected someway...maybe it's something me or my boyfriend are doing and aren't aware of? I really don't know.

I think it started with excessive barking. When I first got him, the first few times I walked him he would bark and run to the end of the leash at strangers. This obviously displeased me so I would correct him by using a firm "NO" and would make him pay attention to me. I basically showed him that I am boss and this new household has rules. That's all it took with him. He caught on super fast.

That was the end of that until about maybe two months ago. I was sitting in the grass with both dogs and a man walked by with his two very respectful, non threatening dogs. You know those dogs that when they see another dog, they go nuts, barking and growling loudly and yanking/jumping around on the end of the leash completely ignoring the owner?? Yeah, that was Jackson. He managed to claw my leg too. I was furious to say the least. Not to mention, very VERY baffled by his behavior.

Since getting Bleak and being super close to him since day 1, I have become a strong believer that dogs really do have more insight on the goodness of others(human or animal) almost immediately. This why if Jackson would occasionally bark at certain people or another dog, it didn't bother me. But now it's turned into excessive barking at pretty much anyone he doesn't know.

So that is where these behavioral problems started. Well, one random idea is it all ties into him having separation anxiety. Maybe it's just anxiety in general. Just a thought since this has been there worst problem since I moved 4 months ago.

Which leads me to another problem that I originally wasn't going to mention, but maybe I should just to document it.

Jackson has had separation anxiety since I got him. It was never severe at first. He would just cry for like 10 minutes or so. When I left the house, I would close him off in my bedroom. Until about 2 or 3 months of doing this, he randomly decided that he couldn't take it and clawed the shit out of my door. I started leaving him loose in the house with Bleak and he seemed much happier.

Since moving, I discovered that leaving them home alone would result in my eviction(no exaggerations here). I started working with them and got to the point where we could leave them for 30ish minutes without any signs of anxiety. After doing this for about a week, you'd think they would get better. But no, Jackson randomly got over anxious before I even left one day and as soon as I shut the door he started barking and howling immediately. Again, me=baffled.

OK on to the most recent things. He has started doing little things here and there...like trying to steal Bleaks food during feedings and barking madly at the one cat and chasing him out of the room. The biggest thing that actually worries me though happened yesterday. I noticed that when I went to give my normally super affectionate dog kisses on the face, he would growl. Even to the point where his lip would start to quiver and curl up abit. I punished him for it, which I probably shouldn't have. Then later that day, I believe I went to give him a hug and he growled at me again so I started saying "NO. BAD" and he randomly peed. I wasn't anymore harsh with him then usual, which is why I am worried.

My guess is his recent issues could be due to nutrition. I haven't had their protein supplement stuffs in quite sometime. That could maybe explain why he's stealing Bleaks food(and eating his poop). Maybe he feels unsatisfied? I'm going to order it, and if this continues after a couple weeks of him being back on it, then I will definitely need to see a vet and maybe consult a professional trainer to give me some answers.

Oh! and also,  can't recall if I have made a post about Bleaks problems, but for the longest time he would involuntarily urinate. That stopped about 2-3ish months ago and I was soooo happy(and proud that I officially had a reliably house trained dog). He randomly started peeing again last week. He stopped again though so lets hope whatever the problem was, it has ceased and I am sincerely hoping that it was just a fluke.

That is all for now.

XD

Jackson is...plotting?

Handsome boys.

Oh geez, just look at that face. *swoons* AND THE FEETS!!! SQUEEE

People are Scum- Part 1

I say part 1 cause I can guarantee I'll have more rants regarding this sad excuse of a species called Human Beings.

So yesterday I was on Facebook and someone had posted an ad off Kijiji about a dog needed a home. I immediately reposted it, being the animal lover I am. However, when I read it again and thought more about it, it seemed fishy. I am not going to post the actual ad, but I will summarize what was said.

The poster claims that they are fostering a dog for a rescue group and that in four days they have to move. If the dog has no home, then they are forced to surrender it to a shelter where it will most likely be put down due to it's age(the dog is 12). The poster also claims that the rescue group whom they are fostering for can't take the dog back and that most rescues won't take in the dog due to it's age.

Ok, where to begin? First of all, even if this particular rescue group cannot take the dog back maybe due to over capacity, then LOOK FOR ANOTHER. I googled this persons location and found TONS of other rescue groups. Many even state that they will take any dog. Even elderly dogs.

Not only is that bullshit, but it puts a bad name on rescue groups. What if someone saw that who has to surrender there pet, but then they think they can;'t cause this ignorant person said rescues won't take elderly dogs? Guess what happens. Another innocent life is destroyed all because some piece of shit scumbag won't send out an email to other rescue groups. Instead they resort to lies.

Also, an important point, most rescue groups will even transport the pet with absolutely no cost to you. I had my rescue, Jackson, transported all the way from Ottawa to London. It didn't cost me anything extra.

Another thing, I understand situations arise and sometimes you have to move, but everything else in this ad seemed off, so this also makes me feel as though they are telling lies about this too. Rescue groups take there work very seriously. They make sure a possible foster parent is going to commit fully to an animal they take into there home. If you knew you had to move, then you don't take in the dog, and I know as a matter of fact a rescue group won't give a pet to someone whom they know will be moving.

Again, something urgent may have come up though.

I decided to email this person to suggest that they contact other rescue groups. They got rude with me right away and...well I will post the messages.

Me: "Can;t you find another rescue group? There are tons and I am sure many would even be willing to transport her since most rescue groups do anything to keep animals out of high kill shelters."

Moron: "no offence but i wish people wouldn't send messages like this as it fills up my inbox and takes away room from productive messages from people who might be able to help.  even most rescue groups don't care about elderly dogs, that is why this rescue group woudn't take her back."


Me; "People honestly "fill up" your inbox? I find that unlikely. The reason i replied is cause your ad seemed like complete bullshit. Rescues do not care about age. I googled the Hamilton area to check if you were lacking rescue groups. Not even close to lacking. Clearly you were lazy and didn't want to attempt to even send a few emails to groups. Even if a specific group couldn't take her, I guarantee they'd at least point you in the right direction."

Moron: "You find that unlikely when YOU yourself just sent another useless message when I have already told you to keep your rude and unhelpful messages to yourself?  We have contacted plenty of rescue groups, and if that's all the help you're going to be, is to send people insulting messages, maybe the problem you are pointing out is more of a YOU problem than a SOMEONE ELSE problem.

I'm asking you again not to bother sending me any more messages.  I posted an ad trying to find an elderly dog a home.  If you're not going to be part of the solution, don't cause problems."

And then sent this one too. "Even if I had lied in an attempt to find a dog a home, who the hell cares?  And even if I did post on kijiji instead of contacting a shelter where the dog might be kept alive but in a cage, or a lab where she would be alive but tested on, who the hell cares?  I mean realistically, even if I was a complete lying douchebag like you've decided I am because you'd rather not help in any way but want to make the whole situation MY fault and NAMECALL, typical unwashed Hamilton behaviour

I AM FINDING A DOG A HOME AND YOU ARE SENDING RUDE MESSAGES, NAMECALLING, AND GENERALLY WASTING MY TIME."

Me: "I am helping by encouraging you to contact other rescue groups. But since you won't, I did the work for you.

I hope someone gets in touch with you soon, and I sincerely hope that your ad finds this dog a forever home as opposed to just another foster hope. This dog doesn't need to be put in a shelter where it will most likely be put down. Rescues don't kill. Consider it."

Apparently, calling someone lazy is name calling.

So, that last message I sent was after I contacted multiple rescue groups in Hamilton and Toronto. A couple replied shortly after asking for contact info(the person changed the ad and said the dog found a home) and that it is inexcusable for a rescue group to deny an animal needing help. One reply in particular was extremely informative since the group was aware of this so-called rescue group that wouldn't take the dog back. And they know what dog I was referring to. Whether all this is truth or not, doesn't really matter. That dog was thrown in an inhumane situation. (Btw I hate the term "Inhumane". It suggests that people do good on a regular basis when in reality, there are WAY more scumbags then people who are completely selfless)

Anywho, here's the email I was just talking about.

"The Rescue (if you can call it that) is called "Kit Kat Club" and we had never heard of them but apparently Pet Valu on Wilson Street in Hamilton has been featuring their kittens (selling their kittens in their store) but declined that they had any other involvement with them.  This is contrary to what I have found and as we do some promotion for Pet Valu, we will be contacting the owner to make a formal complaint.

It would appear that this group has been fundraising and such but the money apparently seems to be going into pockets rather than to help the animals.  (this is second hand info and based on how they have treated this poor dog that was in their care)

Kit Kat Club does have a facebook page where the dog can be seen.  We have been in contact and hopefully this will be resolved very shortly as the SPCA has been to the house to check on the dog's condition and to lay charges if able.  Regardless that this woman was just fostering, the dog was in her care all summer and according to her, has eye infections and is  totally flea infested.  He has been kept in a shed and from what I understand (second hand info) was being fed cat food.  It is only because Martha is moving and the group refused to help her with the dog that she posted to us as well as several other places asking for help.  She should have done something long ago to get help for this dog.

What Martha told us is that the dog was taken from an elderly woman who was going into a nursing home and she paid Kit Kat Club $150.00 to take the dog.  The group then asked her to foster the dog and they have refused to help or contact her again other than to tell her to contact us.  I hate to think what she would be feeling is she knew where her beloved pet ended up!    

As of yesterday, the SPCA had been informed and were going to the house to meet with Martha and see the dog.  I don't know if they will give us any information at this point but we would sure like to know what happened to the dog.

I just saw the email from Korinne saying the dog had found a home.  I do know that there was someone, a gentleman of good honour willing to take the dog but not sure that happened before the SPCA got there.

This is all just too horrible and I hope someone can do something about this so called group!!!

Karlene

Rescue Director

Ugly Mutts Dog Rescue"

 

Well, there you go.

New tattoo design

This post is for myself.

I am planning a new tattoo. The concept is  basically reversing the roles of humans and animals in factory farming. I want a pig standing on it's hind legs dressed in butcher garb( shiny black, long gloves with an apron in the same style). The gloves are going to resemble a regular glove, so human hand shape. The feet are going to be bare and they will be pigs hooves.


As for the pigs head, I want it very sinister looking with blood on the mouth area, dripping. Something similar in style to this.

In one hand (hoof?), I want a typical butchers knife with blood on it, and in the other I want it holding a silver platter with a human arm on it with the fingers curling in distress. Kind of like how a spiders legs curl up when they die. I want it to suggest alot of trauma to the human.

This apron.

These gloves.

I want the angle of the tattoo to be looking down on the pig. Like when people take pics of themselves with the camera up above there head, angling down so that the head looks big and the body gradually gets small looking. I want the pigs eyes super detailed and sinister.

Sorta like this...but not really. -.-

I think I want the colours similar to that tattoo I posted up abit. Where the pig is kinda black and white, but the blood is full colour.

A rant of sorts...

This post is going to tie into two things. Firstly I will start with how this train of thought came about.

I was just browsing photos of random celebrities and one of the main topics usually is how they got their great bods through a specific diet and exercise. This is of interest to me, so I read them. I would like to post a photo and a diet plan here that I just came across.

Here we have Jessica Alba. She looks great, noone can deny that('m not one for tans, but that's completely irrelevant). The article posted with this photo shares her diet plans. Here it is;


If you want to get an amazing body like Jessica’s, you’ll have to follow a very strict plan. Jessica is currently on the South Beach Diet and this is her typical day:

• Breakfast
  1 cup oatmeal with berries with 3-4 scrambled egg whites when working on the film set.

• Lunch
  Salad with 170 gms (6 ounces) of chicken breast or fish (salmon, tuna)

• Dinner
  Sashimi or or 170 gms (6 ounces) of petit fillet of beef or other lean protein with unlimited veggies and 3 small red potatoes

• Snacks
  handful of almonds or hot air popped popcorn

 I said this is going to tie into two topics at the beginning of this post. The second one is about, guess what, veganism. I feel the need to point out a misconception about it that non-vegans always seem to think. "How boring. What do you eat?" *facepalms* What did I eat today?

When I first woke up I killed off some Red Curry Thai dish from last night(fucking goood shit). Then I had a carrot cake Cliff bar. Then the bf went out and fetched a horde of food including subs from Mr.Sub, three kinds of awesome soup(Red Curry, Moroccan Chickpea, and a sweet potatoes vegetable one). Then I killed off a Nanaimo bar, and I've been picking at a chocolate cheesecake. Both desserts come from www.sweetsfromtheearth.com btw.

All this and it's only 6:30.

I weigh 127ish pounds, I am 5'6", and no, I don't just have really good metabolism(people are actually surprised at my weight fyi. I personally think most girls just lie and say they are lighter than they really are). Before going vegan, I weighed alittle more then 10 pounds heavier, exercised 5 days a week, calorie counted like crazy, and tried my best to avoid ALL junk(which is torture for me. It really is), and I never looked half as good as I do now.

Now it's rare that I check out the calories of my food, and even if I do, I never get bummed out like I used to. Like I said, I am thinner. I'm not as fit as say, Jessica Alba, but that's cause I stopped working out a couple months ago. I intend on doing regular yoga again soon though.

My point is that people accuse vegans of depriving themselves of good, hearty, delicious foods, which is so unbelievably untrue. I eat way more types of food than I ever did before veganism, or than most average people. Every night my dinner looks like and tastes like something off a restaurant menu. I adore grocery shopping cause how veganism opened me up to a larger variety of dishes. Also, the creativity of trying to mimick traditional dishes, but veganize them. It's fun stuff!

Compare what I have eaten so far, to what Jessica Alba eats in an entire day. Or any other celebrity(this applies to everyday people as well).

I eat what I want, when I want, and I keep a leaner, healthier figure than when I wasn't vegan. I should also mention that I don't need to eat this often. I do it cause I can, and I no longer have to control myself for fear of losing my lean figure.

That is all. Farewell, until the next rant.

Insomnia...

Can't sleep. I randomly started thinking about something whilst lying in bed and it has left me restless. I had pointed out in a previous post about how I've felt distant around my friends. "It seems to bother me alot now that my friends, some I've had since the beginning of school pretty much, are the same as the people I rant about every day. I feel distant from them and not just cause I moved. *sigh*"

It's just, I feel totally different around them. Like I'm always on edge. I was with one friend recently and she particularly has no consideration whatsoever, which is bizarre to me since she is an animal lover. For example, we'll be eating and she'll be talking about how good the beef she's eating tastes...or how she went out to dinner the other night and got *insert a bunch of tortured animal bits here* and how it was awesome. I just don't get it. Does she think I'm going to feel joy that she very briefly enjoyed the passing of animal flesh over her tastebuds?

She even asked me to have my mom pick up milk for her. I did it. I feel like scum. I know I'm not consuming it, but even being a part of something involving animal products disgusts me more then anyone can even imagine. I feel such guilt.

My point about her asking me to get her milk...does the thought not even cross her mind that maybe I would not like that? I don't know. I think if she'd be willing to expose herself to what's really going on in factory farming, she'd be more considerate. But no. Her eyes remain shut. Even though I know she is well aware that what happens in order to get her that "delicious" cheese is not pretty.

She once said that just because you eat/use animals products doesn't mean you don't care about animals. This has some truth, however allowing yourself to be blissfully unaware is not ok and never will be. It's like people who actually care but won't take the leap into veganism act like they have a disability or have some sorta disease and can't physically do it. I did it. What makes me so fucking special?? "But I couldn't give up burgers"(This is of course said in a sympathetic tone as if I'm supposed to be understanding). I love food. I'm a raging chocoholic...not to mention I love other junk food desserts(cheesecake to name one!). I knew that it's is not worth having a living creature brutally tortured just for me to sit on my fat ass and indulge in something that lasts no more then a few moments. I shop at regular grocery stores. I see these things I once craved(and still do when I see them), and I walk away from them. It's not worth it. Not even close.

Fyi, I went six months without chocolate. I couldn't even go 6 hours before. I only recently have eaten it again due to the fact that vegan options are way more readily available than where I previously lived(I live like a 2 minute walk from a vegan restaurant :D)

Back to what I was saying before; I love food. It's not like I never cared for it so it made it easier to give up dairy, egg, and meat. I can honestly say I love eating more then ever now as a vegan. I have been opened up to way more variety in food, and such amazing tastes. Guilt free. It's actually fun grocery shopping and cooking, trying to recreate a traditional non-vegan dish, or coming up with something completely different. Veganism is an art. Or at least I think so.

Just want to point out some foods that taste or look like animal products that I have recently discovered. Oyster mushrooms look and have the texture of chicken. Artichokes are very much so like fish, texture wise. Portobello mushrooms have a very meaty, beef-like taste. Mushrooms in general are a very good alternative to meat.

Back to the whole friend issues...I feel very bad for speaking poorly of this one friend in particular, but why should I accept that she lives a life supportive of cruelty and condemn others for it? It's cruel, selfish and wrong. And this is not a matter of opinion. Cruelty to animals(or any living being) is wrong.

As I posted in my previous blog, next month is Vegetarian Awareness month so I am going to push stuff on my friends. If it's to no avail, I honestly have no idea what to do...

Until there are none... rescue one!

I thought I'd make a post dedicated to rescues. I am of course referring to the act of finding homes for homeless animals.

Such a sweetie. :)

This is Jackson. I know I mentioned him in a previous post right when I adopted him, but I haven't really followed up on him in more detail. Maybe a small description of him is needed?

Jackson is a longhaired Dachshund. He's a small Standard, hence why he's larger then Bleak. Actually, they are about the same height due to Jacksons super short legs. Jackson is much stockier and less "puppy-ish" looking then Bleak. Jackson turned four in July but the exact date is unknown.

Jackson was surrendered to www.wienerdogrescue.com due to his owner at the time allowing him to cling too much to her. It's easy to see she allowed him to rule the house. This in result made him aggressive towards the children she started fostering when they wanted his old owners attention.

Jackson was super overweight when he first arrived in his foster home. When I got him, he was still large even after losing a few pounds(I liked to refer to him as my "walrus" ;p)

So now I have had him since the beginning of this year and I must say, he is amazing. He's better behaved then Bleak, whom I got at 5 weeks old! Jackson was possessive when I got him and you had to be weary with toys. Personally, I do not believe this is any reason to give up your dog, even though I am happy his old owners did or else he would not be mine! It only took me like a month to teach him whose boss. Things we accomplished were; having him bring toys to me and drop them infront of me and allow me to take them, we did some leash work, which still needs work(I think he just gets excited since I don't think his previous owner did much with him. Plus, he has all this new found energy since his dramatic weightloss), basic commands like come, sit, stay, down, etc, he won't run through doorways unless told he's allowed to, and he also will back up super fast when told to do so(it's quite cute), plus more that I can't seem to think of.

I'd like to point out that his toy aggression was pretty severe. I had quite the battle scars to prove it from one certain occasion. :\ But with patience and practice, he's seriously amazing. And he is also around my niece, and nephews whom are all between the ages of one and three with absolutely no aggression. We still supervise just incase.

I already posted the link where I adopted Jackson from, but I'll post it again!www.wienerdogrescue.com
I just wanted to make a shoutout to them since they do amazing things. This group is all volunteer work. I can't even imagine how much it costs to do this sort of work since a fair amount seem to come in injured and sometimes needing super expensive surgery. It's truly amazing the dedication put into this rescue group(and all other rescue groups too I'm sure). I hope to maybe foster in the future. It'd be tough, but well worth it no doubt.

So if you are considering getting another pet, look into rescuing. I understand some people are maybe picky about what they want, whether it be breed, or temperament, or anything else. I understand. I was specific about what I wanted. And look who I ended up with. A gorgeous, blue-eyed, Piebald longhaired Dachshund who has become bestfriends with my first born, Bleak(and just about anyone else he meets, dog or human). Just because you didn't pick the dog from a litter, doesn't mean you have to settle for just any breed(at Shelters you can't exactly be picky). Opt for rescues. There are many breed specific rescue groups located anywhere and everywhere and are usually willing to transport the pet to you(Jackson came from about a 10 hour drive from me). Rescue groups never put down animals due to over crowding.

I would like to point out that I am not encouraging people to avoid Animal Shelters. If you are not picky, and you just want a loving companion, go to your local shelter. The kill rates are super high. It's devastating to know perfectly healthy, innocent animals are killed just because someone wanted a puppy, and the large abundance of selfish breeders.

Adopt! You won't regret it!

One more thing, October is Vegetarian Awareness Month! http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/  I believe that if you truly want to make a dent in animal cruelty, then vegan is the way to go. But any effort is appreciated by me and I encourage people to try vegetarianism/veganism for a month. Look up recipes, read up on the impact it makes, and also watch documentaries, or read articles on the various mistreatment of animals. It's a huge bummer, but it is also an eye opener and people need to see what happens every single day.

Spread the word. ;)

Irrelevant Update

I have not posted in here in like over two months so I figure I should post something. I had originally started this blog just as a place to vent. Somewhere to spew information. But the truth is, I've been happy, hence less need for venting. I'm still bitter, and always will be, about the lack of compassion for other species(and our own), and environmentally related issues. But this isn't going to change anytime soon. Not in my lifetime. I'll still do my part though and hopefully influence others to do so.

I have found someone who is on the same page as me. I thought that was a lost cause and to just accept that. But I was very happily wrong about this. I need this. It seems to bother me alot now that my friends, some I've had since the beginning of school pretty much, are the same as the people I rant about every day. I feel distant from them and not just cause I moved. *sigh*

Death whispered a lullaby

I love music.

I sing.

I plan on posting recordings here soon. Just shitty recordings of me practicing.

That is all.

For the love of Isis...

...is a mostly bellydance show that takes place at The Scottish Club, which I believe is in Windsor. I will be performing in this show, which, as stated in a previous post, is kinda a big deal. I, Korinne, who has bellydanced for a measly two years, will be performing with people who have danced double that plus some(more like ten years. O.O). You think I'd be flattered, but I'm just scared shitless. I keep telling myself just to dance what you feel. It doesn't matter how technically good you are, if you don't do it from the heart, people see that and it won't leave as much as an impact. Or so I believe simply because this is how I feel.

So to recap(mostly just because I don't know how much info I gave before). I am dancing to the Ginger Snaps movie theme. I've been trying not to practice to it much since I want to really feel it when I perform. I will benefit none by getting sick of the song. Especially since I am doing improvisation.

Here's the link.
http://www.faydn.com/loveofisis/index.html

I may or may not upload a video of me dancing to this song in hopes that people will watch and it and let me honestly know what needs improvement.

N! ss n! ss n! ss n! ss

Jackson update!

I have a couple things I'd like to say, but they are all unrelated so I am going to split them into three blogs.

First is Jackson! Or "jaque-son"(he came from Quebec originally ;p)

I could not a have found a better dog for me, or Bleak. I mean, he definitely has his issues(which I'll go into more detail later), but they are things I am more then willing to work through with him.

He is just so chilling, to say the least. He just wants to be loved. Like most dogs. And Bleak and him get along so damn well it's unreal. They are such a perfect match. Bleak has a thing for...hygiene. He basically likes to lick teeth, ears, and eyes. Jackson just takes it. Most dogs get mad.

I'd like to add that Jackson is also now a vegan as well! He has some weight issues from his owners before. I absolutely DESPISE people who make there animals fat. I understand some animals(and people) just are naturally more hefty, but Jackson definitely is not, considering he has already lost some weight in the 3ish weeks I have had him. He's getting ready for bikini season! :D

Now to point out his "issues". He has some possessiveness. More so just for toys. So I have been careful with them. Actually, we had a rather bad incident when I first let him have a toy. Long story short, I was being dumb and not thinking, and mindlessly went to throw his toy to get him to move out of my yoga vicinity, and he snarled and snapped at me. I responded in a negative manner and got a nice swollen bruise on my forearm. I take full responsibility. I felt like fucking scum all that night until I got home from work and he ran up to me just as excited as always(am I a dork for getting teary eyed? lol). I have to make a video of his excitement. It's so funny. His whole body wiggles from the momentum of his fiercely wagging tail. And he cries alittle. Then after all this love making ends, he yawns and makes a hilarious chewbacca noise.

But yeah, so I've looked into the whole aggression thing. He's really not bad at all. His foster mom worked with him really well. It's obvious. All it takes is alittle "leave it" or "no" and he will drop it and let you take it. He even plays with toys with Bleak now too. :)

:) They thought I had food. Silly weiners.

So sreepy...

Jackson is home!