tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4161246990811975087.post4323893684559652058..comments2011-08-18T15:36:17.080-04:00Comments on 60isthenew55: Irresponsible Parenthood, Adam Gopnik EditionPetSoundshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09326528510519466552noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4161246990811975087.post-69736680592996125172011-08-18T15:36:17.080-04:002011-08-18T15:36:17.080-04:00Sometimes a picture says it best. These are photos...Sometimes a picture says it best. These are photos from a Havanese rescue site of “mill survivors” before and after: before they were rescued and after they had been rehabilitated. You can see the neglect in their nervous faces and in their mangy coats. These are the ones that probably outlived their usefulness to the breeder. “The damage done during the months or years in the mill usually can be overcome,” the site reads, “but it takes time and dedication.” <br /><br />http://www.rescuedhavanese.org/Before---After.htmlBeezehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164309382538496684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4161246990811975087.post-50868580248237733722011-08-17T21:50:47.406-04:002011-08-17T21:50:47.406-04:00It's sad to me that people who are intelligent...It's sad to me that people who are intelligent and informed can be so blind. It just goes to show: A lot of smart people are really stupid!imjustsaynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09295312577112034134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4161246990811975087.post-90487828452125054132011-08-16T23:59:46.939-04:002011-08-16T23:59:46.939-04:00I can’t use words like Adam Gopnik can. Adam Gopni...I can’t use words like Adam Gopnik can. Adam Gopnik can’t understand reverence for life the way I can. I’d rather be me. <br /><br />For a child, loving animals may begin with petting fuzzy kittens; for an adult it may begin with companionship. Eventually that most fortunate recipient of animal devotion understands the deeper link born of that simple union. How I hesitate to use the words I really intend; words like love, spirituality, and soulful. <br /><br />At some point the responsibility of caring for an animal becomes clearer. Somewhere it transforms into guardianship that keeps them free from pain in a world fraught with evil. Mr Gopnik’s city kills 200 beautiful dogs and even more healthy cats every single month. Here is my own vision of NYC: http://youtu.be/L1h6HnUc9aU<br /><br />Eventually a normal, feeling human being understands that pain isn’t defined by the being who suffers and that we have no right to inflict pain on another. If an animal is worthy of our friendship, how can we justify harming them? How can we teach a child about humanity through de-valuing another’s life? <br /><br />Adam Gopnik justifies buying a puppy mill dog from a pet store for his daughter. He supports a business that tortures mother dogs imprisoning them in tiny, wire cages exposed to weather throughout their lifetime. Dogs never touch real grass or ground. They are impregnated every single cycle of their lives. Some of them are cruelly de-barked. Socialization is neglected, so, they never hear a kind word or feel a kind touch. Their water source comes from fighting for space at a bottle which they suck for a little dribble of liquid. They live a hopeless and forlorn existence. And <br /><br />How different is Mr Gopnik from that other famous athlete speaking out in the media about his daughter’s wish for a dog. The man, although famous, isn’t normal in any sense of the word. He filed down their teeth, cut their ears and tails, starved them, drugged them with steroids, exercised them on treadmills and forced them to fight while bound. He killed the poor performers - including his own family dog – in gruesome ways. He put their heads in buckets of bleach, he drowned them in electrified pool water, and he slowly hung them while their legs skimmed the ground. He blames culture in the way that we might look back at our own American witch hunts or ancient fights in the Acropolis. One of the men who harbored the Vick dogs during his federal trial has written a short piece about his own vision of forgiveness and second chances:<br />http://www.animalrescuecorps.org/2011/01/second-chances/ <br /><br />Culture is certainly an imperative source of inspiration. I could end with a gazillion different quotes, but, I’m going to choose writer, George Bernard Shaw for his writer’s intellect and for his recognition of profound simplicity. Shaw said: “Custom will reconcile people to any atrocity.” Maybe someday, Adam Gopnik will look back at his original words with shame.Georgette Madakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01161852758494699910noreply@blogger.com