A Fantastic Article in Sports Illustrated

I know lately, a lot of this blog has been centering about dogs...specifically pitties.  I've been volunteering for No More Homeless Pets and Best Friends, and of course, having two rescued pittie mixes of my own, clearly this is close to my heart.  I have been following the stories of a lot of dogs, and I am hoping to adopt another rescued pittie in the future (though not while Sweet Winn is of this earth).  I, like many, have been captivated by the stories of the Vick(tory) Dogs that have ended up at Best Friends, and Bad Rap, another fantastic dog rescue out of the Bay Area.

This article was in Sports Illustrated today, and I think it's a great one.  It chronicles not only the horror that these dogs endured, but the hope they now have.  You will also see in print, PETA's stance- if you don't remember reading this on this very blog previously, I'll recap:  PETA believes in Breed Specific Legislation, and that pit bulls should be euthanized.  Sickening and oh-so-ironic.

Anyways, please read this article  in SI today online and be sure the check out the photo gallery if you have a chance- it will enlighten you not only to the plight of the Vicktory Dogs, but to the tradgedy of dog fighting in general, and the important work of the rescues involved.

Also, if any of you readers have cable, tomorrow on the National Geographic Channel, they will run a marathon of the show Dogtown, which chronicles many of the 500 various rescued dogs living at Best Friends.   Adam and I will be volunteering again January 1-4 in Kanab at Dogtown, and I am counting the minutes.

I love this!

I got nuthin'

No news is good news, right?  Not one exciting thing going on right now.   But, if I had to come up with something:

*Was paid for my first professional interior design gig helping a very nice woman pick out paint colors for a beautiful new Craftsman home

*Finally ate at the Wild Grape Bistro and paid a very large tab...ouch, but the food was excellent- perhaps we'll go just for brunch next time?  

*Climbing A LOT in the gym, damn will it ever stop snowing here?  Nope, probably not until late May.  Yipeeee.

*Working too much- damn whiney skiers and their nasty feet.  EWWWWWW.

*Counting the days until our next trip to Best Friends January 1-4

*Collecting tennis balls from local tennis clubs to bring on the BF trip, along with a lot of donated gear from a few kind souls at Black Diamond to help with the BF Rapid Response rescue team- think Search and Rescue for animals

*Giving huge thanks to the universe that Tiggs is doing AWESOME!

Tiggs posed for the camera today

Another ridiculous cop out of "humane" treatment of pit bulls by the SPCA

So…Where Are the Dogs?
reprinted from the Bestfriends.org website
The real victims of Houston’s dog fighting bustBy Ed Fritz, Best Friends staff.

On November 14, one of the largest dog fighting rings in the country was busted in Texas, according to the Houston Chronicle. The individuals facing charges come from all walks of life; from school teachers to oil industry executives to hardened criminals. While many man hours and resources have gone into prosecuting this case to what seems to be the fullest extent of the law, what is missing from the news reports is what has become of the victims? How many resources went into helping these dogs used as pawns by these violent offenders? Chillingly, all reports suggest that all 187 of these dogs have been summarily euthanized, no questions asked.

One group, Love-A-Bull would like to know why rescue organizations were not consulted, if only to save one life - it would have changed the world for that one victim.Desperate attempts were made by rescue groups to get as many dogs as possible to safety. The dogs were placed in custody of the Health Department. Because the Health Department does not house animals, local organizations stepped up. It turns out that the offer to help did not pan out so well for the dogs. These organizations do not adopt out pit bulls, nor do they provide sanctuary.Lydia Zaidman, President of the 501c3 pit bull advocacy organization Love-A-Bull in Austin, Texas is one of those that reached out to offer help with rescuing the confiscated dogs. Lydia was shocked to hear from SPCA spokesperson, Meera Nandlal, that the dogs were “line bred for fighting” and were going to be “humanely euthanized.” According to Zaidman, representatives of the SPCA would not answer more questions or comment any further. She then decided to advocate the best she knew how. She rallied the group and passed the ball to fellow pit bull advocate, Robyn Roberts who got things rolling with her Houston Press blog.

In an article posted on the Animal Law Coalition website, Laura Allen writes that just days after the seizure of the dogs “…a judge awarded custody of dogs seized in Harris County to Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services Dept. Assistant District Attorney Belinda Smith told Animal Law Coalition these dogs have already been euthanized. Harris County animal control also has a policy of not adopting out aggressive dogs.”Nandlal, Public Relations Manager for the Houston SPCA, which took 61 of the dogs, had this to say, “These animals were bred from a long line of fighting dogs to be aggressive. We have made the decision to have them humanely euthanized.”

As Best Friends Animal Society took in 22 of the pit bulls from the infamous Bad Newz Kennels, owned by Atlanta Falcons Quarterback, Michael Vick, I can tell you with first hand experience that dogs that “come from a long line of fighting” do not inherently fight. It appears that even animal care professionals, in this case the Houston SPCA, still need an education on pit bulls.

Dogs from even the worst case scenarios can be rehabilitated and it has been proven by the progress made by the victims of Michael Vick. Some of the rehabilitated canines can even go on to become beloved house pets and therapy dogs! To think that the dogs seized in this raid were given no chances, no attorneys, no reprieve – only euthanasia as their final solution - is unconscionable!

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1. We urge you to write to the President of the Houston SPCA and ask that they readdress their policy regarding pit bull type dogs.

- Request that in the future, when rescue groups stand up and offer help, that they accept it.
- Request that before decisions of euthanasia are made, reputable animal trainers and behaviorists are invited to fairly evaluate the animal in question.
- Request that the shelter system work towards developing model adoption programs for pit bulls and other bully type breeds.
- Insist that the Houston SPCA live up to their mission statement (from their own website): “The Houston SPCA is committed to accepting all animals in need and giving them a second chance at life.”
Patricia E. Mercer, PresidentHouston SPCA900 Portway Drive Houston, Texas 77024-8022Phone: 713-869-7722
Email: patriciamercer@hspca.org
Other contacts for the Houston SPCA

2. If you love pits, support bully friendly organizations such as:• Love-A-Bull • Bad Rap• Animal Farm Foundation• Our Pack

3. Support the victims of dogs rescued from fighting rings. Post your comments on the Houston Press Blog. For more background information and updates on this unprecedented case go to:• Petabuse.com

Posted by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staffPhoto credit: dogs pictured were not those seized and were taken by Best Friends photographers

Please take a brief minute

To click on this link, fill out a vote for No More Homeless Pets to recieve a grant.  It will take less than 30 seconds, and will cost you nothing!  If they get enough votes, they get $10,000!  It's super easy, please take a second to do this.

Into All Things Orange and Retro

If I had room, I'd have one of these...currently on KSL for $300- http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=4982045&cat=&lpid=1 though I probably would forgo the wood paneling, carpet, and weird tile backsplash....I would have it in my fabulous mid century modern glass house like this one.

Pre-Feast Post

Hello to my faithful readers.  For those of you in Salt Lake, please be sure to check out my neighbor's new restaurant The Wild Grape Bistro, where the former Avenues Bakery resided.  Troy and Jessica are great people, and Troy has a lot of experience as a sommelier.  Adam and I can't wait to try it, and plan to go next week.  They have a late night menu (food and full bar until midnight!!), as well as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.  They are getting rave reviews already, so be sure to stop in for a glass of wine and some dinner ASAP!

The Wild Grape Bistro

481 E South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

$50 Well Spent

Lately I've been bummed out about the lack of cool stuff on Craigslist, but there was one listing that kept popping up that was sticking around.  I kinda sorta needed a more comfortable office chair, but it was far from crucial, but when I saw this baby, I couldn't really get it out of my head.  I have a friend who collects all of this vintage office furniture, and it looked so cool in her house, so I told her about the chair.  Days went by, and she didn't get it, and there it was still languishing on Craigslist.  I decided to offer the seller $40- she wanted $80, but hey, these are tough times.  We settled on $50 and I picked it up last night.  It is a mid century classic office chair made by Shaw-Walker of Muskegon, Michigan.

After doing a little research, I was pleased (shocked) to see that a restored version of this chair is selling for $1250!!!!  So, I'm off to figure out what a restoration would entail.  First thing is getting the upholstery cleaned and re-padded.  Coincidentally, I live across the street from an upholsterer, so that will be the research project du jour.

The Tree is Up!

Early Merry Christmas to all. We got the tree up yesterday, I love the way it makes the house smell.

Angel's Rest

Angel's Rest

Our Cabin- the far right unit

At the gift shop with Tiggs and Adam

On Tour

The Angel Village Cafe

Favorite Things to Do at Best Friends

If you go:

*Stay at the cabins, they are awesome, and if you are a member (only a $25 donation!) traveling off season (Dec-Mar) they are only $55/night and have all the comforts of home including cable, kitchenette, shower, coffee, and fridge/microwave http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/angelcanyon/

*Eat at Angel Village- every day at noon for staff and volunteers, the chef at Angel Village cooks an amazing vegetarian buffet for only $4!!!!  Our lunch included stuffed red and green peppers, homeade fresh vegetable soup, salad bar, fresh fruit, tomato salad, mini cheesecakes, coffee, tea, etc!  The view is also AMAZING!

*Take a sanctuary dog on an outing or a sleepover.  BF relies on people giving the animals many experiences with different people in different situations.  If you do not bring your own dogs to BF, they will allow you to choose an adoptable animal for an overnight, then give that dogs' caregivers a full report card so that they know how the dog did, and if they have to work on any issues- this helps the dog be more adoptable and have less chance of being returned.  I'm told you can even do a sleepover with a Pot Bellied Pig!

*Visit Angel's Rest- it is a peaceful and tranquil place where many loved animals have been 'tucked in.'  It will give you chills and take your breath away.

*Hike the extensive, well built and maintained trail network that surrounds the thousands of acres around Angel Canyon

*Sponsor an animal- if you can't adopt one, help one out!  There are links on each animal that help you donate whatever you can to assist in the care of that kind soul like Tina Louise or Theresa

*Shop at the gift shop- they have many cool items for you and your furry friends.  Consider buying some windchimes or prayer flags if you or someone you know has lost a beloved pet.  They also have lots of logo wear and artwork, all of the profits go back to the animals there!

*Take a tour, it's a beautiful 90 minute ride through gorgeous canyon country, where red rock views and juniper trees speckle the land.  Along the way, you'll get to see all the places the animals call home

Best Friends- An Overview

Nicole- probably a 'bait dog' from a dogfighting ring (she is not one of the Vicktory dogs).

Best Friends is located in Kanab, Utah, in Angel Canyon. The sanctuary is home to many animals, including horses, kitties, over 500 dogs, pot bellied pigs, birds and more. BF has gotten a lot of publicity in the past year because they took in Micheal Vick's 22 pit bulls that were rescued from his hellish dogfighting compound. Renamed the Vicktory Dogs, BF has been profiled on the National Geographic series Dogtown, which is the name of the areas that house most of the dogs living at BF.

BF was started in the 70's by a group of 25 friends who felt there were animals that needed another chance in life, and they got some money together to purchase some land where they could create a heaven on earth for animals that were deemed unadoptable, or unworthy to others. Since then, they have become the largest no-kill sanctuary in the country, if not the world. They were on the ground for Hurricane Katrina, the bombings of Lebanon, the streets of Bosnia, etc. They've been there to assist in rescuing puppies from puppy mills, animal hoarders, and more. They have created a safe haven for all animals, and they have about a 75% adoption rate. Many animals have such special needs that they will need to live at the Sanctuary for the rest of their lives, but those days will be guaranteed to be safe and loving and free from abuse or neglect.

You can learn more about BF by clicking my link on the bar to the right, and please consider sponsoring an animal, or making a donation if you can. All week I will try to post a picture of a Sanctuary animal and some stories from the trip.

Blogging Best Friends

Adam and I just returned from an incredible weekend of volunteering down at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.  I will be blogging in short installments all week about the experience, because it is just too cool for one post, plus I have a lot of pics!

If you want a sneak peak, you can go 

here http://flickr.com/photos/dzinelvrslc/sets/72157609842965559/ for some pics, and more pics and stories will follow!

Judging a Dog by the Color of it's Skin

As I'm contemplating applying for a job that would relocate us to Denver, I'm appalled to learn that Denver is still enforcing what is known to be the cruelist, most strict breed ban in the country.  That's right, if you live in Denver city limits, it is illegal to have a pitbull or any one of the 20 or so breeds that remotely look like a pitbull.  Even if your dog has some physical traits common to pitbulls, you run the risk of having your dog removed from your home, impounded, and euthanized for absolutely no reason.

Denver has taken and euthanized (what a euphemism!), how about taken and MURDERED, nearly 2,000 innocent family pets since it's inception in 1989.  There are absolutely no exceptions, and if your dog isn't even a pitbull, the burden of proof falls upon the owner to prove the lineage of their beloved family member, before it is placed on death row for slaughter.

One ignorant city council person went so far as to say:  'Pitbulls are like sharks;  they will rip the flesh of of any human being.'  Hmmmm....Wow.......

Best Friends has some great information on BSL, or Breed Specific Legislation- you can read about it here:  http://network.bestfriends.org/pitbullspecialfeature/news/

I was also equally appalled to find out that PETA, of all groups, is also anti pit bull.  Here is a paragraph I just copied from their position statement:

Legislatures across the country are increasingly seeking to ban pit bulls in an effort to crack down on dogfighting and prevent attacks by pit bulls. PETA supports legislation that bans the breeding of pit bulls, just as we support any spay/neuter legislation as the most effective way to combat the tragic companion animal overpopulation problem. We also support pit bull bans, as long as they include a grandfather clause allowing all living dogs who are already in good homes and well cared for to live the remainder of their lives safely and peacefully.

Well, the problem with that, PETA, is that in cities like Denver, there is no "Grandfather Clause" unless the dogs were born before 1989...ever heard of a 19 year old pit bull??  And the city will rip family pets out of loving homes and kill them.  How is that remotely humane????

Punish the deed, NOT the breed people.

I Am So EXCITED!

My absolute favorite design blog that I check a hundred times a day, Apartment Therapy, has posted a photo of my living room that they got from my Flickr account.  This is so exciting to me, as I look each and every day to AT for design inspiration!  How cool!

Here's a link:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/at-home-cure-la/southwest-fall-cure-planning-and-purging-week-four-weekend-068938

Update on Tiggs

 This was Tiggs a few days ago.

This is a pic from less than a year ago

 Tiggs is doing so much better- his PCV's are in the remission range, but as you can see, the drugs that have helped in his recovery have ravaged his body a fair bit. Yesterday, we were able to lower his Prednisone again- that was great! He is now on what would be considered a 'low dose.' However, as you can see, the muscle wasting around his head, and back legs is pretty tremendous. Even though his dose at it's current level would not be enough to cause this, the previous doses were so high, that this occurred over a just few weeks time after his initial diagnosis. I'm told by other survivors of IMHA that this muscle damage could take a year to reverse- but it will reverse after he is off of Pred. He has also yet to grow back the fur that was shaved off of his two front legs on July 16 for his blood transfusion. 

Through it all, Tiggs always has a kiss and a tail wag for his vet, and all of his friends- human and canine, every time he sees them. Also, he now ways 70 lbs! This is 10 more lbs than he has ever weighed, and if this picture showed his mid-section, you would think that he swallowed a barrel- this is partly from the meds, but also due to his large fan club at BD that bring him treats everyday.  He loves them so much!  Also, Tiggs has been going on long walks every night to help him get strong.  He is still able to pull me pretty hard, and he can go at a good clip for about an hour, which is wonderful to see.

Lovely Weekend

Once again we enjoyed helping out No More Homeless Pets at another adoption event on Sunday.  I'm happy to say that both dogs profiled on my last post have been adopted!  Yayyy.  Happy Dance.  My friend Claire adopted Taz, and I think they will be great partners in crime, and Taige went to live with a nice woman in Idaho with a soft spot for border collies, and a lot of land.

We also had the awesome experience of attending a wine pairing/tasting class donated by The Vitner's Palate to an auction benefitting Wasatch Community Gardens.  My friends Laura (who works at WCG) and her husband Matt invited four couples to join them and the dinner was held at the home of Mike and Andrea, who own the Vitner's Palate.  Their home was lovely, and oh so cozy, and Andrea is an artist and gourmet cook who kept little plates of deliciousness coming at every turn.  We sat at their dining room table for four hours, tasting wines from around the world- first sparkling for the welcome, then into many reds, an exotic white from Spain, and then two ports for desert.  The menu was totally delightful, ranging from fresh fruits and homeade crackers, to stuffed mushrooms, homeade fried ravioli stuffed with pinenuts, garlic, and sundried tomatoes, to salmon puffs.  Did I mention the artisan cheeses and bruschetta topped with their garden's tomatoes????  

Top this off with cinamon dusted chocolate and figs stuffed with blue cheese washed down with both tawny and ruby port, and you have the most relaxing and delicious evening.  Mike is available for events, and as a former winemaker from Oregon, he's both down to earth, and very knowledgable.  You can contact him at http://thevintnerspalate.com/.

No More Homeless Pets

Recently I interviewed at No More Homeless Pets in Utah, and I love the organization- they promote subsidized and free spay/neuter clinics and vouchers for low income families, as well as run a Feral Fix program that spays and neuters feral cats. Additionally, they have a great fostering program, and also a nice dog facility where dogs who were slated for euthanasia get a second chance at a forever home. Adam and I have been wanting to be involved with helping out dogs in this boat, and since we can't adopt another one, nor foster at this time, the next best thing is to help get these dogs adopted. We were on a waiting list to volunteer for Best Friends down in Kanab, which is the largest no kill shelter in the country, if not the world, and shares the same mission as NMHP, but had to reschedule due to lack of lodging. However, NMHP happened to need some extra hands locally here in SLC for a Pet Adoption event, so we were glad to lend a hand. We walked the dogs all day and helped them put their best paw forward to find a home. This is Taige, he was one of my favorites, and I'm going to try to help him find a great home because he has alot of love to share and would make someone so happy. You can learn more about NMHP by going here: http://www.utahpets.org/

This is Taz, he's another sweet adoptable pooch, he was so laid back, nothing seemed to phase him, he just rolls with the punches. He's kind of making a crazy face here, I think he was just happy because we were taking him out of his kennel to go on a walk.

David Sedaris

Is freaking hilarious. I bought Adam tickets to his show back in June for our Anniversary, and we finally went last night. His dry wit and wickedly funny storytelling were just what the doctor ordered for me this week. I think I peed my pants a few times, and I love that he jokes that people pay to see a 'gay middle aged man read aloud.'

I am used to hearing his essays read by him on This American Life and also a few books on tape, but I'm going to for sure check out some of his books. He also spoke highly of a funny collection of essays called Braindead Megaphone...anyone read it yet? They have it at the SLC library, we're going to check it out.

If you ever have the chance to catch him on tour, go see him! His bit about 'undecided voters' was priceless. He said being an undecided voter is like being on an airplane, and having trouble deciding between the chicken, and the plate of human shit (with broken glass in it). The obvious punchline being that in the end, it all gets chewed up and spit out and ends up in the same place...except for the glass, which was clearly a reference to the McCain/Palin campaign. Funny stuff, and my narrative really does it no justice.

You can read the story here, as published in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/10/27/081027sh_shouts_sedaris

Go see him!

Denial

Well, I haven't posted this tidbit of info, because I am in complete denial, but last Thursday I injured my self climbing, AGAIN! After missing all of the Spring and Summer (four long months!) due to a tendon injury on my left hand/forearm, I did nearly the identical thing to my right hand/forearm. It's a really bummer, because I've been climbing well for the last six weeks. In fact, I floated a long time project, only to botch the top out, and then on one of the next goes, I injured it on the opening moves. Normally I try to keep a good attitude about injuries, after all, they are a part of the game, this one really bums me out because I just came back!

Well, I'm seeing an ortho doc this time and getting PT. They put battery-powered steroid patches on me, and do ultrasound, heat and massage. Plus, I'm dosing loads of ibu, with heat and ice, and taking MSM/gluco. I'm determined for this to heal in a very expedited manner.

The doc thinks that the tendon didn't rupture at all, but rather the juncture in the forearm where the flexor tendon joins to the muscle belly. In fact, she thinks it's more muscle related that tendon. It's not like that is any better or worse, but it does get good blood flow. So, I may be able to climb sooner, but would have to take it EASY. That's quite a slippery slope for me! Well, I'll keep you all posted, and hope to be back in action quicly.

Couch Covet

My absolute dream couch currently on Ebay. I have to have it!

Wood Floors "AFTER"

Floor Sneak Peak

Before

Not quite after, more like 'in progress'

My Flickr Page- House and Design Stuff

In an effort to somewhat seperate my obsession with interior decorating and design from the mundane day to day ramblings on this blog, I'm going to link you all to my Flickr page where you can see more in depth photos of house projects. I will still post them here, but you can find more here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dzinelvrslc/

Melissa's Mad Skills Get a Shoutout!

I love checking in on Grassroots Modern every now and then, almost as much as I love obssessing over Craigslist and KSL.com. All of my friends know that I love bargain hunting and I love when people charge me with finding them a sweet deal on that rare or hard to find thing. Creede mentioned on his blog that he was looking for some Emeco chairs but didn't want to spend the ridiculous price of 400/chair that retailers like DWR charge. I found authentic ones some on CL.com for 70/chair and let him know. He promptly snagged them, and gave me a shoutout today:

http://grassrootsmodern.com/2008/10/08/thanks-melissa/

If anyone else needs anything, let me know, I'm always on the hunt. But beware, I might beat you to the punch if it's supa-cool!

The Annual Salt Lake City Neighborhood Clean Up

Adam finally got around to cleaning our house today, boy we had a lot of shit to throw out. Just kidding, it's that time of year when Salt Lake City picks up residents junk piles. The clean up rules are simple: put a 20ft long by 5ft wide and 5ft tall (there is a lot of rule bending as you can see from this picture) up to 10 days ahead of your neighborhoods pick up week, and the city hauls it away free of charge. In some ways, this is a disturbing phenomena- yesterday I had to chase out a bat-ass crazy old lady who was scattering garbage all over the street trying to find a "key" which she did in fact find, and then proceeded to attempt to break into my deceased neighbors vacant home, but all in all, a lot of recycling happens, as big pick up trucks comb the streets in search of metal to scrap, or cool vintage furniture than might have made its' way into someones pile. Two years ago, I salvaged two teak chairs from the very house we now live it (prior to us buying it).

If you can deal with the interesting garbage collectors, er...recyclers combing through the trash, it's kind of an entertaining couple of weeks.

Oh, by the way, this is NOT our trash pile...

Paws on Paws

Yin and Yang

Update on Tiggs

Sorry everyone, I should be more on top of updating, because a few of my loyal readers have expressed concern about Tiggs after my last post.

Well, we don't really have a lot of answers. He seems to be doing better, they added an antibiotic to his meds over the weekend, and they are continuing to monitor his blood. The PCV came up a little bit, so that was encouraging, but there were a few puzzling things in the CBC. Our vet consulted with a Pathologist, and he didn't really have a lot of answers, other than to monitor him and check the CBC early next week.

He has had more energy, so we are encouraged by that, and I'm hoping that he was just dogging a little infection that we are hopefully addressing. It's just part of the whole shitty IMHA process, and we have to remind ourselves to take it one day at a time- some of those days will be good, and some will be not so good.

Today he's psyched, and he came to work for our Scarpa ski boot clinic. So, if any of you have questions on which ski boots you should buy this year, just give Tiggs a shout, and he'll let you know the advantages of Skywalk vs. Vibram soles, or which degree of forward lean might be right for you.

Keep Tiggs in your thoughts

We seem to have a small backslide with Tiggs, his PCV dropped five points since last week, the first drop since he was diagnosed in July.

Natrually, we are really, really worried. He didn't eat his food last night or today, and seems more tired than normal. Dr. Lynette has a full panel of labs that will come back tomorrow, and hopefully shed some insight as to what could be causing this drop, as it's not entirely common for a dog that's been stable and had no med reductions to slide backwards at this stage. One possible theory is a reaction to one of his immunosuppressive drugs.

Please wish him well and keep him in your thoughts, we will update more as we know it.

Sexy Suby

I would like to add that we bought this car from Carsnobs.com located here in Utah, and Randy Archibald is the owner. He is really fantastic, and very easy to work with. He truly loves what he does, and he is also a PA, who just happens to follow his passion for cool cars on the side. Randy has integrity and isn't a cheesy sales guy; he's a genuine guy who will help you find a car you really love. You can visit his site at www.carsnobs.com