Archives for Speaking of Compassion

What happens in the dark?

What happens in the dark?

February 16, 2017 | Comments Off on What happens in the dark?

When I was a little girl, I was scared of the dark. I was sure there were demons lurking in my closet just waiting to get me. Fortunately I had my trusty dog as my loyal defender. I am no longer afraid of the actual darkness, but I am of the figurative kind. When it comes to powerless populations in the custody of others, “light” is a critical defender. Too commonly, underfunded or profit-driven institutions abuse their power and become cruel when their actions are hidden under a cloak of darkness. We learned decades ago about the gruesome abuse suffered
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Why breed bans don’t make sense

Why breed bans don’t make sense

December 7, 2016 | Comments Off on Why breed bans don’t make sense

Without even getting into the messy muck of debate about DNA and what actually is a “pit bull,” I can say without hesitation that breed bans are senseless. A sweeping city-wide or housing-wide ban on a type of dog, based on sensational new stories about another dog of *possibly* the same breed, are the epitome of prejudice and discrimination – to judge and treat one because of the actions of another. Similar to banning a group of people from a community based solely on race or ethnicity. Dogs can be dangerous. The bigger they are the more harm they can do. This
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