Dangerous Dogs

     Lennox, a dog that lived in Northern Ireland, was recently put down by authorities.  His crime was being a pit bull, or looking like a pit bull.  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/lennox-dog-put-sleep-belfast-145939624.html  The Dangerous Dog Act of 1991 makes it illegal in the United Kingdom to own Pit Bull Terriers, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, the Fino Brasileiro, any cross breed of these four types, or any dog that looks like any of these four breeds.  This legislation was passed by Parliament in response to several particularly vicious and highly publicized dog attacks.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Dogs_Act_1991
     Lennox had never bitten a human or attacked another animal.  He never ran loose.  During his two year "incarceration," he was always well behaved.  By all accounts he was a gentle, loving animal.  Since he was seized in 2010, the battle has raged over the injustice of it all.  For the past two years Lennox's owner has touted the dog's spotless reputation and offered to muzzle him around strangers, if only she be allowed to take him home.  Too little, too late.  I don't know why owner Caroline Barnes did not take advantage of a 1997 amendment to the Dangerous Dog Act.  Any court in the UK could have ordered that Lennox be placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs, if only Ms. Barnes had approached the court.
     Before Pit Bulls, the Doberman Pinscher was the mean dog of the 70's and early 80's.  Remember the pair that terrorized Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I.?  After that Rotweillers became the bad dogs.  Warren Zevon celebrated their nasty reputation in one of his songs.  http://www.metrolyrics.com/rottweiler-blues-lyrics-warren-zevon.html  Now, it's Pit Bulls.  What it has always been is people.  Some people think a vicious dog is good for protection.  That same dog is good for getting you sued if it "defends."  Maybe deep down, a small minded owner feels tough if their dog is tough.  Maybe they flatter themselves by thinking they are in control of the beast.  Some idiots enjoy dog fights.  Sudden popularity of any breed causes irresponsible breeders to increase the output of dogs without regard for good temperament.
     Whatever the reason for having a vicious dog, it's a bad reason.  Aggressive dogs should put down so that they never harm anyone.  They should never be allowed to breed and pass their genes down to another generation.  They shouldn't be tolerated for one minute longer after they've shown aggression.  I don't care what anyone says about re-educating them.  The dog, though much loved, is the lowest member on the family totem pole.  He or she should love everybody and be completely trustworthy.  Lennox was probably that kind of dog.  Too bad no one thought to get him an exemption.  Bad owner!      
            

Poison Proof

  Opossums are immune to just about any toxin that exists - snakebite, the toxin that causes botulism, even ricin, the toxin found in the castor oil plant.  The American opossum produces a substance called Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor (LTNF).  Some research showed that the this substance, extracted from the opossum and injected in mice, protected the mice from various deadly snake venoms.  This information came to light and was published in 1999.  So why hasn't anyone carried to ball a little farther to see if LTNF could help humans?  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/opossum-protein-makes-them-immune-nearly-poisons-could-190604532.html
     Maybe my mind makes oddball connections, but this story made me think of the the first Men in Black movie.  The cat had the universe dangling from the collar around his neck.  How many secrets and solutions are right in front of our faces, hiding in plain sight?  How many times has someone stumbled upon something "interesting" and tossed it in a drawer?  I had a high school history teacher who asked us to decide if things changed because of social, political, or economic pressure.  I always seemed to conclude that money made the world go round.  In this case, I suspect the pharmaceutical companies can reap greater financial rewards from something like Premarin.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premarin  Snake bites and botulism can be treated with other products, so the opossum's cure all factor might upset the financial apple cart.  There's also a social factor.  The animal rights people might get up in arms if opossums have to begin producing LTNF the way mares have to produce urine for Premarin.  That could wreck some political havoc in the upper echelons of biopharma.
     Look at what that history teacher started!  Thanks, Mr. McGeever.
       

Immunities

     Mom always said, "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die."  I heard this every time I dropped a snack on the floor and whined that it was ruined.  Mom just gave it a rinse or dust off and handed it back to me.  As I got older, I complained about the grease spatters on the stove or our less than pristine bathroom.  You see, Mom was not the most fastidious of housekeepers.  A Finnish study just came out suggesting that families who own dogs have babies who suffer less respiratory illness and need fewer antibiotics.  Dirt and allergens, the dog's contribution to the household, seem to stimulate little one's immune systems.  http://news.yahoo.com/babies-dog-owning-families-may-healthier-041915748.html 
     The Finns must have spent a bunch of money on the project.  Why bother studying something that is already an established scientific principle?  Edward Jenner figured out how to vaccinate people against small pox in 1796.  Louis Pasteur expanded our understanding of germ theory in the mid to late 1800's.  Practitioners of homeopathy dispense a little of the problem to effect a cure.  Maybe the guy who set up the study was a dog lover who wanted to prove to young parents that pets won't harm babies.
     All this reminds me of another of my mother's mantras - you'll feel better if you get up and move around.  That was a nicer way of saying, "Suck it up," or "Walk it off."  I got so good at walking off colds, headaches, and menstrual cramps that I got awards for perfect attendance in the eighth through twelfth grades.
     So, don't worry too much if Junior takes a bite out of a mud pie.  Science has proven that if you grow up dirty, you'll grow up strong.  Geez, Kelly Clarkson even sang a song along those lines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_dWijufDo

       

People Are Crazy

     I couldn't get a song out of my head this morning - the Bill Currington song with the lyrics, "God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy."  I like crazy people.  Not the murder and mayhem crazies, rather the hot mess kind of crazies.  They make life interesting and funny.
     Thomas Daigle and his wife Sandra just made their final house payment of $620.00 with 62,000 pennies.  Some might call that crazy.  Mr. Daigle calls it making the last installment "memorable." http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-makes-final-house-payment-pennies-144051687.html  I never paid a bill totally with pennies, but almost.  My sister and I went out for a snort at Dunleavy's.  At the end of the evening (and this was before ATM machines) we discovered that we hadn't brought enough money.  Since we lived just down the road, my sister went home for some cash while I waited at the bar.  She came back after about 15 minutes and plopped her piggy bank down on the table!  The tab was paid with her collection of spare change.
      People do crazy things for their dogs like buying them diamond collars, taking them for spa days, or having them bar mitzvahed. https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&gs_nf=1&tok=y_g6zW0q1bhaGlXhbhnXyA&cp=12&gs_id=1a&xhr=t&q=bar+mitzvahed&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=bar+mitzvahe&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=a2e370afc0354df8&biw=1024&bih=653  I'd like to say I'm not that nuts, but I did stage a wedding for my first dog Spike.  When she rejected her suitor, I had her spayed.  Does that count as a divorce?
     No matter what the weather, the Naked Cowboy makes his living walking around New York City in his BVD's.  https://www.facebook.com/NkdCowboy?sk=photos  That's not for me.  But I once went to Jamesway in my pajamas.  They had a drawing for shoppers who came dressed in pajamas.  The prize was big, so I figured "what the heck."
     So, what's the silliest thing you've ever done?  It felt good didn't it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3ujzEC6jg

Taylor-ed for Smiles

     I usually have to chuckle every time I pass the Taylor Rental Center on Route 38 in Mt. Laurel.  That's because the franchise owner puts funny sayings on the signs in front of his store.  I wondered when this started, so I called Craig Fisher.  He's the third generation of Fishers to operate the Mt. Laurel rental center.  There is another store on Route 541 in Burlington.
     Mr. Fisher told me that his grandfather started posting the quips thirty years ago as a way to attract business.  His sources were newspapers, Reader's Digest, and quote books.  These days the witticisms come mostly from the internet.  The only rule is that the sayings are limited to twenty-two characters per line so they fit on the signs.
     Here's what the Fishers have posted now:

I can identify with this one.

     You can't help but want to do business with happy people.  I've rented from Taylor twice and been pleased both times.  
     Maybe I could get this up on one of their signs:

Oh, Deer

     Sometimes on a snowy morning, my mother would enter my bedroom, shake me awake, and shush me.  We would tip toe to the window to watch a deer in the back yard.  Though they occurred occasionally, these visits were random and spaced far enough apart that they were a real treat for us.
     These days, the woods have shrunk, and the deer prowl housing developments.  My sister finds piles of deer doodles all over her front lawn in a bustling D.C. suburb.  My friends and neighbors complain that their landscapes and vegetable gardens are nibbled to death by the deer.  This spring, when the ground was soft, I found deer prints everywhere.
     I always thought deer were gentle creatures that spooked and ran at the slightest noise.  Last night I met someone whose dog was attacked by a deer.  The dog's wounds were pretty serious.
     So how do we avoid the deer?  Here are some methods:

1. Landscape with deer resistant plants.  Lowe's and Home Depot clearly mark their deer resistant plants and shrubs.  As a rule, deer dislike lilacs, evergreens, black eyed susans, lavender, things with hairy or spiny leaves, or highly aromatic plants.
2. Scare them away.  If you do this, you have to change your method every couple of weeks.  You can hang CD's in trees, flash lights, or purchase a machine that emits ultra sonic noise.
3. Use deer repellent.  Commercial repellents are available, but they are expensive.  One home remedy is to hang Dial soap in trees and bushes.  I think you would have to pierce the soap through the middle, so it doesn't fall to the ground as it dissolves.  It will last a long time.
You can also make home made deer repellent.  Here's the recipe:

     1 cup milk
     1 egg
     A few tablespoons of cooking oil
     1 tablespoon liquid soap
     1 quart water
     1 teaspoon hot chili oil
Mix in a blender (I think you can probably just shake vigorously).  Spray every 5 - 7 days.

4. Put black, plastic drainage pipe around trees if deer are using your tree trunks to shed their antlers.  For some reason, they don't like to cross the pipes.  I think a better idea is to string fishing line around trees.  It's invisible and scares the deer when it makes contact with their hides.
5.  Take advantage of the deer's fear of predators.  Scatter dog or human hair clippings.  Buy a dog decoy and sit it in the garden.  You could also make a scare crow and move it around.  Your scare crow should wear light colored clothing that deer can see at night.  Another alternative is buying blood meal or predator urine to place at the perimeter of your property, but it's cheaper to let your dog do it's business around the edges of your yard.  I don't know if this is against the law in Hainesport, but Organic Gardening magazine recommends that the man of the house have a beer with his dinner.  After dinner he should take a stroll in the garden and mark his territory!
6. If you are growing a vegetable garden, cover small plants with cages.
7. Remove bird feeders.  Deer like corn and bird seed.
8. You could try fencing, but deer can jump as high as nine feet.  Some people use electric fencing to zap nocturnal visitors.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Deer
http://www.getridofthings.com/pests/varmints/get-rid-of-deer.htm

If all else fails, you could try a tree stand!  Just kidding.

Mill Race Village Craft Shows

     I was lucky enough to participate in the Mill Race Village craft show on Saturday.  In spite of the heat, I had a good day.  I met some nice people, met some nice dogs, and sold some flip flops.  The next craft sale will be held on July 28th.  That day is also Hollystock - Mt. Holly's version of Woodstock.  If you thought Pillage the Village was crazy with fair maidens and knights-errant running around, wait until the hippies show up.
     The craft show dates for the rest of the year are 7/28/12, 8/25/12, 9/29/12, 10/27/12, and 11/24/12.  If you make crafts, come and sell them.  Spaces rent for $30.00.  They have a nifty referral (or discount) program.  If you bring in a new crafter, you'll get a $10.00 discount on your space.  If you aren't crafty, come and see what local artists are making.
     Here are some pictures of a few of Saturday's vendors.

She calls herself Crazy Dog Lady.  If you miss the craft show, you can buy her creations at Petallica Pet Boutique located at 37 White Street.

Fido will be puttin' on the dog in one of these frocks.

Holly Doyle, owner/operator of Jersey Made, sells the work of 40 local artists in her shop.  She also sells locally produced honey, and yes, she lets you have free samples.  Jersey Made is located at 33 White Street.    

I'll be teaching a kumihimo class at Jersey Made on Thursday evening, July 26th, from 7:00 p.m. till 9:00 p.m.

These ladies had some nifty items.

The family that crafts together lasts together.  The husband is known as Bottle Stopper Guy, but he does lots of other wood crafts.  His wife makes way cool wine charms.