Allow me to Introduce Myself

crossposted here.

(Is anyone else singing the song by Digital Underground?)

I am thenutfantastic on Twitter and of the blog Welcome to the Nut House. I chose the name ‘nuthouse’ because at times, with anywhere from 3-6 dogs, a kid and myself, that’s what it feels like.

I am a single mom. I have been a single mom since my son, who is now 11, was 4 months old. Technically I was a single mom since he was born since my now ex-husband didn’t do much to help nor did he take much of an interest in our son. When my kid was 2 months old I made the decision to seek a divorce and when he was 4 months old we moved in with my parents (where we stayed for 7 very long years).

My son also has the distinct pleasure of being biracial: he’s half Filipino, half Caucasian. You wouldn’t know he’s got a white mama by looking at him and often other kids and adults have been surprised when they see me instead. He’s got a tan all year round as well as the beautifully thick dark brown Asian hair. We’ve had a time of it in the public school system because a lot of kids have never seen a Filipino so have not been sure where to place my boy in terms of labels and categories. He wears his hair long, doesn’t care if people use the female pronouns when referring to him and overall doesn’t much care for sports.

When my son was 2, I decided to go back to school. I worked part-time and attended VCU full-time, graduating in December 2005 with a bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies (aka Women’s Studies) and a minor in English. Currently I am in my 3rd year of a 4 year masters of social work program at VCU.

See? Still nuts!

My son attends the IB Program at Lucille Brown Middle School and I am so proud of the hard work he put into studying in order to pass the admissions test. He’s got a lot more hard work ahead of him but both of us are up to the challenge as we’re both tired of him being bored in school, which lands him in trouble.

Perhaps we’re a family of over achievers? Or we’re just nuts?

In my spare time we open our home to foster pit bulls (ish) through a group called Ring Dog Rescue. Currently we have a 7 and 12 week old puppy and 3 adults ranging in age from 2-5 years. Two of the oldest dogs are mine; found wandering the streets and alleys of Church Hill.

I also keep busy by being a hospital advocate through the RHART Program with the YWCA. There are many people, mostly women, who voluntarily sign up for 12 hour shifts 2 or 3 times a month. We are on-call during that 12 hours and can be called into the ER of MCV or any Bon Secours hospital to sit with a woman who has been a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. Essentially, we volunteer to see women on their worst day in order to help them process the traumatic event or comfort them.

Have no fear, I’ll be writing solely about what it’s like to be a feminist single mom in all capacities e.g. dating, sex, kids getting on your nerves, blending families, staying single by choice, etc., ‘cause let’s be honest, it’s hard. Most of the time I love it; however, there are plenty of times when I don’t. There are a lot of times when I am fully aware just how my single life could be so much easier without the attached-at-the-hip baggage.

For example, when the kid has the flu and I’m the only one around to take care of him. Or when he gets suspended and there isn’t anyone else but me to deal with his needing care during the day, punishment and/or enforcement. Or the times he gets sick and has to be picked up from school, which means I have to take time off work. Or the intense pressure on you to work work work because there is no one else to pay the bills.

All this hard work pays off, though, when I see him finally get it, that ‘aha’ moment most parents look for and hope to see in their kids. The moment your kid proves to you they’ve been listening all along, just not directly. Maybe I’ll share some of those stories. I may even share some of the not so pretty stories when I realize I’ve become way too much of a grizzly and need to back off. It happens a lot while being the only real parent out of a possible 2 parent tag team.

What a taste of things to come, yeah? If you have any questions, comments or would like me to talk about something specific, lemme know! I’m a wide open kinda gal and do not embarrass easily.
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What kind is he?

I rescue pit bulls (sometimes they’re pit bullish). Further, I am a foster mom to up to four furbabies at a time and countless bottle babies, Bandit being my current. Of the little ones, always I am asked, “What is it?” (Sarcasm answers, “A dog.”) Notice the picture of Bandit in this post. Can you tell what he is? Better yet, how come it matters? Am I going to change my mind about helping him just because he might be a breed I don’t particularly care for?

Nope. I save all dogs, regardless. I pick up strays regularly. I have been known to chase a dog around my neighborhood for hours, hoping to get close enough to grab its collar. I believe every single animal on this planet deserves a fighting chance at a safe and happy life. Bandit is a baby who needs a little extra attention and I’m more than willing to help.

The constant inquiry about his breed got me thinking about humans and how we place people into categories, race and gender being the biggest, most obvious examples.

Think about it.

When we meet someone new, most of us try to “place them”, or slap on a label that often pigeon holes them into a type. Then forevermore we use those basic assumptions, aka stereotypes, to inform how we are to deal with them and others like them in the future. On occasion, when we find someone that doesn’t fit into a single category or for whom labels don’t apply, we cast them off as strange, weird, odd, and even scary. The propensity for ignoring said person is high because they make us uncomfortable.

Many of us feel a strong urge to ask about an individual’s ethnicity when it is not immediately obvious. When other aspects of their self are visually and/or audibly accessible yet we cannot place it, such as an accent or facial feature, we may feel a strong urge to ask.

Once I attended a camp session where a young British man was also in attendance. My friend kept asking him to say her name every time she saw him because she liked the way it sounded. After a full day of this, he grew weary and she didn’t get the hint. Noting his fatigue, I asked her to chill out for a bit, to give him a break, then reminded her she would have gotten equally as frustrated at being asked to repeat something over and over again just because she sounded cool.

In my own life, I do not like to be labeled. However, I’m easy to peg: white, lower middle class, single mom. On the outside, I took like the typical WASP. On the inside, I am anything but. Many of us attempt to project a certain appearance so as to fit in, keeping our inner most selves a secret until we get to know one another better.

And that is something I try to keep in mind when meeting new people as should you. Worry about labels later, if/when they might actually apply.

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How could I forget?

Me, along with 4 other people that make up the Church Hill Dog Park Committee, have officially opened Richmond's 2nd dog park:

Here's a birds eye view but you get the point. Me and my dogs can be found in the larger section to the left.

It was last August when we started the process and this August when we finish it as our Grand Opening will be this Saturday, August 16th. Can you believe it?

There is still lots of work to be done, but the major pieces are almost complete. Whew!

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Has it really been that long?

It's much harder to produce posts worthy of a readership when you're working full time, getting more involved in various outside activities such as pit rescue, spay/neuter programs, YWCA hospital advocacy, trying to have a life, etc. Not to mention I get in trouble for spending too much time on the internet at work.

Needless to say, I really want to get back into this so I'm going to make a concerted effort to post a few times a week at the very least. After all, crazy me is starting grad school in just 2 weeks (hopefully but that's another story for another day).

So y'all wanna see my newest foster baby? Her name is Radar and she's got a lot of terrier in her which isn't bad necessarily, but instead needs a little more attention.

I'm sure you can see from her ears where her name came from. Don't let them fool you either; she is full pit with strong cartilage in her ears hence the sticking straight up factor. I found her wandering my neighborhood with, surprise!, no leash and no collar. And no one, almost a full month later, has come forward to claim her either.

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Here I Am!

Don't I look different? The hair is longer and brown again. I still wear the same glasses but that's because they're so damned expensive. Peanut took this picture at my request so I could have some doggie and me pictures of my very own.


Peanut is covering Memphis' eyes because he thought I was taking pictures to show potential adopters. I had to reassure him that I was simply taking them to show the world pits love kids and are cuddle bugs even with half-pints.

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Don't let PETA fool you

Sure they were out demonstrating yesterday before and during Vick’s sentencing, but they have gone on record to call for the eradication of the pit bulls and other species like them. Ingrid Newkirk calls for all impounded pit bulls (and eventually all of them) to be killed as soon as they walk in the door.

Her other suggestion is to ban pit bull breeding, which is definitely something I can support as shelters in cities are inundated with them. The rescue I am currently fostering a male blue pit for (and after Christmas will be adding an adult female) has over 20 dogs in foster homes and approximately 30 more dogs in the shelter waiting for a foster home to open up or someone to adopt them.

Pit bulls are perhaps the most abused dogs on the planet. These days, they are kept for protection by almost every drug dealer and pimp in every major city and beyond. You can drive into any depressed area and see them being used as cheap burglar alarms, wearing heavy logging chains around their necks (they easily break regular collars and harnesses), attached to a stake or metal drum or rundown doghouse without a floor and with holes in the roof. Bored juveniles sic them on cats, neighbors' small dogs and even children.

The problem isn't the pit bulls themselves, but the people who get hold of them. Again, we're blaming the victim here and not the persons perpetrating the crime. Yet state laws still make it hard to prove any wrongdoing on the dogs behalf and the punishment is no where near intense enough to deter repeat offenders.

My housemate has told me on several occasions that I need to give up, keep Memphis inside and away from all people and other animals until he gets adopted. She said this when I announced I was going to take Memphis w/me to the local coffee shop, have a smoothie and a snack, and sit w/him by the front door where people will be going by him, and possibly other dogs, too, during our visit.

I later took him to PetSmart where he did beautifully. And we’re graduating from a basic manners and obedience class tonight.

My answer to her was: you can't judge a book by its cover. Just because he is a pit doesn't mean he's vicious. I used the analogy of a person dressed in religious clothing, such as a burqa, and how the common person judges that woman by what she is wearing, not who she really is.

My housemate informed me that was not an apt comparison though I think it is. I extend my dogs to almost human status. I am the alpha and I run my house that way, too.

Needless to say, Memphis was chained up somewhere and had entirely too many negative experiences so the only way to work that out of a dog, or rehabilitate him, is to give him lots of positive experiences to draw from.

Sequestering, which is essentially isolating, can only make matters worse and that's dangerous for a pit as they get no 2nd or 3rd chances.
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Vick sentence too light?

For those of you questioning whether or not Michael Vick, who is currently suspended from the Atlanta Falcons indefinitely and the large paycheck that goes w/it, got a tough sentence yesterday for "just killing some dogs," let me remind you of one important fact:

Animal abuse has been linked to the abuse of humans for almost the same.exact.reasons.

I think he didn't get a harsh enough sentence, but then again, anyone found guilty of animal neglect and/or abuse is hardly given a tough enough punishment in my opinion.

If a person is willing to maim, torture or kill any type of animal, who or what is to stop them from doing the same to a human regardless of age, ability or gender?

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Michael Vick sentenced to 23 months

When I drove by the courthouse this morning at 7:40am, there were protestors already lining the streets. Included was a guy who put up 5 or 6 Vick jerseys w/various signs on the back and fronts, one of which said something like, "Make sentencing fair for Michael Vick."

What is fair about him being the financier for an illegitimate kennel where only pits were bred for fighting purposes? And who is going to speak for the 8 dogs he killed mercilessly?

I told Peanut this morning that I could care less if he goes to jail as I think a permanent suspension from the Falcons would do far more damage as that's his $7 million paycheck that he is not entitled to but lucky to have.

Anyone treating animals this way frustrates me because one of these days the state and federal legislative branches will get a clue to the connection between animal and human abuse. If a human can beat, maim, torture and/or kill an animal, then they are capable of doing it to humans as well.

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Here's what I've been doing lately

Planning for a new dog park. This, along with several other projects, are requiring a lot of my time. Plus Peanut was quite a shithead for the first few weeks at school but now seems to be doing okay.

Surprise here: he's very good in English, History and sort of Science, but not so good at Math.

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Aren't they the cutest couple?

This is Peanut and our dog friend Charlie.

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Catching up on some knitting

I knit this for Peanut's teacher as an end of the year present as he was The Kid from Hell last year. Doesn't it look charming on Penelope?

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Meet Memphis Blue

He's our foster pup for Ring Dog Rescue and he's been the greatest dog. I got him at the beginning of August because I had an open space for a dog but wanted to do something good so rehabilitation/fostering was a great fit for us.

Memphis was approx 20lbs when he first came to the shelter, had lots of missing patches of fur and was heartworm positive. He now weighs 45-50lbs, has a beautiful coat of blue grey fur and is now heartworm negative. He has even found his 2nd puppyhood!

He is my snugglebug and sleeps on the pillow next to me each and every night. He loves to lay on me if not right next to me and I'm going to miss him when he's gone. We're all going to miss him when he's gone, even my other dog, Penelope.

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Friday Dog Blogging: The New puppy!! edition

Isn't she cute? Her name is Penelope (yes, Homer's Penelope) and last Friday my downstairs neighbor found her wandering around our alleyway. She knocked on my door to show me this cutie pie and we've been in love ever since.

Amazing though not all to suprising, no one has come forward to claim her. I've listed her as found with the local shelters, walked her throughout the neighborhood and still, no one seems to be missing her too much.

She looks pit bull at first glance but I think there may be wonky breeding practices or simply another breed involved. If you look at her ears though, she's got the telltale floppy ears of a pit bull puppy.

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Friday Dog Blogging: "I don't have any excues for being late" edition

I really don't. I don't have a job so that's not taking up my time. Boredom is, however, so that might have something to do with it.

Isn't Peanut cute? I came from the kitchen and found them like this, the dog just patiently waiting for the kid to get off her back. She really does love him, getting excited whenever he returns from spending the weekend with his dad. She lets him do all kinds of crazy things to her and hasn't tried to bite him even when he forgets and jumps on her while she's sleeping (she's deaf so can't hear his running leaps and, when she's on the couch, can't feel them either).
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Animal Testing

I would like to know why repub's and the religious right think it is distasteful and murderous to use stem cells to complete research and testing that might help save future lives yet they allow induced aneurysm's in dogs for the sole purpose of testing new medical/surgical procedures.

What the fuck is up with double standards anyway?

Last time I checked, when you step on a dog's paw, tail or body, they yelp in pain. This means they, too, have feelings and suffer.

So really, what exactly is the difference again?

Do note the article states it is uncommon for them to use the procedure for sales pitches, but they do it regularly as a means of research.

I despise animal testing and do my best to buy/use things that have not been tested on the creatures I choose to keep company with. This includes Iams (believe it or not), most any makeup, most any shampoo (Aussie, TreSemme and Paul Mitchell are a few that do not participate) and I still haven't found an organic/non name brand toothpaste I like since most every other choice is from Proctor & Gamble and they seem to love animals only to test on them.

(If you don't believe how evil it can get, then check out these other links.)

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I don't do this often

But a NYC Council Member has decided city residents should no longer be allowed to own pit bulls.

New York City Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr. said the city should ban residents from owning pit bulls and he is calling for the repeal of a state law prohibiting breed-specific legislation. Overturning this law would clear the way for NYC to enact legislation banning city residents from owning pit bulls. North Shore Animal League America opposes this campaign and encourages you to send an email to Councilman Vallone, Jr., encouraging him to reconsider his campaign to ban pit bulls from New York City.

"Dear Mr. Vallone,
North Shore Animal League America of Port Washington, NY, would like to respectfully express our concern and disagreement with your pit bull breed legislation campaign. After reading your statement in the New York Sun, it has come to our attention that like many people who share your fears and concerns regarding "pit bulls," you may be misinformed regarding the behavioral, psychological and physical attributes of these collective breeds, which usually contributes to this common confusion."

"Pit bull" is a general title used to describe several breeds of dogs who share similar physical characteristics. Commonly, the American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier fall under the category of "pit bull," though many others are often associated with it as well. However, using such a generic term, like pit bull, is as non-specific as saying retriever or hound. Therefore, we request that you clarify which exact animal you are referring to so we can all fully comprehend your notion and feel confident that you fully comprehend it as well.

Please sign the open letter today and let Vallone know how you feel about breed specific legislation, which has been proven not to work because owners will either move out of the city or move on to a different breed of dog.

Would this ban include pit mixes? How about dogs who look like pits but really aren't? Who exactly is going to foot the bill for regulating these dogs? Are they going to give city animal control workers a raise? How about a bonus?

Or, an interesting concept would be to actually start cracking down on dog fighting, taking it and what it does to the animals involved, seriously. I bet that would work much better at fixing the real problem instead of blaming the dogs. Like Supernanny told some parents last night (except she was talking about kids but it applies to animal mommies and daddies, too), "How dare you blame the dogs for how they turned out. They didn't ask to be put here."

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They aren't "just dogs"

Nor will they ever be to me. Hell, even a squirrel isn't "just a squirrel" when they can figure out how to outsmart a bird feeder that designed to keep them out in mere weeks, then somehow manage to let their friends know how to do it, too.

This story is sad but it's not a one time thing. I'm sure there have been many more instances of such horrible cases of animal abuse; we just don't get to hear about them as much as the drive-by's. After all, they're "just dogs," right? Or in some cases they're "just cats." Fuckers.

A Denton County man has given police two different versions of how a 10-month-old puppy was burned over 60 percent of her body:

She bumped against a barbecue grill, he told police. Later, he said two men burned her because he owed them money.

Deshann Brown, 21, was arrested shortly after midnight in Corinth, a community in Denton County, and charged with animal cruelty, said Senior Cpl. Jamie Kimbrough, Dallas police spokeswoman.

The 10-month-old puppy, named Mercy, died Sunday despite efforts to save her from extensive injuries. She had been cut, stabbed, doused with gasoline and set afire, police said.

On April 13, witnesses saw Mercy, ablaze, running through the parking lot of a north Dallas apartment complex. The witnesses extinguished the flames by dousing her with beer, police reports said.

The witnesses told police that the dog belonged to Brown, who was questioned a short time later.

He told police "he was attempting to grill on his patio when his dog, 'Brandy' - a pit bull mix - accidentally bumped (the) grill and ignited herself," the reports stated.

In succeeding days, however, witnesses told a much different story to police and animal control officers.

A woman said Brown wanted his dog to mate with hers, but that his dog "would not cooperate." She told Brown to remove his dog and he became angry and repeatedly kicked his dog as they were leaving, the reports said.

The woman followed Brown "at a distance and next observed his dog to have cuts (and) stab wounds."

Another man said saw Brown's dog on fire and running through the parking lot; he later saw Brown carrying a gas can, the reports said.

The dog had burns over 60 percent of her body, and she was turned over to Operation Kindness, a non-profit shelter in Carrollton that tries to find homes for abandoned or abused animals.

Officials interviewed Brown again April 17, and he told them that he lied to them about the grilling incident four days earlier. Brown then told them that "he owed money to two guys for an Xbox and they had retaliated by burning his dog," the reports said.

Witnesses called the media, accusing Brown of being a torturous thug and complaining that he wasn't swiftly arrested.

Kimbrough said police were working with animal control officers to develop the case against Brown.

She said undercover officers from the North Central Deployment Division obtained a warrant for Brown's arrest and set up surveillance on several North Texas locations he was known to visit.

Included was his mother's home in Corinth. The officers saw him driving from there shortly after midnight Thursday, and they followed him, Kimbrough said.

Patrol officers from the Corinth Police Department stopped Brown for a traffic violation and turned him over to the undercover officers, Kimbrough said.

He was subsequently placed in the Lew Sterrett Justice Center and charged with animal cruelty, a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in jail, plus possible fines up to $10,000. Bail is $50,000, Kimbrough said.

This asshole was indicted on a third degree felony charge by the Dallas County Grand Jury and goes to trial April 23, 2007. I hope he gets the maximum 10year sentence and $50,000 fine. Thank heavens he will never be allowed to own another animal as a result of this conviction; however, unless there is someone enforcing it, a piece of paper will do nothing to stop him or others like him.

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Friday Dog Blogging: "Meet Dooley!" edition

Meet the latest edition to our family: Droopey, Drooley, Dooley! She's a chocolate lab who is deaf so she spends a lot of time in her own world.

She follows me around everywhere and stays close, even when I'm just brushing my teeth. Dooley eventually lays down on the bathroom carpet during that sleepy time ritual but, as I found out yesterday, does not prefer to be closed in the bathroom while I take a shower, choosing instead to lounge on the sofa. She sleeps hard, snoring rather loudly, and startles awake so I try not to rouse her, prefering instead she wake on her own. (Which Peanut doesn't seem to understand. I've warned him one of these days she's going to bite him for it and I don't want to hear any complaining.)

When I took this picture and the other below, I literally stopped walking and turned around. That's all. She's been a great comfort to us and having a deaf dog has forced us to relate/communicate with her in other, more creative ways.

She got in a little tiff with yet another pit bull the other day; she now has a scratch on her nose to prove her stupidity. (Hey, she may be a skinny 70lbs, but she's no match for a pit. At all. Yet she has started something with every single one we've met thus far.)
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R.I.P. Storm

(She's the one getting lots of wet sloppy kisses from the black dog with the hot pink collar.)

We got her July of 1993, just 2 months after I graduated high school. A neighbor found her wandering at a truck stop on one of his trips and, feeling sorry for the emaciated but loyal pup, brought her home in hopes of finding a loving family for her.

The people a few doors down from him had a dog named Thunder and a cat named Lightning, hence the name Storm. But she scared the Mom so we were asked to take her. And obviously we did.

We were about to leave on a 10day vacation to Hawaii and would have to find someone to dog sit or put her in a boarding kennel. My mom didn't care about any of that and took her anyway. My dad didn't speak to my mom for a week, I think. I was aware of his silence, but I can't remember how long it lasted.

Within 6months I had taught Storm how to sit, stay, roll over, play dead, shake with both her left and right paws (which later turned into "Gimme a five!"), speak and to jump for treats.

She was the best dog I ever had and probably will have. Storm listened so well and was hardly aggressive toward other dogs - until they stepped into her house that is but most dogs are like that.

Today she was placed into eternal sleep at appx 4pm laying on my mom's lap in the vet's office. She will be greatly missed but definitely not forgotten. She was 13years old.

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Friday Dog and Cat Blogging: "They're pretending not to look" edition

Isn't it nice to get back into the swing of things again? I had to take time off from the news and social awareness in general for a while because, well, it's not healthy to stay mad at the world forever. I can only hit but so many balls before people start wondering what my deal is.

I am excited about something: the other night, while at Target, I got 90 24-count boxes of RoseArt crayons for $.07 each. That's a total of $6.37 spent on crayons people. Cool huh?

Anyway, here are the animals. Shia is still my shadow and Ms. Kitty, we recently found out after spending $153 and some change, has hyper-thyroid and low potassium level problems. She is now on med's for the rest of her life and so far, she's not too happy about that.

Btw, that is me taking the picture and my sister sitting across from me. We were getting a kick out of Shia's reluctance to look at herself in the mirror. Come to think of it, there might be something to it since she barks menacingly at the tv and attacks it if any animals dare show up. So she might be trying to avoid an embarassing situation by only taking inconspicuous side glances at herself in the mirror.

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