by Ernest Freeberg 322 pages, hardcover. $30.00. Basic Books Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 www.basicbooks.com Reviewed by Merritt Clifton Perhaps the first question to ask about a new biography of Henry Bergh, of whom more than 50 have reputedly been written already, with at least four close to […]
District Attorney will not prosecute alleged bull-baiting at Salinas rodeo
Monterey County SPCA does not speak up, either SALINAS, California––The 2019 California Rodeo Salinas ended on July 19, 2019, but the stench of manure––bovine, equine, and canine––lingers on above the Salinas Sports Complex. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, headed since January 2019 by longtime California Rodeo Salinas volunteer Jeannine Pacioni, reportedly recently rendered […]
Dog brain study refutes every major claim of pit bull advocacy
Looking at normal dogs’ brains shows how “fighting breed” brains differ BOSTON, POMONA––There may already be weeping and gnashing of teeth among pit bull advocates, and perhaps significant fundraising underway to trump up rebuttals, too, following the September 2, 2019 Journal of Neuroscience publication of “Significant neuroanatomical variation among domestic dog breeds,” by Harvard […]
SHARK video shows dogs baiting bulls at Calif. Salinas Rodeo 2019
Fans watched dogs torment bulls in the main arena after official events SALINAS, California––The 109th California Rodeo Salinas had nearly ended on Sunday, July 19, 2019. The loudspeaker was still announcing the last “bullfighting” events, in which “rodeo clowns” tease young bulls who are already agitated by bucking straps cinched tightly around their waists. […]
2 pit bulls, 29 dead cats, but Dothan changes topic to fundraising
Overnight shelter massacre DOTHAN, Alabama––Changing the subject from how two pit bulls killed 29 cats to appealing for multi-millions of dollars to build a new animal shelter took Dothan, Alabama city officials barely seconds on July 25, 2019. Dothan Animal Shelter staff found the 29 cats mauled to death when they arrived for work […]
How to tell a “bait dog” from “click bait”
“Bait dogs” are docile victims to some pit bull advocates, but “urban legend” to others What is a “bait dog”? First of all, learn to distinguish a bona fide “bait dog” from a “click bait” dog, known to rescue insiders as a “donor bait” dog. Fill in the blanks This is the generic description of […]
Pit hags, rescue angels, crazy cat ladies, dog men & chicken fighters: what’s in a name?
The late linguist, lexicographer, and “crazy cat man” Reinhold Aman would have relished the question SONOMA, California––Researching the etymology of the terms “pit hag,” “rescue angel,” “crazy cat lady,” “dog man” and “chicken fighter,” absent from most dictionaries yet almost universally understood within the animal advocacy world, would have fascinated Reinhold Aman, 82, who died […]
“Dog Fighting Awareness”: what the ASPCA ignored
Busts plummet as pit bull advocacy has all but legalized dogfighting NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.––Designated National Dog Fighting Awareness Day by the American SPCA, April 8, 2019 and the next several days appear to have passed without a single dogfighting bust or other noteworthy event pertaining to dogfighting occurring anywhere in the United States. […]
Plea bargain in Idaho triple murder linked to dogfighting
Suspect could get eight years, or life MALAD, Idaho––Severo Luera, 39, the only person arrested in connection with a 2013 triple murder linked to pit bull breeding, dogfighting, and growing marijuana, “has struck a deal with state prosecutors that could get him out of prison in less than 10 years,” reported Madeleine Coles of the Idaho […]
Russia bans “dogs of dangerous breeds” under new humane law
Vladimir Putin signs “Law on Responsible Treatment of Animals” into effect MOSCOW, Russia––Possession and handling of pit bulls and other dogs of dangerous breeds is to be strictly regulated throughout Russia, under a new national “Law on Responsible Treatment of Animals” signed into effect by Russian president Vladimir Putin on December 26, 2018. The new “Law […]