Sunday, May 4, 2014

I Guess the Opinions of Experts Don't Matter!

There are so many professional organizations and experts that oppose BSL. You would think their opinions would count for something! After all who would you trust when it comes to the behavior of animals-an expert in the field or your elected government official? I myself would trust the experts. Here's just a few of the experts that oppose BSL.

  • Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
  • American Kennel Club (AKC)
  • American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
  • American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Best Friends Animal Society
  • National Animal Control Association (NACA)
  • National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA)
  • American Working Dog Federation (AWDF)
It seems to me that the professionals in these organizations would be much more qualified than a politician  to determine the behavior patterns of animals, and I would think that their professional opinions would carry a great deal of weight with law makers. But hey, most of what our government does makes no sense!

Negative Effects of BSL

Just wanted to point out a few ways that BSL negatively impacts our communities...

1. BSL does nothing to reduce the number of dog bites or attacks-any dog can bite at any time.
2. Banning certain breeds makes these breeds much more appealing to criminals.
3. These laws punish responsible pet owners and does nothing to hold irresponsible pet owners accountable for their actions.
4. BSL discriminates against owners of certain breeds. Many of these breeds are used as service dogs, such as therapy dogs or search and rescue  dogs. BSL punishes these dogs as well.
5. Some owners will keep their dogs in hiding, lie to landlords, etc. for fear of losing their beloved pet.
6. These laws can give people a false sense of security.
7. These laws can be tough to enforce. Many government officials are not qualified to determine actual breeds of dogs.
8. Banning these breed doesn't make dog fighters go away, they just go deeper under ground.

Just some food for thought.

One Million Pibble March Was a Success!

May 3, 2014 was a historic day in the fight against breed specific legislation (BSL). Event founder Rebecca Corry is an absolutely amazing ambassador for the breed, and the fact that she pulled off an event of this scale in our nations capital is impressive to say the least! Thousands of people came from across the country to show their support for ending BSL in this country. Although this was an event that did not allow animals, there were a few people that brought their pibbles anyway! Even President Obama agrees that BSL does not work! Hopefully events like these will continue to happen, and we can make a change when it comes to discriminatory laws that are needlessly killing thousands of beautiful pitties (and many other breeds too) every day in this country.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Welcome to My Blog!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Euneca Forney but please feel free to call me Nika.  There's alot I could tell you about myself, but I'll stick to the basics. I am a senior at UNC Charlotte, majoring in Sociology and minoring in American Studies. I have a two year old son who keeps me very busy, a pitbull, and three kitties that round out my family. For the purpose of my blog I will focus on my professional background, which has been working as a veterinary technician for the past twenty years. I have worked with animals in various capacities, including rescue and adoption, small animal veterinary practice and emergency and critical care situations. It has always been my dream to become a veterinarian, but life sometimes has a way of taking you down another path. While animals are still my passion, my focus has redirected a bit.

I have always had a soft spot for homeless or abused animals, and have helped many pets find their forever homes. About eight years ago I became a pit bull owner (totally by accident) and have been in love with the breed ever since. Over the years I have learned quite a bit about the breed, as well as how many great dogs there are out there that need forever homes to call their own. I have come to realize that the best way to help these animals find homes is through educating the public about the breed and by making people aware of just how many great dogs across the country need homes.

It is no secret that social media is a powerful tool, and this is what led me to create this blog. I chose this platform because it is a great way to reach people and it allows me the freedom to post the information that I feel is important. I spoke to several other bloggers before creating this blog, and was told that this was a very user-friendly site with different options available for me to utilize.

So you may be asking yourself what does social media have to do with finding animals homes? Well, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow people to share photos, videos, and general information about homeless animals with anyone anywhere in the world. I belong to several online rescue groups, and on average I probably see 20-30 dogs a day that are in need of rescue or foster placement.

Each pet on my blog can be presented as a case study. Every dog's situation is different. They may have been abused, abandoned, part of a legal case, or even surrendered by their owners to a shelter. There is then a course of action taken on behalf of the pet. This may include a rescue effort if needed, placement in a foster home, or possibly even a quarantine in some cases. Many animals are also taken to adoption events or featured on various internet sites to gain exposure. During this time any necessary veterinary care will be obtained. The desired result in every case is always to find the pet their forever home. In each case there will always be something learned by the rescue agency, foster parent, or even the eventual adopter. This learning could entail learning something new about the pet, about how to handle certain rescue or adoption situations, or even better ways to gain exposure for these pets to help maximize adoption rates. Ultimately at the end of the day we all learn something about ourselves every time we interact with an animal. If there is one thing I have learned in all my years of working with  animals, it is that we need them as much as they need us.

I hope that you will follow me on my journey as I continue to advocate for the thousands of homeless pets in this world, especially my beloved pit bulls (a.k.a. pibbles, or pitties)!