Sun - December 2, 2007

A call to action.

The man behind the infamous Blainville Wires puppy mill operation has been convicted on two counts of animal cruelty.
Trouble is, he may get one or more of his dogs back if we don't take a stand. Now.

It's Mr. Doodle's Dog, in the ceramic flesh. That only means one thing: an important announcement.
We'd like to interrupt the usual whimsy of Mr. Doodle's Dog and ask for your help. We won't waste your time, we won't ask you to do much, and we only link to, and not display, the photos of abused wires. But you will need to join us and take a stand.

November, 2005, Blainville, Québec, Canada.
Ninety-seven wire fox terriers are seized in a police raid of a puppy mill.
Most are neglected beyond description, feces in their matted, wild fur. Some are found eating the carcasses of their fellow cellmates.
All are in a canine version of Danté's Inferno.
The wires are seized, and almost forty are euthanized, killed out of mercy.
The residence where the dogs were "living" is subsequently condemned and demolished.

November, 2007, St. Jerome, Québec.
The owner of the Blainville mill, Marc-Andre Laporte, is convicted of two counts of animal cruelty and two counts of neglect . He faces up to six-months in prison and a fine of up to $4,000.
Laporte will be sentenced on Feb. 22.
Of the wires who survived the puppy mill ordeal, around thirty were adopted and 18 have been living in foster homes.
The fostered wires remain in jeopardy. They remain Laporte's property and so were not available for adoption for these two years.
On Feb. 22, 2008, Québec Court Judge Jean Sirois will determine if any or all of the wire fox terriers are to be returned to Laporte.
Would you like to be the wire or wires who are returned to his "care"?

December, 2007.
Let us demonstrate to the judge that the wire fox terrier world, the dog blog world, and dog and animal lovers care very much about what happens to these wire fox terriers.
1. Please sign the online petition.
2. Please take the additional step of writing a letter to Judge Jean Sirois, requesting that justice go hand-in-hand with prudence, and that none of the wires be returned to Laporte, nor should Laporte ever again be allowed to own a dog. If you feel so inclined, please include a photo of you and your wire fox terrier or other animal, so that Justice, although blind, may see the faces of those she must answer to. All letters received will be put in a file (for the court) and also handed out to the media.
Letters to Judge Jean Sirois should be mailed to:

Elizabeth Pierce
119 16th Street
Roxboro, Québec
Canada
H8Y 1P1

Elizabeth Pierce has been instrumental in finding foster and adoptive homes for these wires. She has been the person acting on this case and watching out for these dogs for two years. Now she needs our help.

The sentencing hearing is Feb. 22, 2008 so please write those letters and mail them soon.
3. Please pass along this information to your friends, bloggers, both dog and human, dog and animal lovers. Let's get the word out. It's not just about wires, it's about compassion and respect.
And sanity.

The photos of the wires as they were taken into custody two years ago .

Posted at 07:14 PM      

Sun - October 10, 2004

HOW A PATRIOT ACTS

He's one mazeltov cocktail!

No lie.
At least, not from this corner.
Al Franken hosted a Democratic Party victory celebration in Tampa last night.
I strolled right in. (Hey, would you believe my Doggie Dad received an invite to the Cheney do in Palm Harbor that was held on Friday? Boy, are they barking up the wrong tree. I hope the administration's intelligence is better than the GOP's.)
Yes, the democrats welcomed me. I had my $35 and I got my seat. And there was no taking of names, the signing of loyalty oaths or the surrendering of rights and social security numbers ... and no frisking of wallets and purses by Secret Service agents, either. All of which one might expect at a Bush or Cheney rally.
Hey, I'm a dog, not a doormat. No one is touching my dog tags.
Al was great. As was to be expected. I'm a regular listener of his show, The O'Franken Factor on Air America Radio . No station in the Tampa Bay area carries Air America ... yet .. so I listen online.
Al was in fine form. The truth does have a way of setting one free. And don't dogs love to be set free! As the United States Supreme Court-declared president, Bush has given comedians and satirists much in the way of material. Mr. Franken was weaving a rich tapestry indeed.
Don't forget, the second presidential "debate" had taken place the night before and Mr. Bush had been his usual self. (Yes, I am a bit of a diplomat.) But hey, did you notice that bulge on the back of his jacket? And the tailor took the blame for his bad tailoring? If Bush is so angry at the French, doesn't he see the irony in the name of his tailor? Georges de Paris ?
Al, Al, Al ... what a mixer . And a brain. Mr. Franken is one lethal mix of democratic cocktail, one that would be difficult for George Bush and his pals to swallow.Oh, how I enjoyed myself, sitting with some friends, reveling in the company of other liberals. There were many "woof" moments, I can tell you. Pack mentality at its best.
There's no flippity-floppity here: be a patriot. Educate yourself, think, and then act decisively.
Bush no more in 2004!
--Nigel

Posted at 07:04 PM      

Wed - March 17, 2004

CLEVELAND'S IN CLOVER

Like an update on a Pico, a previous interview subject?
You're in luck.

Photo by Joe the Cat's cousin Morris
Cleveland, once known as Pico, is finally home.

Remember our friend Pico?
He began life as Cleveland. and he'd gone from puppy mill to pet shop, to a family that didn't anticipate a wire fox terrier's needs. They put him in a (ikill) shelter and it looked like the end. But then he was discovered by Rescue, and spent some time relaxing with a troop of TerriORRS.
Wait, there's more! Cleveland, now Pico, was placed in a home for a few days ... and then there were second thoughts. Then it was back to Rescue and the foster home of the TerriORRS, and the undercover name of Ziggy.
Doesn't this sound like something out of Goodfellas ?


Cleveland and his mom Kathy negotiate some of the ground rules of
their lifetime contract.

Well, it's true this is the story of a very good fellow. Cleveland is reputably one of the most lovable wire foxes to be found. No mean feat, considering the Charles Dickensian start to his life.

But now ... Now he's living the mile high life in Denver with his new family, and he's gone back to his original roots ... he's Cleveland forever more.
Cleveland was far too busy enjoying himself to sit down for an interview. He barely had time to manage a phone call, but that's just fine by us.
We think we may have broken new ground on Mr. Doodle's Dog. The photo of Cleveland's mom Kathy may be the first time a human has been shown on our site. The two-legged thing is interesting, isn't it? Wonder how they manage?
All good fortune to Cleveland and his new family! We hope we run into Cleveland again, and that he has many stories of Denver life to share with us.



Time for a romp in that huge yard. Cleveland's gotta run.

Posted at 12:10 AM      

Sun - February 22, 2004

the town criers

Circle the Welcome Waggins

They're here!
Puppies Virgil, Lady Whimsy and Xing Xing, belonging to Bailey and Gideon Mouris, of the Br'er Fox Mourises of New York, arrived on a cold January 23.
Things immediately warmed up.
Mom Bailey is Ch.Hiwire Bailey's Cream of Br'er Fox and dad Gideon is Foxhollow's Top Drawer of Br'er Fox.
Champagne was the order of the day.
The puppy trio will attend Mouris Daycare and Preschool and have already been accepted to Br'er Fox Academy in Nassau, New York. The siblings are being tutored at the exclusive Frank Mouris Studio of the Visual Arts. All three arrived with clever names and futures as bright as their little puppy eyes.
Congratulations to the new family!
--Nigel and Gimlet and Joe the Cat

Posted at 11:02 AM      

Mon - November 10, 2003

Mr. Doodle's Big Adventure

We pack it in and go on vacation.

Any excuse to use an image of Errol Flynn is a good one.

And we're off!
On vacation, that is.
We two blog dogs are taking a week or so off from Mr. Doodle's Dog and going on vacation.
Where are we going? It's not Sherwood Forest, but it's close: the Pacific Northwest. Just think Seattle and fir trees and salmon and coffee. We're thinking nippy weather and November overcast skies and some rain.
Very cozy indoors, very Sherlock Holmes and the moors on the outside.
In the spirit of Seattle and the WIFI cafe society, we are taking the new iBook and hoping to land in a Starbucks.
Very much an adventure.
We just hope there are no sword fights.
See you next week!
--Nigel and Gimlet

Posted at 09:26 AM      

Tue - November 4, 2003

Pup in the Machine

Every inch a wire fox terrier, a young dog takes measure of his life.

Sorry about the David Copperfield theft, but stories of abandoned dogs get to me. And you know, this is not a work of fiction. This is one dog's life. He's a great dog, too. Pico, who is a 19-month-old wire fox terrier about to join a new family, could be any one of us. Let's meet Pico and hear what he has to say.-- Nigel

Nigel: Welcome to Mr. Doodle's Dog, Pico.
Pico: Thank you, Nigel. I'm still getting accustomed to that name, you know. My name has been Cleveland since I can remember. But I'm willing to try out Pico if that suits my new family. You give up a lot when you're displaced, and a name ... well, what's in one, right?
Gimlet: I'm going on the record ... I like the name Cleveland. But Pico is nice, too.
Nigel: Pico, I understand you were probably born in a puppy mill. You had to be, since you were later bought in a Florida Petland. No legitimate breeder sells a puppy to a pet store. And your family bought you for $699, marked down from $799 because at 3 months old, you were getting too "old". Correct?
Pico: That's all true. I came with papers, but they were bogus. It's so easy to fool people with "papers". My so-called papers claimed I was open to registry with "United All Breed Registry and Pedigree Service." I think "registries" need to be investigated and regulated.
Nigel: And your family could have gone to a legitimate breeder and paid just a little more. You have chronic health problems, don't you, Pico? Pardon my asking, but I probably came from a puppy mill. I've had health concerns for years.
Pico: I understand.. I have ear infections and skin problems. My fur is sparse and I'm underweight. I've just been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. That means my gas is running low, I think. I'm probably going to have allergies throughout my life. But I'm taking medicine for that now, and I'm going to get some muscle and good skin tone. My fur will get better, too. I do have dry eye, or KCS, and that means my tear production is low. It also means I have a lifetime of twice-daily use of opthalmic ointment to look forward to. Or, I could go blind. Let's face it, Nigel. I'm always going to have enough health problems to keep a vet in business. You know how that is.
Nigel: Oh, I do. And to think that your family could have just gone to a breeder and paid a little more ... and if everyone avoided Petland and places like it, there would ultimately be healthier dogs out there.
Pico: My human family was of the military variety, and I think they really tried to understand me. They sent me to obedience and tried to work with me. But, I have the strong suspicion that they just didn't know what a wire fox terrier was all about. They expected me to be more obedient, I think, and conform. If they'd done any of the research a prospective puppy adopter should, they would have known that I was not the right breed of dog for them.
Gimlet: Or, you could say that they were not the right breed of human for you.
Nigel: Gimlet makes a good point. Wire fox terriers need humans with smarts, tolerance and a good sense of humor. Any family that would "buy" a puppy at a pet store, in the 21st Century, can't be that intelligent. And they're definitely uninformed.
Gimlet: They're as much a part of the problem of overbred and unhealthy dogs as puppy millers are.
Nigel: Adding a family member is a big decision. It's life-altering for all concerned, and it's a lifetime commitment. It makes me shudder when I hear people talk about "buying a dog" -- but I suppose that's an accurate indicator of their worldview and dog smarts.
Gimlet: When people want to add a dog to their family, they need to research. They can start with their local kennel clubs and get information on breeds, reputable breeders and even rescue organizations in their area. They can quickly do a "google" search using the breed name and "dog rescue."
Nigel: Or, they could research breed rescue through the American Kennel Club site.
Nigel: What happened next, Pico?
PIco: We moved from Florida to west Texas, near San Angelo. My family eventually had it with me. They said I was "too active" and not very much like a Labrador or a Golden Retriever ... and why would I be? Anyway, they dumped me in a kill shelter ... isn't that a funny term? A kill shelter ... they shelter you until you're killed. There are so many dogs that are taken to shelters, for all sorts of reasons, that the space is limited. Your time there is limited. At about 19 months, I was a typical rowdy wire fox terrier, full of life, who was going to be killed. Through no fault of mine.
Nigel: Yes, but then Rescue heard about you. Specifically, the San Angelo shelter person called Erin Orr, who is a member of American Fox Terrier Rescue. She is the rescue contact person for NW Texas.
Pico: Yes, Erin took me to her hone ... and I bunked in with a whole crew of dogs. Erin told me that I was very mellow and well-behaved for a wire fox terrier. Although I do admit to having an independent streak; what wire fox terrier doesn't? She gave me toys and treats and took me to the vet for my skin and eye problems. I began to think in more positive terms. Life was good again.
Nigel: So now you have a new name, and you're going to a new home and family.
Gimlet: Pico, you're very young to have experienced such peril and sorrow. What do you think of your life so far?
Pico: I have to think of myself as being lucky. So many other things might have happened to me. I could have languished with a family that didn't understand or appreciate me. And to have escaped with my life from a kill shelter ... most souls perish in one of those. There have been some caring people in my life ... the shelter worker who called Erin about me, and Erin ... and now I have a new family. They're waiting ... for me. Yes, I am very lucky.
Gimlet: Wooooooo!!! Good luck in your new home and life, Pico! Come back and talk with us after you've settled in!
Nigel: To quote Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen ...

"Accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch onto the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister-In-Between ..."
Gimlet: If we're going to sing, let's do it right. Where's Joe the Cat?

Posted at 03:04 AM      

Thu - July 10, 2003

Terrier Alert At Level "Wooooo"

Gimlet reports a threat to homeland security. The time is 7 a.m.

Gimlet takes no prisoners.

Posted at 08:44 AM      

Wed - July 2, 2003

Rockets and Red Glare

Fireworks in the neighborhood. What are they celebrating?

I have been listening to fireworks since the weekend.
Must be related to the Fourth of July, which is this Friday.
I'm getting really tired of this.
I'm one of those dogs, and there are a lot of us, who is scared by loud noises. I'm not a coward, it's an instinctive reaction to loud noise and bright lights. How about some consideration?
If the holiday is that special, and I'm sure it is, celebrate it on that day. Don't blow things up for a week and think you're promoting patriotism.
You're just demonstrating that you enjoy blowing things up and have no restraint.
More pathological than patriotic.
I'm tired of this noise. I'm going to my crate.
-- Gimlet

Posted at 09:16 AM      

Wed - June 25, 2003

BARK! BAARRRKKKKK!!! WHOOOOO!!!

Nigel:Bark! Bark!!! Bark!!!
Gimlet: Whooooooo!! Rooooofers!!!

Nigel: Truck! Bark!
Gimlet: Man and truck!
Nigel: Ladder! Bark!
Gimlet: Man is putting ladder next to house....
Nigel: BARK!!! BARKKKKK!!!!
Gimlet: WHOOOOO!!!
Nigel: Man on the roof! Bark!
Gimlet: Man walking on roof! WHooooo!!!
Nigel: Pounding! Pounding! When will it end? Baaaaaarkkk!
Gimlet: He's above our heads! No one told us! Whooooo!!!
Nigel: I'm not kidding! There's a man here! I'm tired of telling you! Baaaarrrkkkk!!!
Gimlet: I need a drink of water ......
Joe the Cat: Mou?

(Roofers appear to fix the flashing of a roof pipe. The dogs and cat are home alone.)


Joe the Cat ponders the noise above his head.

Posted at 11:42 PM