Adopting a Pitbull

Hot on the heels of the purchase of our new home, my husband and I are looking to adopt one of the world's most controversial dogs: the American Pit Bull Terrier.

 

Some of you may be wondering why I would voluntarily bring such a 'dangerous' animal into my heart and home, and I will explain it simply: A properly raised APBT is one of the most loyal, goofy, loving dogs you will ever own.  Part of their charm is their willingness to please their owners no matter the task.  They will go above and beyond to ensure that they please their masters. Unfortunately, the stories you hear in the media are often stories with unhappy endings.

 

However, did you know...

 

♦ Dogs in the media are often misidentified.  Very commonly, any dog with a large head and stout body is automatically labeled as a "pitbull," whether or not they actually are.  This means mixed breed dogs with the "bully look," even if they're crosses of generally accepted dogs, will still be labeled as "pitbulls," which further harms the breed's reputation.

 

♦ Dogs with a 'tough' look are often purchased as cheap security systems, usually by drug dealers, fugitives, and gangsters.  They are tied/chained up in the yard, left half starved and encouraged to bite or bark at strangers.  Due to the dog's intense desire to please its masters, if it is praised for exhibiting aggression toward other humans and dogs, it will continue this behavior in order to continue earning praise.

 

♦ Those who purchase dogs for their tough look in addition to their aggression toward humans are also usually the ones who breed the dogs carelessly, or fail to spay/neuter their animals, resulting in unwanted litters.  These dogs generally pass on human and dog aggression to their offspring.

 

♦ A properly raised American Pit Bull Terrier should be friendly to a fault.  He should approach strangers cheerfully, with a wiggly butt and downright happiness.  He should be high energy, intelligent, quick-learning and agile.  He should also consider himself to be a lap dog, regardless of his size (sometimes upwards of 80 pounds!).  He should exhibit a desire to care for young creatures, and indeed used to be referred to as the "Nanny Dog" in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

 

♦ The pit bull terrier was originally bred to help his master in hunting, who would willingly take on a bear if he thought his master was in danger, but who could reliably be handled and brought into the home without fear of harm to children or other family members.

 

♦ Pit bull terriers can be trained to be search and rescue dogs, police dogs, drug sniffing dogs, therapy dogs, service dogs, weight pulling dogs, show dogs (in the United Kennel Club), agility dogs.

 

This information is nothing new to me.  My family used to breed and raise American Pit Bull Terriers when I was younger.  We showed them in the UKC and we competed in pulling trials.  Our stud could pull 700 pounds and was the best dog I've ever owned.  He died when I was 12, but I remember him well to this day.  I can remember going to visit my dad over the summers and how happy that dog would be to see us.  He'd be beside himself with glee, wiggling all over and hardly able to contain himself.  And he'd be absolutely heartbroken every time we had to leave.  He knew when we were leaving to go back to Mom's, too, and not just going out for dinner or a trip to the movies.  He'd sit at the door and cry, so upset that it would nearly have ME in tears.  He alerted my mother to an intruder in the house and scared the man off, he would let us dress him in clothes, sit on him, tug his ears and tail.  And you know what?  We were NEVER, EVER bitten, growled at, scratched - nothing.

 

We plan on adopting a dog from a local pit bull rescue group.  I hope that through continued public education on this breed, through the testimony of other pit bull owners and through calling out the media's misinformation and hype, we can restore this breed to its former glory.

 

Please, stay tuned for updates and information.  It is my goal to help the public learn the real truth about these dogs as best as I am able.  If I educate even one person, I'll consider it a success.

 

 

Starting Afresh

Why do I regularly have these urges to start posting in this Blog all over again?  I can usually only keep with it about a week - I think because in order to GET here I have to visit yet another site, log in with yet another username and password, and so on.

If there were a way to connect this account with my Facebook account, for example, so that I could log in at one place and post a blog entry there that would also show up here... that'd be so much more likely to keep me active.

At any rate, I'm going to try again to stick with this.  I feel like this is as good a place as any for me to write about my spiritual travels, since I don't belong to a church, coven or even just a weekly meet-up group with which I can communicate.

Druidry has been deemed a Religion in the UK

Click Here for Article

Am I the only person who finds this ironic?  That a religion which is centuries (maybe millennia) older than Christianity has to get permission from someone else before it is recognized as a religion?

I am not a Druid myself, though I have great respect for their ways, and I have to wonder what self important person decided that religions weren't officially religions unless there was some kind of unanimous vote?  I mean, Scientology is considered a religion in most places now, and it is like a day-old infant in comparison to Christianity, Druidism (Druidry, Druidity?  Is there an official form for this word?  Please inform me), Shamanism, etc.

When it comes to faith, I really don't see how it can be up to a committee or a handful of people with money backing them to decide what is a religion and what isn't.

Hell, if you wanted to put a spoon in the ground and call it your God, by all means, practice your religion in any way you see fit.  I'm not going to tell you that it isn't a religion, and that because of this, it isn't eligible for any added perks or benefits that come from being recognized.

In some ways, this makes me sad.  When did the naming of religions turn into debates on income, whether or not that income is taxed, and whether or not that income is for profit or not? 

And I wonder about these things:

**If TV Evangelists can make thousands (millions?) of dollars off of their followers, and do it in the name of Christ, do they still fall under the non-profit status granted Christian churches?

**Does a religion need a centralized BUILDING in which its members worship before it can be called a religion?  (If that's the case, the Druids of the U.K. have a building which is AGES older than any of the Christian structures standing today: Stonehenge.)



What is your opinion on this subject?  Should religions have to be acknowledged by committees or by other religious peers before it's considered legitimate?  Does that religion need a building for its members to congregate in for worship?

Let me know in the comments!

Negativity in the Work Place

I think every place has one: A person whose outlook on life and the people around him/her is so negative, that the energy spills over onto his/her co-workers.

My work place is no exception to this rule, and unfortunately the negative person in question is the supervisor of the department in which I work.  This person has the habit of speaking to others (even those who have a higher level of authority than she) as though they are the scum of the earth.  She takes credit for others' work, and generally maintains a "Holier than thou" attitude, which creates double standards left and right, and causes discomfort among even those people who are fortunate enough to work outside of her department.

For two years, I have worked in this department, essentially picking up after the others and making attempts at keeping the department running smoothly.  I take inventory, I make sure the other employees are keeping up on their duties, I call customers and handle difficult design work, and a myriad of other things that are generally on the supervisor's job description.  If I didn't, we would all be up a creek without a paddle.

But, of course, who gets credit for good sales, smooth department function and effective training?  The Negative Supervisor, of course.

I have tried to remain patient, hoping that someone would see what was happening, and make the necessary changes.  I have tried talking to the Store Manager, Human Resources and the corporate Business Ethics department.  Has anything changed?  No.  Despite the fact that I am not just one person filing these complaints, nothing has been done.

So, how does one keep the negativity from breaking through personal barriers and leeching away energy or motivation?

I am trying some basic meditation techniques, personally.  Some days, they work very well.  Others, I begin the meditation in a poorer frame of mind, and then it is not so successful.  But I thought I'd share with you the things that work for me, and help me face the coming work day with a certain level of composure and confidence.

Directions:

1.  Find a place you absolutely love to sit and relax.  For me, sometimes that is outside in the shade (on hot days), or outside in some sunshine (on cool ones).  It can also be indoors.  Stand or sit comfortably in this favorite spot, but do not lie down, because you might fall asleep!
   
2. Bring things with you that are relaxing or uplifting.  It can be a good book, flowers, even something tasty.  In Autumn, I love heading over to the Starbucks that is across the street from where I work, and ordering a Chai Tea Latte (non-fat, no whip! lol).  Then I sit outside at one of their tables, especially when the weather is marvelous.
   
3. Close your eyes.  Sip your latte or smell the flowers you brought (or do whatever it is you do with your object of choice), and allow the flavors and scents to infuse you with a feeling of good will.  Let your body's enjoyment of these things remind you that there IS good in the world.
   
4. If you are outdoors, imagine the sunlight bathing you in warmth and light, and good, clean energy.  Imagine that it is sweeping away all negativity within you, even if it is negativity that is unrelated to the task before you.  If you are indoors, you can imagine a white light radiating from over your head and down into the soles of your feet.
   
5. Allow this light to fill you completely, until there is no more room for the light, negativity or anything else.  Imagine that it begins to radiate out of you because you are so full of goodness and healing light.
   
6. Mentally or verbally, tell yourself that you are a good person.  You are confident and capable.  You can handle anything that your job or the people in it can throw at you, and that negativity is going to just slide off of you like water on a duck's back.  Tell yourself that this light within you is divine light, and as such, it will protect you from negativity.
   
7. As you repeat these things to yourself, imagine that the light radiating out of you forms a protective sphere around your body.  It extends just a little ways away from your skin - no more than the width of two fingers - and deflects any negativity that may attempt to harm you.  You are protected by this light, and you will continue to be long after the visualization has stopped.
   
8. Once you feel ready, imagine that the light is no longer flowing into you, but that you are retaining the healthy glow of energy that will protect you from negativity.  Remember that at any time, you can pause and 'refill' yourself, whether you remain indoors or out.

This has helped me on many occasions.  I hope it can help you, too!  There is nothing worse than letting another person steal your will to work hard and be your best. And now, I'm off to go do this myself, so that my workday will be awesome!

My First Post!

Merry Meet!

Happy October 1st, everyone!  And welcome to my humble blog.


Allow me to introduce myself.  Online, I go by Kate.  That's because of a text-based role playing character that I created years ago...  I used that persona in so many different games and fictional settings that she became something of an extension of myself.

So while you're here, you can call me Kate.  I won't mind. =)

I decided to start Book of Moon for a few reasons:

1. Roughly a year a go, I found my Path. I am a Hedge-witch - and as I learn and grow, I thought I would share my findings with anyone who is interested in reading about them.  I believe that learning and sharing our knowledge is the best way to erase hatred and ignorance in the world, whether it be toward a specific creature, or a race or breed of creatures.
2. Blogging gives me a place to record thoughts and events, just like writing a journal. But unlike a journal, writing entries in an online blog means I can also get feedback from others.  This feedback can help me just as much as the experiences I post about, especially if it is constructive feedback as opposed to a "lol" or an "I agree!" comment.
3. I hope that some of what I have learned, will learn, or want to learn will somehow help others that read this blog, even if all it does is lets someone know that he or she is not alone.

I currently live in the state of California, though I will hopefully move to Oregon after I have finished college and started my own online design business.  Oregon's old forests and marvelous weather call to me like almost nothing else has... and so does the inexpensive (in comparison to CA) cost of acreage.


I am engaged, scheduled to be married in September of 2011, and looking forward to that every day!  As I struggle to get into better physical condition for this huge change in my life, I am hoping that the Gods and my own determination will allow me to reach my goals.

My 'status' as a hedge-witch is somewhat newly established... I suppose you could say I was raised a Christian, if only going to church on Easter and Christmas makes you a Christian, and as a child I had always believed that there was more to life than met the eye.  I never believed the phrase, "There's no such thing as ghosts."

Perhaps you could say I'm an old soul.  Maybe I am.  But one thing is for certain:  I have learned that there IS more to the world than meets the eye.  Through the Hedgewitch path, which is a combination of Herbal Witchcraft and Shmanistic beliefs, I hope to learn more about the natural and para-natural worlds.

So put on your proverbial walking shoes, because this journey is only just beginning!

Blessed Be.