John McClelland Verified

They should also include a ban on selling puppies on street corners and parking lots.

Denton County should consider the same ban. The corner of FM 423 and US 380 is like a doggie flea market (no pun intended) on the weekends. It's disgraceful.

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

James Scott Verified

I think this is a great idea - even though I'm not a breeder, I can imagine the reputable ones would be the least likely to have too much of a problem with this. Those that are in it just to turn a quick buck without much care for the well-being of the animals are probably the ones howling (sorry) the most about it...but I could be wrong.

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Robert Kelly Verified

sure Teresa, lets just keep putting unenforceable laws on the books, and give the cops one more thing they have to deal with. It's not like Dallas is the murder capital of the US. Oh wait, there is a killing in Dallas on average about every 36 hours.

Yeah, I want the cops dealing with Dogs with Dicks instead. Or writing me a ticket for not wearing a bike helmet. How about we deal with those issues that hurt others, and leave the big brother politics to California?

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

RKelly, if it's 'unenforceable'...then enforcement (i.e. the cops) won't have to worry about it.

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

In all due respect to one of the the above posts: The myth that pound and rescues have health problems that 'breeders' offspring do not is 1) anecdotal 2) without merit beyond anecdotal unless there were preexisting issues like Parvo or Feline Aids, etc.

In fact, as I recently wrote for Pegasus, the mixed breeds have dominant gene immune systems far superior to inbred recessive gene health issues endemic to 'full breed' breeder stock. Want to see the hip issues in some 'breeds', etc? The entire concept of breeders is built around the 'pure' breed which was (primarily from what I've researched) a Victorian Era man-made lineage that bears little relevance to nature.

Am I opposed to ‘breeders’ completely and ‘pure’ breed stock? Not at all. Do I believe it has become, as an issue, one well past the point of informed debate? Absolutely. Some of the absolute worst compromised health and quality of life diminished dogs (and cats) are ‘bred’ for those who are brainwashed to think of a breed as a designer label, like Ralph Lauren or Laura Ashley or BCBG. Why else does everyone inevitably ask, when meeting anyone’s dog, “What kind of dog is that?”.

PS: I had my dog’s DNA done for only $75. There were many surprises. Wanta bet that most of those who answer (when asked) ‘she(he) is a (fill in the blank) that the DNA would show otherwise. No less than when the stunned Chris Rock learned he was approx. 30% white and Tina Turner learned that her ‘Indian’ grandmother was in fact half Irish or older-than-hell actress Carol Channing learned whe was part black and former Sec. of State Albright learned at 67 that she was in fact Jewish.

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Robert Kelly Verified

why are people always trying to chop off my balls?

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Pavel Lishin Verified

DC: My parents owned a pedigree Dachshund that won medals, awards, etc., and we bred him for puppies. Pretty sure that neither we nor the people we were involved with killed any animals. Of course if you're talking about people who just raise random puppies to sell, that's a different story, as well as whether breeding pure-breeds is a good idea at all (Rawlins touched on this issue in his comment.)

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

Rober Kelly- Because you use them. You're supposed to just sit back and let the crap wash over you.

There are scores of issues more important to the average citizen, but we scrap over what tugs at our hearts, and what's happening at the time- we try to stay current.

I've had dogs and cats (one at a time) all my life. They've all been mutts- just like me. I DO understand buying 'pure pedigree'. (wasn't that a folk/rock group in the eighties?) But there's nothing like the feeling you get from saving a life from extermination- exterminated simply because we omnipotent humans decide we can no longer afford to keep it alive.
We could've possibly gotten the same warm feeling from doing something about Rwanda, or Darfur when it would've made a difference, but that's another thread.

Besides, especially for the powerful white people in this wonderland, black folk in far off countries, can't complete with the cute face of a pure bred Rottwieler puppy.

1 week, 5 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Susan Thornton Verified

I live in North Oak Cliff and have seen many instances of roaming dogs and feral cats. Calling 311 accomplishes nothing. There still exists, in some cultures, the notion that a male dog shouldn't be neutered because it would interfere with its "sex life." How do you change that culture?

And, since you asked, those are my cats who came from Texas Siamese Rescue and are indoor-only.

1 week, 4 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

Susan, I agree completely, and also wrote and aired a piece about that long ago; the street castaways and especially the lower socio-economic and/or ethnic macho white, black and brown cultural types who without-a-doubt disavow spay and especially neutering a male dog.

http://publicbroadcasting.net/kera/ne...

I try with my multi-ethnic street to discuss this but with little success. Like the great family across the street. Terrific people who happen to be black. But the mother...educated, smart....has her son and husband telling me that to 'cut' Tex, their boxer/pit mix (sold to them as the omni-necessary backyard accessory, a bonafide if not pedigreed Pit) will mean he 'loses interest in life'. When I ask them if my dog Honey appears to have lost interest in life, they say a girl dog is different.

Then there is the (on my street, primarily a Mexican phenom but by NO means exclusive to any one culture) custom of giving a puppy as a gift when a kid is born, again lower socio-white/brown/black and then trading it in at the shelters for another puppy when the first pup gets too large: the 'eternal puppy' gig. Now, because the shelters are hip to this cultural ethnic ritual, the people dump the dogs in parks and street corners because if they return the pup, the shelters refuse to give them another. It is like damned if you do and don't.

Everybody, like a Conga Line of all colors, ethnicities and socio-economic stripes: HIT IT!

"Educate" (boom of a base drum) "Educate" (boom) "Educate"! * (boom)*

1 week, 4 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

Humans are so retarded when it comes to their pets. We put clothing, hats, sunglasses, diamond jewelry on them, and then credit them with having human emotional traits to the point of treating them like our children.
Then there are those who'll neglect, beat, set them on fire, or tie two of them together by their tails, throw them over a clothesline and watch them claw each other to death.

You gotta love our ingenuity.

We are a powerful species.

1 week, 4 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

I never have understood making our animals into mates, children, whatever. I mean, I think it's great that they are cats and dogs. I love learning how my two tom cats think and my hound. I think the reason my animals are all so well trained and behaved is because I admire what they are rather than try to make them into something they are not...human. To me my 'pets' are like creatures from another planet in that cafe scene in Star Wars; different from us and yet our equals in their way. They clearly have 'souls'. One look into their eyes it is evident.

PS: If anyone wants a kitten, I have 20 outside feral cats, many of which are adoptable, others too 'wild'. I adopted both my cats from the feral community, and both Sammy and Carlito are great. And PSS: Cats and dogs DO get along. My dog is very large and the tomcats adore her and vice versa. All those 'rules' and myths!

1 week, 4 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Burton Cleveland Verified

The "breeder" issue aside, something needs to be done in terms of animal populations and the treatment of them. I live in Oak Cliff and have have animals (a couple rescued a couple not). We are responsible with our animals and they are very well cared for. However, our rescued chihuahua did have a brush with the law.... When we had him vaccinated for rabies, we did not register him with the county (something we were not aware of as a requirement). Animal Control appeared on our doorstep (I'm sure after having waded through all the squashed dogs and cats in the streets and through the MANY stray/loose dogs roaming around) to give us a ticket for failing to have our little scofflaw registered. We were only too happy to comply with the law! Not a very good use of resources, though. Within a one-block area I can promise you that there are numerous dogs on chains who live their entire lives outside and never come off the chain (you can hear them barking/howling all night every night!).

Rawlins is quite right to point out the fact that this is a matter of education. Our neighbor breeds pit bulls and the parking lot on the corner is full of people hawking pit puppies out of their trunks during the weekend and on holidays(?). The idea that a person could make a bunch of money breeding pit bulls is idiotic (supply and demand - remember? I don't think there is anywhere near a shortage of pit bull puppies that would keep the price high!). I wonder what happens to all of those puppies? Oh yeah, go for a jog over at Kiest Park and you'll see many of them all grown up and running around on the loose! Or maybe you'll see what's left of them on Hampton or 12th Street.....

1 week, 3 days ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )