I am deaf as a doorknob, but I heard people say some amazing and thought-provoking things in 2010. So, my friends, I present you with:
“SARGE THE ELDERBULL'S TOP 10 QUOTES 'HEARD' IN 2010"
#10: Jim Gorant, Senior Editor at Sports Illustrated and author of The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tail of Rescue and Redemption: “It should not be surprising that so many of them [Vick’s dogs] seem to have failed [at fighting]. One experienced law officer estimates that 80 percent of the dogs, even those raised in a professional fighting operation, won’t even scratch. That is, they won’t even cross the line and engage with the other dog….. Some dogs can be raised in the harshest way possible and still have nothing but happiness and companionship to share with the world.”
#9: Stacey Coleman, Executive Director of Animal Farm Foundation: “People have chosen to believe what they hear [about pit bulls]…They take the criminals’ word for it. The criminals have told us that pit bull dogs are aggressive and mean. Of course they’re going to say that! They’re not going to admit that their dog is really like this [Yukon, pit bull rescued in 2010 from alleged dog fighter in Ohio, now a certified therapy dog]. It’s time for everybody to just step back and get to know the dogs like Yukon and let them teach us what they really are.” (For the complete interview, click here: All For Animals)
“SARGE THE ELDERBULL'S TOP 10 QUOTES 'HEARD' IN 2010"
#10: Jim Gorant, Senior Editor at Sports Illustrated and author of The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tail of Rescue and Redemption: “It should not be surprising that so many of them [Vick’s dogs] seem to have failed [at fighting]. One experienced law officer estimates that 80 percent of the dogs, even those raised in a professional fighting operation, won’t even scratch. That is, they won’t even cross the line and engage with the other dog….. Some dogs can be raised in the harshest way possible and still have nothing but happiness and companionship to share with the world.”
#9: Stacey Coleman, Executive Director of Animal Farm Foundation: “People have chosen to believe what they hear [about pit bulls]…They take the criminals’ word for it. The criminals have told us that pit bull dogs are aggressive and mean. Of course they’re going to say that! They’re not going to admit that their dog is really like this [Yukon, pit bull rescued in 2010 from alleged dog fighter in Ohio, now a certified therapy dog]. It’s time for everybody to just step back and get to know the dogs like Yukon and let them teach us what they really are.” (For the complete interview, click here: All For Animals)
#8: Mary Todd Lincoln (center), upon hearing that her two boyfriends (me and Junior) are pit bulls: “Oh, Sarge! Oh, Junior! Shakespeare's Juliet asked Romeo, 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.' Call yourselves what you want, but a pit bull by any other name would be just as sweet!"
#7: Jim Gorant on Marthina McClay, CPDT, President/Founder of “Our Pack Pit Bull Rescue”: “She began seeking them [pit bulls] out when she went to shelters, and she noticed a trend. When pit bulls were evaluated for adoptability, the attendants usually went in expecting a problem. When someone’s looking for a problem, he usually finds one.”
#6: Junior, my brother, adopted from the Philadelphia Animal Care & Control Team shelter: “Labels are for clothing, not for dogs!”
#5: Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO of The Humane Society of the United States: “Where the human-animal bond has been broken, we want it to be restored…We must be open to the possibility that rehabilitation is possible, and faithful to our hope that people can change. When that rehabilitation succeeds, it’s to the good for all involved – people and animals alike.”
#4: Wes Moore, author of The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates: “Even the worst decisions we make don’t necessarily remove us from the circle of humanity.”
#3: Teenage boy (name withheld) I met at a group therapy session for boys who were abused: “Thank you for coming….I learned from your visit that kids or adults can change.”
#2: Bill Bruce, Director of Calgary Animal Services & By-Law Services: “In North America, the vast majority of animals that fill our shelters or end up on our streets have arrived at that situation because a human relationship failed them. The solution lies in responsible pet ownership and responsive animal services – not animal control and not building more shelters to fill.” (For full article, click here: Viewpoint)
#1: Sarge the Elderbull, on the eve of my 16th birthday: “We’re gonna party like it’s 1994!”
