Easter Tuesday and the Truth

Less than a month to Clayton Ruby's day in court. The Bully Ball now past, gave me hope for the first time in two years. Easter, now past, gave me ongoing frustration at our exclusion from our own community, the one that we inhabit peacefully - pitbulls and their owners - and are excluded from based solely on prejudice and dangerous politics. I hope that soon we will be freed from this persecution. I took my Bull Terrier, Lacy to the Easter parade on Queen. Felt there would be too many police to allow for unmuzzled pitbulls and my pup's muzzle doesn't fit him anymore. This puppy, who would have so benefitted from a parade at his age, who loves everyone and every dog, and who should have been by my side, wasn't because of the pitbull ban and for NO other reason. This has got to stop and hopefully it will end soon with the constitutional challenge. It is frightening to even conceive that it may not end given the solid case he has. It's basis - that there is no evidence........sorry, that one makes me laugh out loud.....it is the one we all now, new and proved and it is the one the government ignored. This is very frightening but the fact that the McGuinty government ignored the truth is the truth. This is the truth we must fight and the truth about pitbulls is what we must bring to the public awareness if and hopefully when we win.

When the muzzles come off the truth will finally be told.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to Pitbulls and their Owners

Here's wishing us the luck of the Irish while believing and knowing that it isn't luck but good common sense that will stoptheban. Like the Irish, pitbulls are my "people" and like the Irish, I will fight for my rights to the freedom of my people. Today brought new life to the website and more time for me for the fight. This week brought a press release from Clayton Ruby regarding the victory in Ohio in which their viscious dog legislation was deemed UNCONSTITUTIONAL and which set a very solid, strong and legal precedent (albeit in the States) for the fight that will begin on May 15th. This weekend will bring us back into the public forum with a number of banned breeds on display and en force at the Sportsman Show where we will, once again, have an opportunity to educate and spread the word en masse. The fight gears up again today. With two months to go until the case, it is time for Ontario and our supporters to truly rise up and STOPTHEBAN. Ask your friends, neighbours and family today to register opposition at STOPTHEBAN.CA

Happy? New Year

I decided against a year in review entry - after all, doing justice to a year that has seen a full blown Queen's Park process after which democracy was defeated, justice was denied, and pitbulls were banned; the Puppy Love protest and Candle Light vigil (with much in between); Clayton Ruby came on board and a court date was set (May 16,17) here we come; pitbulls had to go out in public muzzled for no good reason and many hang their heads to this day with the resulting depression; the first pitbull was sentenced to death for biting another dog and the battle over that pup's fate continues; and thousands of us - pitbull owners and our pets- live daily with the ramnifications of the Liberal government's prejudicial, unfounded and unsupported legislation.

Anyway, I said I wouldn't do a year in review but something does have to be said for all those who have dedicated thousands of hours to fighting for our rights. In particular, thank you to Advocates for the Underdog and Natalie and Tammy and all their supporters who have saved so many lives in 2005. I'm honoured and privileged to know you ladies and am constantly inspired by your output of energy and determination.

For 2006, I wish and make plans for momentum. The kind of momentum that will see stoptheban.ca reflect the true opposition in Ontario to the pitbull ban. stoptheban.ca will be a much more active site in '06 and will empower each of you who wants to, to help us drive traffic to the site. By the time Clayton Ruby goes to court, we hope that the site will reflect sufficient numbers that we will already have approached provincial politicians and asked the current parties of opposition to make the pitbull ban an issue in the next election and to commit to ending it should either the Conservatives, or the NDP come to power.

With any luck and with a lot of effort and conversation, stoptheban.ca aims to make the ban a thing of the past by 2007. As well, and along the way, as a means to empowering pitbull owners and simultaneously educating the public about the true nature of pitbulls, stoptheban.ca will be putting together a series of projects aimed at giving you a chance to demonstrate your puppy love and giving a face to your selves and your pitbulls and a place to tell your stories.

We look forward to getting to know you a little better and thank you for visiting stoptheban.ca
:)happydog

Happy? New Year

I decided against a year in review entry - after all, doing justice to a year that has seen a full blown Queen's Park process after which democracy was defeated, justice was denied, and pitbulls were banned; the Puppy Love protest and Candle Light vigil (with much in between); Clayton Ruby came on board and a court date was set (May 16,17) here we come; pitbulls had to go out in public muzzled for no good reason and many hang their heads to this day with the resulting depression; the first pitbull was sentenced to death for biting another dog and the battle over that pup's fate continues; and thousands of us - pitbull owners and our pets- live daily with the ramnifications of the Liberal government's prejudicial, unfounded and unsupported legislation.

Anyway, I said I wouldn't do a year in review but something does have to be said for all those who have dedicated thousands of hours to fighting for our rights. In particular, thank you to Advocates for the Underdog and Natalie and Tammy and all their supporters who have saved so many lives in 2005. I'm honoured and privileged to know you ladies and am constantly inspired by your output of energy and determination.

For 2006, I wish and make plans for momentum. The kind of momentum that will see stoptheban.ca reflect the true opposition in Ontario to the pitbull ban. stoptheban.ca will be a much more active site in '06 and will empower each of you who wants to, to help us drive traffic to the site. By the time Clayton Ruby goes to court, we hope that the site will reflect sufficient numbers that we will already have approached provincial politicians and asked the current parties of opposition to make the pitbull ban an issue in the next election and to commit to ending it should either the Conservatives, or the NDP come to power.

With any luck and with a lot of effort and conversation, stoptheban.ca aims to make the ban a thing of the past by 2007. As well, and along the way, as a means to empowering pitbull owners and simultaneously educating the public about the true nature of pitbulls, stoptheban.ca will be putting together a series of projects aimed at giving you a chance to demonstrate your puppy love and giving a face to your selves and your pitbulls and a place to tell your stories.

We look forward to getting to know you a little better and thank you for visiting stoptheban.ca
:)happydog

One month of the ban and counting

Well, one month in and most pitbull owners have learned to live with the feelings of persecution that now plague us every time we leave our property with our pets. Havn't learned to like it, that's for sure, but have at least become familiar with what it feels like to be the victims of bad law. Our dogs unfortunately are more then aware of what it feels like too. They feel it every time the unfamiliar and unfair muzzle gets wrapped around their neck and covers their mouth and nose. Stories are coming in frequently about dogs too unhappy to go for walks. Dogs that once jumped around with excitement when the leash came out, tucking their tail between their legs now that the leash is accompanied by a muzzle. One pitbull, who bit another dog's nose while out on a non-muzzled walk, has been sentenced to death. One pitbull has been found tied up and shot. Humane Societies find themselves full to overflowing with pitbulls and owners and want to be owners still scramble to find answers and one another.

stoptheban.ca is behind in uploading downloads and we apologize for that; however, they are not far off and soon an email will go out asking all those who can to become foot soldiers for stopping the ban. In the meantime, Christmas Cards anyone? Just see the Show your Puppy Love part of the site to find out how to order your personalized cards this holiday season.

Talk to you soon. Keep spreading the word.
:)happydog

CONTENT @ LAST!!!!!!!

Whew - a month late but stoptheban.ca now has most of the blanks filled in. I'm so excited and a monumental and massive THANK YOU to my friend Ross for making this happen. We've been getting many hundreds of visitors but they were going mostly ungreeted. To all of you who visited and registered your opposition - THANK YOU!!!

This is only the beginning. stoptheban.ca plans to arm all of you and many many more to spread the word and bring the numbers up. Watch for downloads that allow you to print business card sized ads for the site so you can carry them with you, spread the word and generate traffic to the site.

For now though, please take a few minutes to read through the site and find out where the concept came from. Happy to have you here and wanted to share the excitement at this progress, for it is progress indeed.

Time Flies

Over a week since my last post - bad blogger, bad. I've taken a break and had an opportunity to breathe out in the wake of the site going up (database at least), the ban coming in, and the media coverage dying down. Time to get going again though and up the drive to the site. brok.ca helped today by sending a note to their list (thanks SJ). We're back to word of mouth, that powerful, community building tool that defies advertising and builds bridges where none existed before. Community fuelled by need and in this case by threat. The inherent threat that is the pitbull ban that all of us, owners of all breeds covered under the ban, live with. A good point was made today about the database and the question, do you own a pitbull, which should somehow account for all the banned breeds and which will soon do so. I need to make a few changes. First a thought that could be easily misinterpreted but one that has rested with me ever since the pitbull ban was first proposed, that being that I do not believe this ban would have been introduced prior to 9/11. I believe that in the climate of fear that has followed that terrible day, in the hunt for terror, and against the backdrop of a war that is rarely called a war, the public desperately struggles to find a feeling of peace and security and our politicians, in the absence of tangible terror, created their own in the form of our victimized pets, our pitbulls and related breeds who were painted with one brush as though each pup was capable of terror. The question though in the face of this campaign of misinformation is surely, who are the real terrorists? And the answer I believe lies with those who speak the truth. We will win this war on terror because we know the truth about our pets. Time will tell our truth as long as we don't stay silent. Truth is on the side of the pitbulls, not the politicians.

Fact not Fear
:)stoptheban.ca

It's alive! It's alive!

Well, five days late but stoptheban.ca is finally fully functional. Now let the count begin. We've likely lost a little momentum but hopefully next week will get the traffic back and begin the active word of mouth. Many thanks to the magnificent and overworked team who pulled the programming together. Without them, there would be no clout. Months in the making, this site could potentially pack the punch to bring an end to this particularly bad law. All week, I've felt like a mother hen on the nest. At least now the eggs have hatched. Here we go...