Every time I write about issues related to animal legislation, animal sheltering, or even dog shows, I hear from a few of my readers that my objectivity on these issues is affected by my personal experiences.
My response? It absolutely is.
While I strive for accuracy and accountability in what I write, I'm a columnist and blogger. I write what I think and how I feel, and my views are by design subjective, based on what I know and how I have lived my life with animals.
So in the interest of complete disclosure, and for those hungry to know what makes me tick:
I'm a passionate advocate of adopting shelter pets, and have owned several myself. I have also owned stray cats, abandoned cats, and a couple of feral cats. I even owned a stray dog.
I've owned -- and own -- purebred dogs, including a few who I bred myself in the 1990s. It was never meant to be any kind of business, nor did I make any money doing it. It was, as it is for all dedicated hobby breeders, an extremely expensive avocation. My only goal was the preservation and improvement of the breed of dog that has my heart above all others, the Scottish Deerhound.
I currently (2009) own two elderly dogs, both altered, one a deerhound named Rebel, and the other a Borzoi named Kyrie.
It has been more than a decade since I bred a dog and I don't intend to breed again, but I remain a proud member of the Scottish Deerhound Club of America, and have served two terms on its Board of Directors. I am also proud to support the continued existence and bettering of dog breeds, even though my views on how to do that have changed a great deal over the years.
I believe that we are very close to ending the killing of animals for lack of a home in our shelters, and that we should be welcoming and embracing the contribution of small, home-based compassionate dog and cat breeders as part of our future, and not regulating them out of existence in the transitional present.
I write about pets and animal issues for a variety of publications, some regularly, some only from time to time. These include the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com, where I am a pet columnist; PetHobbyist.com, where I am a features editor; Bark Magazine, where I was formerly health editor and am now an occasional contributer; PetConnection.com, where I'm a contributing editor and blogger. I contribute to Sighthound Magazine and a number of other pet and general interest publications as well.
I have also done some freelance writing for Maddie's Fund, a national organization dedicated to creating a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home -- a cause I support with all my heart.
This concludes the disclaimer portion of our programming.
I just found your blog, and want to say how much I love your knowledgeable, pro-rescue, and pro show/breeder stance, and professional, informative way with words. There's sadly, not enough people who have your writing strength, and ability to articulate in an informative, non-aggressive manner.
Keep it up, and thanks for all your hard work in dogs! As a "kid" myself, I'm glad to have experienced dog people helping protect our right to own, show, and even breed our animals. Thank you for everything you do for dogs!
Posted by: Emily~ DreamEyce | 08 June 2009 at 02:03 PM
Ditto what Emily said. In fact, your prior post gave me a lot of food for thought. Keep it up - your personal history and love of dogs just infuses your writing with passion. Nothing wrong with knowledgeable, professional writing having a little passion behind it!
Posted by: Rebecca - thephillydog | 14 August 2009 at 05:32 AM