It's done! It's done! The top 13 most popular photos of the My Dog is Family photo contest are now in calendar form and ready for your walls. Let me tell you what a pleasure it has been to fall in love with your dogs and their stories thru this contest.
2010 My Dog is Family Calendar
Thanks to everyone who entered and racked up votes one dollar at a time, we raised 37K towards our general budget for 2010. Can you believe it! This year end report from '08 outlines how we spend your hard earned dollars. You can see why we're jumping for joy about the contest's success.
Next in production, our ever-happy Happy Endings Calendar with your favorite BR dog faces in their new homes. And lining up: The My Dog is Family BOOK. If you entered your dog's image in the photo contest, you may be chosen to be in the book. Hang tight while we organize our hard-to-organize selves around this bigger project.
SFgate: Unpaid dues.
When the Philadelphia Eagles were in Oakland, writer Christie Keith couldn't help but notice how many unaware people were waving the "Get over it!" flag over the animal lovers who decried Vick's visit. She wrote this article in response to those people who missed the gruesome details that are behind the outrage. If you visit BR's blog regularly, you probably already know more than you want to, but you may want to bookmark this piece for the next time you're forced to explain the obvious.
"...not only has Vick not served one minute in prison for animal cruelty, he was far more cruel to his dogs than most of his defenders seem to realize." - Christie Keith for SFgate: Unpaid duesThank you Christie for bearing witness to the brutality so this most important national lesson isn't muffled by humming PR machines.
The story of those drwoning dogs always makes me cry but it also serves of a good reminder of why Michael Vick will not be on my favorites list. I will tell that story as many times as I can so that those poor innocent souls who didn't survive get to live in the public eye. Thank you Bad Rap for trying to tell the world what I already know...that pit bulls are loving loyal companions who deserve just as much respect, if not more, than any other dog out there.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading Christie's article. Myself, anytime I encounter someone minimizing what V*ck did, I just mention the claw marks around the pool. Thanks to you guys that is a truly haunting image that will snap some people into the reality that these dogs faced/face. Sadly, some people will never be convinced that what he did was "no big deal." Keep it up, guys. You rock my world.
ReplyDeleteSo happy the calendar is out! Here's to selling a gazillion of them this holiday season.
ReplyDeleteAlso great to see a forthright and well articulated summation of exactly why Vick remains such a scourge.
You'll be pleased to know that Christie's article is the #1 most emailed on SFGATE today.
ReplyDeleteThe calendar is fantastic. I'll be ordering a couple.
i can never read the description of that swimming pool without tearing up. as those tears stream down my cheeks i look at my black pit bull with his little white toes and think how can someone do such a thing. heartless humans deserve no second chance nor forgiveness. in my travels i run into people who are so ill informed who think, vick just bankrolled the operation, or vick just put dogs out of their misery that were suffering, or that its no big deal.
ReplyDeletei will always take the time to let those people know the facts, those facts that i have read and that break my heart in two. that article is very well written and should be shared with all nfl fans especially who think its no big deal.
anyone who can read that description of the pool and not feel outrage and sadness is not a person with a complete heart. our beloved pitties have hearts though, big sweet loveable hearts and souls that i will always defend.
oh i forgot to add that the calendar looks great! then again how could it not with all those wonderful faces in it.
ReplyDeleteChristie Keith's article was great, and I was mostly pleasantly surprised by the internet comments. One thing that always bugs me, though, is when people assume that because a person care about animals and is horrified when they are mistreated they must not care as much about people were are abused and mistreated. That false dichotomy drives me NUTS.
ReplyDeleteGodma Donna,
ReplyDeleteHow do you respond to Ms. Keiths description:
"She's definitely not what you'd call a fragile flower..."
You appear like one of my folk's orchids, which blooms even more beautiful when stressed.
Wounds are still open as reflected in: >700 article comments and CK's interview on 960 followed by 40 minutes of live chat (she had to sign-off to walk her dog)... all from just holding up the 'FACT' mirror.
I'm so glad my Big-Head Mug helps fund what you do. Please, remind folks that their votes were donations, and many could still qualify for their employer's matching gifts. Calendar gifts for everyone in my Clan for Xmas.
Check-back for 2010, Mr. November
What Vick and his cronies did to those dogs has no reason on earth and is one of the most horrifying things anyone can do to another living being. People who can hurt another to that extent and not look back have serious mental issues. Too bad the courts didn't take that into consideration.
ReplyDeleteHey Donna and Tim - I just found this while looking for pit bull art. Were you aware that Miss Grace had a portrait?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/retrofiredesign/2815839561/
Hey, any chance that the book will also be ready in time for Christmas? Please make my shopping a bit more easy!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHopefully you can get as many pictures into the book as possible! I'd love to see my friend in it. :)
ReplyDeleteVery powerful stuff for mainstream media. Thank you for being so candid with Keith about what you saw and the impact it had on you. Kudos to Keith for writing (and to the Chronicle for publishing) something so vivid, and so painful to read.
ReplyDelete