Support Setnetters and be declared UnAlaskan

So apparently if you support the setnetters in the great salmon debate currently being duked out on the Kenai, and you DARE to suggest Anchorage fish IN ANCHORAGE when it comes to Dipnetting, then you are declared a "lower 48 scumbag" who needs to "move back to where you came from". I just got told that several times by internet idiots.

To them I say:

I was born and raised here. The media is reporting that 90% of those that are dipnetting on the Kenai DO NOT LIVE ON THE PENINSULA. Knowing what I know, that means 90% are from Anchorage and the Valley (anyone further North most likely dipnet in their rivers). 15,000 people are reported to be dipping this year ON THE KENAI. Not total in state, but IN ONE LOCATION. To suggest that THAT is not a factor in the smaller salmon runs is to be in denial. The crowds have gotten out of control, when my family dipped it was not HALF this size peoplewise. That was just a decade ago (if that). The numbers are growing exponentially.

Setnets have been around far longer than dipnetting. Between Dipnetters not following the rules, and more guides and commercial fishermen there is going to be a smaller number of fish returning. It's simple math. But as always the setnetters are the ones that the people focus on. Why? Because it's easier.

I am SO done with this debate. Dipnetters need to GO HOME, and ADFG needs to get a grip on the situation. The Kenai King is DEAD because of piss poor management that was more about the dollar than about sustaining ANYTHING. Now look where we are.

Yes. Yes, I am Crazy...

http://www.photographybyantonia.com

I frequent several message boards. Figure Skating - I'm a mod at one of the larger ones, Disney Travel, and until the other day pugs were all on my list. All come with their share of headaches. As a moderator those headaches are daily. The Disney board I am a member of is the easiest one, though people get heated on there about what resort is best and so forth (it's actually teh most sane MB I've ever been a part of). The pug boards I've been on are probably the most... difficult.

You see, there are dog owners and lovers that have very drastic differences in viewpoints on what their dog is and what dogs should be to all people. It's like the Michelle Kwan vs all of skating debates multiplied by a million in terms of hostility.

Rescue is the biggest deal.

Don't get me wrong not only do I support rescue, but all but one of the pugs in our family are rescues. Here in lies the problem. I do not have a dog I "rescued", I bought my dog. From a backyard breeder. Uneducated about such things.

I am to be shamed.

Or am I? I've learned a lot in the last 9 years, not only about the breed but about rescue and backyard breeders, puppy mills, etc. If and when I lose Yuka, I have no clue where I will go as the pug rescue here is rarely in need of adoptees, and I can't limit myself to a waiting list. Respectable breeders are expensive... but we'll cross that bridge when that comes. I'm hoping I still have many years with Yuka left.

But that brings me to the point that had me questioning my sanity. I've left a board in the last few days because I was just tired. I was tired of the bullying that is felt when my views on dogs weren't just questioned but were just "wrong" and therefore I am a horrible person.

Look, the fact of the matter is, I like to have a well trained dog. Yuka can do the basic sit, stay, etc, but what I really appreciate is that she goes outside to do her business 99% of the time. the 1% is only now that she's older and she doesn't always realize she's going (and thankfully someone is normally here most of the day so she can go out regularly). Pugs are trainable, but they're stubborn and set in their ways. Many of the posters that think I'm cruel have more lax of rules. They have areas in their house that they allow their dogs to mess in. This is completely unacceptable to me.

Which led to the reason that I have sworn off these boards from here on out. There was a "bash the selfish" type thread that suggested that those that want to rescue or have young dogs were crazy. I guess if I were to rescue a dog I would be in this crazy group. A younger dog is easier to retrain in the potty department. Considering that my first encounter with rescue was a four year old male pug that hadn't been potty trained and spent the next six years marking and pottying wherever he wanted in teh house. We did our best to keep it from happening but he did it. Sorry, again, I find it unacceptable. He was not a bad dog, he just was so used to not having to go outside that he didn't. He tried, he really did, but at the end of the day he found someplace discreet to go in.

I mentioned my reasons. Told I was wrong. And then got a PM from a member saying she pittied Yuka because when she got "old" I would consider her a throwaway dog and that the poor Anchorage rescue would get a sweet and loving old girl. I left, and I won't be back for this reason.

Yuka is MINE. She has been mine since the day I picked her up in Feb of 2003 when she was five weeks old. I freak if she's out of my sight, I have nightmares of losing her, and now that she's nearly nine years old it terrifies me to think she's become a senior pug and that means I only have a few years left. She's spunky, sassy, and a total brat, and I love her. There are tons of things in her training that if I'd known then what I know now I'd have done it differently. But, I wouldn't trade her for all the puppies in the world.

A dog is mine forever. It doesn't matter if I'm moving - a lot of decisions I made/make is based on if she can be with me or not. It doesn't matter if I were to get married and have kids - she's with me. She's not disposable.

What is disposable is the holier than thou attitude of uber rescues who bully their beliefs on others. I've seen them run off or even scare people from going that route (or even leaving their dogs in a rescue's care when there is no alternative for fear they will be lumped in with all the other irresponsibles... really, military families have enough crap to deal with, show some compassion).

So I'm done. I see that several folks from these boards have visited in the last few days, I'm normally not a fan of people airring their MB dirty laundry, but I don't want people to have the impression that my dog is disposable. Yuka is with me until the day one of us leaves this life for the next.

Change in Plans

I was going to post my final thoughts on Nationals tonight, but have been side tracked thanks to Aaron's blog, "Axels, Loops, and Spins" report on Johnny Weir's latest turn in the media.

This time it's not about what he's said, or what team he supports other than the USA... or even his sexuality. Nope, it's what he's wearing.

In 2006 he got flack for wearing a CCCP jacket. This year, it's fur.

That's right; earthquakes in Haiti, children starving world wide, shoot the fable of global warming all seem to be on most people's top priorities...

but not for those oh so wonderful "Friends of Animals" let the humans starve and suffer, it's the animals that we need to worry about.

Let me preface by saying I am not a sadist who enjoys pulling wings off of butterflies just to see what happens. I appreciate all of God's creation, and do believe they have a purpose on this earth other than for humans to abuse. I don't, however, believe they are sacred to the point of worshipping them or not using them for food and for clothing purposes.

I am a hunter, a fisher, and I love watching the Iditarod. I believe some animals are bred for working, some are bred for food, and some are just around to be pretty. This, in part, comes from my upbringing in Alaska. While I lived in a main town in South Central Alaska, we still lived off the land. Hate to break it to the "bunny hugger" community, but being Vegan in Alaska is five million times harder than anywhere in mainstream America. We can't grow a lot of what we'd need to have a healthy diet, and veggies and fruits do NOT come cheap up here in ANY season. It's bad enough in the big communities, try living out in Rural (or Remote) Alaska where an apple is considered a delacacy most times of the year. We have to live off the land if we're going to survive... when times are hard we can't just go to the supermarket.


Johnny case, you say, is different. It's in the name of fashion. I would agree in that I don't believe in hunting animals just for sport. But if it serves a purpose it can be argued that it's right. No, I know, you say it can't, but it wound't be an argument if it were one sided, now, would it.

Johnny wears fur, I'd argue it's weird for other reasons (mainly his gender plays a part) but it works for the costume he's using. Where do we get off dictating what he wears. Seems to me if we can't tell a person how to live their life sexually, or what job to have, or how many kids to have.... what we wear shouldn't be a freedom that is taken away either. It's a minute problem in a world filled with many more.


And, no, this is not a rant from a "Johnny's Angel" or general fan of the man. I honestly can't say I like the guy. I prefer a different sort of skater. That's just me. But, of all the problems one could have with him, seriously? A tuft of fur is what churns your stomach.

Well, whatever floats your boat.