Progress of a sort ...

So I was debating if I should post my latest FB "status" as a blog post since it veers sharply from the limited content topics I led off my blog with ... but ... screw it ... it's my blog right? And to me, this was a Big F&cking Deal™ ... and since dogs and rescue are a big part of who I am ... I share ... because I can.

With that, let me spin a yarn ...


This is Zee ... 

I got him (along with his pal Riley) waay back in March 2012 as foster dogs for/from Underdog Rescue of Florida - Zee and Riley were confiscated from a hoarder in the Orlando area and were considered unadoptable due to extreme fearfulness and lack of trust in all things human. Basically Zee was as close to feral as I'd ever seen - Riley, for all his distrust was still at least social to some degree. But not Zee, He'd have been just fine running the streets/woods without ever interacting with another human for the rest of his life. But, that was not an option - so my "job" was to attempt to "train" him to be something society would recognize as a domesticated dog.

This was a loooong, hard, mind blistering task. You see, Zee is smart. He's an escape artist. I can't tell you how many times I was gripped with fear and worry after he'd figured out yet another great escape ... but he always came back (and so you don't worry where this story is going - he's here and he's safe and fine). But like any wild distrustful animal, although he might coexist in the same space as humans he kept his distance from them (me). While every other dog I had would sit in bed with me ... Zee was more comfortable UNDER my bed - safe, close but separate.

I could go on at great length (as if I haven't prattled on enough already, right?) as to all the trials and tribulations Zee and I went through over 2.5 yrs "together" ... and my former roommate,and my girlfriend could collaborate and write a 3 volume book series titled "Mind Boggling Frustration and Annoyance at the paws of one small dog named Zee". I think Lenny would have bought and cooked me steak dinners for a month if I would have sent this damn dog back to the rescue. But like a dumb ass I persevered since I had made the commitment.

Now - ask any dog trainer how they train a dog and they'll tell you - positive reinforcement with food/treats. Everyone will tell you this and what most people would rightly take as an absolute fact. And what dog WON'T accept food?!? Well ...

Zee

For 2.5 years - Zee would not take even the most salivating offerings of food from my hand ... for at least a year or more, he wouldn't even take the food in the SAME ROOM as a human. Slowly I built the trust to the point were I could set food on his paw but I still had to step back before he'd consume it.

Well, that changed last night - with the exception of ONE single solitary time in 2.5 years - Zee FINALLY and regularly, took food out of my hand (after first inspecting a piece unattached to a human) ... it was slow roasted chicken. After his inspection and consumption of the first bit laid on his paw, all the rest, he reached out and took directly from my hand AND Linda's hand too!!!

Zee is now a domesticated dog  

But he still barks his fool head off semi randomly GRRR 

Zee & Riley

This is Zee and Riley - Riley has always been more accepting of human contact ... but as you can see from his round body - food is his kryptonite 

Epilogue - My GF and I permanently adopted these two a few months ago - although they've made HUGE strides to becoming like "regular dogs" we felt any change regarding the humans in their lives would be a major blow to their confidence and trust and they would regress and potentially run away or worse. Problem solved - they're staying. <3

James Foley, photojournalist - beheaded ...

... in the name of god ... in this case allah (at least one version of allah).

Yet hundreds, thousands and maybe millions prayed to their god to save him - mostly christians praying to the christian god to deliver this dedicated, brave young professional from the hands of his captors.

But aren't they arguably the same god - including the god of the hebrews?!?

One version of god is claimed to have ordered/demanded the head of this man (as interpreted by the men of ISIL) and another version of god did not see any benefit in sparing him.

How is it that anyone can see a "just" god acting in any capacity in this or any other situation? And if there is, which one is the "one true god"? Or are there many gods that are competing for top spot? Or is one a false god - satan - acting in a capacity of god to delude and mislead his "followers" down a path of conflict, death and suffering.

What do you tell people who believe in a merciful, all loving, just god as to why he didn't lift a finger - hear their prayers. What do you tell people who believe in a version of allah that claim their god would NEVER want such a thing to happen? I can assure you, many of them prayed for this NOT to happen as well - maybe even some of the captors, themselves, prayed to the god/allah to reconsider such a heinous, sinister, senseless murder.

Where was god?

The ONLY answer that makes ANY sense that fits every single aspect and angle of this situation is - there is no god, no allah, no yahweh ... none, nada, nil ... never has been ... including satan. It's all a fiction and MEN are responsible 100% for this murder. Men use the concept of a supernatural being to shirk their responsibility for their inhuman behavior. And those men, women and children that pray and worship the version of god that would NOT be "okay" with this vile murder will unanimously give god an excuse of not lifting a finger to stay the hand of the murderer(s) ... and they will go to church on sunday and pray that god will prevent the other hostages (Steven Sotloff et. al.) from meeting the same fate but other than that, they will merrily accept that their god "works in mysterious ways" that they simply cannot comprehend.

I'm sorry, but that's JUST not good enough for a deity - any deity - that is supposed to know see and hear everything and be the creator of the world/universe. It really isn't. Time to wake up and recognize who is at fault in all this - humans - we made the gods, we act on the "command" of these gods ... which is really just our own voice/thoughts under a different "name" ... so it's us - humanity - who has the blood on it's hands.

Time to wash it off and be done with it.