THE BEAR'S BLOG: PITBULL BREED RACISM

THE BEAR'S BLOG: PITBULL BREED RACISM:         After seeing the different posts on my facebook this past weekend,it was quite evident to me that there were more than 1,000 demonst...

PITBULL BREED RACISM

        After seeing the different posts on my facebook this past weekend,it was quite evident to me that there were more than 1,000 demonstrators that had taken over the streets of Old Montreal last weekend.
        Actually, the implementation of these bylaws have absolutely nothing to do with public safety. There are already dangerous dog bylaws in place that have proven to be ineffective since they were enforced there too.
        What started this hate on Pitbulls in Montreal was a very serious and critical dog attack. the story goes that a Madame Vadnais was killed by a city known dangerous dog due to previous attacks where the owners was neither cited or warned. This registered Boxer dog was actually a Boxer/Lab Mix. In fact, no Pitbull type  in his DNA was ever found,but again never acknowledge by the City of Montreal either.
        Why wasn't the owner of the dog charged in the first place? Another question why did the media not report it as a Boxer/Lab instead of once again going to the scapegoat breed the Pitbull. I'll tell you why, because it doesn't sell papers? that's why, but stick the word Pitbull in it, and every hater of the breed glams onto it.
        In point of truth, with the last 6 dog attacks in Canada in the last year the majority of them were Husky related. In reality, even qualified vetrinarians cannot positively identify a Pitbull mix without DNA testing. Therefore 98% of reported attacks in hospitals by victims are mostly incorrect!
        Certain Politicians that are in favor of BSL protect their own interests because of political longevity in their riding. That's right, god forbid, if they lose their quarter of a million dollar salary pension.
        The bottom line here is the administration such as Mayor Dennis Coderre's back is against the wall. He refuses to budge on the issue, accepting false information and outdated stats on dog attacks, thus realizing that Montreal's leadership is sorely lacking right now.
        If you asked a Pitbull owner regarding everybody's attitude it would be "Generally there are no bad dogs, just very bad owners!"
        It is also a proven fact that Ontario's Pitbull Ban has been ineffective over the last 15 years since it was implemented. It hasn't even reduced the number of dog bite incidents. Why is Mayor Coderre taking his lead on this from Ontario's archaic Pitbull Ban when it is proven it doesn't work?
       The Ontario bylaw penalizes a specific breed solely, thereby thinking that will eliminate the unnecessary dog bite problem. There are many large breeds of dogs in that province, so they really shouldn't target one breed more than any other, but unfortunately they do.
       Shouldn't he look at the Province of Alberta, specifically Calgary, and why it does work?
       The Calgary model is based on proper education and training of the Pitbull breed. Animal Control Officers go out and enforce the bylaw here. They educate people and explain why the dogs have to be on leashes and harnesses. They instill licensing and why it is important, along with microchipping, proper animal ownership, spaying and neutering of the breed as well.
        In this way people don't neglect their dogs, thereby making the animals behavior better, more relaxed and laid back. They instill the thoughts that owning a Pitbull is not a privilege but a responsibility.
        Sadly it is even worse for the Pitbull in the United States, as they pretty much declared genocide on the Pitbull. Each year 1.2 million dogs there are euthanized and approximately 40% of them are Pitbulls. Nearly half a million Pitbull-Type dogs are unnecessarily killed in shelters annually. Pitbulls are by far the most likely to be put down as they are the 3rd most likely pet to be adopted.
        There are two primary reasons for Pitbulls intake in shelters being as high as it is and the main one is over population. Due to backyard, casual and just plain breeding there is financial gain to be made when an owner decides to do this. Despite all the negativity in North America surrounding this dog, a Pitbull is still quite a popular dog to own. Another problem is over population of the breed as Pitbulls do tend to have large litters of puppies, anywhere from 6 to 12 per litter on average.
         BSL creates prejudice against them, which makes it extremely difficult for families to take in and keep a Pitbull. Currently, there are 28 states across the country that outright ban the ownership of them. In fact overall, it has been statistically proven that BSL does not work. Study after study has shown that banning Pitbulls doesn't decrease dog bites but increases them in breeds such as Husky's, Labradors, Boxers and other mixed breeds with a Pitbull.
         All things being equal, Pitbulls rate incredibly high in temperament tests. In fact higher than even Golden Retrievers, German Shepards, and Rottweilers. In point of truth, a Pitbull rated 86.8% in low aggression, panic, and avoidance testing.
        In conclusion, 84% of dogs involved in fatal attacks, they were neglected or abused. Also 86% of fatal dog attacks involved unneutered dogs. It all comes back to the owner as they are specifically targeted as the problem.
        Prejudice against these dogs will continue through poor uneducated grandiose media reporting with incidents of dog bites involving non-pitbull bred dogs.
        It has gotten to the point where now even many landlords refuse to rent to families with Pitbulls. Many insurance companies allow the denial or cancellation of coverage if a homeowner owns a Pitty.
        Sometimes families who own them lose their homes and they find it next to impossible to find "Pitbull Friendly" renting accommodations. Tragically, that leads them to surrendering their beloved pets to animal shelters where they are on borrowed time.
         My wife and I have now owned 4 Pitbulls throughout our 23 year relationship and not one of them were ever proven to be vicious. They are amazing, loyal affectionate dogs you tend to fall in love with. Once you have such affection for them, then you want to love everyone of them you meet. Generally, they just want to be part of a family, want to lick your whole face and just be your best friend! I think I have said enough, and time to get off my soap box about the Pitbull, but I can tell you this, I will never stop fighting for such an awesome breed that God put on this earth.
        Here is another excerpt taken from my 3rd book Road History regarding owning a Pitbull, enjoy.
As I pulled into the lot, I focused my eyes on what could only be an abandoned white stuffed teddy bear lying there on the pavement. I don’t know why I did it, but I stopped my truck, got out and picked up this little guy and placed him on the floor in front of the passenger seat in my truck. He was dirty, had a bit of grease on him, and he smelled of diesel, but that was okay. My first idea was I would clean him up and maybe give him to my future grandchild that would be born in the upcoming month of May. However after I had washed him at the laundry-mat they had at this particular truck stop I decided to keep him. I named him “Highway Bear” and placed him up in the right corner of my windshield. I grabbed him a pair of black sunglasses I had a second pair of; furthermore I made sure he wouldn’t fall off from where I placed him.

         Highway Bear became my truck mascot, so he was my little confidant, I talked to when I was lonely driving through the night. I know that almost sounds like I was losing it, but I bet you there’s not a truck driver out there who hasn’t talk to himself. I guess if you answer yourself back from the question you ask, maybe you’re going “road crazy” I’m not sure. One thing I do know is you see lots of stuffed animals in people rigs in the United States especially when you’re fuelling up.

         The following month I returned back home to Sylvan Lake to discover a few things had taken place.

        For one thing, Carol now had a roommate that had come to live with her named Madeline. I guess Carol had knew her from when she was cleaning rooms at Chateau Suites. Speaking of where Carol worked, she had left that place to go work with one of Jack’s best friends, Cole. He was this rich kid, whose parents were loaded and that had lived in Marina Bay with his Mom and Dad. I guess he had persuaded his old man to give him a substantial amount of cash to start up a landscaping and irrigation business. Cole needed workers desperately so he gave Carol a job digging holes working the irrigation system job. The money was obviously too good to pass up, so Carol had suddenly quit her long-time employment with Chateau Suites for a better opportunity. It was quite apparent to me that Carol seemed to go on with life without me now, as she needed to pay the costs in that small cottage we were living in. I have to say again, it was because of the lousy money I had previously been making hauling cars that this 50 year old woman now was subjected to this.  Carol told me that she had to make a couple of trips to the local food bank prior to her even getting the job. The reason was that she couldn’t manage any of our debts coming into the household now, along with the fact, we were now in a few collection agencies at the time too. The following week I left Carol to fend for herself, as well as her new roommate Madeline.

        In the meantime, it was very tough for her working plus watching over Brodi’s pregnancy. She was due any day now to birth her first litter of pups. When I saw her that evening Brodi had on this blue sash that was attached to a diaper. She looked absolutely ridiculous, but I guess that is what she needed as she was now spotting, obviously, due soon. I guess they were even separating Sampson when she was going to do her business outside. It was also around that following weekend that Brodi gave birth to her first litter of puppies. I believe she had four of the cute little critters. Now as for Sampson the new father, he seemed overjoyed with his own new family. If truth be told Sampson actually took better care of his own kids (puppies) than Brodi was doing in the following days. Brodi originally had six of the darlings, although she lost three of them two during birth but, one that was born had severe complications. We even took the little gapper to the vet, but it was too late to save the pup, alas it too passed away. As a fitting memorial of the event, we placed them in a small box and buried all of them under a tree in our backyard. I grabbed one of my larger birthstone amethyst rocks I had purchased back in Northern Ontario and placed it just above the deceased young-uns. In the meantime, Brodi’s other 3 surviving pups were doing well with their new mother.Skyler who was there to witness the birth had named two of them, including “Kilo, & Stains.” The youngest one that resembled a mini-likeness of Sampson, Carol called “Wee Willy Winkin” but I just called him “Little Sam” for short. He had one blue eye and the other eye was a kind of reddish hue because it looked a bit offset but at least they were all healthy, that much I was relieved about.

   





























   

A JEWEL OF A DOG

        Sometimes things happen in life, that are signs of what is yet to come.Recently my wife and I purchased a rescued pitbull from Sacremento Califonia The dog is black and about 2 years old.That's where her saviors Prairie Pitbull Rescue from Lethbridge stepped in to rescue her.
       As of August 9th 2016 Canada became her new home and 3 weeks later our Jewel stepped into our hearts and our home. Nice to see, this dog loves children and interacts well with dogs, including my other rescued Pitbull/Whippet Okee.
       Okee or Oklahoma was rescued by me, in Ardmore Oklahoma about 3 years ago, when I found her left for dead, in an open field in a broken down dog crate in a broken down horse trailer. She was extremely malnourished, dehydrated and very shy when I found her. Despite that, she had a strong will to live, so when I drove as far as Colby Kansas, I got her into a vet and saved her life.
       Being a former pitbull owner, I can tell you this, there is not a more humanistic, tactile dog than this breed. We lost our Sampson ( a Red-Nosed Mural Pitbull) on January 23,2014 and I can tell you, that dog was of such a gentle spirit that he left a lasting impact on both our lives. I describe Sampson quite fondly in my 3rd book "Road History." I trucked with that dog along with my wife over 250,000 miles across Canada and United States.
       If you truly don't know the history of the Pitbull, let me fill you in on such an incredibly wonderful animal.
       In the 19th Century, they were first created in England by breeding English Bulldogs with Terriers, which were then called a Bull & Terrier. Thus in 1860 further being bred in England, they were brought to the United States with a couple of their owners. Pitbulls were then used as herding dogs who protected the livestock along with their families from cattle rustlers.
       In 1898 the United Kennel Club was formed and the Pitbull was one of the first breeds to be recognized. As of 1914 to 1918 they were dubbed as America's Dog used widely on posters during World War 1 to sell war bonds and recruit the US Military. Shortly thereafter, they were used as Nannie Dogs to look after babies while Mothers went to work at that time.
      In the 1930's many people referred to athletes as "Pitbulls" which was a very common sports metaphor. Basically, it meant such tenacity and a never give up attitude being the highest compliment given to them. There was also a famous racehorse in that era named Pitbull that won quite a few races.
      Frequently pitbulls were even associated with children as in the "Our Gang" episodes. Buster Brown shoes corporate mascot for the shoe company was in fact, a pitbull. The famous RCA Victor image was that of a dog and a gramophone which also featured a pitbull terrier on it.
      Fifty years later that all changed and by New Years Day of 1986 over 30 communities in the United States were considering banning all pitbull breeds.
      The main culprits was that dog fighting had made a comeback in the 1980's whereby the pitbull had become the dog of choice. It was also the preferred dog for drug dealers and street gangs. In 1987 there was a highly publicized attack in which a pitbull guarding a marijuana crop in California mauled and killed a 2 and a half-year-old boy.
      By the summer of that same year every single proposed ban had become law due to this media specualtion. Previous to that, the Doberman Pinscher were the hated breed that had been talked about regarding attacks on human beings. In fact in Tijeras New Mexico just outside of Albuquerque passed the toughest inhumane pitbull ban of all time. This bogus, archaic bill allows the animal control officer to seize and destroy the Pitbull on sight without compensation to the owner whatsoever.
      These various pitbull breed bans are decried by animal control officers as "the most concentrated assault on a breed specific as they can recall. This "canine racism" places the blame squarely on the inept humans that own them. In fact, many of these so called pitbull attacks are due to a skyrocketing number of poorly bad and terribly trained dogs. These animals were raised by backyard breeders who tried to cash in on the pitbull's growing reputation as a cheap but deadly effective guard dog.
       BSL (Breed Specific Legislation)
       On August 29,2005, Ontario's Bullshit, BSL came into effect, disallowing pitbulls to reside in their province. One thing, though, BSL doesn't work because it doesn't decrease dog bite incidents. It does give the government permission to come into an Ontario home person's home or apartment and take their family pet without just cause. Any dog that has a square head, muscular body, and thin long tail can be mistaken as a pitbull. In point of truth, the majority of people cannot correctly identify a pitbull either.
       This assinine law blames the pitbull dog when it is 100 percent of the time, it's owner and their neglect and proper care of the dog as well as training it. Are we actually stuck in the stone ages people? Would you allow the government to take your dog out of your home for no reason?
       I challenge all lawmakers who wants to ban the bully breeds to raise one as their own first! Then tell me if you still want to ban and annihilate them. Legislation should be enacted to say what dogs people cannot own but which people cannot own dogs as well, don't ya think?
      From here on, my blogs will center around stories of Pitbulls, various rescue organizations around North America dedicated to saving the pitbull from barbaric fighting rings and poor living situations. I will become a very strong advocate dedicated to helping better these wonderful animals living accommodations and hopefully aid in placing them in loving caring homes of people. My life long charity from this day forward will be a certain percentage of the proceeds of my books will go to help out funding organizations like Prairie Pitbull Rescue to continue their ongoing fight to bring these dogs out of poor living situations. Eventually, I would like to become strongly involved in stopped BSL legislation against the pitbull in provinces such as Ontario, Quebec and now BC.
      I encourage everyone who owns a pitbull to send in their photos and stories of how they came to own such a wonderful family pet. Maybe with the right amount of outreach, passion and education possible we can all restore their image. We all need to rehabilitate the pitbull's reputation as an iconic North American Dog to its rightful place among mankind's best friend!
     So enjoy the story of when we first encountered the pitbull, when we actually owned a pup that was a lab/pitbull mix. Shadow left such a pawprint on our lives that we continued owning pitbulls long after she left this earth. This is taken from my 2nd book "Sidewinder" Enjoy and don't forget to comment on my blogs either.
     That following winter, we acquired a new addition to our family in the form of another dog. Actually, it was the kid’s Dad Hank who managed to get her this cute little puppy. This would be one she could tell everyone would be her very own; in addition to that, she even picked the little girl out. Thus a Black Lab and Pitbull mix, named Shadow arrived at our little home in the woods.

      It was also on December 30^th of that same year that Victoria got hit with unbelievable borage of snow. Now for those of you who don’t know, Victoria is well known for their temperate winters, but none of the white stuff, whatsoever. Carol, the kids and I had just returned from Nanaimo, where we had spent that Christmas with Hank, his girlfriend and her whiney kid Stefan. We had been tracking the snow storm that was coming in from the state of Oregon when we were watching it on TV up at Hank’s house.

      Carol suggested that we leave that morning so we packed up the kids and got an early start. It wasn’t too bad for driving conditions, until we arrived in Victoria when it started to snow. However, that was nothing compared to the snow covered roads, on our way through Metchosin, out towards Sooke, where our new little home was situated. When we arrived at the cabin, you could barely see the driveway, let alone our small bungalow. Carol and I quickly got the kids into our snow covered chalet, pulled out all the winter clothing and had everyone put them on. She turned on the TV, where we could see that there were power outages as well as collapsed roofs from the heavy snow all over parts of Victoria and surrounding areas. In fact, there must have been a good five feet of snow on that delicate roof of ours, therefore I knew someone had to go up there the next day and take care of it.

      In the meantime, we had introduced Skyler’s puppy Shadow to my dog Taro, but he really didn`t seemed too enthused with the newest arrival to our family. That evening we were all dressed in toques, our long johns and sweaters as we went to bed with a cold howling wind whipping the cabin from all sides. The next day I knew we had to get an enormous amount of snow off the roof, for fear it could cave in on us. I was quickly voted unanimously to do it, by the other three members of my family.

     While the kids were getting warm inside, and Carol was fixing up one of her infamous coffees, I ventured where no man had gone before. Well, I was definitely some good entertainment for the kids that afternoon as I decided to do a header right off that snow blanket of a roof. You couldn’t have pictured it better, as out your kitchen window, they all saw a guy fall off the crown of the cabin into the snow head first.

     I guess it must have looked pretty comical, as Jack and Skyler reminded me of my funny escapade, hours after I had finished shoveling that damn roof. One thing’s for certain, there was never a dull moment with me in the house. It took a good week for all that amount of snow to melt, but eventually life returned to normal.

    It was now the spring of 1997 and tragedy had befallen my stepson’s much loved pet cockatiel, Maverick. Unfortunately Jack’s little friend had caught a cold from the damp winter we had, and it ended his life. It tore me apart to see that little guy, so distraught over the passing of his beloved friend. He ended up burying Maverick under a tree, near the house, and for a time thereafter, Jack would sit under that tree quite regularly after school.

     There wasn’t much I could do to comfort his grief, so on weekends mostly, I would play in the river with Jack, we had out in the backyard. That seemed to console him, some but it was obvious that he truly missed his little buddy Maverick the most.

     Skyler was completely wrapped up with her new buddy Shadow; as well they would even fish together in the stream quite a bit in those days. Taro had moved out into the garage, as Shadow seemed to be crowding his space. That’s where he spent most of his time in the day, however,we still brought him in at nights when we went to bed. Carol had let her good friend Dody know of Maverick’s passing, so she came up with a new pet Cockatiel for Jack. She had told Jack this one’s name was Apache, and at first, he seemed overjoyed with his new found friend. However, after about a month of trying to teach the bird all the tricks that Maverick had known, he had given up on Apache. Dody ended up taking him back, and Jack didn’t seemed to be so stressed out anymore.

        In the month of May, I was keeping very busy with the usual Spring Tradeshows, at various arenas throughout Victoria. It was there you would find me with the “Cookware Gang“ of would be sales associates.” Usually, the group was led by our fearless leader JD, along with his gal Raelene, Shane and his girlfriend, Saul, my recruit Freda and some other of our new hires for cooks. We had a booth and table showcasing our shiny Cookware, plus of course that Food Processer. All of us would be wearing white colorful aprons with the Pacific Health Systems Logo on them and whatnot. JD would be reeling in the “would be customers” with free cole-slaw salads he had just made with the Food Processor. Mostly everyone that sampled the salad would put their name in the draw for a free food processor or whatever JD wanted to give away at the time. After the trade show had finished, we would call up the qualified leads that had the most pertinent information on the draw slips. I mean if they divulged their occupation, the number in their family they were cooking for as well as maybe their household income, then of course, we called them first. We would tell them they hadn’t won the food processor but had one a free dinner-show instead. It was a slam dunk, which mostly everyone said yes to that, and we would ask them to invite 2 other couples as well. Afterall JD knew that one out of every three couples were purchasing our cookware after the dinner show was over. We stayed busy for a good three to four months of putting on dinner shows, well after a trade show had ended in those days.

          It was around the following month of April tragedy again visited our household, this time it was our dog Shadow!

         Skyler had been walking her little buddy with her Mom to go out to get the latest mail. They were walking together by the side of the road when some guy had intentionally gone out of his lane to hit the dog with his van. He didn’t even stop and kept on-going, as it was quite obvious that he had some sort of deranged mind to do such a mindless act.

         Nonetheless, the damage had been done, and little Shadow’s right back leg, hip as well as most of her back end had been shattered in many places. Shadow was still a six-month-old pup, when she got hit by the moron driving that vehicle and her injuries were going to be very expensive. When it happened, Carol and I certainly did not have the financial means to pay for Shadow’s operation to have her hip reconstructed. I knew we would have been forced to put Shadow down, but my Skyler pleaded with me with tears in her eyes to save Shadow that evening. What could I do, but try and find a way to financially pay for her dog’s operation? So I went to a source of income I knew would be able to help me and that was my boss and good friend JD Cantry.

           I told him my dilemma; furthermore, I told him I would work it off in the sets of cookware I would sell, the coming months. JD was no dummy! It was a simple plain fact this young man knew that he could keep his number one cookware salesman working for him, for quite some time. All he had to was to lend me the money for Shadow’s operation because he knew he was getting paid back anyways.

           So to save and prolong Skyler’s dog’s life, I put myself in the hole for around $2,000.00 and you’re probably saying to yourself “I would never do that” right. I would agree with you somewhat, but until a member of your family has to go through such an ordeal; I still say you would have done what I did. Just think about it, what would you do if your son or daughter came to you with tears in their eyes asking you to save their beloved pet?

                                                           THE WOLF PEOPLE
     This week I thought I would revisit a wonderful and special place in Cocalalla Idaho that Teryl and I visited back in the early Spring of 2007. It's called The Wolf People and quite frankly there is no place on earth like it.
      Nancy Taylor started this venture back in 1993 as a way of sharing her love of wolves with the general public. Prior to that, Nancy lived with wolves for more than 20 years, so she was more than qualified to take on such a special project as Wolf People.
      As we drove up to the store and facility there was a large logo'ed sign which had the paw print of a wolf, located in the palm of the hand. Nancy told us that symbolizes a promise she made to care for her wolves and to help others clearly understand the vital roles wolves play in our ecosystems around the world.
      Originally, Wolf People acquired two purebred Timberwolves from the state of Montana. They were named King Cyrus and Cherish, followed by a year later, another Timberwolf named Cochise. The pack's Arctic wolves came from Northern Minnesota at first.Over the years Nancy's volunteers have taken in foster wolves but most of them in the pack today were born and raised right here at the facility and compound.
      The wolves here are not considered exactly wild but then they are not really domesticated like house pets either. It's kind of a cross section of both facets as they stay outside in large enclosures about 365 days of the year as well. They enjoy regular feeding and receive the best veterinary care available to them.
       Obviously, the Wolves here do spend their entire lives living comfortably in captivity. I really hate that word because these wolves were injured from hunting incidents, rescued from poor living situations, or moved to a safer location. Here they are allowed to rehabilitate themselves with very limited but also some direct contact with other people during their new lives.
       By contrast, Nancy's program affords citizens the opportunity to get up very close to her wolves.
       When we were there, which was on numerous occasions, not only did we get to pet these magnificent animals, but hold, hug, touch, and even fed them once or twice. I'll never forget the moment that Teryl held a wolf pup, it was something special and very touching to see. In fact, many of the wolves in their pack have grown up around people and are accustomed to regular interaction with them.
        The wolves here usually live from 12 to 15 years of age and weigh between 75 to 110 pounds for females plus males weigh 120 to 140 pounds. They eat a diet of raw meat and bone mostly and are fed three times each week. With a feeding each wolf receives about 15 pounds of a mix of turkey, chicken, lamb and beef. However, meals are substituted occassionally with venison and bison.
        When not at the Wolf People store you can find the Wolf People Habitat in the nearby mountains south of Lake Cocalalla in Idaho. There are 10 large enclosures covering about 5,000 feet. They are fabricated from chain link fencing and are 3 feet below the ground plus 8 feet above the ground. Adjacent to the enclosure is an area referred to as the "picture pen." This is an enclosed 5 acre area where still photography of the various wolves of the pack are taken here periodically. They also have documentaries that have been filmed here as well. There is another special area honoring the wolves that Nancy has owned as a "Wolf Cemetary."
        Wolf People is really a wolf education facility and gift shop. It is here that you can sponsor a wolf, as Teryl and I did on many occassions. In fact, if you visited my home, you would many framed pictures of real wolves that we watched grow up as we visited Wolf People many times in my long hauling career.The wolf we sponsored was in memory of my stepson's and stepdaughter's Father who died in a tractor trailer accident around that time.
         Coco Cabe was a spectacular black wolf. As she aged her colors changed to white. She became a light gray, almost ghostly in color. Her dad, Konna Hi was black and her mother Waka was a snow white Arctic Wolf. In time she resembled a white Arctic Wolf with tinges of black and grey.Her head shape had always been Arctic instead of Timberwolf.She was very much like a blend of her father and mother.I am proud to say, we met this wolf, and a large picture of her is positioned up our stairwell in our home.
        Nancy's goal is to educate the general public about the true nature of wolves. Her aim is to see that wolves can live safely in the wild one day without the threat of persecution, being hunted and left extinct in some species of the wolf.
         They also have tours at varying times of the year to see the wolves at the main facilty where they really live. There is always a couple of wolves at the Wolf People store backyard facility brought there each day as well. Nancy takes her ambassador wolves to schools, car shows, motorcycle rallys and other local events too. She has also been a surrogate mother to 25 special four legged furry offspring. These wolves trust her expicitly and demonstrate their affection for her whenever she is close by. They truly have a special bond with her as she takes care of them like a pet owner does for their house pets. It requires a great deal of trust on the part of the wolve's handlers to be able to control and maintain these beautiful creatures and their fragile emotions at times. Among our numerous visits, Teryl and I could plainly see that these wolves are loved, nurtured, respected with kindness and admiration too.
          Sometimes the wolves will interpret people's clothing as a toy. I mean it's no different with your pet dog in your home. They like to play "tug of war" with a rag, stealing a pillow, or a piece of clothing to claim as their own. These wolves are not bad or gone roque suddenly but are doing what comes naturally. Human error is usually to blame in most situations as what happened there one day. If a pillow, shirt, blanket, purse is lying about or within their reach some wolves will try to claim it as their own.
          A few years ago one older lady didn't listen to the wolf handler's instructions and paid the price for her stupid ignorance. In doing so a wolf called Hanta Yo nipped her arm. Was Hanta Yo a villianous wolf or considered bad? No he was not. In fact Wolf People have only had a couple of non-serious injuries to the thousands of people that have visited their wolves over the last 21 years. Considering the number of reported dog bites that occurred in Idaho in the same period of time that is quite alarming. Both incidents were clearly caused by human visitors not following the rules.
         Wolf People are located on Highway 95 approximately 12 miles south of Sandpoint Idaho on the left side of the highway. Not, but an hours drive from the Kingsgate BC border as you travel through Idaho on your way to Spokane too. If your ever going through this way, make it a point to stop there, because you'll be glad you did. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something about the wolf?
          Again, another excerpt of when we first discovered Wolf People taken from my 3rd book "Road History" enjoy your week.

      When we arrived in Vancouver, the directions I received from my dispatch were not exactly clear, so I relied on their Satellite GPS system. Unfortunately this system was not quite up to date.  It was a tool to use if I couldn’t find my destination and that mainly applied to places in the United States. Furthermore, if I tried to find a destination in Canada, well, that seemed quite foreign to this GPS device that Dial had installed. I swear they must have got some good volume deal on these systems, maybe from a “Rug Dealer in Bangladesh” was my guess!

      So I’m driving down some industrial back-street section suburb of Vancouver; I shouldn’t to be in. I executed a right turn into what I thought, was a wide road, but its narrow coming to a dead end! There is one building on my left-hand side, which looks to me like there were leftover picket signs left near the fence, just laying there on the ground. Next thing, I did was tell Carol to get out of the truck, and just try and guide me. I was going to jackknife the whole truck and trailer around in a tight circle! As I was cranking on the steering wheel to make a tight man-euver, my trailer doesn’t have enough space to clear the fence. Yup, you guessed it, I completely took out the fencing with the back side of the trailer, fence posts and all. I ripped up those boundary markers so bad, I couldn’t even tell a fence had once been there. When Carol saw what I did, she immediately burst out laughing, but I was worried somebody was around to witness the whole event. Things got even worse when I drove over, what was once a tree stump in the road! Ok, now that’s good, we take out a fence first, and for an encore let’s just see if we can take out our front axle shall we? Somehow, I managed to get out of there pretty much unscathed, and the front end was ok as well. I recall Carol laughing hysterically, stating a fact as she smiled up at me.

     “When those people returned to work whenever that is, they might chalk up the whole damaged fence thing to picketers, Brian” she surmised.

       Someone was looking after me again because nobody was around to witness what I had done. After my drop, I managed to get another trip the next morning. Our next trailer load was that of frozen fish heads destined for somewhere in Kansas. Actually, they used these for ingredients for the manufacturing of “Dog and Cat food!” I think I may have made it as far as Spokane when all of sudden that yellow light came on, beeping at us, meaning a switch was coming once more. I was heading back through to Eastport Idaho and obviously back to Calgary again. Furthermore, a real special thing happened on our way to the US Border that day that has literally left an imprint on both of us for the rest of lives, even to this very day! We had stopped in a place just outside of Cocallalla Idaho called Wolf People.

       This is a Wolf Education Facility where the owner Nancy Taylor, teaches people about real live wolves! They even go out into the public with their wolves to schools, parks, businesses as well as have tours come to their store. Speaking of tours, you can actually visit these wonderful animals at their very own compound, as well as meet the other rest of the pack! Here you can bear witness to them in their natural habitat, such a thing as one rarely ever gets to do. Not only is it fun, educational but enlightening and cameras are definitely encouraged. In point of truth, even some of Nancy’s wolves have been in movies, such as “White Wolves 2, Legend of the Wild” and Wolf with Jack Nicholson. They have also been in Short Documentary’s, and commercials on the education of the species of the wolf. The best part of visiting Wolf People that day for us was that we actually both got to hold a real live wolf pup! There sure is something to be said when you pick up one of these magnificent looking creatures in your arms, as they lick your face. I took many videos of these wonderful animals showing their sheer curiosity, as well as the innocence of being a one year old wolf cub. The pup we held that day was named “Legacy” and I am proud to say we watched that little girl grow up into a stunning white wolf. Nancy had this giant old gray washtub where Legacy and the other pups would frolic and play with one another, especially on the hot days. It was in this place that you could witness first-hand wolf-pups feeding and being petted as they blended into their wolf family. Every time we passed by that way, I made it a point to stop into visit Nancy Taylor and Wolf People.

       If you walked into my home, you would see real pictures of those wolves we had visited in our time long hauling on the road. I am proud to say that we know each of these wolves somewhat intimately, their names, their lineage and their offspring as well. Another thing I should mention here is I was completely blown away by the people’s ignorance or lack of education regarding wolves. In fact, so many people actually were frightened by them, when we picked them up to hold the pups. I still remember my Carol, just looking at her hands after she had held a wolf pup saying she couldn’t believe she actually got to do that. Tears started rolling down her eyes like it was a picture, I will hold in memory forever! 

INTRODUCTION TO BRIAN WADE'S WRITING: HOW ...

INTRODUCTION TO BRIAN WADE'S WRITING:                                               HOW ...:                                               HOW MY WIFE GOT HER FISHING LICENSE        This week I am in somewhat an agitated mood, so I ...

                                              HOW MY WIFE GOT HER FISHING LICENSE
       This week I am in somewhat an agitated mood, so I thought I would blog about that. In fact, I am sure I could write another 3 more blogs on this same subject. It was bad enough that my company truck broke down on Monday, blowing a rad hose in the process and overheating. However by Wednesday night, again that black cloud that likes to screw with me was back, creating more trouble for me as I had a flat drive tire. So thinking the worst was over, I was looking forward to a long weekend where I could catch up on my writing and some "Game of Thrones."
        Friday was payday, so that made me a bit more happy as I had my vacation pay released to buy some new tires for my prized truck "Silverbear." Then on Saturday, when I went to take my wife to the airport, another terrible thing happened. She had planned on a wonderful trip to Vancouver to visit her stepdaughter and her new fiancee. She had previously called Westjet, to let them know that although her passport was expired, she still had other appropriate photo ID. A lady at Westjet told her, that was not going to be an issue because she wasn't flying out of Canada. I mean she still had her Alberta Health Care Card, plus she had her birth certificate as well as a Costco card which had her picture on it. So when I went to go drop her off at the airport, to my dismay I discovered the normal route I usually took someone to the airport was blocked due to road construction.So again I found an alternate route and to my utter shock was once more rerouted due to even more stupid road construction.
       At this point, I was getting concerned regarding getting my wife to the airport, as we had to be there an hour before her flight time. Luckily I found a third route, dropped the hemi down and got her to Calgary International Airport just in time, as she was the last one waiting to get on the plane. I thought we made it, just in time as everything seemed to be okay. I said our goodbyes, gave her a quick goodbye kiss, got back into my truck and proceeded to depart the airport when my cellphone rang. It was my wife, completely upset and crying telling me that airport security would not let her get on the plane, because her passport ID was expired, not to mention not accepting the Costco card as proof of her identity.
      Now to make a long story short, we managed to get the flight rebooked for 4'oclock that afternoon, as we were told to go and get her, if you can believe this, a dam fishing license from Cabellas, because it is a government issued form of ID. We also applied to get her new Alberta ID as well, but heres the kicker. All she needed to have, which we were never told by Westjet, was the fishing license and her healthcare card. I mean if she had a driver's license that would be fine too, but she doesn't have one. Then on Saturday night, Calgary experienced a very bad rainstorm, complete with unfortunately golf ball size hail. It was completely dark after the storm passed, so I felt maybe my truck had escaped Mother Nature's wrath, meaning somehow the large hail hadn't damaged my truck.
     After walking out my front door this morning, I was both disappointed and angry that Mother Nature decided to screw around with my beloved 2011 Dodge Ram. I was not impressed to say the least, and now the money I had saved for my new tires, would now be going as an insurance deductible to fix the many dents in my truck. Yes Mother Nature once again, decided to cost me money I had planned elsewhere. So to say my week, was good, okay, normal, would be a huge understatement. I certainly don't know what problems I created for anyone to have to endure this kind of animosity in my life, but bluntly put, this week sucked!
    I would tell you to have a good week, but maybe that might be cursing you, so I will whisper it instead. In the meantime, enjoy the first-page excerpt from my second book "Sidewinder"
PROLOGUE

        Brian Wade is starting his new life in Victoria on Vancouver Island BC. He will go through a variety of sales jobs, relationships with women and various other adventures in trying to find his right niche. Eventually he will find the right woman that puts him in his place and embarks on a long lasting relationship with her.

CHAPTER-1: VICTORIA’S NEWEST SINGLE GUY

         I was now living in the spectacular city of Victoria, “Canada’s Paradise." This was truly the “Flower Capital of Canada”, where the streets are lined with pink cherry trees, housing British-styled homes surrounded by luscious green grass. The air from the Pacific Ocean was a welcome relief from the industrial stench of the mainland of Vancouver.

         After that first week, I landed in Victoria; I went to work at my new place of business, GWE on Burnside Road in Victoria. Initially I was residing there at our Phone-Room Supervisor Ashley’s home, which was a five bedroom, Victorian-Style home. Here he had rented out each bedroom, which consisted mostly of Chinese college students, which unfortunately spoke very little English.

         It was also here, that I met Christina Wine, a young, vivacious blonde-haired young woman I had talked to on the phone, back in Vancouver. Chris was the liaison that arranged for me to work in the Victoria office and was somewhat instrumental in making the necessary arrangements for my relocation. In fact, we got along so well, when we met face to face, we became instant friends. Apparently she was looking for a roommate, so after that crazy first week living in the “Chinese-Zone” I quickly took her up upon her offer. The next weekend, I was quite elated to move out of my tiny room that I had previously rented from that so-called “Chinese Landlord Ashley.”

        My next address would be 254 Gorge Road East, and I would reside here at least for the coming year. Even though my new roommate was somewhat attractive, nothing sexual or anything of that nature would ever occur between us. We had established a mutual respect for one and other, so we both chose to never cross that line.

        About this time, the late comedic actor Robin Williams was starred in a movie called “Good Morning Vietnam." I had a most unusual but very unique approach of making cold calls to prospective customers. In a very loud and probably quite an obnoxious voice, I would respond on the telephone with a familiar saying. As an example I would change the “Good Morning Vietnam” greeting on the phone with the person’s name.

        It might sound like this...”Good! Morning, Mrs Jones”, this is Brian Wade on behalf of The Victoria Firefighter’s Burn Fund”, or whatever charity we were campaigning for at the time. It might seem bizarre, but it was a very effective way of getting the person on the other end of the telephone, quick attention. That was just one of my vices, I would use whatever means necessary to acquire the pledge or sale. I was so confident in my telemarketing prowess that I even flirted with various secretaries on the phone as well. It was in this manner that I could bypass them and talk to the owners, bosses, supervisors, in addition to Vice-Presidents, along with Presidents of big corporations. The bigger donation, the more money in my pockets on payday, so I was quite aggressive in getting the order.

        It was also at this time, I had tried to locate the whereabouts of my daughter, Cassandra. However, in that period, I was also led to believe that my parents did not know where she was either. At least, that was what I was what I was told anyhow. Little did I know at that phase in my life, my ex-wife, Stacie had contacted my parents. In point of fact, I am quite positive, she was blackmailing them into having Cassie be there. I later found out, that if they wanted to continue to have Cassie in their lives, they had to play her game. The conditions were as long as they didn’t tell me where she was living, for fear I would try and contact her. That way, my parent’s would be free to take care of my daughter as they wished. I strongly believe that due to this arrangement, my relationship with my daughter became very distant and strained.
        Cassandra became extremely close to my dad in her visits to their home too. In fact, she would call him “Poppy” which was short for Grandpa. If truth be told, my Mom and Dad had always wanted a daughter they could call their own, now they had one, literally fall into their laps. I like to say here and now, where they made their cardinal mistake, is they made my daughter Cassandra their whole life! By that I mean they made her the center of attention, which created narcissism in her so much. Thus she felt that she was the only thing that mattered. I also think Cassandra at such a young age took advantage of that fact, so she got anything she wanted, well within my Mom and Dad’s budget anyway. That narcissism that I am talking about will become a mechanism for how Cassie really does get anything she wants, in Book 3 “Road History.”

        As for my new roommate Chris and I, well we became extremely close friends renting together. Moreover, it was near to the end of that year, that she met the half-breed Indian named Greg a rather tall and dark complexioned youth. He would definitely be considered half native in origin, although he was a white young male. Surprisingly it didn’t take long for Greg to move in with us either, against my better wishes.

          In fact, I bet you, it wasn’t even six months that Chris and Greg broke up, because he now liked someone better, as well as younger, which worked at GWE. So then Chris got all pissed off at Greg, moved out and now he decided he wanted to be my next roommate. The next week, Greg moved in with me and was now dating Carman who was a telemarketer that worked at nights. Sounds like a stupid episode of “Big Brother” right? But this was what my life had become, at that point.

          Carman was this short, skinny fiery red-headed young girl that was just plum crazy about Greg. I guess you could say there was a great deal of fraternization going on, where I worked as well. The real strange thing about it, was why all this was going on, all around me, I stayed single! In any case, could you blame me, from the strange events that unfolded way back in Vancouver? When I arrived there, the first things on my priority list were to buy a car and drive to work, instead of taking a bus.

          That following summer of 1989 I had finally gotten myself into shape; in addition to that I was eating lots of fruits and vegetables as well. Yup, I was one happening single, eligible bachelor! I mean I had furniture, a “rock- in” bedroom but still no wheels for transportation! The sports I was involved with included swimming and most surprisingly...tennis. This was mainly due in part as we had a tennis court situated outside our balcony door, which was pretty much accessible to play most of the times.

           As usual, I pursued my telemarketing career with such zest and a burning passion like never before. However, the challenge that I had was making a more money which I pretty much reached my limit at this place. I needed to find a job that paid better or at least made some extra cash to save for a car for. It was also at this time, I knew my marriage to Stacie was over for good, there was no going back, this time! The problem, as I previously mentioned was, I was cash strapped to pay for a divorce. Speaking of such an annulment, somehow the “Province of Ontario” took care of that.

INTRODUCTION TO BRIAN WADE'S WRITING: A REAL LIFE...

INTRODUCTION TO BRIAN WADE'S WRITING:                                        A REAL LIFE...:                                        A REAL LIFE FIREFIGHTER RANDOLPH MANTOOTH        I don't normally focus my blogs on one person, ...