Andrea Rosebrock 
Time magazine has once again chosen their person of the year. This year it’s you again. (Without the mirror.) Get ready to rumble for Time magazine has chosen The Protestor as Person of the Year 2011.
The magazine goes on sale this Friday. According to managing editor Richard Stengel…
“There’s this contagion of protest. These are folks who are changing history already and they will change history in the future. I think it is changing the world for the better.”
What does this have to do with a dog blog?
Every petition you sign may increase the penalties for animal cruelty.
Every letter you write may put an animal abuser in prison.
Every email you send may bring an end to Breed-Specific Legislation.
Every phone call you make may save a dog from life on a chain, from a life of neglect, from a life of cruelty, from death in a gas chamber.
Every fax you transmit may free a dog wrongly impounded.
Every article you share – be it Facebook, email, discussion forums, blog posts – helps. Doesn’t matter the source. What matters is clicking on the Forward button, or Share link.
If you do any or all of the above, you are the Person of the Year. Your protesting the weak animal abuse laws, deplorable shelter conditions, ineffective shelter management, animal cruelty, flimsy sentencing of animal abusers, breed-specific legislation, and a host of other evils too numerous to list here…
…all counts.
And the world is noticing.
People should not be afraid of their government. The government should be afraid of its people. – V (V for Vendetta)
Not all protesters are people. This is Loukanikos, Athens' Protest Dog. The stray dog who joined the lines of rioters in the Greek capital to become an international celebrity.
Very true!
Thank you so much for this article – I have been down the last few days from all the horror stories on facebook and felt that no one really cares, but I see we have been noticed and now a little of my faith has been restored, so thank you again….and thank you Time for this! God Bless everyone and I hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTIMAS AND NEW YEAR! XO
Thanks so very much for this article. I will fight and have fought since the early 70's for the rights of animals everywhere. As a disabled women myself, I have often made $50 and up donations to various causes on a low income check. I have been charged with Felony DogKnapping in the helping of an animal that was being abused and to this day (11yrs. later) I still have that pup that I rescued and risked my very freedom for. I challanged the law and I won the case as well as the beloved pup.
It often feels that so little is being accomplished in the war against animal cruelity and abuse but I have to remember that victory comes in small steps and that is what keeps me going and working for the rights of animals everywhere.
"Dusty D."
Wonderful Dusty – thank you!
Dusty–we'd all love to hear your story on the rescue you did–can you share it?
Thanks for the article. I too will continue to fight for our furry friends. Without us they have NO voice. We are their strength, so let us continue to fight. They say they squeaky wheel gets the grease and this is so true. Eventually they will get tired of hearing from us and do something.
May everyone on her have the Best Christmas yet and may all our furry friends get lots of goodies for the season.
Merry Christmas to all and God Bless.
Thank you from all of us that are active in one way or the other for animal rights. This is validation for our efforts. God bless everyone today and all the days that follow. May HE guide us on the path to victory. AMEN! Merry Christmas!!
Great post– thanks for the inspiration. Saving the life of one dog is a victory; every dog deserves our utmost efforts.
If we don't fight for our RIGHTS in this country, the animals don't stand a chance. United We Stand for Our country and Animals around the world! We need to fight Obamas signing the horse slaughter act!!!!! We need to FIGHT Faschism in America and this Tyrannical Congress and Government!!!
"Action does not always bring happiness. But there is no happiness without action," said Benjamin Disraeli. It is a slow going fight, but victories, large and small, are being made in behalf of all animals. We have a long road ahead but we are growing in numbers, and willing to stay the course. Every precious life saved is an amazing victory
for us all.
Thank you all for your hard work, open minds and big hearts. Happy holidays and a million good things.
Well, about 10 1/2 yrs. ago Mimi (who has now since been named Kiwi) was only about six months old. The gentlemen that had her had gotten stuck with her when his daughter had been promised a puppy by a friend if his daughter finished and graduated from High School. Well the girl finished school only to be accepted to three different Colleges. In the meantime, she was given the puppy as promised. Her father was a carpenter as well as a drunk and when he got off work, he would start his every night vigil of getting drunk. In the meantime, I occassionally would hear this pup whining and letting out an occassional yelp and would look out my back window that backed this mans house. Our yards were devided by a chain linked fence. I would observe him kicking this dog, tossing it around and hitting it with bicycle chains. The daughter in an attempt to get away from her drunk father took a College out of the state and asked her father to watch her dog until the semester was over with and she came home. That man did not want the responsibility of taking car of a pup and he didn't even want around so when he'd get drunk……he would get real abusive towards the pup. I lived in a colasac with five other homes and the Animal Control had been called out twice over the treatment of this puppy. The last time that they were out there I asked them why they were not taking the pup away from him and I was told that, "They have rules and guidelines that they have to follow" and I told them that "I do to and that does not include watching this bastard kill this pup before you all do anything about it." So I decided along with a friend who lived in the country that the next time that I witnessed him abusing this pup that I was straight up going to take it. She had offered to take the dog since obviously I could not since his yard back my yard. Well, the next time came around and sure enough….he was out there kicking the dog with his cowboy boots on and the hairs on my neck stood up. I waited until he passed out and climbed over the fence to go get the pup and snatched it and then called up my friend (it was about 11:00pm and told her that I had the dog and she told me to come on down so I jumped into my car and drove down to the country to her house. Well little did I know that a neighbor that had just bought the house in front of this mans house was outside still unpacking the u-haul that they had rented for the moving and not knowing what all had gone on in regards to this pup she told the man the next day that she thought that his back yard neighbor had took the dog. Three days later the police were at my door with a warrent for my arrest for felong dog knapping. At first I denighed having the dog but the lady pointed me out as being the one that she thought that she had seen so I was told that where ever that dog was to go and get it because if I didn't they would eventually find out where the dog is and they would get it and whoever was helping me. I didn't want my friend in trouble for helping me to protect this dog so I went down to the country to get the pup. The good thing was tho was that my friend had already took this pup to the vets and had her physically checked over. She was four Lbs. underweight, had evidence of previously broken ribs that were healing and a currently broken paw. She also had recieved no shots, wormings or anything and had worms real bad. I tried to explain to the Officer what was going on and they decided to make Mimi marked as evidence so that she would go to the shelter as evidence and would not be handed back over to someone who was going to abuse her pending the outcome of the trial. I had supeoned the five people in my coldasac as well as the two who had previously called animal control to come out and check on the pup. At least during this time I knew that Mimi was safe….at least until trial was over with. My Veternarian wrote and affidaved as well as enclosed exrays to show her damages that had been a result of her abuse. When we got done in court the man had been charged with animal cruelality, animal abuse & neglect. He was sentenced to a five years suspended sentence with 3yrs. on probation, or ordered not to have another animal, and ordered to pay all of my court cost and any bills related to Mimi's injuries and my charges were dropped. Mimi became property of the Humane Society and the lady who was supervisor at the time named Louise Puckett gave me a call to tell me that Mimi was due to go up on the auction block for adoption in about an hour so if I was interested in the pup that I better get my buns down there so I flew out of that house and went to the humane society and adopted Mimi and then changed her name to Kiwi and she has lived happily ever after. And Kiwi has been with me ever since now going on 11 1/2 yrs and that is our story.
You are Kiwi's angel Dusty – thank you so much for doing that for her
) God Bless you and I hope you have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! xo
Dusty, thank you for going the extra mile to save that pup. I like to think I would do the same if faced with that situation.
dearest dusty am happy that finally i hear from kiwi, i wrote to you i had send money a couple a times for her when youn was in trouble with kiwi. as much as i thought about you and kiwi i never hear nathing til now. am glad she is alive and well. it was sad all you wrote and i understand how bad was for you, thanks for all you done for that angel of kiwi.
marlene, hey girl…yes I rememmber you and you helping me to raise the money for Kiwi's leg surgery. That was quite an ordeal. You know that they ended up having to amputate her right back leg because NCSU Vets screwed up the surgery. did you follow the story on care2 about what all had happened? It was a mess but little girl Kiwi is doing fine now and up and chasing a ball again and playing and loving life in spite of the challenges tha thave been place before her.. She still has trouble in the other back leg that was suppossed to have surgery on it but after NCSU Vets screwed up the first surgery so bad….I refused to take her back there again. I am keeping her pain pretty much under control with previcox and trammadol and she is doing pretty well. If you ever need to get ahold of me my e-mail address is didd57@att.net and once again…thabk you for being a part of the healing process for kiwi even tho it didn't turn out the way we had hoped for. "Dusty & Kiwi"
Thank you everyone for your kind post, encouragement and I guess…"Praise" for saving this little pups life. She (Kiwi) was the second dog that I had been charged with felony dog knapping for. The first time I was charged it was because I snatched a Boxer that was being neglected but I didn't win that case and unfortunately that Boxer ended up back with it's owner. I don't know to this day what finally became of the Boxer but at least I put out a red flare to the Animal Control that there was a possibility of neglect going on here, so at least I am content to that degree.
I just heard it stated on the news that the Animal Rights Activist is the largest group in the Nation of Activist. Wow, that tells me something and is very encouraging. Don't give up and keep plugging forward.
You know, I think that we all feel at times that we are not doing enough. I cry deep heaving sobs of tears when I hear how the animals are being treated everywhere as well as in other Countries. I just cannot phat om that people are that cruel and that they are that ignorant. It just goes over my head. I am appalled, disgusted, and repulsed by the brutality that humans can display to the innocent animals with not so much as a thought to the pain that they are putting upon these animals. I never feel that I am doing "ENOUGH" and my heart deeply grieves over this. No, I do not run a Rescue Center or a Sanctuary but in the past I used to go to the Humane Society and adopt all of the dogs that were up on the list to be disposed and I held onto them until such time as I could find them a good home. As the adoption fee continued to rise, I got to the point that I could no longer afford to do this and I had to find other avenues to help in the rescuing of animals. I have risked my freedom on a few occasions to rescue an animal and today I cannot physically do that anymore due to being disabled. Today I sign petitions, write letters, make donations, send e-mails and occasionally do what I need to do personally and physically to rescue an animal. I will never fill that I am doing "ENOUGH" because I love the animals but I have to find a way to be content today in what I am able to do. We love the animals and we do what we can do "One animal at a time" multiplied by thousands of others who are doing the same thing. Think of how many animals have been rescued and saved from a life of horror and pain, by those of us who feel that we can never do enough. WE ARE GETTING RESULTS and we WIN every time we save and animals life…..even if it's only one.
Once again, thank you for the kind post towards me saving Kiwi's life as a pup, but it was hundreds that came to her rescue $1.00 at a time who made contributions towards Kiwi's surgery to fix her Patella's. What a blessing that was and what an Honor it was as well a humbling to have so many that came to rescue this little pup……once again.
Please lets remember tho what this post is really all about and that is to recognize and to bring to light that OUR VOICES ARE FINALLY BEING HEARD, one voice at a time……………..and that my friends – is awesome! We are doing "ENOUGH" individually when we do all that we individually can do.
Debandi,
You have the courage to fight for our furry friends and for that I commend you. I am so Happy that Kiwi got a good home. We need more people in the world like you. I would step in and fight to save my furry friends too. It's time to take a STAND against animal abuse and prosecute those that abuse them. Thank you again for sharing.
Dusty,
I really admire the courage you showed putting yourself on the line like you did to save Kiwi. You are a true hero.
Moe,
Yes, we do need to continue our fight on behalf of our furry friends. The only solution that I can see to the abuse is for them to be granted some rights. I'ts been suggested that pets, at least, could be given "protected companion status." As of now, they're all "property" under the law. That's why existing animal cruelty laws are so hard to enforce and penalties so light.
BTW, does anyone know what happened to the stray Loukanikos, the Athens Protest Dog? Hopefully, someone took him home. But he could have just as easily ended up being killed at a "shelter."
He looks very intelligent and seems to know what is going on. But no way does he have any of the rights and protections that the human protestors enjoy. He's really at everyone's mercy.
I apologize for being negative, but I've been in rescue for a long time and have seen too much.
Anyway, I'm wishing everyone, furry and otherwise, a truly happy New Year!
Louk is cared for by local rescues and the citizens and students of Athens. He has no home. He considers the city his home. His predecessor was Kanellos who died in 2008.