This is a free market economy.  And a free market economy is ruled by the
laws of supply and demand, and usually, thisis a good thing.  A person
needs or desires an object or service, and arranges a system of barter,
usually with little pieces of paper or metal called 'money', with a
supplier, in exchange for the object of said desire.  And usually, this
all works out for the benefit of all parties concerned.  But what happens
when the object of need or desire is a living entity in and of itself?
Then the chain of supply and demand ceases to be a lesson in economics,
but a question of morality.
 
The recent mauling death of the woman in CA really has me sick, just sick.
The fact that these sometimes-brutal dogs are legal and a sweet little
ferret is not is literally beyond my comprehension, as I'm sure it is for
the rest of us fuzzielovers.  I've been thinking about this a lot lately,
and I have it pinned down, I think.
 
Rotties and pit bulls have been bred very poorly,because they are a popular
breed.  Someone got the idea that they could make a buck off of a puppy,
so they started breeding them indiscriminately, without regard to good
husbandry and careful study of lineage, just a bitch and a sire, any
female, any male, as long as they could produce a puppy they could sell.
As a result, the pups are sometimes ill-tempered and high strung, and being
sold to ignorant s.o.b.s who train them to attack and kill certainly
doesn't help their dispositions any.
 
Thinking in the big picture, any mass breeding for profit results in
weakenings in the strain.  When one ceases to be concerned for the
well-being of the animal, and is more concerned with profit margins and
the value of a dollar, this is where the supply and demand chain breaks
down.  This is where it becomes a moral dilemma.
 
Do you sell or otherwise provide an animal to someone unless you are
absolutely sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are providing a good
home for that animal, a home where it will be cared for properly, and not
ill-treated or ill-cared for, or only slightly less worse, ignored?  If
the answer is no, you should be proud.  You seem to be among the few these
days.  If not, then you have some serious questions to ask yourself; but
then again, if you're one of those kind of people you're probably either
a: not on this list, or B: have already stopped reading this message.
 
Just a random rant.  I feel better now. :)
 
Brightest blessings to everyone, especially those with sick and angeled
fuzzies.  My heart goes out to you in this time, and I'm sending positive
energies to each and every one of you.  To Kim and Stan: keep the faith.
I'm a firm believer that a good deed never goes un*rewarded*, whether in
this life or in the next. :)
 
Rhyakat
[Posted in FML issue 3326]