the first 45 minutes were really tough, I never cried that much watching a movie...
Fast food nation is cool, is quite related, not a great movie but interesting topic, and Food Inc. is a must... I don't endorse vegetarianism, or veganism, but I cut down the amount of chicken and meat I eat weekly, and we should be aware of the treatment any animal receive, expecially the ones we eat...
Totally agree the 1st half of the movie was so hard to watch, the dog being thrown in the garbage truck in Turkey just ripped my fucking heart out. I still eat seafood but have moved towards a plant based diet with everything else since watching this film. I had already given up red meat a year before but immediately cut out dairy and poultry after watching this as it was that life changing for me. I don't miss it and definitely feel much healthier since doing it.
I watched the trailer first and then the first section of the movie before shutting down and leaving for home- up to 40mins, yesterday from work. The images have been in my mind since then... i cannot let it go. I was up late last night thinking about what i saw. I don't know how too express myself on how i am feeling to my family, friends, and even myself. i am in a state of shock. this is life changing and sad on so many levels. I want to say thank you Javis but at the same time i wish i never seen that at all.
I'm going through the EXACT same thoughts & emotions, although you were able to watch a hell of a lot more than I. This thread needs a pick me up, so here's something a little more heartwarming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_daN5_pUlnE
And oh yeah, dogs rule.
It's the rainy season in Bogota, Colombia, and a nearby volcano is likely to erupt soon. But all Claudia Angel can think about are the bulldog puppies that were found zipped in a suitcase in Toledo.
The South American woman is one of more than 600 callers who have contacted either The Blade or the Toledo Area Humane Society wanting information about how to adopt one of the adorable pudgy white-and-black bulldog-mix puppies that were pictured on The Blade's front page Wednesday.
"My husband and I have been looking for a bulldog and we would love to give one of these puppies a good home," Mrs. Angel said, adding that her husband travels back and forth between Colombia and Miami for work and that she hoped the humane society might be willing to put the pup on a plane to Miami for her husband to pick up. She said she already has a well-trained French poodle named Buddy that is bilingual -- he understands both English and Spanish -- and the new puppy would be similarly trained.
Howard Davis, 53, of East Hudson Street is accused of zipping the puppies in a canvas suitcase and leaving them with their mother, which was tied to a large garbage container, in the alley behind 3442 Stickney Ave.
Howard Davis appears in Toledo Municipal Court. He is charged with animal abandonment charges for allegedly leaving six puppies zipped in a suitcase next to their mother, who was tethered to a garbage container. THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints Mr. Davis entered a not guilty plea in Toledo Municipal Court on Friday morning after a public defender was appointed to handle his case. He told Visiting Judge Charles Wittenberg that he was retired.
The judge released Mr. Davis on a supervised bond and set a pretrial and probable cause hearing for 9:30 a.m. April 23. Mr. Davis declined to comment after the court hearing.
He face two counts of abandoning animals. He faces a second-degree misdemeanor because this is his first citation for animal abandonment. Second-degree misdemeanors carry up to 90 days in jail and a $750 maximum fine.
Mr. Davis has two prior convictions from April 11, 2008, for failing to obtain liability insurance for vicious dogs and failing to keep a vicious or dangerous dog on a chain-link leash less than 6-feet long. The humane society believes Mr. Davis owns a male "pit bull"-type dog, which is possibly the father of the puppies.
The phones at the Toledo Area Humane Society have been ringing nonstop about the Suitcase Six since Wednesday morning, Executive Director John Dinon said.
"Nobody is counting, but staff estimates over 500 calls have come in about the pups," Mr. Dinon said. "We have gotten calls from New Orleans, North Carolina, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Texas, Pennsylvania, California, New York [city and state], and many others."
The Blade, which received the call from Mrs. Angel, also has received nearly 100 calls and emails from people across the nation hailing from California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Idaho, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Arizona.
The story, which was picked up by the Associated Press wire service, has run in papers and on Web sites worldwide, including China and Italy and the Stars and Stripes newspaper. The original story on The Blade Web site has generated more than 100 comments, most condemning the alleged behavior of the previous owner of the dog and puppies.
The humane society is not compiling a waiting list and will not take applications until the puppies are ready to go up for adoption, which probably will be in about four weeks. They will be adopted out only to people who come in to the shelter and fill out an application, Mr. Dinon said. So Mrs. Angel and her husband are out of luck unless they want to make the trip from Bogota to Maumee.
"My message to people is this -- we've gotten hundreds of calls and there are six pups. That means there is a good chance you are not going to get one of these," Mr. Dinon said. "But if you want one of these puppies, that means there is room in your home and your heart for a pet, and there are lots of other great animals here at TAHS or at your local shelter that need good homes."
The bag of six puppies -- three males and three females -- along with their mother, now called Maddie, was picked up April 4 by agents from the Lucas County Dog Warden's office.
The location where the animals were found is about a quarter-mile from the home of Mr. Davis, who was in the process of moving when he was questioned at his home by humane society Officer Gene Boros last week
A Toledo man who zipped six puppies into a suitcase and left them along with their mother in an alley will be paid a visit by the Toledo Area Humane Society this week to assess the condition of his remaining two dogs, said the group's Executive Director John Dinon.
Howard Davis, 53, on Monday surrendered the mother and puppies to the group, which has been caring for the dogs since their discovery behind a North Toledo market April 4. While in Toledo Municipal Court, he also entered pleas on two criminal charges in the case -- avoiding a trial and possibly avoiding jail time.
"Our biggest concern was the welfare of the animals," Mr. Dinon said after the hearing. "Looking at it in light of what's best for the animals, I feel very good about what happened today."
Had the case gone to trial, the legal custody of the mom and puppies would have been in legal limbo, and there was a chance the humane society wouldn't have gotten custody of them.
"This was not a guy beating a dog with a baseball bat," Mr. Dinon said. "It could have resulted in a very bad situation but the reality is, the mom and the puppies were all fine."
Mr. Davis has no pattern of previous animal cruelty, Mr. Dinon added.
Howard Davis entered no contest pleas to charges of abandonment and cruelty to companion animals. He will avoid jail time with probation if he neuters his remaining dogs, allows the humane society to make a home visit, and pays the society $466 restitution for caring for the Suitcase Six. Enlarge Mr. Davis was ordered on Monday by Judge Timothy Kuhlman to begin payments to the humane society of $466 in restitution for the care provided to the animals, known as the Suitcase Six. The judge dropped a charge against Mr. Davis of abandoning the puppies, while Mr. Davis entered no contest pleas to two other charges in the case.
In exchange for his plea, he is expected to be placed on four years' probation, has agreed to neuter the other two dogs that he owns, and has agreed to allow the humane society to make "reasonable inspection" of the two other dogs in his care, which are "Scarface," a male "pit bull" mix believed to be the puppies' father, and a Shih Tzu.
Mr. Davis was in court for a pretrial hearing on two counts of animal abandonment and for an arraignment on a third charge of cruelty to companion animals, defined as a custodian depriving or confining an animal without sustenance or shelter.
All three charges are second-degree misdemeanors that carry a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $750 fine per charge.
Final sentencing was scheduled for June 22, at which time the court will review Mr. Davis' payments in restitution, whether he has complied with the judge's order to neuter his remaining two dogs, and take into consideration what the humane society's finding are after visiting his home, 1813 Harlan Rd. The judge said if he complies with the orders, Mr. Davis will not face jail time. If he does not comply, he could face up to 180 days in jail, or 90 days for each of the remaining two misdemeanor counts.
Judge Kuhlman said he followed the recommendations of Toledo Chief Prosecutor Dave Toska and the humane society.
"They didn't ask for jail time," Judge Kuhlman said. "They asked for things that will insure that in the future this guy isn't going to harm any animals. I agree with the prosecutor and the humane society that our interests are better served by making sure no animals are hurt in the future more so than putting the guy in jail."
Mr. Davis' court-appointed attorney, Amy Stoner, told the court her client was "very apologetic over what happened." She also said she thought four years probation would be "excessive."
Mr. Davis declined to comment after the hearing.
Mr. Toska declined to comment on the absence of jail time in the agreement, as did City Law Director Adam Loukx.
When asked if he thought the city was sending the appropriate message to animal abusers, Mayor Mike Bell said in a statement: "Without knowing the facts presented to the court, I have to trust that the judge made the best decision in the interest of community safety and based on the information available to him."
Mr. Davis was accused of putting the puppies into a canvas suitcase, zipping it up, and leaving it in the alley behind Pete's Market, 3449 Stickney Ave., next to the puppies' mother, who was tied to a large garbage container. The location is about a quarter mile from the house from which he was moving.
The suitcase included a tag with Mr. Davis' name and address, which led to his being cited.
The mother dog, Maddie, a bulldog mix, and the three male and three female puppies have been moved to an area foster home and are doing well, Mr. Dinon said. It has not been determined when they will be available to go up for adoption or how the adoptions will be handled, he said. Hundreds of people -- some from across the world -- have expressed interest in adopting the animals.
If the puppies are deemed to be "pit bull" mixes, it's likely the group will wait until after the state's dangerous dog law changes on May 21 to no longer include "pit bulls" as inherently dangerous, Mr. Dinon said. The humane society will loosen its adoption process for "pit bulls" after that date. Currently a background check and home visit are required.
Before the court hearing Monday morning, a half-dozen people held a protest to decry the fact that Ohio does not consider animal cruelty a felony.
The group behind the rally was supporting pending legislation nicknamed Nitro's Law. Nitro, a Rottweiler, was one of eight dogs who starved to death in 2008 at a canine training facility in Youngstown.
Mike Smeck of Amherst, Ohio, who organized the rally, said he was satisfied with the plea agreement with the exception of Mr. Davis being allowed to keep his other dogs.
"If one can be so cruel as to neglect these beautiful pups, what's to say he will not do something to his two others dogs in the future," Mr. Smeck said. Mr. Smeck said he did not consider what Mr. Davis did to be an "extreme case of abuse, neglect or cruelty, such as injuring or killing a companion," which is the kind of case for which the supporters of Nitro's Law are calling for first-degree felony charges.
Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_daN5_pUlnE
And oh yeah, dogs rule.
That's all kind of awesomeness.
Agreed -Thanks Monkeewrench!
http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/0 ... ase-6.html