Drew's First Muse

Welcome to my blog!

I would like to thank Chris Wells for suggesting this. It seems an excellent way to share my observations and inform interested readers about my research and activism. Thanks, Chris!

I have titled this blog after my 14 year-old American pit bull terrier mix, Drew. Drew was found as a four-month old puppy, dodging traffic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had a chain padlocked to her neck, and she has exhibited what some would call "gameness." She is selectively dog aggressive, in spite of years of socialization and exposure to new experiences. She has visited thousands of school children and has never shown any aggression to friendly strangers. She has inspired many of my efforts to educate people about the human-animal bond, and she continually adds her silent support to the work I do. She creates an "easy silence" for me, to borrow a line from a Dixie Chicks song. Therefore, she often serves as my literary muse.

The purpose of this blog is to link my observations and interests in human-animal studies to other like-minded folks. As anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss suggested, "animals are good to think."

In addition to adjunct teaching, I also serve my community by volunteering as a pet therapy team with Wonderful Animals Giving Support (WAGS) and I served as second Vice- President for this amazing group of people and their pets in 2010. We visit hospitals, rehab centers, schools, nursing homes, orphanages, and jails- anywhere people are separated from the animal presence. It is a delight to introduce people, usually kids in my case, to my pet ambassador, Dolly. Dolly is a 6 year old blue and white pit bull I adopted from Metro Animal Services. She is a wonderful, sweet, and loving dog whose only goal in life is to get petted. And she is a tripod! IN 2010, she was awarded Service Animal of the Year by Pet Groups United for her role in the community as an educator and ambassador for the pit bull breeds.

I am a pit bull advocate. I believe each animal should be judged not only on their genetic makeup, but also with consideration to their life experiences. Although any dog can bite, pit bulls are targeted by media and by criminals for an assumed vicious streak. Every pit bull is an individual, and we should apply a prejudice towards them no more than we should towards any other group bound by superficial assumptions. In my efforts to educate people about the danger of stereotypes, I try to imply that any stereotyping is harmful in our diverse and democratic society.

I appreciate your support and interest in my blog!