Putin is going to the dogs...

I love dogs, but I haven't been able to have one most of my life. I was single till I was in my 40s, so I've had cats. You can leave them alone for a few days without issue. When I got married, we adopted a Sheppard-Lab mix named Elmer. A couple of years later we got a stray Puggle and named him Bugs. Unfortunately Bugs passed on from pancreatitis a year ago, and we miss him terribly. I've also loved K9s and the dogs of other friends and family. 

And I really don't like people who mistreat dogs (pets in general). I really hate people who buy strong willed dogs like Pit Bulls or German Sheppards, then ignore them. Dogs need discipline and training. Without which they go wild, and in some cases can be a thret to others. Last year I used my pistol for the first time, and it was for a charging Pit Bull. I would have preferred to shot the owner. 

I was listening to Mark Levin and he referenced a report from the American Spectator. Vlad Putin, Biden's BFF, likes to show off his masculinity. I would say toxic masculinity, but masculinity is not toxic. In this case, the man is toxic. But he mentioned an article on how Putin keeps a number of large dogs, and apparently likes to use them to intimidate his visitors. Especially the ones from the west:

Vladimir Putin has an assortment of hounds. Think “Hound of the Baskervilles” sort of hounds. Among them are some of the meanest, nastiest mongrels you’ve ever seen. These aren’t cuddly lapdogs or yipping dachshunds or happy little puppies with names like “Checkers.” No, these are ferocious attack dogs. 

In behavior strange even by Russian macho standards, Putin seems to maintain these creatures as extensions of his manliness, and he measures unmanliness by those intimidated by his beasts. He has applied this beastly standard to several world leaders, including one of our own, President Barack Obama.

 

I first heard of this Putin–dog thing from a former student who went on to run a very successful international consulting firm, and whom I must leave nameless for reasons that will be obvious. I’ll call him “John.” 

He advises foreign governments, and has met prime ministers of Britain, India, the German chancellor, and others. 

One day in the summer of 2014, John went to Moscow for meetings with top Russian officials in the Kremlin...John was in a meeting with three other Americans and six or seven Russians. One of these Russians John had met in Washington several weeks prior. John was bewildered that this particular Russian had made a big deal about President Barack Obama’s dog, Bo, a friendly, playful creature that the Russian dismissed contemptuously as a wimpy and unmanly dog. He intimated that this made Obama wimpy and unmanly... 

Barrack Hussein Obama mmm mmm mmm is wimpy and unmanly, dog or not. ...

He asked John repeatedly, incredulously why this president would have such a weak and unimpressive dog. John said he really didn’t know, didn’t think it was a big deal, and tried to move on. 

...Circle back to the summer meeting in Moscow, at the Kremlin...John was taken aback at the sight of none other than Vladimir Putin himself suddenly darkening the room...Putin walked up to John, and the Americans and said to them in his expressionless voice, “Come with me, I want to show you something.” John didn’t need to wait for the translation. He told his colleagues, “Let’s go. He wants to show us something.”

 

...the grimacing Putin showed them roughly 10 of the fiercest-looking canines that John had ever seen. There were restrained in large cages. Putin then looked at the Americans and said simply and sternly, “This is what a real dog looks like. Tell your president.”

 

...There was a lot of meaning in this — about Russians, about Putin, and about Putin’s views of his lesser adversaries...

 

Not surprising. Putin wasn't impreseed with Obama, or many in the west during his years. Another example

 

“I understand why he has to do this,” said Angela Merkel in 2007, referring to Vladimir Putin, “to prove he’s a man. He’s afraid of his own weakness. Russia has nothing, no successful politics or economy. All they have is this.”

 

Wow. Now there’s a statement. What could have possibly prompted such a harsh, bitter assessment by one major world leader against another?

 

In more than one of their meetings, Vladimir Putin brought in his dogs to saunter and sniff at Merkel, who is terribly afraid of dogs, and Putin knows it. One incident in Sochi in 2007 was recalled in a profile of Merkel in the New Yorker. In this case, the dog was reportedly Putin’s black lab, Koni...

I had no question of Mr. Putin's masculinity issues before this article. Then again, he also has at his disposal over 4,000 nuclear weapons. I think that would give me a buzz. But he will make you uncomfortable and if you object, tell you where you can go, deal with it. Remember one of his predecessor's was Joe Stalin. This is the big game and the big dogs play here.  

Angola does it again...

Early last year I posted on how the inmates from Angola, the most famous of Louisiana's prisons, had a carpentry program that built custom made caskets. And they had prepared the caskets for American's pastor, the Reverend Bill Graham. Now more good news on the least of God's children:

Inmates in Angola's new PAWS program train service dogs for veterans: 'It's a win-win'

Timothy Gray hasn’t been in Iraq for years, but his time in combat with the U.S. National Guard still affects him. His back and shoulder injuries make it hard to change positions, especially moving from sitting to standing — but mostly he is overwhelmed by what’s in his head. The night terrors. The anxiety. The panic that comes with a simple trip to the grocery store.

For four years, Gray had his self-trained service dog at his side, helping him get through the daily aftermath of his time at war, but in October the dog’s cancer left the Gonzales man alone.

“It’s been rough without him,” Gray said. “Still to this day I see demons in my sleep. … It’s difficult but with the right support, it makes everything a lot easier.”

And less than two months later, Gray found a surprising place —the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola — to provide him with just the support he needs.

There, a group of inmates is training rescue dogs to be service animals to help veterans like Gray deal with day-to-day activities like taking medication or navigating crowded rooms and handle the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries or other physical injuries.

And it was there that Gray met Magnum, his new highly-trained service dog and companion.

“He is huge,” Gray said, laughing as he crouched down to meet the large, black animal, who was a rescue. “(He) gives me life back.”

Magnum, a black Labrador/mastiff mix, worked with an inmate for about a year, becoming trained in more than 30 obedience commands and seven tasks, some specific to the needs of Gray, said Maj. Keavin Tanner, who runs the service dog academy for the Department of Corrections. The dog is trained to wake Gray up if he’s having a nightmare, intervene when it senses Gray is becoming anxious and be a brace for Gray when stands up.

Tanner, the prison’s unofficial "dog whisperer," works at least once a week with the dogs and inmates, all of whom volunteered to be in the PAWS programs — Prisoners Assisting Warriors Service. He said they slowly build on the progress the trainers make each week as they work and live with their dogs. Gray was the third veteran to receive a service dog from the program since it kicked off in July 2017. All the dogs come from the Department of Corrections PenPals program, a shelter for rescued animals at the Dixon Correctional Center in Jackson.

The PAWS program operates solely on donations and volunteer work, with the support of the corrections department, but no state funding.

“It’s a win-win, for the animal, for the inmate and for whoever ends up with the dog,” said state Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc. “It’s a really unique opportunity for everyone...”

...Like most of the inmates at Angola, Strogen is serving a life sentence; he was convicted of second-degree murder almost two decades ago. But he said being a part of PAWS has felt like a positive way to spend his time in prison — and this program hits close to home for him...

...And Angola Warden Darrel Vannoy said he can see the difference the dogs are making around the prison. Right now, only about a dozen dogs are in the program, but as the program expands, Vannoy hopes to keep some of the trained dogs at the prison to support and give comfort to those inmates who could most benefit, like those with disciplinary issues or mental illness.

A great effort in a most noble cause. I've got many friends who use comfort dogs after traumatic experiences, and they are worth their weight in gold. Thank you gentlemen, please keep up in your work.

This dog moves at this own speed...

As slow as he wants to!

The English Mastiff was bred as a stationary guard dog. Unlike German Shepherds, mastiffs can't run fast, seeing they are easily over 200 pounds. Now, if he gets his teeth in you...let's just day your day went down. Enjoy and have a great short week! Football in two days!