Over the last 9 years, I have spent a lot of time volunteering with various veteran organizations, socializing with veteran friends, visiting the VA Hospital with my therapy dogs Liam and Leonidas, as well as teaching a Canine Connections class at that same VA. I have learned a lot about the individuals in the veteran …

Loving v. Virginia June 12th was the 50 year anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision that struck down state bans on interracial marriage.  We have often addressed the ways the human-canine bond can be a lens for us to examine social issues we face, and specifically, how we think about breed, and the systems we have …

In his journey to understand and explain the true nature of Space-time, Einstein had to overcome intuition and conventional wisdom to get to the truth. “It is not the depth of mathematics that makes Einstein’s special relativity challenging. It is the degree to which the ideas are foreign and apparently inconsistent with our everyday experiences.  …

What do Russian “active measures” undertaken to interfere with the 2016 election have in common with tactics of the anti-pit bull movement?   One of the biggest stories of 2017 is the overt Russian , “active measures,” or interference in our 2016 election using various forms of cyber-intrusion and psychological warfare.  The more I learned …

“[P]ublic policy is not a parlor game of prediction; it is about long-term choices rooted in thoughtful consideration of costs and alternatives.” – Tom Nichols, The Death of Expertise “This is not about a fact, it’s about a feeling.” – Aurora, Co City Councilwoman Molly Markert, defending her city’s breed ban   There is a …

Over-legislating the daily lives of citizens ruins our chance for civil discourse. In our culture’s odd obsession with legislating our way to complete safety and a risk-free existence, we have a history of legislatively overreacting to rare tragedies.  And in instances where action is warranted, we have a history of picking the easiest path (without …

P-Nut turns 14 today! She is the one who started it all – the butterfly wings that set the chaos of my adult life in motion.  For her birthday, I’m sharing the synchronicity between me, her, and the music of her namesake. When I first heard 311, in 1992, I was at that magical age …

Nothing gets me excited like intelligent, thorough, exhaustively researched, well written and simply explained material.  By all accounts, that’s what we will be getting with Bronwen Dickey’s Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon.  But from the interviews, reviews and excerpts I’ve read, one thing in particular has me eagerly awaiting this read: “[Dickey] repeatedly …

For a very small number of us, Memorial Day can be difficult to grapple with because of the memories and experiences of war and where those experiences fit at home. But for the vast majority of us, Memorial Day can be difficult to grasp because we never had those experiences.  Only a very small segment of our population …

A dog, a dad, and death. On any given day, an animal shelter is either a beacon for the repair of the human canine bond, or it is a monument to its betrayal and failure.  The enormity of broken hearts and broken bonds is only matched by the people in there who tirelessly work to …

The ugly racist and classist underpinnings of breed specific legislation have come to the surface again, this time in Aurora, CO.  We speak often about the connection between the “pit bull issue” and racism, race issues and bigotry.  Sometimes racism is not just a connection, it’s a main cause.  In Lancaster, CA,  breed specific legislation …

It is well documented that we often do not precieve dangers in proportion to the real risk they present to us – an effect called “risk telescoping.”  It is also well documented that there are a lot of things in our lives that are a great deal more dangerous to us than dogs.  But mispercieving …

Love Them to Death There are a lot of challenges to being an advocate for dogs and for the human canine bond.  We have to deal with a public who often has a distorted view of the risks of being with dogs and of their “cleanliness,” we also have to deal with people who don’t …

The Clone Wars Shark scientists and enthusiasts point out that we have an irrational fear of sharks because we are not familiar with them and therefore do not understand them.  Feeling irrational fear is not the only negative when we remain unfamiliar with something in our world.  Some of the things we don’t feel, such …

For day 3 we have the official Landshark Week 2014 Tee. You can purchase it from our online store.

Breaking News: Scary Pit Bull Articles are Old News The oldest ongoing news story in the country is every scary “pit bull” article.  When what’s-her-name wrote that cookie-cutter scary “pit bull” piece for for that clock online website I had to do a double take at the publishing date to see if I really saw …

Even though, statistically, sharks pose very little danger to us, if you find yourself in shark infested waters there are some basic skills and knowledge you can learn to increase your safety and chances for survival. Those lessons are best conveyed by experts in diving and shark biology and behavior.  People who swim where sharks …

“Sit Sparky!…Good Boy.  Now shake!…good boy.  Now don’t be gay!…Don’t be gay Sparky!”  “What kind of dog is he?” asked the older woman in the veterinary waiting area. Bruce is a handsome “blue” dog.  To people who know about such things, he carries all the mythical “coolness” of his blue color, and to people who …

(All dogs pictured are happily adopted dogs saved from Topeka, KS) Anthony, 6.26.10 UPDATE: 9.20.10 Diary entry #3 of the Topeka  Repeal! On Thursday, September 16, 2010, the City of Topeka’s Public Safety Committee met to discuss the proposed revisions to the city’s current animal ordinance.  Highlights of the ordinance included the ineffectiveness of the …

A Connection, Not A Cause. Fruitvale Station is sure to be an intense movie that will touch on difficult issues and will inspire varied, passionate and emotional reactions. Game Dog Guardian feels a special connection with the scene writer/director Ryan Coogler created between the lead character and a pit bull – both for the amazing …

PARTNERSHIPS AND FRIENDSHIPS “What started out as an outreach program, turned into an amazing friendship,” says Anthony Barnett, Founder and Director of Game Dog Guardian. As GDG started to volunteer with the Collegiate Veterans Association at KU, we found that by working together we accomplished so much more together. The symbiotic support system in our …

Best things I’ve learned spending time with veterans this year: Anthony, Memorial Day 2012 Veterans are a very special group of people. Appreciate the ones who came home, always remember the ones who didn’t. They are not special because they are different or “a breed apart;” they are special because they are exactly the same …

It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the color of his owner… For anybody who thinks banning pit bulls is really about the dogs, we have an eye-opening quote for you from the great state of Michigan.  The city of Sterling Heights, MI is considering a few amendments to its dangerous dog statute …

Don’t look now, but it’s more of the same from PETA.  They just love dogs so dang much!  And nothing says love like stifling animal adoptions and encouraging mass killing!  (This is for those of you who made excuses for PETA or thought the last letter we posted was an isolated event.  It’s not – it’s official …

For a full look at the PETA letter to Sumner County Sheriff’s Office without the “helpful” notes: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 PETA, PETA, Pumpkin Eeta In “Lead By Example,” we covered the Sumner County, KS Sherrif Deptartment’s efforts to save some abused and neglected pit bulls.  We briefly mentioned their disastrous attempt to contact PETA when …

FEMA:  Pet Issues are People Issues “Historical Incidents have shown that citizens may refuse to evacuate from a disaster area when first responders will not provide for the care of their pets.  Considering [this] fact, ensuring animal welfare by incorporating household pet and service animal considerations into emergency operational plans is vital to protecting human …