My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigils Reach All The Way To China
My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigils Reach All The Way To China
Last year they were held on the eve of the implementation of Ontario's infamous breed ban - Bill 132, and on the heels of Denver's breed ban.
I could not, in good conscience , let Ontario's Bill 132 just happen without most of the U.S. knowing about it, without marking the passage a law that called for the extermination of innocent dogs because of their breed.
Dog owners in Canada were planning a several vigils, and I thought we in the US should stand in solidarity with our fellow dog owners in Canada against breed bans. We needed to DO SOMETHING to stop the insidious spread of fear and hate - and let our elected officials know that dog lovers would be united against BSL - or breed-specific legislation.
Think Globally, Act Locally
Last year, the first My Dog Votes Worldwide Candlelight Solidarity Vigils (in 2005) were announced, and to my surprise - response came in from all over the world. Twenty-five vigils sprung up last year, from Washington State to Melbourne, Australia. Dog lovers everywhere could relate and sent heartfelt emails in support, signing up for the vigil - in languages I didn't even know - to bring light to the issue.
Now -for the 2006, the 2nd Annual My Dog Votes Worldwide Candlelight Vigil Against Breed Bans, we have an even bigger goal - to DOUBLE the number of locations around the world bringing more awareness to breed bans, and the killing of innocent dogs.
All The Way To China
So last weekend, when I woke up to a bunch of emails all the way from China ........................
Yup - China
...... no one was more surpised than me!
It seems that news of the 2nd Annual My Dog Votes Worldwide Candlelight Vigils Against Breed Bans has been posted on numerous chat boards in China following the the mass dog slaughters there last week.
Shocked and Saddened
Chinese dog lovers were shocked and saddened at the mass dog killings- and began posting their feelings on the Internet. They wanted to commemorate the loss of these innocent dogs - and I received numerous emails asking how they could help.
While the My Dog Votes Worldwide Candlight Vigils were organized in response to breed bans - we share the same outrage and sadness at the slaughter of innocent dogs as our new friends in China.
No Borders Are Bound By Love
My Dog Votes invites ALL groups and individuals to participate and show solidarity against the cruel, ignorant and brutal policies that slaughter innocent dogs.
O
ne young woman in China has emailed that she has 300 people attending her local vigil, and as of today, there are now several My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigils planned for 3 major cities in China - Beijing, Changsha and Kunming.
Is it not striking, then, when it comes to dogs, we know no borders? Despite different languages, and cultures and governments, and distances that literally span the globe, we are bound together, in a most unusual and unifying way - by the love we feel for our dogs.
Take Heart & Take A Stand
Take heart, my friends - and then take a stand for innocent dogs around the world, from Boston to Beijing, and from Kansas City to Kunming, and join .......
The 2nd Annual My Dog Votes Worldwide Candlelight Vigil Against Breed Bans
- Portsmouth, NH
- Cookeville, TN
- Rhinebeck, NY
- Richland, MS
- Cottonwood, AZ
- Ridgeland, SC
- Vandercook Lake, MI
- Northport, ME
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Monticello, IA
- Greeley, CO
- Birmangham, AL
- Seattle, WA
- Lake Worth, FL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Punxsatawney, PA
- Englishtown, NJ
- Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Beijing, China
- Changsha, Hunan, China
- Fall River, MA
To join, send an email to: info@mydogvotes.com
- Include Your Name of Group Name
- Vigil Venue (home, park, city hall, etc.)
- City/State/Province/Country/Postal Code
Light a Candle, Save A Life
Download the organizers flyer here:
- USA Download MDV.US.VigilFlyer.pdf
- CANADA Download MDV.Canada.VigilFlyer.pdf
- ALL OTHER COUNTRIES Download MDV.Gen.VigilFlyer.pdf
My Dog Votes, Does Yours???
Ann Gearhart:
Trust me,in China,there are as many dog-loving people feeling the same way as you are toward this event of killing innocent dogs. If you search on China's most popular searching engine 'baidu',you will find out more than enough proofs of our indignation to this horrible slaughter. It is a pity that the govenment won't listen, but it dose not mean this contury's people do not care.
I found this blog just minutes ago,and I have sent it to many friends and bbs. We will all pray for the loss of lives on that night！Maybe I can not manage the vigil on a great scale, yet there will be candlelights, loving hearts and everything.
Lynn Zhou
Posted by: Lynn Zhou from Chongqing China | August 15, 2006 at 05:05 PM
I post my horror at the unspeakable events in China. I hope that the materials available to us from My Dog Votes are not manufactured in China. Our symbolic outrage with the vigils is certainly a way to show how much we care about dogs- our dogs, their dogs, all dogs. But I doubt that govenment officials will be swayed by the lighting of our candles. I think the deafening silence of no $ in their econmic banks could be a more obvious way to show how much we care about dogs and their inhumane actions. In a global economy Made In China has almost become commonplace. Not for me anymore. If I can not find it from a somewhat more humane country, I do not need it. Perhaps some of you feel the same. China: not on my vacation list, shopping list or humane list. Keep the candles burning and the information coming regarding this international tragedy.
Ann Gearhart
EDITOR's NOTE: There are multitudes of loving Chinese dog owners who are as upset and outraged as we are about the recent events. In fact, this blog is receiving much traffic from Chinese dog lovers, as news of the My Dog Votes Worldwide Candlelight Vigils Against Breed Bans has made its way to China. Chinese dog lovers are joining the MDV Vigils (see the full MDV Event Calendar) in Wuhan, Beijing and KanMing, to light a candle and commemorate the deaths of innocent dogs there.
Please include the Chinese people - who are suffering the loss of their innocent dogs through no fault of their own - in your thoughts and prayers during the My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigils - as they too have lost.
PS - My Dog Votes products are made in the USA & Canada.
Posted by: Ann Gearhart | August 10, 2006 at 11:01 AM
I have always said that BSL is all about respect for dogs - and not about dog breeds - that people should be fighting BSL not because they own a targetted breed - but because they are fighting for respect for ALL dogs - and the fact that China and the resident's there are planning vigil's timed with vigil's in North America in response to the horrible slaughter they've lived through in their own country points out that what they've witnessed really IS about RESPECT. For THEIR dogs - and for them as dog owners. What they are going to be fighting for is exactly the same thing that we've been fighting for over here. We all have no choice but to win. Our dogs' very lives depend on it.
Joan in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posted by: Joan | August 09, 2006 at 02:57 PM