WHY RADICAL PET
I’ve started RADICAL PET because I
needed a place to voice my opinions freely. You see, I have my own dog training
business, and I also work in a health food store for pets. While these give
me the opportunity to educate, they require a tempered voice. My punk background
is always behind me, urging me to speak directly and without prettiness. This
is why I’ve started RADICAL PET – so I can have my own personal
soapbox.
I’d been toying with the idea for some time, but finally decided the radical community needed this zine to become better educated. Because of course no one is perfect. We all have our issues that we pursue, our ideals that shape our lifestyle. None of us can hope to fulfill every promise. But then I saw some things that really got under my skin.
Women who appear to be part of the radical community buying into the accessory pet world. Buying their purebred puppies (of one of the particularly deformed breeds), carrying them around, cooing at, patting, and rocking them like babies. Buying them outfits and carriers. All in all displaying a wanton disregard for the consequences of their actions, not only on their own pets but on the industry that produced them. They had their living barbie dolls. I’m guessing here, but I doubt that I’m wrong – they fed them commercially produced food of questionable quality, they over-vaccinated them, they applied pesticides. And I haven’t said a word. I haven’t jumped on them about this because as I said, none of us are perfect. But I can speak to them through this zine, as well as to others like them who just don’t know any better. Just as with other aspect of our culture, pet ownership requires due diligence. We must educate ourselves about these animals we’ve taken responsibility for. We can’t just think of our own pleasure, but of our role as caretaker.
It is not my goal to make people feel bad, but to make people think. I am one who wishes I knew then what I know now, for past pets of mine. But as is life, one can only move forward.
I’m a dog person. Because of that this zine will mostly be about dogs.
Much of the information will also apply to cats, and I will do my best to
include specific information on them as well as a little bit on rabbits. I
guess I could’ve called the zine RADICAL DOG, but I liked the clash
between the two words of the title as is. I also want to widen my own education
a little too.
So there it is. I’m not called Dogrrrl for nuthin.
