Plan for Bubba the Bald

magicre · Oct 21, 2011

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magicre · Oct 21, 2011

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magicre · Oct 21, 2011

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stajbs · Oct 22, 2011

Re, thanks, sometimes I need to be reminded that we really do live in a beautiful area of Pa. Sometimes the daily grind of life makes you forget to stop and smell the roses and actually appreciate the beauty around you. Our township is one of the three most agricultural in this state. Then having the Blue Mountain/Kittatinny Ridge and the App. Trail at the top of that mountain is truly special. With EAAC we fight constantly to control development. However every township needs its cash cow/tax base and if I go two miles west I have development, and 5/6 miles east and I've got major development...cabelas, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, RV Dealer etc. etc. It's truly amazing though in this 8 mile stretch of road along the mountain that I come close to hitting deer every night, and see turkeys regularly too.

I stopped at my favorite butcher tonight, and discussed the beef and pork. This year his beef suppliers are basically providing all pasture fed beef, we had such a drought this summer that the corn crop was terrible. He did say his suppliers occasionally do finish off with corn. The farmer across the road from me who raises a small herd of beef cattle has all pasture fed. I spoke to his daughter about that tonight. Oh, and Hatfield and several manufacturers make scrapple. I hated it as a kid, I eat it now, but as infrequently as possible and only if I get a bizarre craving. I try very hard not to think about it's contents. lol Have you ever eaten souse, or pickled tripe? That stuff is gross too. There are just some foods you don't really want the details on their ingredients, hotdogs would be another. lol

Am really enjoying the new info we are receiving on barf and cooking. Sending Bubba hair growth thoughts!! lol

magicre · Oct 22, 2011

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magicre · Oct 22, 2011

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stajbs · Oct 22, 2011

Re, you are an adventurous soul. I can't stand souse or tripe. The souse is either tongue or pigs feet varietie, with the tongue being the meatier looking one. Ugh, I ate it once at a wedding reception as a kid and when I was told what it was I swore that would not happen again.lol As far as scrapple...besides Hatfield, Martins also produces it, and there are others that escape me at the moment.

Hershey is about 45 minutes away, and Lancaster county in general is about the same. It is a beautiful area and the pace of life is a bit slower, and there is just tons and tons of agriculture. The roads are like a maze through one corn field and soy bean field after another.

I guess we are sort of stuck with the occasional beef that is finished off with corn. Although today after babysitting the grandson close to Reading PA I stopped at this market I have always wanted to visit. Lots of homemade everything. It was called the Hershey Market, just a small store near the city, but as soon as I walked in I found freezers full of pasture fed beef, pork and free range chicken. Their prices were a bit over the top for my purse, but on occasion we shall treat ourselves, if I haven't gotten to one of my regular butchers. They also sold raw milk at a better price than I have seen so far. The gallons were $5.00 and regular whole milk in the grocery store is over $4 so that price difference is worth the benefit. Their cheeses were more expensive but made with cream from pasture fed beef, I splurged on some of that, then again their prices didn't compete with Wally World but they were quite close to the other local grocery stores.

As far as feed lots, just disgusting inhumane places, and I'm not a cow/steer hugger. I simply don't like what they stand for. You cram that many cattle in that small of an area and it's a breeding ground for bacteriaand diseases. Thus the need for antibiotics, and the growth hormones to get the beef up to slaughter weight can't be good for us either. Hey, maybe I can blame beef for being a bit over weight...I've eaten growth hormone. lol Guess the meats we feed ourselves and the dogs are the best we can afford and if nothing else I know they are not coming from feed lots. I have visited our one CAFO beef farm here in the township and all I can say is it just didn't make me happy. However, I guess in some ways at least they produce food for folks who are struggling more than we are to make ends meet. Who knows, my first heating bill came....mumble, mumble....I will work within our budget but there are some things I just will not cave on.

magicre · Oct 23, 2011

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xellil · Oct 23, 2011

Re, are you aware the Amish are heavily into puppy mills? I believe the biggest puppy mill bust was an Amish farm.

From the people I have talked to here in Indiana (there aren't any Amish in texas) they consider their animals like people do any tool or crop, like a car or a field of soybeans.

Puppy Mill Articles
Amish and Puppy Mills
Puppies 'Viewed as Livestock' in Amish Community, Says Rescue Advocate - ABC News

"The farmers, the Amish and the Mennonites, they pull the heads back and then they hammer sharp instruments down their throats to scar their vocal cords so they can't bark," he said. "So that way they can have 500-600 dogs in a barn and no one knows. As we said, it's an industry of secrecy."

I will never knowingly buy anything from the Amish again, even from our local farmers' market.

magicre · Oct 23, 2011

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xellil · Oct 23, 2011

magicre said:
i was not aware of that.

any time we went to blue ball or intercourse or any amish town....never did i see them selling anything other than those beautiful quilts, their jams, and fruits and veggies.....plus they did amazing woodwork.....and had brass beds.

even at the farmer's market in lancaster county, which is just huge and covers acres and acres....i have never seen dogs, let alone ads for puppies.

i am shocked to read this. i really am.

Me too. I always thought of the Amish as benign, gentle souls taking good care of their animals.

The people in this area who have had more intimate contact with them than I ever have tell me that their attitude toward livestock is economical and dogs are a crop, to be maximized just like wheat or corn. Horses and other farm animals, the same.

I'm sure they aren't all like that. But I have read in several places that that Amish self-police through the church, and if someone breaks their faith they call them out publicly, which has never been done for dogs. So it's supported through the community, whether all are involved or not.

magicre · Oct 23, 2011

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xellil · Oct 23, 2011

magicre said:
i never saw them as a gentle people.....i thought of them as a simple people who were very honourable. but to them, animals are animals, although i remember them following the 'animals are fed before humans' philosophy, having lived so close to them....wow. i just don't get it.....largest puppy mills in lancaster county....NOT the amish i know. course, i never looked for it, but i would have noticed puppies for sale. there were always signs along the road as we entered into amish country.

I don't think they sell them locally. They are huge petstore and internet suppliers. you won't find them at the farmers markets.

xellil · Oct 23, 2011

Dog auctions:

Flight to Freedom for Puppy Mill Dogs - Ohio Dog Auction -- PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

PSPCA agents drove unmarked trucks from Philadelphia to the rural town of Baltic, Ohio in Holmes County, to attend the auction, where some of Pennsylvania's largest commercial dog breeders had sent almost four hundred breeding dogs to be sold at auction. At the same time, investigators from Main Line Animal Rescue flew a private plane, on loan from a generous supporter of MLAR, to Holmes County to attend the same auction. On board was a licensed veterinarian who provided invaluable assistance, examining dogs inside the auction and later dogs purchased by agents and volunteers. Less than two hours after leaving the auction house, several of the dogs purchased were back in the Philadelphia area, passengers on the private plane. PSPCA agents drove through the night to bring still more dogs back to Philadelphia to be evaluated and examined at our Erie Avenue facility. The dogs are receiving extensive medical treatment at this time.

At the auction, hundreds of frightened breeding dogs transported from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania were numbered and stacked to the ceiling in small fetid cages as hundreds of buyers, comprised mainly of Amish dog breeders, made their way through the narrow aisles of the crowded auction house. The majority of the breeding dogs sold were then transported to puppy mills in Ohio and in other states. Many of the filthy, terrified dogs for sale that day were registered with either the American Canine Association or America's Pet Registry, Inc. - the names of the controversial registries posted on the outside of the dogs' cages.

magicre · Oct 23, 2011

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xellil · Oct 23, 2011

magicre said:
that's what i'm saying. we used to drive to towns in amish country...i had named blue ball and intercourse, cause they always make me laugh. never saw a pet store, never saw an ad...and many sold their wares right from the farm or house....

i am not arguing, i'm just shocked

No, I know you're not. And it's very shocking. I have never seen dogs for sell by Amish or Mennonites here either, and yet I know there are large puppy mills in this state.

The way to stop it is to quit buying dogs from pet stores. People just don't get it.

cprcheetah · Oct 23, 2011

Wow that is just amazing! Love the results you are seeing with Bubba.

magicre · Oct 23, 2011

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magicre · Oct 23, 2011

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stajbs · Oct 24, 2011

Re, glad to hear Bubba is getting a bit fuzzier. Plus, I have to tell you the Amish and Mennonite in Lancaster, Lebanon and even here in Berks county are quite often in the puppy mill business. I think about 1-2 years ago when a Mennonite farmer was cited by AC several times, the only thing he could come up with to resolve the issues with the citations he had was to kill off dogs. It was all over the papers here where I live. It was horrid. They do advertise puppies in the surrounding counties more than in their own. I've been part of closing down a puppy mill in Lancaster and it was ugly, and heart wrenching, and there were things I saw I don't even want to mention here...no sense others getting teary eyed just because I am every time I remember it.

I would agree the Amish and Mennonite are a gentle, and good people in many ways, but they view the world differently. Their views about dogs are different than the views of many of us. Sadly, xellil is correct...PA is up there as one of the top 3 states with it's number of puppy mills. A lot of Amish/Mennonite have also moved to Missouri(I think) and I would expect the same problem will develop there if it hasn't already.

I think I will just mainly keep on buying my meats in my own county when possible.

Plan for Bubba the Bald

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