You win some, you lose some Part II

In a fight?  Sometimes you win some and you lose some.  If you DO lose, do not hand the winner their “win “easily.  Make them pay for every bloody inch!   Make it hurt SO badly they will not try it again! 

I had a rather nasty loss on the Animal Uncontrol front the other month.  I surrendered that particular hill, but I made them pay dearly for that win.  Pay they will!

Here is the good news.  After two years of dog nuisances emanating from across the street, and a nearly non-stop battle relating to same, the malicious dog nuts suddenly moved away!  I want to dance in the street!!!  Yeah, baby!   Who’s Your Daddy!!?!

I don’t want to critique others TOO much.  Every situation is different.  Sometimes, it is better to fold rather than raise.   I may have surrendered my volunteer hike leader position to the nutters but I have PEACE IN MY HOME. 

Let me tell you something:  Peace in my home did NOT come cheap.  There were multiple calls to authorities.  There were certified letters sent to both the miscreant and their landlord.  There were screaming matches in the street and on my front porch with threats given and received.   There were many days with endless loud barking, shits on my lawn and endless other problems.  I was slandered throughout the neighborhood.   However, I did NOT surrender my home to these scumbags.   This win did NOT come easy.  I EARNED peace in my home.     I earned it, it is MINE and I savor it every day!

Whatever your situation is, even if it is hopeless, DO NOT give the miscreant an easy win.  Make it as painful as possible for them in this day by day Armageddon.  Only when faced with the threat of painful consequences will they change their actions.  And, make no mistake:  This is a HUMAN problem.

You win some, you lose some Part I.

It’s always 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.  Who was the unqualified winner in the Pacific Theater in WW2?  That would be the ALLIES, namely the United States with plenty of help from various allies such as Australia, New Zealand, UK, and others.  However, this was not an easy thing:  We all lost a LOT along the way.  Consider this for a moment… the US Navy’s submarine losses during WW2.   there was plenty of bloody ground lost during that war.

In any war, the losses are terrible, even for the winner.  Sometimes you have to ask yourself… is this worth it?  If you believe so, you soldier on.

I have suffered a colossal loss as well as a crushing win on the Animal Uncontrol front the past few months.   I always start with the bad news first, so here goes…

I stepped up to Chairperson of my local state hiking organization in the beginning of the year.  As I had noted here and here, we have a BIG problem regarding uncontrolled dogs in the woods in my state. 

In any case, after a particularly bad episode regarding an uncontrolled dog, I decided to put my foot down.  There would be NO off leash dogs at any events.  ALL pet nuisances would be reported to both authorities AND property managers immediately.  Last but not least, ALL miscreants would be banned from the organization for good.   Accommodating troublemakers is the kiss of death, and these punks would NOT be accommodated under my regime PERIOD.  I had received many complaints from many people and many folks were threatening to quit the organization. 

Consider that a few folks thought it entertaining to turn their dogs loose to harass wildlife (usually ducks and geese).  Note that this is considered to be poaching under state law and may result in the owner being arrested and sent to prison.   If a state game warden witnesses such an act, the perp WILL be arrested.  

It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) that anyone who turns their dog loose in the subtropical jungle that comprises this state is dumber than a box of rocks.  I mean, they are so dumb that calling them stupid is an insult to stupid people.   These woods are filled with ALLIGATORS, RATTLESNAKES, WATER MOCCASINS, BEARS, PANTHERS, BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS, and other assorted wild nasties that absolutely DO NOT CARE about your impossibly stupid supremacy arguments!

Back to the political battle.   The entire leadership group was against me, and in fact turned the whole ordeal into an analysis and subsequent character assassination of Yours Truly.  This was not a hill surrendered lightly:  There were daily arguments, threats, screaming matches, fingers in the face… all of this went on for OVER A MONTH. 

I will not compromise my standards.  I would not be part of an organization that uses pets to destroy what we are chartered to protect!

I only have so much fight in me.  In May I submitted my resignation.  The dog nutters  “win” this round.   Of course, what indeed have they won?  They still have the government, property managers, and the public against them.  As I noted above, poaching is a felony in this state and I believe sufficient grounds to shoot a dog.  Partially due to my urgings, the state park service has initiated a pogrom against irresponsible pet owners.  I, and many others, continue to hike “hot”…. Get the point, Fido owners??    Maybe you won THIS round, but stay tuned….