| Open Letter To Athena Lethcoe-Harman |
| I guess it's really hit the fan this time, huh? Did you really think you could get away with business as usual once you got below the arctic circle? Did you think that having a group of naive puppy buyers shill for you would somehow protect the reputation you thought you had? First you take thousands of dollars from people, promising them dogs that are genetically superior and healthy, then you leave them twisting in the wind, trying to defend the indefensible. I'd like to think you have enough decency left to be ashamed, but after seeing photos of your dogs today, I doubt it. I used to think you were just a foolish zealot, now I know you're much worse: you're a fraud, too. Like a televangelist caught with a prostitute, you turned out to be a hypocrite and an abuser. You blackened the reputations of every breeder who strives to produce healthy and conformationally correct dogs and then you blithely drove off into the Montana sunset, leaving the rest of the world to clean up your mess. How many more dogs were there? How many more died before they got in your cattle car to Arizona? How many more are already in camps somewhere? How many died in Alaska before your odyssey began? Why do I think that you had plenty of food and water for yourself on this trip? Why do I think that you didn't defecate and urinate on the seat of the truck and then sit in it till you were caked? Why do I think you got to stretch and walk when your body got tired and cramped? Your acolytes say you love the Collie. I say, prove it. If you really love the Collie, if you ever loved the Collie, walk away from the breed. Do it now, do it today. Sign off on every dog you own, every dog you co-own, every future litter you have strings on. Let there be no Collie remaining with your name attached to it in any way. But don't stop there, plead no-contest or guilty to all your charges. Start working on paying back every penny spent to clean up your mess, instead of spending your money to defend that which has no defense. Then, turn in your cohorts on the East Coast, we all know who they are. You'll feel better when you do. When you've done all that, find a new hobby that doesn't involve any living thing. You owe that, and a whole lot more, to the Collie and to every person you've hurt by your actions. I know you'll see this online, and you and your defenders will probably dismiss it. You'll tell me that this was a freak occurence, that one episode doesn't define a career in dogs. You're wrong, this one does. You'll tell me that the facts aren't in, but believe me, they are. We all know now, and we're all watching. Montana_Justice Permission is granted to cross-post as appropriate |