Day 5 in the Box

Thank you Delores McKenzie-Bush for photographing my piece. I was revisited today by a student who had seen me previously and who was kind enough to stop in to make sure I was doing okay and to see if I wanted anything. It was nice knowing that I had made such an impression that he came back to make sure that I am okay. It is also nice to see that kind of genuine concern for another, for a stranger even, given the self-absorbed lifestyle that is typically encouraged and accepted as the norm.

My back and neck are very stiff tonight. I will be going to the chiropractor tomorrow morning for a scheduled appointment, and I am interested to see what he has to say about what I am doing. Also, I am noticing more and more that peering at people through the bars is straining on my eyes, especially when the fluorescents have been left off in favor of the gallery track lighting. I can't even begin to imagine how some of these dogs can see at all after living out their lives with such small traces of light for so long.

In order to be more true to the experience that the puppy mill dogs must endure, I have decided not to take in any new reading material this week and to try to spend one day without anything to read. This will likely occur on Saturday. I will post my feelings about that later on this week after I do it.

I realized today that I should impart some resources so that those of you keeping up with the blog can learn more about what I have been reading, look up information on puppy mills and look for a dog. (I hadn't thought about this earlier because I have provided hard copy information that people can take with them at the gallery; it just occurred to me that some online viewers may want to know too.)

Bitch magazine
http://bitchmagazine.org/

To learn more about puppy mills and what you can do to help:

Local Organizations:
Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation (MAAL)
http://maal.org/index.asp
St. Louis Animal Rights Team (START)
http://start4animals.org/

National Organizations:
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
http://aspca.org/
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/
Humane Society of the United States
http://hsus.org/
http://stoppuppymills.org/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
http://www.peta.org/

If you are looking for a dog, please check out reputable dog rescue sites and shelters.
Animal Protective Association of Missouri
http://www.apamo.org/
Humane Society of the United States
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/
http://petfinder.com/