The Demise of M.U.T.T.

In reviewing our demographic group of dog bloggers, I find that there is a surfeit of competing revolutionary movements. Not only do we have the much revered HULA, but we also have the ongoing Blue Bull movement at Ayatollah Mugsy's blog. There is a glut on the market for revolution, and there just aren't enough buyers out there. It's in recognition of this, that the M.U.T.T. movement is going to move underground. Our mission was pure, but I'm afraid I've scratched my itch for soapbox oratory.

Now, I must reveal my true plot in launching M.U.T.T. In simplest terms, I had some phenomenal ideas for designs for neo-socialist dog t-shirts, and I was developing a lame rationale for them to exist. I like them, and Pappy likes them, and that's all that really matters. I'd still kind of like to do a shirt with the stoic canine proletarian waving the M.U.T.T. flag in front of the dawn of the new order, but that might be a little over the top.

By the way, I got my sample t-shirt from Printfection, and I was very impressed with the result. They were able to print the logo large and well centered on the shirt. I haven't washed it yet, but the colors seemed good and saturated. I'm certainly not embarassed at the prospect of them being sold. There have been two orders since I put up the store, but I suspect it was my brother and his wife.

M.U.T.T. Manifesto, Part 1

There is a spectre haunting dog parks, the spectre of M.U.T.T.

A while back I was ranting about faceless conspiracies to deny mixed-breed dogs their due, framing the mission of Pappy's organization, Mongrels and Underdogs Together for Tolerance. Many of the good comrades of this site are purebreds of the milky-purest bloodlines, but their mere presence here indicates they feel a greater bond to dogness than attachment to any breedist heirarchies. And yet mutts continue to have issues of self-esteem, lacking a sense of common identity.

Take the Labradoodle. Five years ago even their owners would have called them mutts. Straight hair, curly hair, long hair, short hair, tall, short, fat, thin-- they're generally friendly, but I've never seen two Labradoodles that looked recognizably alike. Just do an image search to get my point. Pack a few pounds on Pappy, die him one color, and I could pass him off as a Labradoodle without anyone being the wiser.

Yet rather than glorying in their diversity-- celebrating that each could be identified separately in a crowd-- forces seek to isolate Labradoodles as a designer breed, while others in turn squabble to deny them that identity. My advice to them and everydog is to gather under the banner of M.U.T.T. and tear down breedism. It's a shame Pappy's is always napping, else we could have ourselves a revolution.

We can all be in if there is no outside...

Poor Pappy the mutt. Too often, he clings to his semblance of a breed-identity as a "terrier". But even then, would this win him a place in an AKC competition? No. Can he join a breed-specific web ring without fear of being ostracized? No again. Though he has more traits in common with than different from his purebred counterparts, his generic dog-ness excludes him. It's time to stop pretending.

I'm thinking of organizing a movement of mutts. And this movement would be inclusive of all dogs and breeds, since they are not the ones that choose to impose these artificial divisions. It is The Establishment! Yes, after fading out after the mid-seventies, they have resurfaced to sow discord and undermine dogs' 17,000 year franchise as humanity's first and best friend.

Ask yourself this: do poodles ask to have pom-poms carved into their luxurious manes? No! (Of course if they do like their pom-poms, I'm not judging them.) Would the Great Dane lay down with the Chihuahua? In a second, if he could work out the logistics. Dogs tend towards homogeneity in the state of nature, and it is only The Establishment imposing these divisions of breed.

The movement needs to have a catchy name and acronym. Hmmm, Mongrels and Underdogs Together for Tolerance? Discussions are ongoing. I may need to take a little time off from blogging to give this matter and our mission some serious consideration. Plus we're headed out of town for the holidays.

More later! 'Til then, fight the power.