Police Brutality – It’s NOT “Just a Dog” and We can’t “Just Get Another One”

Last night, my assistant Ian showed me a video that made me sick to my stomach…

A boy and girl in Texas, both about college age, desperately rushing to the hospital to save their dog’s life. Their dog, Missy, was choking and couldn’t breathe, and they were driving 100 miles per hour on the freeway to get to the vet in time, when the police pulled them over.

And what followed was a perfect example of why I ride to save dogs’ lives.

The driver got out of the car in a frenzy – panicked and screaming, “My dog is dying! My dog is dying! – Please help me, I need to get to the vet!”

But Officer Paul Stephens of the San Marcos, Texas, police department ignored his pleas, and demanded that he pull out his drivers’ license.

Next came more begging – and a look of desperation in his eyes – as the driver watched his dog’s life slipping away, forever.

And what did this callous, unfeeling, police officer, say to him next? Words that broke my heart wide open…

“It’s just a dog,” he said, “you can get another one.”

I literally gasped with horror – not believing what I had just heard.

Because you see, that’s the problem… It’s NOT “just a dog…”

It’s OUR dog! A member of OUR family…. and a friend worth driving 100 miles per hour on the freeway for, if her life was at stake.

A friend worth riding 4,281 miles across country on a bicycle for – if you thought you could help.

Won’t you help us show the Officer Stephens of the world that these dogs are NOT replaceable…

That they’re loved and cherished family members.

That, unlike him, WE care about dog owners who love their dogs so much they would drive 100 miles per hours to get them to the vet in an emergency. Or sell their only vehicle to pay for their dog’s cancer surgery. Or plead for help from charities like The Magic Bullet Fund, The Marty Miracle Fund and The Dog Cancer Ride Across America – so they can afford the treatments that can save their dog’s life.

And that we will NOT stand by and watch them die.

Not without a fight!

I’ve sent a copy of this letter to Officer Stephens and the San Marcos, Texas police department.

But you can send a message too.

Please visit our Dog Cancer Ride Across America website and make a donation to help us save dogs’ lives.

Help us make a difference.

Sincerely,

Ted Schneck
in Knoxville, Tennessee along
The Dog Cancer Ride Across America
www.DogCancerRide

P.S. The police video Ian sent me has been broadcast across the country, but in case you haven’t seen it, here’s the link so you can watch and see for yourself why we do what we do.

http://www.dogcancerride.com/texas-police-video.html

P.P.S. There are 3 ways you can donate to help The Dog Cancer Ride
Across America save dogs’ lives…

1) Visit our main DogCancerRide.com donation page (this is the
page where most people register to have their dog’s tribute added
to the Map of Heroes)

You can find the main donation page at

http://www.DogCancerRide.com/donation-options.html

- or -

2) Visit our “FirstGiving” charity fundraising page to make a
secure credit card donation of any amount…

http://www.FirstGiving.com/dogcancerride

- or -

3) You can always mail a check to Giving Globally (the charity
that sponsors the ride and helps us collect and distribute the
donations we receive)

Make you check out for any amount to
“Giving Globally – Dog Cancer Ride”

And mail your check to…

Giving Globally
6443 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.
Suite 370
Portland, OR 97221

(Note: Giving Globally is a U.S. non-profit 501(c)(3) charity
organization and donations are tax deductible)

And of course, if you have any questions or need any help please
feel free call me at 503-998-3880 or e-mail me at ted@dogcancerride.com.

Thank you.

Day 67 – Catching Up In Iowa

Sorry I’ve been away from the blog front for a while… We’ve been focusing on riding and taking care of some other fundraising elements around the ride.

When we last left our ride – I had just completed my second 100-mile century ride of the trip and made my way through Lincoln, Nebraska. Since then, we’ve worked our way up through Omaha, Nebraska and over to Des Moines, Iowa (which is where I’m blogging from now). We’ve made some pretty good progress as and we’re right on track for our finish in Virginia Beach on or about August 26th.

The main theme for the past few days has been “hot and humid” – everyone warned me that the Midwest in July was not going to be pretty weather wise, and they were definitely right on target. The deeper we get into the Midwest the more the humidity picks up, and the 100 degree days that were marginally bearable out west become more and more oppressive with every passing mile. The good part is that as you bicycle along you create your own 15 mile per hour breeze, so even the humid Midwest heat isn’t all that bad. The only really bad times are the uphills – when you only create a 5 mile per hour breeze – and there are loads of rolling hills out here in Iowa, so you keep going back and forth between breezy and comfortable vs. hot and sweaty.

At least the headwinds have finally died down. Since Lincoln we’ve had mostly calm air with an occasional slight tail-wind at my back. It’s not quite the jet-stream super-boost I was hoping for when I hit the Midwest, but I’ll take it over headwinds any day of the week.

As for Iowa, I think we arrived about 10 days too late (it’s a shame, because that’s almost exactly how much we got delayed when our car died in Pocatello, Idaho). We just missed the end of an annual Iowa event called “RAGBRAI” – (The Des Moines) “Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa” Each year about 15,000 bicycle riders hit the road to, as the name describes, Ride Across Iowa. But this is no ordinary ride – from the bicycle friends we’ve met in Des Moines it sounds like RAGBRAI is more like a 500 mile rolling party. There are literally “Beer Gardens” set up for the rides in each city – and it sounds like beer is the drink of choice for many along the route. (The police literally have to enforce beer garden closure times – and related mandatory town bar closing times – to keep riders moving out of town and along the route.) It sounds like an insane but wonderful experience – one that I’m seriously considering joining in (the ride, not the beers) next summer.

And finally, I’m typing the conclusion to this “catch up” blog as quickly as possible, because in about 20 minutes we’re heading off to the local radio station to do an on-air radio interview about the Dog Cancer Ride Across America. It’s actually going to be the 4th radio interview for me in the last 24 HOURS. Crazy. Last night I spent 40 minutes on air (by telephone) with Fred Haney in Phoenix, Arizona for his “My Doggie Says…” radio program. (What a great experience – Fred was wonderful to talk with). And this morning it was off to a local station here in Des Moines (95KGGO – Classic Rock) to join the morning show with Lou Sipolt… and then, as we were heading out of the station, Lou got us an interview on the “Hatfield & McCoy Morning Show” on country radio KJJY 92.5, which happens to broadcast out of the same studio as KGGO. Between the 2 stations, we were probably heard by over 250,000 listeners.

And now it’s back to the same studios (I think 4 or 5 stations actually broadcast out of the same building) for our 1:20 PM interview on Des Moines talk radio station, 98.3 WOW.FM.

So like I said, just be cause I haven’t been blogging much lately (sorry about that, I should be getting back into the daily routine again starting tonight) there’s been a lot going on around the Dog Cancer Ride Across America.

And it’s thanks to you, and our wonderful supporters across the country, that everything we do to get the word out, fill up the map of heroes, and raise money to help dogs get the cancer care they deserve, is moving towards success as we ride our way towards Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Keep up the great work.

Live On-Air from Des Moines, Iowa – this is Ted Schneck saying goodbye along The Dog Cancer Ride Across America.

Bye for now.  Next stop Kansas City.