The Workday Reading: August 21, 2015

Aug 21, 2015

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Finals week deadlines finally caught up with me.  Just one post today.  Back next week…unless I’m asleep.  In which case, back in September. (Kidding.)

***

1) The Ashley Madison hack is taking over the Internet.  15,000 government employees used their work computers and/or emails to solicit affairs.  You can search the list by email address.

2) Matt & Nat makes mid-price ‘vegan leather’ bags.  I am obsessed with the lines on this sleek tote.  And this $120 Carrie satchel looks much more expensive than its tag price.

3) Two female soldiers will graduate Ranger School today.  A male colleague examines the thorny course they’ll navigate to being accepted by their peers.  After reading this article, I think they can handle it.

4) Every blogger I read seems to be showing this fringe-clutch from LOFT.  Personally, this jacquard pouch is more my speed.

5) 16 successful women discuss what they wish they knew when they started their first job.

6) Nordstrom Rack has some hot shoes right now. I love the mix of textures on these Sam Edelman pumps.  These Nine West t-straps are fierce and under-$50.  Need flats? They have my favorite Ciao Bella’s back in stock.

7) Tricks to make yourself wake up earlier.  I only needed one: Buy a puppy.

8) This Antonio Melani work dress comes in the most gorgeous jewel tones.  I still love this lace blush-colored dress too.  I also like the relaxed chic of this belted Tahari dress.

9) The Grist discusses how the media and the creators of aggregated news got the California drought-combating ‘shade ball’ story all wrong.  Hint: The balls have almost nothing to do with the drought.

10) I bought this Sephora ‘fold out’ travel bag for all my cosmetics.  And.I.Am.Loving.It.

11) The controversial way some parents are choosing their baby’s gender.

Eye Candy.  This Prabal Gurung top from The Outnet is a showstopper.  The gorgeous cut-out styling also comes in dress form.

Workday Reading

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  1. Laura says:

    *Or adopt a puppy!

  2. Lauren says:

    We just adopted a new puppy and he is better than any alarm clock lol.

  3. Megan says:

    Yes, adopt do not buy. #adoptdontshop

  4. Sara says:

    Oh, please, people. Just be happy for Belle that she has a furry forever friend who is adorable as heck!
    Belle, I wish you more sleep… I promise, it gets better. 🙂

    • LS says:

      “Oh please” really? Tens of thousands of dogs are living and being euthanized because many people think shelter dogs are tainted or imperfect.

      Politely suggesting adoption as an alternative seems perfectly reasonable.

      • ThinkAboutIt says:

        But then who will buy the puppy mill dogs?

        • Belle says:

          Not every purchased dog came from a mill. I sat on shelter waiting lists for a dog that didn’t shed for almost a year. Some people have other reasons why they need to buy a dog; mine came from a small breeder.

      • C says:

        Megan’s response came off as more shaming than “polite.” Some people have allergies and need to pick specific breeds if they’re going to have a pet at all. But, please, enjoy your high horse.

        • Crystal says:

          Agreed.
          And some people — despite being or trying to be great dog-parents — will almost never be able to get (1) a dog that suits their preferences/needs (activity level, size, allergies, not on the “banned breed” list for your housing situation, friendly with other pets/children) and (2) get approved. I live in a one-bedroom with no backyard, and I often work long hours. That I have tons of private green space and also run with my dog, take her on hikes, socialize and train her, and generally try to give her the best life I can, wouldn’t ever have been enough to get a dog through, say Boxer Rescue, which seems to think you should be a wealthy stay-at-home parent who likes to go on three runs a day with your dog. One can recognize the importance of rescuing a dog while also recognizing it isn’t a feasible option for one’s current situation.
          PS: Purchasing a dog does not equate to supporting puppy mills.

  5. carla says:

    I am very pro rescue dog because of the reasons previously mentioned, but sometimes adoption is not an option due to size constraints and availability. I tried to adopt last year and all the facilities within 100 miles of me had to offer were very big loveable options. Not possible in a studio or small city place. So, I made a donation to my local shelter and purchased a small dog.

  6. Valerie says:

    Re #6: Belle, did you find the Ciao Bella flats took a while to break in? I’m looking for good work flats, but my last black pair gave me worse blisters than some heeled shoes (and I didn’t even wear them to commute home).

  7. TM says:

    Does anyone have a really positive story about adopting a 2-year-old large mutt who’d been abused and doesn’t play well with others or a 4-year-old beagle who barks incessantly? Because as some have pointed out, there are waiting lists for “desirable” dogs and puppies. Yes, there are lots of sad pictures of calm dogs, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that a person can’t have a dog unless they can commit a good portion of their life to rehabilitating an adult hyper/destructive/barking giant pit-lab-rottie mix or medicating and cleaning up after elderly dogs who are unable to get around on their own. The idea that if someone would just take these dogs home and be nice to them somehow they’ll turn into wonderful companions is fanciful. Sometimes it happens, but other times (as I’ve witnessed) your rescue breaks out of his kennel and tears out the carpet in your apartment or is defensive of you around small children and tries to bite them, or is afraid to walk on grass and has to be carried outside for bathroom breaks at all hours of the day or night.

    • SSC says:

      I understand where you’re coming from, but the dogs you described are not all rescue dogs. The foster dog who is sleeping at my feet right now is an eight month old miniature schnauzer mix who is calm and house trained. She was surrendered to the city shelter because her family was moving and couldn’t take her with them. If a rescue (mine or another) hadn’t taken her, there is a chance she wouldn’t have made it out of the shelter alive despite the fact she is perfectly adoptable. Same with my two resident dogs, who are also rescues. And the collie my brother adopted from my rescue, who was found at the side of the road at 3 months old after he was hit by a car. X-rays showed he was surviving on bones and trash at the time of the accident. When he arrived at my house for fostering he was scared, covered in poop, and had a metal plate freshly implanted into his broken leg. He now watches over my niece and nephew as if they were his puppies.

      I know there are rescue dogs who have behavioral issues (I’ve had one in my home), and I know there may not always be a rescue dog readily available that fits a prospective adopter’s needs. However, I’ve seen way too many dogs transform from scared, abandoned shelter pets to beloved family members to allow rescue dogs to be characterized by the exceptions. My rescue adopts out hundreds of “desirable” dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens every year. (I will add, though, I live in a part of the country where pet overpopulation is a huge issue, and hundreds of adoptable animals are found as strays or surrendered every day, so maybe what I see here is not the case in other parts of the country.)

      • Belle says:

        I live in a community where more than half of the dogs in shelters are pit bulls. I hoped I would be able to get an adoptable poodle or schnauzer mix, but none was available. There was a better selection when I lived in D.C. but I struggled to get approved by groups that had contracts running into the 14-20 page range. I know there are a lot of great shelter dogs out there, and a lot of great shelters, it just didn’t work out for me.

        • Stephanie says:

          Los Angeles is the same– every rescue that’s not breed specific and all the shelters have mainly pit bulls, the rest are almost all little itty bitty dogs. I faced the same online shaming when we bought our adult lab from a breeder. Didn’t help their cause. I had already spent countless hours driving the length and width of Southern California visiting various rescues, fosters, etc. We realized that as the working parents of two pre-teens, we are not the people to rehabilitate a terrified dog of unknown origins.

      • TM says:

        I guess that would be my point–check out your local shelter (as Belle did), and if there is a dog that is a good match for your situation, great. But, pretending that every dog waiting in a shelter is suitable for adoption by anyone who walks in the door isn’t realistic, and it isn’t fair to say that if you can’t find a dog at a shelter you can’t have a pet. The endless dog-shaming (everywhere on the internet) just isn’t an accurate picture of the availability of pets that are going to be a good match for everyone.

        • SSC says:

          Agreed. I would never want a prospective adopter to adopt a pet that wasn’t a good fit. That just means the pet will be returned to us or end up back in the shelter. Obviously I would prefer it if everyone adopted, but I realize that isn’t always feasible, as Belle experienced.

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