As the U.S. approaches the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, activism to enable stricter gun control laws has reached a fever pitch, most recently with a Colorado Capitol building takeover by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. To make their voices heard at the literal doorstep of state legislators, 400 members of the organization’s Colorado chapter occupied the building with signs and peaceful protests, in much the same way student activism has taken shape in new ways since the Feb. 14 tragedy.
One participating member, Jen Clenahan, declared to the Huffington Post that the moms themselves are taking their cues from the student activists, saying, “The kids are taking the lead. They’re not just grieving; they’re angry.”
Buoying their unified voice were the visuals of the 400+ activists occupying the halls of the state’s legislature.
Last year at the @MomsDemand Colorado Advocacy Day: 100
While their numbers are impressive, the overarching Moms Demand Action organization has demonstrated in its Twitter feed that similarly-timed protests may have garnered even larger turnouts, all helping the cause of gun control.
HAPPENING NOW: Moms Demand Action volunteers gathering in Lincoln, Nebraska to urge their lawmakers to oppose dangerous legislation that would undermine public safety and urge them to support common-sense gun legislation. #NEleg#EndGunViolencepic.twitter.com/XHcr6VjGu9— Moms Demand Action (@MomsDemand) March 7, 2018
ALERT: Tennessee @MomsDemand volunteers have exceeded capacity in the room they’ve gathered in in Nashville before heading over to the statehouse to advocate for stronger gun laws. They’re being moved into another venue due to fire code regulations. #TNlegpic.twitter.com/T7iXiBvUXF— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 7, 2018
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
