Companion Animals
Man Charged for Strangling Rat
Published October 16, 2009 @ 06:49AM PT
Well, there's a headline I didn't expect to be writing anytime soon. Nevertheless, it's what a Florida newspaper reported yesterday: "Man Accused in Rat Strangling Charged with Animal Cruelty." In the midst of an oh-so-mature fight with his wife over the last cigarette, the 22-year-old went after the animal: he "grabbed a white rat from their aquarium, smashed its head against the tank and then strangled it to death." (Of course, the article calls the rat "it" and gives us no idea what the gender of the animal actually was.)
Adopting Senior and Special-Needs Animals, in Honor of Chance's 13th
Published October 01, 2009 @ 02:51PM PT
Today is Chance the corgi lab's 13th (observed) birthday. And it is good that she is not cognizant of this -- because she would otherwise be understandably miffed that she and I spent a couple hours of it at the vet's office, where she was subjected to much unpleasantness in the name of treatment as well as preventive testing. Nor would she be particularly thrilled that tomorrow is brush-and-bath day. But even though she doesn't know that today is anything special, and even though we don't know when she was really born, I'll still fix her a dinner with extra goodies tonight and give her an extra belly rub; the day means something to me because of how much she means to me and because I'm painfully aware that she's in her final year or years.
Information from Chance's first 8 years of life is vague and scarce. I know that she spent most of her first 6 to 7 years tied to a tree. I know that she wasn't taken to the vet often if ever. I know that many of the ear problems she has now are the result of years of ear infections gone untreated. And I know that after she somehow ended up in a central Illinois shelter after those first several years, she was adopted twice -- and returned twice -- before I came along; she was in those homes only briefly and each time was returned not because she'd done anything wrong, but essentially because she wasn't perfect, and her adopters -- well, let's just say they weren't perfect either.
"Treat Equal"
Published September 28, 2009 @ 12:27PM PT
I send thanks to animal advocate Susannah from Spain for sending along the following short video from the Stray Animals Foundation/BGD of Turkey (no links because I couldn't find any; anyone who has more information on these groups, please do share). I won't say more to introduce the ad because it speaks, simply but elegantly, for itself.
Greyhound Racing Updates: Massachusetts, Iowa, and Beyond
Published September 26, 2009 @ 07:24AM PT
In the last week or so, greyhounds were raced for what should be the last time in Massachusetts. As you may recall, voters in that state supported an end to dog racing last November, and animal advocates -- GREY2K USA in particular -- had been awaiting the final race ever since. Not surprisingly, though, greyhound breeders and others with an economic interest in the continued exploitation and endangerment of the dogs want the decision overturned. So Massachusetts readers, please be sure to keep contacting your state legislators about this issue and to sign up for GREY2K USA's action alerts, so that the group can keep you updated.
The battle over greyhound racing is far from over; dogs are still suffering in several states courtesy of this cruel, unnecessary industry (see a state-by-state map and information here), so advocates outside Massachusetts have as much reason to sign up for the nonprofit's alerts as anyone else. One of the states still racing dogs to death is Iowa, whose Des Moines Register ran an article this past week covering GREY2K USA's recent report on the state's racing industry and the injuries and deaths of dogs there:
Real Animal Lovers Don't Support Murder of Animals
Published September 16, 2009 @ 06:36AM PT
A site for online vet-tech schools Monday released a list of the "top 50 blogs for animal lovers."
As one might expect, the list featured two blogs from The Humane Society of the United States and one from the ASPCA.
Surprisingly, though, the compilation also consisted of animal-rights blogs, including this one -- Congratulations, Stephanie! -- and a category devoted to vegan blogs.
But curiously sites that support the murder of animals also made the list of "blogs for animal lovers." One is a blog devoted to agricultural law. The others are listed in the "Farm Animals" category.
Building Fences to Help Chained Dogs
Published August 26, 2009 @ 06:01AM PT
File this one under Smart Ideas That Directly Help Animals. A friend sent me a link recently to a North Carolina organization called Coalition to Unchain Dogs. I'd heard about programs such as this before--programs that, without charge to the dogs' caretakers, build fences for dogs who are living a chained-up life--but they kept slipping off my radar until the friend mentioned this specific nonprofit. Here's a quick overview of what the group of volunteers does:
Fighting Discrimination on All Fronts: Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-“Pet” Day!
Published August 12, 2009 @ 05:39AM PT
Between six and eight million cats and dogs enter the U.S. shelter system every year; half of these animals won't leave alive. As if the odds aren't daunting enough, some animals face added obstacles to adoption: old(er) age; medical and/or physical problems; behavioral and/or emotional issues; a need to be the only animal in the home; a bond to a friend or family member necessitating joint adoption; membership in a so-called "dangerous breed"; and dark coloring.
