The Shelter Pet Project

Today The Humane Society of the United States is launching is largest-ever ad campaign, The Shelter Pet Project, to promote shelter adoption in the U.S. With two commercials, one airing tonight on Animal Planet, focusing on the positive aspects of shelter adoption, the hope is to end the common misconception that there is something wrong with or undesirable about pets who come from a shelter.The fact is, shelter animals make wonderful pets. They are loyal, well socialized, loving, and oftentimes less expensive and less work than animals from pet stores and breeders. They are all spayed or neutered, updated on vaccines, treated for health and behavioral issues, socialized with other animals in the shelter, and nowadays many are even micro chipped - all before setting one paw on the adoption floor. That is A LOT of money saved in vet bills and a lot of time and effort saved by new owners!

Many people seem to think that if an animal is at a shelter it's because it has a behavioral problem, is not housebroken, or has expensive health issues. That could not be further from the truth. Most animals who end up at shelters are not there through any fault of their own. Things like divorce, financial hardship, allergies or a move can land the most devoted and well-behaved pets in a shelter.Another myth about shelter animals is that you cannot find a purebred at a shelter. Actually, one in four dogs living in shelters are purebred. There are also tons of animal rescue groups who focus on finding homes for specific breeds of dogs and cats. However, it's my personal belief and a common belief held among animal workers that mixed breeds have all the advantages of purebred animals and fewer of the problems associated with various pure breeds. It's more important to choose the individual dog or cat than to choose based on a particular breed; there is no guarantee that the animal you end up with when choosing on breed alone will have the qualities you admire about their pedigree.

I think The Shelter Project is a great way to spread the word about the positive aspects of adopting from shelters. There are so many benefits and much fewer risks. If just 20% of people who welcome new pets into their homes each year adopt from shelters, it would save over 3 million healthy dogs and cats from euthanasia.

Please help spread the word about adopting homeless pets from shelters. Through The Shelter Project you can send an Adopt-A-Gram to friends and family urging them to adopt their next furry friend from a shelter. You can go here, then click Adopt-A-Gram at the bottom of the page to send yours today!

Mah Baybees

Sappho

Rawr.

ArloWhaddaya mean this isn't my bed??

Ella

Dis where I hide mah Twinkies.


Sappho

I can has some privacy here, Dad? Sheesh!

FIV+ Cats

Plenty of cats living in shelters throughout America were brought in as strays. Which usually means that they are not fixed and not vaccinated. Many of these cats test positive for FIV, or feline immunodeficiency virus. If that sounds familiar it may be because this retrovirus has a similar name to the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which is the cause of AIDS in humans.

Now, there's good news and bad news for cats living with FIV.

The bad news is that it slowly kills off their immune systems, leaving them susceptible to all manner if illnesses that could cause death. They are also some of the most difficult cats to find homes for, as many people do not understand FIV or are unwilling to take on the responsibility of having a cat with the virus.

The good news is that cats living with FIV are often healthy, happy animals. FIV is passed only between cats (which means you cannot catch FIV or HIV from your cat, neither can you give the viruses to a feline). It is actually quite a difficult virus to transfer. FIV can be passed through blood transfusions, severe oral infections, or deep puncture wounds (most often betwen outdoor unneutered male cats, who are more prone to fighting). So things like playing, cleaning, and eating & drinking from the same dishes cannot transfer FIV from one cat to another. Also good news: cats can live years and years without complications from FIV. Yes, it is important that you have a vet who is up-to-date about current FIV practices. It is also important that you keep FIV+ cats indoors, both to keep them from spreading the virus and to protect their weakened immune systems. Lastly, FIV+ cats should be kept updated on vaccinations and fed a good quality diet.

My point is that there are SO MANY wonderful kitties waiting in shelters for the home that will never find them. And there's just no reason why they shouldn't be welcomed into the lives of people looking for a new cat, especially if the people don't already have a cat. When kept indoors and monitored closely, FIV+ cats are like any other feline companion: fun, loving, and full of personality.

And now, because I think this is a great little fact sheet from Best Friends:

FIV Facts

1. The Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus is a slow virus that affects a cat's immune system over a period of years.

2. FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.

3. FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all.

4. FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread casually - like in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing. It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens.

5. The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats.)

6. A neutered cat, in a home, is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly introduced.

7. Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago.

8. FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible. Keep them indoors and free from stress, feed them a high-quality diet, keep and treat any secondary problems as soon as they arise.

The Newest Philadelphia Eagle: Michael Vick

Michael Vick has signed on to be part of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. He is expected to be fully reinstated to the game by week six of the season, which is in October.

"I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for [the] opportunity I have been given," Vick said in a statement last month upon his reinstatement [to the NFL].

"As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward," he said in last month's statement.

Vick is also aiding the Humane Society of the United States in their effort to eradicate dog fighting and animal cruelty by sharing his story with at-risk youth.

Petland Employee Drowns Injured Rabbits

I'm sorry to post this violent and disturbing photo. I know it's not something anyone wants to see, at least not any sane people, but I think it's important that people witness exactly what happened to these two rabbits at the hands of Elizabeth Carlisle, a Petland employee in Akron, Ohio.


After being allowed to "attack" and "eat" one another, Carlisle decided to drown the rabbits rather than seek veterinary attention or even humane euthanasia. The rabbits had sustained many deep wounds, a missing eye, what appeared to Petland employees to be a broken jaw, and possible paralysis from the waist down after fighting each other. These are not injuries that happened in the course of a few minutes. With proper supervision and care, they could have been prevented altogether.

Carlisle admits to a friend on Facebook that "[T]he manager took the pic for me. [S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture."

This is not the first time allegations of cruelty and irresponsibility have been brought against Petland.

In a statement released on August 4, Petland says that Elizabeth Carlisle was "immediately dismissed" from her position at Petland upon their discovery of her heinous acts of cruelty and that "the case is now being handled by local law enforcement." Good. I was wondering when law enforcement was planning to get involved because HELLO! I smell a giant lawsuit and hopefully some jail time coming Ms. Carlisle's way. Jesus, something better be done about Carlisle's actions, as well as whomever else was involved, other than losing their jobs. The type of person who would drown injured rabbits, yell and swear at them to die faster, and then pose for a disgusting photo with them after they are dead has issues we should all be concerned about. As I've said before, people with a history of abusing others often start with abusing animals.

Please join me in writing to Petland President Frank Difatta to request that Petland stores no longer sell rabbits. After demonstrating their gross inability to provide even the most minimal care and protection for rabbits, they should not continue to accept responsibility for their wellbeing. I honestly don't think Petland should be allowed to sell animals at all if they are not going to care for them properly and make sure their employees are not psychopaths.

PETA's letter to Petland can be found here.

Would you like to touch my whale?

And no, that's not a euphemism for something dirty.

If you happen to have 200 extra bucks lying around, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium now offers visitors the opportunity to touch a beluga whale. Pretty exciting, even if it does cost a small fortune. Included in the $200 price tag is an orientation on animal care, a private meeting with the whale, some touchy time, and maybe a tongue scratching or the chance to hear the whale's heartbeat. At the end of the experience you get a souvenir photo with your new friend. And the chance to tell people that you TOUCHED A WHALE! Aaaaagh!

I think this is a really cool idea, but I wonder if it stresses out the whales? I don't know much about the temperament of belugas, but I can imagine that it might be confusing and stressful to have strangers grabbing at you two days a week (the face-to-face interaction is only available on Fridays and Saturdays). Then again, maybe it's nice to have some new company after seeing the same trainers day in and day out. Who knows?

Anyway, this is a pretty unique attraction and thought I'd share!

Hello again, let's talk about something depressing!

Why, hello! I have a blog! About animals! Right.

Sorry for my long absence, it's been a hectic few weeks. But I'm back! And sad to say that today's discussion is about puppy mills. Sigh. I look forward to the day when I don't have to think about puppy mills anymore because they no longer exist...

Anyway.

I am on a bunch of animal welfare-related email lists and I must say that between the attention puppy mills are getting among animal activists groups and the rising number of mainstream media reports on them (and the busts!) I am hopeful we can get some more legislation involved in the regulation of dog breeding. I mean, puppy mills are B-A-D. They are filthy, disgusting, inhumane, cramped, and often the dogs are sick and not vaccinated. Which, as a consumer - even if you don't particularly care about puppy mills - you should be pissed off about.

Have you ever bought a puppy from a pet store? If so, how was your dog's health? Because often that is how puppy mills come to light: after angry customers report buying sick puppies from an organization and after further investigation it becomes apparent that said puppies were born and raised in disgusting conditions with inadequate veterinary care for the parent dogs and the puppies. Wow, run-on sentence much? But really, it makes me so mad!

Defenseless animals are completely vulnerable to whatever kind of care we humans are willing to provide. And keeping the parent dogs in squalid conditions is bound to have ill effects on their offspring (which are then purchased for hundreds or even thousands of dollars by unsuspecting people who want a [healthy, duh] family pet). I know the last dogs my family bought from a pet store (yes, I KNOW, bad Austin!, but I was in 6th grade and didn't know better yet, I promise) were VERY sick. They were sister lab-dalmatian mixes and had worms so bad that when they shat it was nothing but a squirming pile of white parasites. Gross, no? We had no proof they came from a puppy mill, but it was obvious that their care had been lacking until they came to us. But don't worry, they both recovered after some medical attention and grew into happy, loving dogs.

Also for the consumer to think about is what ELSE the people who are running puppy mills have their fingers in. Are you inadvertently supporting puppy mills by buying, say, organic milk? Also, if an organization (or farmer, in this case) thinks it is okay to run a puppy mill, what do they think is okay to do with the milk you are buying? In my opinion, being an irresponsible producer is not often concentrated on just one product if you know what I'm saying.

It's come out in recent months that a puppy mill in Lancaster County, Pa., called B&R Puppies, also supplies organic milk to Horizon Organics, a popular brand found anywhere from Jewel-Osco to Dominick's to Whole Foods Market. And if you know anything about Whole Foods (I can't speak for the others) you know that animal welfare is of the utmost importance to them. Here is an update on the Newsweek article "A (Designer) Dog's Life", which solicited a wonderfully supportive response from Horizon Organics. Upon receiving word that Newsweek was about to publicly announce that Horizon buys milk from a puppy mill farm, they immediately sent out an inspector who reported that dogs were indeed being kept in filth. Horizon suspended the farmer, John Stoltzfus, at the urging of Whole Foods. Stoltzfus has since stopped his puppy mill and has begun supplying milk to Horizon again as of early July.

My point of telling you all this is that WE HAVE THE POWER. I know it's cheesy, but as consumers we do have the power to choose which organizations to support. Part of that power is knowing when to lean harder on an organization in order to stop terrible things from happening, like the continuation of puppy mills. If you suspect that puppy mills are behind the scenes at a store you love, write them a letter. Get a petition started. Get the media involved (that'll scare 'em). Demand that they stop their relationship with sources who condone inhumane treatment of animals. It can be done; just look at Whole Foods Market.