On Loving Animals...

For those of you in the New York City area, the Humane Society of the U.S. has put out an all points bulletin regarding an important community meeting on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 from 6-8pm at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center at 208 W. 13th Street ( between 7th and 8th Avenues ), Room 410. The meeting will be with Council Speaker Christine Quinn who has the power to make or break this bill. Your help is needed to pass this bill, and you can do so by attending yourself or by informing people about this important meeting. Speaker Quinn must know that there are people who care about the issue of living with cats and dogs in a city environment. The Pets in Housing Bill, Intro. No. 13 provides that once a landlord waives a renter's no-pet clause, the renter can replace the deceased or relocated pet with another pet of the same species. That is, the no pet-pet clause is waived for the entire tenancy, not just for the lifetime of one pet. If, your no-pet clause...

Information is power. The information below, with your participation, can help rectify a bad situation, namely animal cruelty. Listed below are phone numbers for the chapters of the SPCA in New Jersey at the county level. Also listed is the main office at the state level. If you can't reach your local chapter, call the police. If you see cruelty, make the call. Here is the information: NEW JERSEY STATE SPCA 1119 Livingston Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901 800-582-5979 or 732-247-0433 ATLANTIC COUNTY 609-927-9059 BERGEN COUNTY 201-573-8900 BURLINGTON COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) CAMDEN COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) CAPE MAY COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) CUMBERLAND COUNTY 856-691-1500 ESSEX COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) GLOUCESTER COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) HUDSON COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) HUNTERDON COUNTY 908-996-2525 MERCER COUNTY (call the NJ State SPCA) MIDDLESEX COUNTY 732-257-3103 MONMOUTH COUNTY 732-542-0040 MORRIS COUNTY 973-625-2670 OCEAN COUNTY (call the ...

You have probably heard it before, but unfortunately some have not...that chocolates and dogs don't mix. Spread the word. Why is it harmful? Chocolate is made with cocoa beans. Cocoa beans contain methylxanthine alkaloids in the form of theobromine and caffeinea and they are toxic to dogs. It is said that we, human beings, stop eating chocolates before we reach toxic levels, but dogs will go on consuming the stuff. Dark chocolates are the worse and white chocolate is the least harmful. But, hey, just forget about it! There is talk about the amount of chocolate consumed vis-a-vis the weight of the dog before the chocolate consumption becomes toxic, but I'd say it again---just forget about it. Just don't feed your dog chocolates. They are too fatty anyway. As for symptoms of chocolate poisoning, here they are: from vomiting, diarrhea to panting, excessive thirst, constant urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, and seizures. And, of course, the grand daddy...

Well, it's a beautiful day here in New Jersey. On days like these, I sit out on the front lawn and enjoy the sun and the warmth of spring. Heck, even my 8-pound chihuahua is out there sunning herself. Only a year and a half ago, she was in a dreadful situation at a high-kill animal shelter, and now she is laid out on a lush green lawn with her eyes closed in total relaxation and enjoyment. The saying, " It's a dog's life " is not necessarily a bad one. But, there are plenty of cases where a dog or any animal's life is unacceptable because they live in pain. I'd like to help but what I can't understand is why the Bergen County Animal Shelter never called back about my application to become a volunteer. Calling them doesn't turn the key either. I reckon they are already fully staffed with kind-hearted animal-lovers like myself. What else can I do but to give monetary assistance if I can't give my time and effort. To this end, I give $20 a month t...