On Loving Animals...

This photo was emailed to me about a month ago, and it speaks volumes about animal cruelty in the Philippines. These dogs died en route to the slaughterhouse, crammed into tiny bamboo cages like sardines, in the stifling heat of Asia, and covered up to avoid suspicion and detection during the trip. Of the seventy dogs seized, only twelve survived. Horrible? Yes. Uncommon? No. This is just one shipment that was intercepted at a checkpoint in Tarlac, but the traders were from the province of Laguna. Homeless dogs are caught in one place and then transported many miles to another city where they are bludgeoned to death and then butchered. A cat and mouse game exists between the police and the traveling dog meat traders. Credit for this operation goes to Police Chief Rodrigo De Guzman and his boys. According to him, his men routinely inspected a van and discovered its illegal cargo. They arrested two men and sent the dogs to the Animal Kingdom Foundation Rescue Center located in Barangay...

Attention animal lovers! The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is resuming their extermination program of feral cats in and around the JFK Airport area. In Defense of Animals will be demonstrating on June 3rd , Tuesday , at Port Authority headquarters in Manhattan. Rain or shine, they say, and the time will be from 11:15a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The headquarters are located at 225 Park Avenue South ( between 18th and 19th Street ), and that puts you right around Union Square . Those against the roundup favor a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program over the killing or relocation of the cats. If you are inclined to take this further, here's information as to who you can contact about the matter: (1) Christopher O. Ward, Executive DirectorThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey225 Park Avenue South, 18th FloorNew York, NY 10003 (2) Port Authority Corporate HeadquartersGeneral: (212) 435-7000Public Affairs: (212) 435-7777(Get a live person on the line and insist on speaking to some...

This is Tank . He is very human and animal friendly. Tank was stolen from our shelter on May 19, 2008 . The theft occurred during off hours, and I can imagine him going along with his abductor without a fight. He probably thought it was time for another walk. Imagine stealing a pit bull? Kinda counter-intuitive, don't you think? These dogs can protect themselves but the truth is there are many, many very sweet pits out there. Tank can be described as a trusting dog. The shelter is not taking this sitting down. The authorities and shelter officials are working on some leads. Let's hope and pray for Tank's safety and quick return. I took these photos and movie in the afternoon prior to his abduction. As you can see, Tank is chocolate-colored with a white patch on his chest. We want him back. If you have seen Tank, please call 973-838-2220 or the Bloomingdale Police Department at (973) 838-0158. UPDATE : TANK RECOVERED BY THE BLOOMINGDALE POLICE ON JUNE 1, 2008!!!

Our friends at the ASPCA have sent out an FAQ on reporting animal cruelty cases. All those who care about animal welfare should know this stuff, or at least the basics. I have, in my cell phone contact list, the phone number of the county SPCA, and the state SPCA. Of course, for the police, you should know that 911 works. If your local SPCA is not reachable at the moment, call the police. If you can take pictures, take them. You're not wasting anybody's time if you call about an animal abuse situation that you are not sure about. It's better someone of authority take a look at the situation. Anyway, there's a lot of information from the ASPCA that I find it apropo just to provide a link to their site: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_faq If you are in the Philippines, please read my post about reporting animal cruelty in that country: http://onlovinganimals.blogspot.com/2008/09/philippines-animal-welfare-act-animal.html

Here's one of our new arrivals. His name is Ashton. Described as a Blue Pitbull, Ashton has energy! I think he's less than two years old, and knows the sit command. You'll have to show Ashton who's the boss because he will become your boss if you are not mindful. Pits have strong personalities. Ashton needs a human who is strong and can keep up with him. Nice dog. You can see him at the Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society .

Just saw this very nice poster designed by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society . This animal welfare group is doing its best to make Filipino society aware of the benefits of spaying and neutering. For those of you who haven't been to the Philippines, there is an over population of stray dogs and cats in that country. The government has no program to address nor control the problem, and so it is up to animal welfare groups to do something about it. PAWS reminds me of chipmunks in a forest fire, but they have the conviction and an unshakeable faith in their advocacy. Throughout history, seminal changes were brought about by the vision and diligent work of the few.

I am cross-posting Claudia Emerson's email to members of the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance ( NJARA) regarding our old nemesis, the Saddest Show on Earth, Ringling Barnum & Bailey Circus...Her email speaks for itself. Thank you 101.5 FM for your featuring this story! ====================================================== Hi all, -PLEASE CROSS POST- Please let me know if you are able to help with any demo this weekend, investigation or the elephant walk. If you can take a FEW MINUTES, it is very IMPORTANT to make a comment and thank 101.5FM Radio for posting the story about Ringling being caught on tape for abusing elephants. Support the story by making a comment after watching the VIDEO to speak out for the elephants. More support means this station and other media will take animal abuse seriously. I wrote a long comment, but a couple sentences is all you need to show your support. Most media will not stand up to Ringling or even care about animal abuse, but this station was...

Mother's Day, May 10, 2008, brought not only good times with the family but an unexpected challenge too. After mass and a celebratory lunch, I walked my dog around the block and came upon a chick on the lush front lawn of a neighbor. To be precise, my dog sniffed it out. I would not have noticed it otherwise. It was featherless and smaller than my thumb. The wind had been blustery, and the chick must have fallen out of its nest. I continued home, and observed the area for the return of the mother. She might have been out digging up some food to feed this chick, and my presence will deter her from approaching. After thirty minutes, I decided to act. The sun was beating down on it, and I knew that cats prowled the neighborhood. The rule, when finding such a chick, is to put it back in the nest because the mother can't do that. Or, if the nest itself fell off, then one has to replaced the nest back in the tree. My problem was that no nest was in sight---on the ground or up in the...

Some good news from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)... Jeff Chua , its current shelter manager, is presently doing his internship at the Marin Humane Society in San Francisco, USA. PAWS' shelter houses more than 100 animals, most of them were seriously malnourished and hideously abused denizens of the streets. And their number continues to grow because the concept of humane treatment of animals in Filipino society is like water on the moon---good luck finding it. However, PAWS embodies hope and it remains to be the premiere animal welfare group in the Philippines. Mr. Chua's internship was made possible by a grant from Humane Society International ( HSI ). For the record, PAWS shelter does not receive international or national funding for its day-to-day operations. However, it receives materials and training as official shelter partner and advocacy partner of the Humane Society International - Humane Society of the United States (HSI- HSUS). Click HERE to read m...

I ntroducing Gertrude! She's new to the shelter, and I just met her this afternoon. What a placid demeanor she has! She's okay with other dogs and cats, and not unduly excited by an approaching stranger. Gertrude's got this serenity about her although she is a Rottweiler / German Shepherd mix. I sat her down on our patio for several minutes, and she just laid at my feet and enjoyed the breeze. I must admit that Gertrude needs to lose some weight, perhaps 10-15 pounds. She's got a lot of fur which is a nice mix of brown and black. Oh, she's a piece of cake to walk, no pulling or any attempts at dominating you. Gertrude is just a wonderful dog, allowing me to hug and kiss her immediately. You can see her at Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society UPDATE : Gertrude ADOPTED June 2008!

There are two notices from the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance concerning the Saddest show on Earth aka the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus . The circus is coming to Trenton, New Jersey ( 5/14-5/18) and NJARA will be holding a conference on Tuesday, May 13 2008, at 11am at the Trenton State Hall. People are needed to stand in support of our effort against cruelty in the circus. Those who can come should email nocircusanimals@optonline.net and be counted. Second thing is that our intrepid and fearless leader, Claudia Rose Emerson , will be walking with the circus animals from the trains to the arena that very same day. This is a period of greatest danger for both animals and the public, and witnesses ( in case something goes wrong or animal cruelty is practiced openly ) will be appreciated. If you can make it as well to this walk, email the address I have given above. Claudia will do this again after the last show in Trenton which is Sunday, the 18th, at 5pm. Therefore, the ...

Here's Kayla! One ear up, the other down. That's distinctly Kayla. I don't know why Kayla is still with us, but she certainly deserves a forever home. Kayla's friendly, playful and loves people. She can easily be the typical family dog, if only some luck came her way. That's why I am putting her up here on my blog. Kayla isn't a small dog, but not too large either. She's got that nice golden/honey color to her. She's about 1.5 yrs old, and most probably a German Shepherd mix. What does she love to do? Kayla loves to play ball in the yard. Anybody looking for a dog to fall in love with, and who will love you in return? Kayla is your sweetie. She doesn't deserve to spend any more time at the shelter. The shelter is not a home for animals. Make a big difference in the life of a sweet dog. You can see her at the Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society

It's no longer surprising to hear about a bizarre situation making it to the news. The news is filled with odd news items that the bizarre has become rather ordinary. But, that should not stop me from featuring this news item concerning a 60-lb pitbull. I have to say that this IS bizarre, and it is one of the more unlikely situations among the unlikely situations. Click HERE

Well, the dog walk went very well, and the weather was perfect. Perhaps one hundred people attended the fundraiser with a very wide variety of dogs in tow. The walk itself took approximately a mile through a wooded path, mostly by the banks of Shepherd Lake. Some of the dogs, particularly the retrievers, took a dip in the lake. My dog, Fidelma, a Chihuahua, didn't want to get in. She's a lapdog, and not a swimmer. Some of our dogs from the shelter also made it to the dogwalk. In fact, Bailey stood a good chance at being adopted today. A woman and her daughter looked her over, and even took her for a walk. Bailey has been at the shelter for a while, and it would be great to see her go home. A very young girl, whose name I can't recall, donated to the shelter the money she received at her birthday party, all $300! Another youngster, a boy, raised $400 for the shelter and he received special mention as well. Here are some photos from today: Shepherd Lake Some of the folks ...

Could you envision a time when animal testing in laboratories no longer exists? Well, there might be a future to that if all goes well in the development of human cells in test tubes. I don't know if this is already practiced somewhere in the medical world for other purposes, but the Environmental Protecton Agency , the National Toxicology Program and the National Insititute of Health have signed a " Memorandum of Understanding " to developed test methods that could evaluate the safety of newly formed drugs and other substances without trying them on first on animals. This means that the drug companies, or whoever practices animal lab testing, can get their answers by lab work on human tissue rather than injecting the drugs into animals. This development was reported by USA Today in February, 2008. The newspaper reported that " The agencies noted that the public's unease with animal testing, in addition to a growing number of new chemicals and high testing cos...