On Loving Animals...

" And the survey said... " Remember Family Feud? Well, anyway, Michael Vick, bankroller for a dog fighting business, is the most disliked person in American sports according to surveys conducted by E-Poll. Why not? Don't argue. He's earned it. Aside from shelling out the dough, Vicky participated in years of killing and torturing dogs who displeased him by their subpar performances in the pit. Punishment included electrocution and drowning. The commissioner of the National Football League, Robert Goodell , allowed Vick to re-enter the league but he can't play until the sixth week of the regular season and only the last two games of the pre -season. That is, if, a team is willing to take him in. The New York teams, Giants and Jets, have already declared Vick as persona non grata . He's in quite a dilemma. His status as anathema has turned him into a player without a team. If you were the general manager of an NFL team, would you be willing to shell out milli

I am cross-posting an alert from the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance. Here, again, is an example of the needless kiling of a bear who, if left alone, would have gone back to the woods. It climbed the tree to protect itself rather than attack anyone. This bear showed clear signs of fear of humans. Yet, the NJ Depart of Fish and Wildlife chose to kill it. This course of action is inhumane and unneccesarily deadly. These officers should be sanctioned. ========================================================== PROTEST : Bear Killings in Vernon, NJ WHEN : August 1, 2009 TIME : 11am - 1pm WHERE : Corner of Route 94 & Church St. in Vernon, NJ. 07462 Mapped location: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=church+st+%26+Rt.+94,+Vernon,+NJ&sll=41.199287,-74.485824&sspn=0.002696,0.004801&ie=UTF8&ll=41.199372,-74.484547&spn=0.002696,0.004801&t=h&z=18 Parking : Municipal Parking lot on Church Street, across from the Municipal C

There is reason to rejoice. The powers that be in Rhode Island have decided that there will no longer be greyhound racing in the state beginning August 2009. That's next month. I believe that with Rhode Island dog racing gone, the New England states will be completely rid of this most vile, most cruel gambling enterprise. If you listen hard enough, you'd hear a collective sigh of relief from the greyhounds in America's smallest state. Greyhound racing is legal and operating in only eight states with Rhode Island gone. They are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. An estimated 22,000 dogs are killed each year because they are injured, too slow, unfit to race to begin with, sick, and at retirement age which is five to six years old. You might ask, but they can live up to twelve years and beyond? Yes, you are right. Racing greyhounds are usually slaughtered when they are no longer race-worthy unless a rescue group comes to save them.

Meet Frankie Boy. He's a new arrival, and already a favorite. I like small dogs. Frankie is figured to be a silky terrier mix, and he could not weigh more than six pounds. Of course, he walks well and he is very friendly. We don't expect Frankie to stay at the shelter very long. Small and cute dogs go quickly. The sooner our dogs find a loving home, the sooner we accomplish our mission. Frankie is estimated to be around eight years old. Come quick. And yes, his ears are black. Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society

Just in the news today, a group in Newark, New Jersey called Cancer Project is suing Kraft Foods Inc . (makers of the Oscar Mayer brand), Sara Lee Corp. , Nathan's Famous , and the manufacturers of Hebrew National and Sabrett brands . Cancer Project believes that processed meat is hazardous to our health and these products should carry warning labels like tobacco products. The law suit was filed at the Superior Court in Newark on behalf of three New Jersey residents who, I presume, developed cancerous growths from regular consumption of processed meat. It is widely accepted that processed meat is bad for us, that they can lead to greater susceptibility to colorectal and other forms of cancer. We know this from a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research. Well, I think these companies are lucky that the lawsuit only requires them to put warning labels on their products. What if the lawsuit stipulated that the manufacturers knowingly put out products that have been clini

I say good-bye to Sandy who was euthanized a week ago. Her failing health necessitated sending her to the bridge. Sandy's bout with diarrhea and vomiting seriously dehydrated her, and her medication did not stabilize her condition. If she lived, Sandy would have to take her medication for life. The doctor, a volunteer, and our president made the decision. She stayed with us for approximately five months. Someone adopted her but after a several weeks she was returned to the shelter. I remember Sandy when she was first brought in by our animal control officer. A lady found her loose on the road, somewhere in Ringwood , and she stopped to help Sandy. Supposedly, Sandy was seen tearing away at a possum, having lived in the woods on her own. Well, we loved her and I hope that made a difference in her eyes. Good girl, Sandy.

Could you believe that greyhound racing might have a start in the Philippines? That might very well be if a handful of uninformed and misguided congresspeople get their way. This issue has occupied my mind for over a week now, and I have even written an online PETITION to be submitted to members of the Philippine congress in hopes that the enlightened opinion of the world might sway their vote. I make my case there, and I pray that I have made a good one. Greyhound racing is presented to the people as an economic picker-upper, ignoring the horrendous mistreatment of animals and basically trading cruelty for profit. There are certainly other ways to stimulate the local economy including a nationally-funded spay and neutering program. That would also provide employment throughout the country. I find it incredible that bills were even introduced to make greyhound racing legal in the Philippines. With all the bad publicity behind greyhound racing, some people thought it a good idea to mak

Sorry, no photos for this one but it would have been nice. I've had encounters with bears before, but last Sunday's sighting was the closest. Quite surprisingly, this encounter with a bear didn't occur in an isolated path in the woods but in the parking lot of an antiques mall in Andover, New Jersey. Well, yeah, that part of the state is bear country and the local campgrounds warn people to secure their trash. Trash is almost always the only reason why a bear will venture out of the woods. Anyway, I was walking my dog along the perimeter of the parking lot when I looked to my right and saw the black bear walking towards us. In spite of its huge size, it didn't make any sounds and I could have walked right into the bear if I didn't look around. I reckon it didn't find much in the trash bin, and it was on its way to the next one. This bear's back, when on all fours, measured just about the top of a car's window. Well, as soon as I saw him ( I will presume

Curiosity killed the cat. Yes, we know of many examples except in this case where curiosity saved the cat, or kitten actually. A member of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society happened to be shopping at Shell Canvass, a well-known fabric store in Metro Manila, when she heard the plaintive cries of a kitten. Upon further inquiry, she learned that a kitten had somehow wormed her way between the walls and remained trapped for approximately five days already. Why so? Well, that's a matter of finger pointing between the staff of Shell Canvass and the Ayala Administration who manages the mall in which the store is located. A call was placed to PAWS who in turn requested help from Rochelle Regodon and Ashley, two local representatives of PETA Asia-Pacific. Well, they went over there and showed the folks that apathy and stasis can kill the cats too. In the end, the kitten was rescued and it is shown here in the caring arms of Ashley. The rescuers took the little angel to the PAWS shelter

The New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA) informs us that a new blog dedicated to issues concerning the hideously cruel business of vivisection has gone online. It is called ARISE which is an acronym for Animal Replacements Innovate Scientific Experimentation. Stuart Chaifetz is Program Director, and he promises to write regularly. The man could become a permanent fixture at his keyboard considering that cruelty in animal experimentation can be measured in biblical proportions. It is a lot of ground to cover. So, let's give him our support by checking in regularly. An accompanying Facebook site can be found HERE . ARISE provides us with a very important and revealing quote on their post dated June 3rd: “ Consider just one stark statistic: Today, nine out of 10 compounds developed in the lab fail in human studies. They fail, in large part because they behave differently in people than they did in animal or laboratory tests. ” Andrew C. von Eschenbach, Acting Commissioner of

The big Fourth of July weekend is over, and we go deeper into Summer. We've got the rest of July, August, and September to enjoy the warm weather. Whoever can stop Winter from arriving will get a hug and a kiss from me. I was hiking in Woodbury , Connecticut last Friday, enjoying the nice breeze and warm sun, walking in a nice grassy area when I came upon a chick that obviously fell from its nest. I could have missed it except my dog picked up its presence and led me to it. Well, I have learned from my last experience to let fallen chicks alone unless you can put it back in the nest. I have also learned that wearing gloves will prevent our human scent from attaching to the chick which could be detrimental to the mother-chick relationship. So they say. Mother knows best, and she probably was waiting for us to leave so she can swoop down and feed her offspring. So, leaving it alone is the rescue. This one is considerably older than the one I tried to save last year. Good luck and ma

For those of you who are following the Joseph Carlo Candare Case , you will be pleased to know that criminal charges were finally be filed in Quezon City against this serial cat killer. Mr. Candare is charged with violating the terms of the Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 1998 , otherwise known as RA 8485. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) came through and made it official on June 19, 2009. Included in their case is a signed affidavit by one of the witnesses to Mr. Candare's killing of Tengteng , a one-month old kitten. There were several witnesses to the crime but most of them refused to submit an affidavit, fearing retaliation or simply lacking a good sense of citizenhood . PAWS' volunteer lawyer, Roy Kayaban , will be prosecuting the case. There will be an inquest by Quezon City's Office of the Prosecutor and that will take two to three weeks. This is going to be a long, hard climb but it has to be done in the name of animal welfare. Two years ago, charg

Meet Coy. She's an adult Shiba Inu, and a total sweetheart. She lived in the woods until captured and brought to the shelter. At first, her rescuers mistook her for a coyote and thus her name. For a dog to subsist on forest food ( my term ) and to endure the dark and lonely nights, it has to be strong physically and emotionally. I don't think my chihuahua would last two days in the wilderness. This dog has good survival ability. But for all her tenacity and fortitude, Coy is one of the most serene dogs I have ever met. When all the dogs form a chorus, Coy is silent in her kennel, unruffled and in utter calmness. She's simply not an emotional dog. Coy also has an uncanny ability to raise both her hind legs when she pees! It's amazing. She's like a gymnast on the pommel horse. I love this dog. If you're looking for a companion, please give Coy a chance. UPDATE : Adopted July 15, 2009. Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society