On Loving Animals...

By now, the devastation left behind by Typhoon Ondoy in Philippines has become world news. It pains me so much to see thousands of people lose their homes, their personal belongings, their clothes and food, and their loved ones both human and animal. I have been through many typhoons myself, having grown up in that country, but nothing compares to destruction caused by Ondoy . A natural steamroller that knew no mercy, Ondoy, basically, trashed everything in its path. How can people rebuild their lives when all have been washed away in the flood? How can one survive the aftermath when there is no food to buy? Ondoy reduced thousands of people to a state of penury. There are many tragic stories, but I learned that a couple of directors for the Philippine Animal Welfare Society were stranded on their houses' roofs for two days without food or electricity. Those who can save their pets had them on the roof, some as many as ten or more. As of yesterday, the estimated dead was more tha...

Here are several dogs who are under the wing of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society , and they are up for adoption. Because I don't have personal interaction with these dogs, I can't offer any substantive background information on them. You will have to contact PAWS for that. However, I read that John Dog was run over by a vehicle and survived in pain for many days before being rescued while Flipper was abandoned on a riverbank to drown as the tide rose. If you are interested in any of these dogs, your contact info is philpaws@yahoo.com . Keep in mind that these are not the only dogs up for adoption. There are more at the Philippine Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC). John Dog Cheese Nicolas Flipper

Nellie is young, but long overdue for adoption. She's been at the shelter approximately five months. Nellie knows the sit command and she will sit on your lap if you let her. She will also extend her paw to you. We don't recommend small children with Nellie because she is energetic and strong. She's also kinda picky with other dogs. Nellie is very friendly to humans. She has been very patient at the shelter, given no one a problem. I wish someone would give her a happy home soon. Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society

Is this a classic case of making too much of a human imprint on a wild animal or what? This seal doesn't want to go, to live a life away from humans. Once again, the big question dogs all those who want the best for an animal. Is he better with us or out there among his fellow wildlife?

I have been away for several days, kinda neglected to post on recent developments in animal welfare. My wife and I spent a great three-day weekend up in Boston and the coastal towns north of the city. We had a great time exploring the area along Route 1 and Route 1a. It has been thirty years since I was at Newburyport , and the only thing that I can recall from that visit was the maritime museum on Water Street. Well, it's still there and mostly just the way I remembered it. But this time, I walked around it and found this yard where my Fidelma could play and sit in the sun. Newburyport is very dog-friendly. The wharf is full of dogwalkers, and the stores don't object to bringing your dog in. It was just wonderful to sit on the pier and watch the sailboats go by on a bright and sunny day with no clouds in the sky. Fidelma quickly became the star of the wharf where many people complimented her for being " so cute. " She, typically, responded by showing her teeth and s...

Cat Takes a Bath @ Yahoo! Video

This video makes me want to fly again. Back in 2000-2004, I was a very active pilot, flying single-engine airplanes in the area covering New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Some of my flying friends built flying time by offering free transportation for people with disabilities or urgent medical issues. They were called Angel Flights, and rightly so. But, now, a group of pilots are flying a different sort of passenger for as urgent a cause. What about rescuing dogs in one place and flying them out to their new homes? A great idea that is long overdue, I'd say. I flew solely for pleasure with friends, but transported dogs on land. My overland leg usually lasted an hour, often from New Jersey to Connecticut, with the whole chain stretching from some point down south all the way up to Maine. So, the idea of dog-transport isn't new but airborne transport is just beginning. The itch is back, and in October I will be having my physical examination with an FAA doctor. ...

Look up the next time you are along E. De los Santos Highway and Guadalupe on the northbound side. You'd see the first ever PAWS billboard on pet adoption. Feast your eyes on it, for it isn't a dream but a reality. And look at the size of that! ( click on the photo ). The billboard features a local celebrity named Karylle and on her lap is a rescued street dog named Shoeshine . Once a starving dog in the streets of Marikina , Shoeshine is now well and good and ready for adoption. It was not by happenstance that an Asong Pinoy ( Aspin for non-Tagalog speakers ) made it to the billboard. Aspins have always been considered to be at the shorter end of the stick when it comes to preference in adoption and status symbol. But, hey, they are sentient beings too and they can provide love, loyalty, and companionship as much as any breed out there. It is the basic tenet of PAWS that Aspins deserve better. Eastwood Mall sponsored this project, and many many thanks to them. It is sup...

Progress does not always manifest itself in one most obvious and cataclysmic event. Sometimes, progress comes in small and incremental steps, hardly noticeable, not the stuff for the evening news. But, it is progress however infinitesimal it might be. PAWS volunteer Bradford Feliciano did his part when he took photos of a sack laying on the floor of a vehicle that was ahead of the vehicle he was in. He made sure the photos included the license plates. Bradford knew what was in the sack, and he reported the situation to the Marikina police. God bless their hearts. The Marikina police took action and tracked the license plates to a house that was, coincidentally, a stone's throw from the Philippine Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC). PARC is the shelter run by PAWS. Lorenzo Sayson protested his arrest, claiming the dog was only being transported to his brother to become his guard dog. Yeah, right. How come the dog was in a sack and her snout wired shut? Sayson said he feared th...

Here's a dog I want you to meet, Simba . He's an energetic little fellow who literally leaps in joy when it's time for a walk. I mean, Simba leaps vertically like he's on a pogo stick. He's very amusing. Simba was rescued from a pound down in West Virginia, and he's now with us in northern New Jersey. I love small dogs, and he's become my most recent favorite. Simba certainly qualifies as a lap dog. Last Sunday, after walking him, we sat in our patio area at the shelter and I gave him tummy rubs and back massages while he laid like a pillow on my lap. I've been told that Simba doesn't like having a collar put around his neck, and so he wears a harness instead. Interestingly, Simba is microchipped . So, he belonged to someone who cared for him. He's a good boy and only two years old. All predict that Simba will get adopted quickly, like most toy dogs do. Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society UPDATE: Adopted by the Small Animal Rescue of Prince...

It wasn't long after I first read about Chanel , the official Guinness record holder as the world's oldest dog at 21 years, when news came that she died last Friday, August 28, 2009. As I recall from the previous news item, her owners Denice and Karl Shaughnessy from Port Jefferson Station, New York provided reliable veterinary records to prove Chanel's true age. Well, it is not for me to question the verification process, but I do believe that Chanel is not the only 21 year old out there. It's just a matter of seeking them out just like the world' oldest or tallest person. Once one is found and declared so, someone else from a remote area of the world claims to be the one. About two years ago, I chatted with a woman walking her chihuahua along First Avenue and 42nd street and she claimed that her dog was 17 years old. I didn't have any difficulty believing her because my last dog, also a chihuahua, died at 15 years and one month. He suffered from a heart murmur...