Saturday Smiles - Toy Pick Up from the Dog's Point of View

Ok, I'll admit it. I have watched this video about a million times and I'm still laughing my head off! Now I know why my guys always look at me like I'm crazy when I put their toys away. Enjoy and I hope it makes you smile on this Saturday morning.

Toy Pick Up from the Dog's Point of View

And if that just wasn't enough, how about this INCREDIBLE program going on with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary right now. The first 20 dogs and cats adopted from the shelter will get free airline transportation to you!! Additionally, all adoption fees are waived for senior animals! I cannot think of a better time to bring home a new family member. Just look at these faces. How can you say no to these guys?

Specks

Hollie

Specks and Hollie are just two of the many amazing senior doggies hoping for their Holiday Wish of a loving forever family to come true. If you would like to adopt one of them or to check out all the other little ones currently at Best Friends, click here.

Dogs in North Carolina Need Your Voice TODAY! ------UPDATE

UPDATE
Thank you to all of you who have signed the petition and shared it with friends - WE'VE WON!!! When I first heard about this story and added my voice to the issue, there were just under 1500 people standing together. As I write this update, this petition has gone viral and is now over 58,000 voices strong!! Yep, that's right, I said over 58,000 and still growing every second! What amazing things we can accomplish together.
As I had mentioned in the original post, the Animal Control Advisory Board was meeting Monday evening. After being overwhelmed with tens of thousands of emails and hearing testimony from trainers, bully breed owners and rescuers the Board moved to dismiss the 72-hour kill plan in favor of better vetting of potential adoptive families. For coverage of the meeting, please read Gregory Phillip's story for the FayObserver.

While this win is incredible, there is, however, one point that I would like to make. Last year, this shelter took in 7,112 dogs - 3,196 never left. And while this 73% euthanasia is beyond staggering, this is sadly not even remotely anomalous.
I would just like to leave everyone with one thought - look at what you have all accomplished here in just two short days and all it took was a minute of your time. Just think of all the amazing change you can bring if you give a minute or two every day. Sign a petition, help get corporate funding to provide low/no-cost spaying and neutering in your area, tell friends who are looking to add little furry ones to their families why adopting from a shelter is so important or visit dogs in the shelter and show them that they matter to someone. The list is endless. The point is - do something.

"Be the change you want to see in the world. " Mahatma Gandhi

________________________________________________________________________

In the world of animal welfare, BSL just might be the most despised word imaginable. BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) are laws or ordinances enacted by governing bodies that pertain only to specific breed types. Most notable lately have been the laws targeting pit bulls ranging from rules stating that they must be muzzled whenever they are out in public to families with pitbull family members being unable to find homes and apartments to rent to the complete ban on pit bulls being allowed in particular cities, states and provinces. These laws are based on wildly and grossly inaccurate presumptions and stereotypes and result solely in the mass discrimination and murder of animals. It completely ignores the fact and fails to hold accountable the irresponsible guardians who beat, abuse, neglect, etc the animals who tragically end up in bad situations. If we humans were to follow that same logic, it would be the like saying that since a person named Jason was just responsible for a crime, all Jasons in the state must be rounded up and put them in jail. Pretty ridiculous isn't it? Well, enough of the background, let's get to the matter at hand.

Cumberland County Animal Control is planning to enact a 72-hour kill plan any day now with a hearing being held tonight, Monday, December 5th. If this plan goes into effect, all Dobermans, Rottweilers, Chows, German Shepherds,  Great Danes, Pit Bulls, Mastiffs, Akitas and Huskies that are picked up as strays will be held for the mandatory 72 hours and then immediately euthanized. They will NOT be given any opportunity to be adopted. If any of the above breeds are brought in as an owner-surrender, they will immediately be taken back and euthanized. That means dogs like my Bella (below) would not even stand a chance.

Bella, a rescue from a South Florida shelter, would not even be given the chance to be adopted at Cumberland County Animal Control if the 72-hour Kill Plan goes in to effect.

This proposed regulation comes about because Cumberland County does not want to be held liable for these breeds which could be rectified with a simple liability waiver instead of the mass extermination of dogs.
Please take just a moment to Stand Up! and let Cumberland County know that this proposition is not acceptable and that discrimination and mass extermination is misguided and wrong.

Click here to sign the petition.

All the wonderful dogs of Cumberland County thank you for being their voice!

Help Save One, Inc. Needs Some Holiday Magic

When asked what organizations deal with animal welfare, most people will respond with the names of large national groups like the Humane Society and SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), but around the world there are countless small groups working just as hard to help make a difference in the lives of animals. One of these groups is Help Save One, Inc. whose idea was that changing the life of one animal can make a difference. What makes them especially unique is that they focus mainly on finding death row dogs in gassing shelters loving homes. How could you not love these guys??!!
And while Help Save One, Inc. does so much for all those adorable little ones that are in need, they are now finding themselves in that situation. Their transport vehicle has recently broken down making it very difficult for them to fulfill their rescue trips. The repairs for the vehicle will be costly, but in the meantime, someone has stepped up and offered to sell them a much newer vehicle with a lot less mileage for the extraordinary price of $2500.
So let's show our appreciation for the amazing and selfless work that they do by creating some holiday magic for them. Big or small, every donation makes all the difference in the world not just for Help Save One, Inc. but the dogs, cats, puppies and kittens whose lives literally depend on them.

Help Save One, Inc. New Vehicle Chip-In Link - Click here to donate.

Little ones like this senior Chihuahua who was part of an abuse/cruelty case are counting on us.

Photo courtesy of Help Save One, Inc.

Love Across the Rainbow Bridge

To my dear little Shadow,

It still feels like just yesterday when I first saw you - so handsome, your eyes full of hope. There was no doubt about it, I would not be leaving the shelter without you. When we left, you jumped right in the car and sat straight up in the middle of the back seat, so excited about all the wonderful days to come. It was the best Valentine's Day I ever had and I had found you - the little, furry love of my life. You didn't have a name, at least for the first couple of days. Not that we didn't try, but nothing seemed to suit you. I wanted to give you a name like Jack or Max but you had better ideas. So you mimicked my every move, following just inches from me everywhere I went. You knew your name was Shadow, you tried to tell me but I wasn't listening closely enough. So you patiently waited until you made sure I finally understood what you were trying to say. The minute the name left my lips there was no doubt, you were my little Shadow and you wagged your tail like crazy, congratulating me on finally figuring it out.
You taught me what it was to love and care for someone other than myself and I showed you that most humans are very nice even though the person you had been with before had hurt you very much. You became our little warrior, so proud and protective - telling everyone and everything that this was your family and you better have good intentions or you'll have to deal with me. You developed such a sense of humor and relished in clowning around with dad who seemed to love to put things on your head. You would just smile the biggest smile and wag that fluffy tail, asking "did I make you smile, did I?" Looking back now, it is almost like you knew you had to live a lifetime in just a few short years. You never ever wanted to leave our sides always pushing your head up under our hands and looking at us with those soulful eyes. Man, you sure knew how to play us! You would run with pure joy and abandon through the woods and streams, diving through bushes and leaping from rocks. You knew what it was to be truly free. And you relished in being a brother. Never leaving Sage's side, melting his grumpy facade and becoming his bonded buddy.
There are still days that this just doesn't seem real. There is no possible way you could be gone from us. But the real truth is that you are still here, we feel your spirit with us everywhere and someday we'll all be together again. You will always and forever be our little Shadow and not a day will go by when we won't think about you. I want to say thank you for all the incredible joy you brought to our lives and though I could fill a thousand books and still never be close to finishing, here are a few of my favorites.

Thank you for always doing your little cookie dance (ok, let's be honest, you did it for any kind of food or walks or car rides or pretty much anything), but it was so full of pure joy and excitement and delighted us every time.
Thank you for showing us true love.
Thank you for being so silly.
Thank you for being our protector.
Thank you for teaching Max how to be like you (he absolutely idolized you) and letting a small, overeager pup tag along with you on your adventures in the woods.
Thank you for taking care of Sage.
Thank you teaching us all your wisdom about life.
Thank you for still watching out for the pups - I know that's you! They suddenly get all attentive to an empty corner with their tails going like mad.
Thank you for letting us be a part of your life. We are the luckiest family in the world.

I miss you so much every day little one and love you with every ounce of my heart!

Love, Momma

We're Going International!

To all our wonderful Sit. Stay. Speak Up! fans,

We have missed you so much! Sorry for the break in blogging. We have been moving from our home in Central Florida to our new home in Ottawa, Ontario (that's in Canada, just in case you slept through your Geography class in high school). We are very excited to now be able to bring you the issues, exciting progress and of course, all those lovable pups looking for homes from two countries. In celebration of Sit. Stay. Speak Up! going international let's all enjoy today being International Dogs Tilting Their Heads Day and get your pup buddies at home to join in.

From Dogstiltingtheirheads.com

Just in case you're not sure what to do. Tenchi shows off his perfect form.

Have a great head tilting day and we'll see you again really soon.

The Housing Crisis and Its Innocent Victims

I want to recognize a friend of mine, Carol Borrelli, who is a wonderful voice for animals. She has just published her first article for the Orlando Animal Advocacy Examiner and I am so proud!!

Carol's first article discusses the current housing crisis and the horrible effect it has on family pets like Blake.

Blake    Credit: Carol Borrelli

To read Carol's article, please follow this link:
http://www.examiner.com/animal-advocacy-in-orlando/the-housing-crisis-pets-are-often-a-casualty

Speak Up of the Week: Palm Springs Animal Shelter

While I sign hundreds of petitions each week including animal testing, endangered species, animal welfare laws and court case sentencings the ones that truly hit me the hardest though are the ones focusing on animal shelters that are substandard (to put it politely). Despite the fact that I could have just read articles about horrible abuse of family pets or dogs who were used in painful research at universities my anger really gets going when I have to read about shelters (and I use this word loosely) that mistreat, starve, and abuse animals; withhold proper veterinary care, have horrid kennels and even more inhumane people that work there. Shelters, by definition are places where animals are supposed to be safe from the horrors of the street and people who might hurt them. They supposed to be treated with respect and care and given as much comfort as possible in what is already a stressful situation for them.

Today's Speak Up! deals with a shelter accused of failing to uphold state and local animal protection laws in addition to several other charges (and please don't think that they are the only ones....unfortunately there are many, many more out there that are just as bad and often much worse). Animal Legal Defense Fund and the citizens of Palm Springs, CA have filed a lawsuit against the City of Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Police and animal control officers and the Friends of Palm Springs Animal Shelter for "an ongoing pattern of abuses and failure to follow state and local laws protecting animals at the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, resulting in the extremely high euthanasia rates of adoptable animals, despite the shelter’s publicizing itself as a “no-kill” facility. In addition to the unnecessary and wrongful killing of scores of dogs and cats impounded annually, the shelter has failed to provide routine veterinary care to Palm Springs’ sick and injured homeless animals.

Photo credited to Animal Legal Defense Fund

The Palm Springs shelter is advertised as “the only municipal no-kill shelter in [California's] Coachella Valley.” However, a substantial proportion of the cats and dogs impounded there are in fact euthanized—more than 50% for live unclaimed dogs and over 80% for live unclaimed cats during certain periods for which requested records were made available. In addition to disseminating misleading statements about the “no-kill” nature of their shelter to the public, the shelter and other defendants in the case routinely violate local law with respect to euthanasia of shelter animals impounded at their shelter. The Palm Springs Municipal Code prescribes a 5-day mandatory holding period for animals impounded at its Shelter, but homeless animals are routinely killed prior to the expiration of the holding period. The shelter has also been violating the law by failing to keep accurate records and by discriminating against certain breeds of dogs, like chows and pit bulls, who are euthanized at an above-average rate."

Please join me this week in Speaking Up! for those animals at the shelter (past, present and future) who cannot speak up for themselves and urge Palm Springs to ensure proper protection of their shelter animals.
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5154/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6529

Saturday Smiles - The Ultimate Dog Tease

Every weekend should begin with a big smile so Saturday mornings will now feature a cute, funny, silly or otherwise absolutely adorable doggie video.

Our first Saturday Smile is a video that just recently went viral about a dog getting teased with talk of all his favorite foods. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw&feature=player_embedded

Wanted: A Forever Family

I want to start off this week’s installment of Wanted: A Forever Family with great news about one of our featured dogs from last week. Geisha, the Pet Pardons dog from the Orange County Animal Services in Orlando, FL was adopted! Congratulations to Geisha and her new family!

Geisha being lazy in her new forever home.

Hopefully we can get many more success stories starting with the four little ones that are featured today.

The first doggie today, is Charlie. Charlie is a 10 year old, black and tan dapple smooth haired dachshund who was found wandering the streets of a Florida city. With a sweet personality, but with horrible teeth that needed attention, FLDR (Florida Dachshund Rescue) was notified about this poor guy. Once in the care of FLDR, Charlie had a much needed dental and only lost a few teeth, so is feeling a whole lot better and has wonderful breath now too! It’s hard to believe this guy was turned out to the streets to fend for himself. Charlie is an absolutely wonderful dog! He likes people and gets attached to a primary caregiver quickly. He wants to know where his foster mom is at all times, following her around the house. He gets along very well with all the other dogs in the household, although would do very well as an only dog as he does not really play with them. Charlie loves to go for walks on a leash around the neighborhood and also travels well in the car, curling up and going to sleep or lying quietly on his bed. He sleeps in the big bed at night snuggled up beside his foster mom or makes a nest at the foot of the bed—-he sleeps quietly all night.
Charlie is 100% housetrained if taken outside on a regular basis. Because he has had no accidents in the house, he is not crated during the day when his foster parents are out and they don’t feel he would like being crated at all. Charlie’s ideal home would be with someone who is home most of the time as he likes his humans and will bark when left alone. He would be an ideal traveler and great companion to someone looking for a wonderful, people oriented dog. He is waiting patiently for his new forever home…..could it be you???

If you are interested in adding Charlie to your family, please follow this link.
http://fldr.org/2011/03/24/charlie/

Corvin is a beautiful and sweet boy! He is a young adult looking for his forever home. Corvin is an Am Staff/Pit mix but he is a medium size boy - about 40 lbs. He has passed the Pitbull Ambassador testing with flying colors and is a very friendly guy. If you are looking for a great dog, don’t miss Corvin! He is waiting to hear from you.

To learn more about Corvin, click here.

http://www.floridabigdogrescue.com/cgi-bin/search_fbdr.cgi?page_num=4&gender=&age=&shcas=

How can you resist this face? Meet sweet TAWNEY....this pretty little beagle/dachshund mix was born 10/10/10 and finds herself in need of a new home.  Tawney is such a cutie with her short legs and long torso!  She is very cuddly in your arms and full of 'zip' when on the ground....typical puppy.  She loves her toys and other dogs but people are the way to her heart.  Tawney is almost deaf and will need a doggie friend to be her ears for her and a fenced yard to keep her safe.  Tawney is spayed, current on all shots, on heartworm preventive and microchipped.

If you would like to be Tawney’s new family, click here for all the information.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19401638

Levi is a 7-month-old Sheltie/Whippet mix. He is one sweet, gentle boy. He is timid and needs socialization and affection. Levi spent the last 4 months of his life, before we got him, in a backyard with little to no socialization. He is learning to trust new people and did amazingly well at his first adoption event. We believe this shows that the more he is taken out and about the better he will be. If you would like to meet Levi, please fill out an adoption application.

 If you can’t get enough of Levi’s amazing smile, please follow this link to fill out an adoption application and see more pictures.

http://www.smileydogrescue.org/blueweb/dogs_for_adoption/dogs_for_adoption_details.asp?id=4379

For those of you anxiously awaiting my dog transporter information I will have a post next week dedicated solely to this topic as there is A LOT to share. Have a great Friday everyone!

Speak Up! of the Week: Romanian Stray Dog Situation

Imagine being forced to give up your home and move into a small apartment that does not allow pets. While this may sound like a story from our current economic situation, this is what actually occurred in Romania during a Communist regime lead by Nicolai Ceausescu in the 1980s. During this time, farmers were forced off their land and made to move into Communist bloc apartment complexes which of course did not allow animals. With no other choice, tens of thousands of people had to leave their pets behind and thereby, as many believe, causing the huge stray population that currently roam about the cities in Romania.

Stray dogs in Romania. Credit to Romania Animal Rescue, Inc.

Estimated in 2000 by the city of Bucharest, there are said to be over 200,000 stray cats and dogs roaming urban areas with that number continuing to exponentially grow. For these street dogs, life is terrible if not downright scary. In misguided attempts to control population dog catchers have tried to cull the numbers, often through horrific means such as clubbing, poisoning, electrocuting and slashing their throats. In some cities such as Harsova, citizens are encouraged to kill dogs, cut off their ears and bring the ears to the city for a reward. This only adds to the trials already facing streets dogs such as abuse, illness, starvation, cars and freezing temperatures (during the winter). To get an idea of the stray situation, watch this video: Romanian Stray Dogs.

However, with so many dogs roaming free, people feel they are a nuisance and a safety risk leading to growing violence towards them. To counteract this trend, in 2007 the Romanian Parliament ratified several new animal welfare laws including a new and improved version of Romania's Animal Protection Act which bans euthanasia of animals unless there is illness. At this time, the Parliament also passed legislation to protect dogs from the violence of the dog catchers and get animal populations under control, by instituting a Catch/Neuter/Return program. While at first glance this appears to be incredible progress, the problem lies in the fact that none of these laws have been implemented. To make matters worse there are amendments now up for approval that will hand over the fate of stray animals to local officials which animal activists are saying will result in mass slaughters.

Statistics continue to show that the current method of culling the dogs is not working. When a group of dogs have been removed from an area, another group just comes in and they continue to increase their population. Groups such as Romania Animal Rescue, Inc., however, are working hard to control the animal population through education and free spray/neuter programs. They sponsor numerous Spay-a-thons throughout the country and are approaching 10,000 funded spay/neuter procedures. They need your help though and today there are two ways to Speak Up! and make a difference.

The first is to sign a petition to the Romanian Parliament asking them to implement and enforce the animal welfare laws they passed in 2007. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/do-not-kill-strays/?z00m=19973115

The second way is to help Romania Animal Rescue, Inc. win funding for much needed spay/neuter programs and veterinary training. Simply "Like" Dr, Marty Becker, the resident veterinarian on Good Morning America, at his Facebook page and post the name and city of the shelter (Romania Animal Rescue, Livermore, CA). They will then be entered to win prizes ranging from $1000-$20,000.

Have a great day and thank you for Speaking Up!

A Mother's Day Plot Twist I Never Saw Coming

Sunday started with a bang, well more a paw to the face. The minute any tiny ray of light shines into the house, my two furry, little alarm clocks wake up and Bella, being the oldest and the only one who loves to use the stairs to climb onto the bed, gets the regular duty of ensuring I know it is time to start the day. Basically this consists of pawing my head until I open my eyes. Needless to say, receiving a husky/shepherd paw to the head makes you get up pretty quick. Being Mother's Day though, I wanted to savor the comfiness of the bed and snuggle with my "kids." As they pranced around, rolled on their backs for belly rubs, gave enthusiastic kisses and genuinely couldn't sit still with the anticipation of the start of the day, it hit me that no matter what happened yesterday or what hardships their past's hold, every single morning starts in pure happiness and excitement of all the adventures the day will bring.  And as much as this day was about celebrating what I've brought to their lives as their guardian, I was struck by all that they have taught me and brought into my life and in particular this lesson of starting each day anew. We have so many wonderful things to do every day like learning to cook a new recipe, coming up with a great, new idea at work, volunteering at a local shelter or, in the case of my guys, digging a super, awesome 2 foot deep hole in the back yard. We can't let the bad stuff suck us down into the mud, it just makes less time for those things that really matter. That doesn't mean we forget what we have seen and done or the lessons we have learned. We just choose to utilize them to make things better for us and all those around us. So, even though yesterday day was Mother's Day, I would like to thank them for the honor of getting to be their Human Mom and getting to benefit from the wisdom they have to share with me.

So who exactly are these dogs that inspired such deep thoughts? Meet Max and Bella.

Max is an almost 3 year old sato (slang for street dog) shepherd mix born in Puerto Rico.

Bella is a 3 1/2 year old husky/shepherd mix found on the streets of Miami.

Do you have a lesson that your animals have taught you?

Wanted: A Forever Family

Every Friday Sit. Stay. Speak Up! will feature some wonderful little ones who are in search of their forever families. These dogs will be from around the country and come from rescues, shelters and animal control facilities. This also means that some of these animals unfortunately are up against a clock. Most of us don't like to think about this, but just over 5,500 dogs are put down EVERY DAY in the United States so every extra opportunity of exposure can help save a dog's life. All dogs will be listed with their picture and a link to the site where all their information is. If those puppy dog eyes draw you in and you would like to adopt but are hesitant about them being in another state, please do not let this detract you from adopting. Transportation is actually extremely easy and in some cases (such as on Pet Pardons) there are people willing to donate towards transportation and adoption fees. I am working on putting together a list of groups, volunteers and companies that assist in pet transportation and I will post that next Friday. If anyone has worked with any groups or has recommendations, please let me know so that I can make sure they get on the list.

Without further ado, here are the lovable adoptables for this week.

This is Libby, a 2 year and 3 month old lab mix, available for adoption from the Black Dog Animal Rescue. She is absolutely brimming full of love and energy. Her story and adoption information can be found here: http://bdar.org/adoptable_animals.html

This is Trucker (named this after being thrown from a semi-truck at a truck stop) and he is a 1 year old lab mix. He is very friendly and loves everyone. He can be found on Karma's Black Dog Rescue page at this link:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17820219

Geisha is our Pet Pardons featured dog. At this time her PTS (put to sleep) date is unknown but it could be at any time). She is a 2 year old lab mix with one blue eye (so beautiful!) and all her information can be found here: http://apps.facebook.com/petpardons/pet-view/id/2920

Our final featured dog is Kira who is a 9 year old pure bred husky. She has had a hard past which consisted of spending her entire life up until now chained outside in the woods in New York state. She is very laid back and just enjoys watching everyone while snuggled in her bed. She is also a huge fan of anything remotely connected to bones. If you are interested in learning more about Kira, please follow this link:
http://www.blackdogsecondchance.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=3003785#animalOtherPictures

Thank you for taking the time to look at these little ones. If you have any friends or family that you know are looking for a new family member, please share these guys with them and always suggest that they adopt instead of buy.

If you know of any dogs that you would like to see featured, please send a picture, brief description and/or web link to bringhearttotheworld@gmail.com.

Celebrating Mothers of all Kinds

It is a very good bet that come this Sunday morning, May 8th, there will be many moms waking up to breakfast in bed, bouquets of flowers and cards that always make them cry (in a good way). What people usually don't think of is the connection of Mother's Day to pets. Isn't it funny that we spend all year showing off pictures of our "kids" and talking about how they "did the funniest thing yesterday" to everyone we can corner in an elevator, office, store or coffee shop, yet on this holiday we fail to celebrate this relationship? A couple of years ago I suddenly realized, and by that I mean my incredibly creative and amazing sister came up with the idea, that pet moms should get some love too on Mother's Day. You may never have to worry about them asking to borrow the car but your dogs look to you the same way human kids do. Are there snacks in the fridge? Do we have to go to bed yet? Why I am not allowed to put that in my mouth? See, totally the same. So this Sunday when cards are being handed around don't forget about all the Doggie Mommies that you know. Why not send them an e-card thanking them for all the treats, walks and belly rubs and sign it from their pet. My favorites are hoops & yoyo. Ok, they aren't the classiest or most sophisticated cards but if you really want to make someone smile, this is the way to do go. http://www.hallmark.com/online/hoopsandyoyo/

And while we are all showering (most deservedly) our mom's with gifts and love, please take a moment to think of the all the actual doggie mommies in puppy mills around the world.
(Photo from www.flushdoggy.com.)

Bred every single cycle from the moment they are able, these mommies spend their entire lives cramped and often unable to even stand or move around in metal wire cages exposed to all of the elements. Once they have worn out their usefulness in the eyes of the miller they are then killed often in horrific, inhumane manners. In coming articles there will be much more on puppy mills and what you can do to end the era of pet store puppies. For now though, give a Mother's Day gift to them by asking eBay to discontinue animal sales on their classifieds site. In 2005 when the company announced plans to include a live pets section the public outcry caused them to discard the idea. With time however, this decision has been reversed yet again and eBay has launched the live pets section in their classifieds section making this an ideal location for puppy mills to operate from - and they do. Currently this petition is closing in on 100,000 voices speaking up for puppy mill dogs.
Speak Up! and add your voice here: http://www.change.org/petitions/ebay-classifieds-stop-selling-live-animals

To close, I would like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there of human and animal kids including my sister who is mom to Piper, my sister-in-law who is mom to Java and Meeko and new human arrival Aurelia, and all my family and friend mommies around the world. An extra special "I Love You!" to my own mom, who has raised me, my brother, my sister, Sailor, Sage and Shadow and who taught me that every dream is possible and that you should never talk with your mouth full. You taught me everything I know about kindness, helping and everything else! I love you mommy! :)

Speak Up! of the Week

Welcome to our first Speak Up! of the week. Every Wednesday you will have the chance to bring real change with the power of your voice as we feature a petition focusing on a current event, legislative issue, court case or a situation where those who need us most need us to Speak Up! Signing petitions is a great way to dip your toes into the animal welfare world as they require only a couple of minutes (at most) of your time but make a huge difference when your signature is added to thousands of others around the world who care just like you.

Created in 1915 by American Humane, Be Kind to Animals Week (May 1st -7th) celebrates our relationship with animals and all the ways we can ensure their humane treatment. In honor of Be Kind to Animals week we will feature a petition sponsored by the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) supporting the passage of the Pet Safety and Protection Act.

As the ASPCA states, "The U.S. Pet Safety and Protection Act would provide a much-needed safety net to ensure that beloved family pets aren't stolen or acquired under false pretenses for sale to research laboratories.

The act would prohibit Class B Dealers -- people who make their livings selling animals to the research industry -- and unlicensed individuals from selling dogs and cats to research labs. Currently, under the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, these people aren't held accountable for where they obtain their animals.

This is a problem because dealers sometimes acquire them through illegal or unethical means -- such as responding to "free to a good home" ads in newspapers, falsifying records to keep the animal's true origins unknown and stealing pets kept in outside yards.

Passing the Pet Safety and Protection will ensure that stolen pets and animals acquired illegally or unethically won't end up in research facilities. Tell Congress to pass the Pet Safety and Protection Act today."

Speak Up! and add your voice here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/714/448/113/ 

For all my Canadian friends, I have not forgotten about you. May 2nd through the 8th in Canada is Puppy Mill Action Week. 

As the Humane Society International: Canada writes, "Because of inadequate laws, puppy mills have proliferated throughout Canada. An estimated 2,000 of these unethical mass breeding facilities operate in Quebec alone. Puppy mills are large scale operations that force "breeder dogs" to produce litter after litter to support consumer demand for purebred pets. These puppies are sold to pet stores across the country and directly to the public over the internet, through newspapers and at the mills. Hidden from the public is the suffering, disease, malnutrition, and loneliness of the breeding dogs confined in the puppy mills. Moreover, puppies produced in puppy mills often suffer from genetic weaknesses and disease, leading to unanticipated, substantial veterinary costs for the unsuspecting purchaser.

BUT YOU CAN HELP: Please join us in writing to your Member of Parliament to demand a strong federal law to stop puppy mills now."

Speak Up! and add your voice here:

http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=104&ea.campaign.id=1745 

 

I Must Do Something

"I must do something" always solves more problems than "something must be done." - Unknown

You only need to glance at the world events to see that change is in the air and in the area of animal welfare this is no exception. Beginning early this year, in January, China issued a total ban on animal shows and circuses as well as putting regulations into effect to protect animals from abuse in their 300 state-run zoos. While advances steadily move animal welfare and animal rights in the right direction, there is still a long way to go even with regards to one of our favorites - dogs. Though they are man's best friend, our family members and our cherished four-legged children or siblings, many people are shocked to hear about the horrible issues facing our canine buddies including overpopulation, puppy mills, hoarding, BSL (breed specific legislation), dog fighting and chaining. In fact, the mere thought that those we love so much are vulnerable to harm is downright frightening.

But as the quote above says, we get more done when we go out and take action. Even something as simple as signing a petition can entirely change the course of how animal welfare is handled in a community. Many of us are aware of the mass killing of 100 sled dogs by Outdoor Adventures Whistler in British Columbia, Canada which occurred in April of 2010. But did you know that within days of the story breaking, several hundred thousand people from all over the world signed petitions calling on British Columbia to reform its anti-cruelty laws? The result: British Columbia is in the process of introducing the toughest animal cruelty laws in Canada and the reason is because people stood up and asked for it. Single voices that one by one joined together to form one large chorus. Your voice does make a difference. Whether you sign one petition a week or you teach school children how to safely and properly approach dogs, every bit changes the futures of dogs around the world for the better.

So with my voice I will bring you this blog, filled with information on the issues, opportunities to Speak Up!, ideas for supporting your local shelters and rescues and much, much more. My challenge to you, dear reader, is that you find a way to Speak Up! So stayed tuned and educate yourself so that you can educate others.