A Modesto, CA petshop closed its doors on Christmas Eve after five years of selling puppies. It was the second location for the owners who intend to keep their original location open. A handwritten note on the front door cited the economy as a reason for the closure.
Convenient the last-minute, impulse buying of puppies as gifts for Christmas still occurred before they closed the petshop on Christmas Eve and not before the holiday puppy-buying season began. Many of those same puppies will undoubtedly show up in our California shelters a few months down the road.
Purely an economic decision and not an ethical or moral one.
There are many who say the downturn in the economy will finally create a dent in the puppy mill industry. Something good might come out of this chaos.
Shelters are reporting increases of 5 to 10% in owner turn-ins of family, citing the economy as the reason. The Los Angeles shelter system instituted a new program called "Operation Safety Net" which basically asks each owner, “What would it take for you to keep this pet instead of surrendering it?” and then seeks to solve the problems cited. Vet bills, an inability to pay for licenses or food, etc. have been listed, and they attempt to help or resolve those reasons to keep a family pet with its family.
The LA system has also begun a program to locate ‘pet-friendly’ rentals around the city. A long-time reason cited for people relinquishing their pets is moving and an inability to find housing that will allow them to take their animals with them. So, for many owners, the top reason cited for years was ‘moving’ and is now ‘the economy.’
It is more politically correct right now, I guess. You can offer only so many solutions to someone wanting to dump a dog or cat onto someone else or an organization. I’ve always been told in marketing a person will cite at least one or two palatable reasons before you actually hear the true reason – usually number three or four is the actual reason for the action or refusal to buy, according to marketing statistics. So if you are trying to make the sale, you keep asking until you get the true reason and that’s the one you concentrate on.
Read statistics from just about any source and you will learn that Americans view their pets as members of the family. With the recent economy downswing, experts cite that people will give up other costs in their lifestyles before relinquishing their pets, simply because they view them as family.
So if this statement is true – that pet owners love and care about their pets like members of their family – why are we still calling them pet owners? How do you "own" a family member?
Simply put because we are not guardians or protectorates of our pets – we are still owners in the legal sense. And until we are no longer owners of personal property in this country, the pet trade will continue unbridled as it has. Backyard breeders and puppy millers cite their rights under the law to do whatever they want with their livestock.
It’s a business to them – to those who have pets inside our homes, the law views us as owners and adheres responsibilities to us accordingly – and we view our pets as family members. But bottom line? Isn’t it still the same living, breathing being that we’re discussing here?
This is the bottom line problem with the pet trade industry – just as it is in the shelter system. Regardless of how you want to label or define it, citing a host of labels, reasons, and positions – we humans as a society simply don’t care enough.
If it is true that the economy is lowering the production levels of the puppy millers and backyard breeders, would this NOT be the time to attack the problem of definitions, legal loopholes and a lack of natural rights for these animals we’ve breed, wholesaled and victimized as pets and family members?
It is much easier to solve a problem when it is not so overwhelming and far reaching.
The economy just as with life revolves in cycles and circles. It is a law of physics for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction and energy is never lost but instead transformed. This is the time – NOW – to mobilize and tell our legislators we want an end to the pet trade industry as it exists in this country.
Petshops should only be offering rescued dogs and cats in their stores. Backyard breeders must be held just as accountable for the massive overpopulation of unwanted pets as the puppy millers are. Taxpayers (whether they own a pet or not) should no longer be shouldering the burden of housing, maintaining and eventually killing the pets which do not get adopted out of the shelter systems.
It only takes the flutter of a butterfly’s wings to be eventually felt around the world – if only we can begin the grassroots movement that tells those in charge we’re sick and tired of this, and we’re not going to take it any more.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
They think... and therefore, so should we...
How do I even BEGIN to get my arms around the topic I want to etalk about today?... Sometimes this is the hardest part about doing ezines online – the beginning!... Especially when you are an autowriter because your brain does not think in terms of grammar, punctuation, etc… You just think as you write… Scary!
But, this is exactly what I want to etalk about today ~~~ The ability to think, the level of intelligence and/or human’s egotistical belief we are the only ones who do it to any advanced degree…
I have, yes, almost been struggling with this topic for months… Years… Every attempt to understand a new foster or rescue dog has shown to be yet another educational experience for me… My tools are observation, reading and searching the Internet for answers my friends don’t have… The ‘why’ drives me to distraction sometimes until I can figure it out – or validate its mystery somehow in my mind…
The need to absolutely understand something must be a human character defect, as well as the tendency to own or use things that we don’t totally understand… We go into petshops and buy a puppy, believing we somehow know how to raise one and/or how it thinks so we can counter-think the bad behaviors that they do…
This is no different than owning a computer or a car… How many people do YOU know that own one or the other, don’t have a clue how they run and then in the end, are unable to fix problems as they arise… Makes you stop and think, huh?
And we know dogs think… But the human ego has issues with to what level of thinking they do or any other animal for a matter of fact… There is some internal need for us to separate ourselves, and promote ourselves higher than other species as well…
We used to use the benchmark of the size of our brains… Until we learned that ‘size is not everything’… We use less than 20% of our brain power, despite the size of our brains… And the African chichlid (which has a brain about the size of a small pea) can --- at the age of 8 weeks old --- observe and process social hierarchies in their territories… Those males that can not be dominate due to size adopt female colors just to steal food from another male’s territory… And elephants have cognitive abilities that allow them to realize they are looking at themselves in a mirror… Paint a spot on their head they can’t see without looking into a mirror and they will repeatedly touch it – something they cannot see without the mirror and therefore understand the process of what the information from the mirror is telling them… There goes that ‘brain size’ argument right out the proverbial mirror!
I am sure I am not the only dog owner that has said countless times, “If only you could talk”… Take the time to Google < “Irene Pepperberg”, Alex> and you will find some really amazing stuff if you have not yet become aware of this researcher and Alex… An African Gray parrot, Alex did not only learn how to speak English and make himself understood, but he actually showed he could think as we humans view that concept…
“What color five?”… “None” Alex responded… Because apples tasted a bit like bananas to him but they looked like cherries, Alex made up a word for them – ‘ban-erry’… I myself do this constantly… And this is cognitive thinking and learning… Something we’ve reserved for humans for hundreds of years as we felt animals were not much more than auto-bots… Early drawings of animals actually have a mechanical feel to them when you do the research… And machines don’t think --- or do they?
Sheep can recognize different faces, and let’s face it (no pun intended) – sheep are not considered the sharper knives in the drawer of the animal world… More than one Border Collie owner has raved about the ‘eye’ his dog had, able to get the flock to do just about anything he wanted them to!
Animals have to do the DMRs (Daily Minimum Requirements) each and every day of their lives… Find a safe place to sleep and eat – find food to start out with… Find a mate and even where there is water to drink… These are all problems that require solving --- or thinking… Just like humans do, oddly enough…
And those animals which live naturally in packs have proven to be better at socialization and recognizing the hierarchy of the pack, herd, etc… Pull a baby from one of these species out of the natural order of things, and they do become anti-social, aggressive without cause, irrational, etc…
So why do we think dogs would be any different in any of these points?
Dogs CLEARLY take their clues about things from our facial expressions… And yet? How many of us are intuned to this fact, and use it to its advantage?... The alpha in any dog pack uses their eyes and body language before they use the snarl, growl or bite… We humans miss most of this and incur a dog bite and/or attack because of it…
It has also been proven that dogs wag their tails in different directions as a validation they know who you are… To their right, it indicates you are their owner or alpha… To their left, it indicates a stranger… Back and forth equally is a neutral ground, whether or not they intend to approach you or confront you… This is no different than we as humans cross our arms which indicates we are closed to further discussion… It is body language and it requires conscious thought processes to happen… Even the Giant Pacific octopus can recognize individuals, use tools and has a distinct personality by individual octopus…
Do you feel as humble as I do at this point?
Google these terms – “Betsy”, “Rico”, Border collies – or go to Wikipedia and look up Betsy there - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_(dog)... These dogs are absolutely amazing and just like Alex, it is not mimicry, it is thinking…
So where am I going with all this rambling?... Two directions…
One… The smaller the dog, the longer the life span… This is pretty much a fact… Great Danes and Russian Wolfhounds live between 7 to 10 years, German Shepherds and Pitbulls live between 12 and 14 years, Chihuahuas live between 10 to 20 years depending upon their health and care…
Those dogs that tend to be clannish or choose to live in packs or pack environments tend to be much better at relationships, understanding how the natural order of things work, etc… Chihuahuas definitely fit both of these criteria because they are exceptionally clannish and commonly ‘pick their human,’ favoring one person over another in any family as well as being one of the longer lived canine breeds…
My personal experience with Chihuahuas (as well as a LOT of observation) has convinced me that they are a LOT smarter than they’re given credit for – to the point that if they don’t want to do something – even if they do indeed know how to do it – they’ll out-think you so they don’t have to do it… I CONSTANTLY watch, observe and learn from my Chihuahuas in an unlimited amount of venues – how they interact, their reactions, their actions…
Accordingly, while they may not be labeled as being one of the more intelligent dog breeds, they certainly do show the adverse affects faster when placed in an abusive situation or even our nation’s shelters systems where the lack of socialization can be limited, there can be a larger amount of dogs without good canine manners and the over stimulus of unbelievable activity can just about do in any balanced Chihuahua if left in that environment too long…
So I pose to you this question… Living longer, more clannish and society-oriented, are we actually abusing these smaller breeds when we subject them to our nation’s shelter systems? Is it not a greater harm than say to canine breeds that don’t think as much and aren’t as dependent upon social interaction amongst themselves?
And two… If animals do think as much as we now believe they do, denying them rights and protection under our laws beyond being just ‘property’ should be tantamount to felonies when abused or harmed… Our states’ cruelty laws are next to nothing but ‘swatting at flies’ when the gross maliciousness and outright tragedies are seldom given more than probation…
Few cruelty cases get to the legal system and even less receive jail time… Is it because we tell ourselves they don’t think and therefore they do not feel?... And is this right, ethical or moral to allow the current status quo to exist?
This is no different to the battle society waged years ago with the mentally challenged folks… It was felt they didn’t think or feel to the level of ‘normal’ folks, so therefore were not entitled to the same amounts of rights and protection… I’m not saying that dogs are the same as mentally-challenged humans… They are not the same or equal to, but just different…
Inhumanity is inhumanity, no matter to what living organism we do these things to… Whenever a living organism is treated unkindly or cruelly and we ourselves are the protectorates of them, we cannot allow others in our species to inflict this amount of harm onto another species, no more than we can allow other humans to destroy our planet, our economies, starve our children, mistreat our seniors, etc… We are the protectorates of those that cannot speak for themselves --- or at least, not in our human language --- and until we ourselves establish a nationwide series of laws defining cruelty and the ramifications of incurring it onto companion pets, we should stop referring ourselves as a humane country, concerned with the lives and welfare of others around our planet! Let it begin at home… if already in your home, then onto your community and state followed by the nation!
But, this is exactly what I want to etalk about today ~~~ The ability to think, the level of intelligence and/or human’s egotistical belief we are the only ones who do it to any advanced degree…
I have, yes, almost been struggling with this topic for months… Years… Every attempt to understand a new foster or rescue dog has shown to be yet another educational experience for me… My tools are observation, reading and searching the Internet for answers my friends don’t have… The ‘why’ drives me to distraction sometimes until I can figure it out – or validate its mystery somehow in my mind…
The need to absolutely understand something must be a human character defect, as well as the tendency to own or use things that we don’t totally understand… We go into petshops and buy a puppy, believing we somehow know how to raise one and/or how it thinks so we can counter-think the bad behaviors that they do…
This is no different than owning a computer or a car… How many people do YOU know that own one or the other, don’t have a clue how they run and then in the end, are unable to fix problems as they arise… Makes you stop and think, huh?
And we know dogs think… But the human ego has issues with to what level of thinking they do or any other animal for a matter of fact… There is some internal need for us to separate ourselves, and promote ourselves higher than other species as well…
We used to use the benchmark of the size of our brains… Until we learned that ‘size is not everything’
I am sure I am not the only dog owner that has said countless times, “If only you could talk”… Take the time to Google < “Irene Pepperberg”, Alex> and you will find some really amazing stuff if you have not yet become aware of this researcher and Alex… An African Gray parrot, Alex did not only learn how to speak English and make himself understood, but he actually showed he could think as we humans view that concept…
“What color five?”… “None” Alex responded… Because apples tasted a bit like bananas to him but they looked like cherries, Alex made up a word for them – ‘ban-erry’… I myself do this constantly… And this is cognitive thinking and learning… Something we’ve reserved for humans for hundreds of years as we felt animals were not much more than auto-bots… Early drawings of animals actually have a mechanical feel to them when you do the research… And machines don’t think --- or do they?
Sheep can recognize different faces, and let’s face it (no pun intended) – sheep are not considered the sharper knives in the drawer of the animal world… More than one Border Collie owner has raved about the ‘eye’ his dog had, able to get the flock to do just about anything he wanted them to!
Animals have to do the DMRs (Daily Minimum Requirements) each and every day of their lives… Find a safe place to sleep and eat – find food to start out with… Find a mate and even where there is water to drink… These are all problems that require solving --- or thinking… Just like humans do, oddly enough…
And those animals which live naturally in packs have proven to be better at socialization and recognizing the hierarchy of the pack, herd, etc… Pull a baby from one of these species out of the natural order of things, and they do become anti-social, aggressive without cause, irrational, etc…
So why do we think dogs would be any different in any of these points?
Dogs CLEARLY take their clues about things from our facial expressions… And yet? How many of us are intuned to this fact, and use it to its advantage?... The alpha in any dog pack uses their eyes and body language before they use the snarl, growl or bite… We humans miss most of this and incur a dog bite and/or attack because of it…
It has also been proven that dogs wag their tails in different directions as a validation they know who you are… To their right, it indicates you are their owner or alpha… To their left, it indicates a stranger… Back and forth equally is a neutral ground, whether or not they intend to approach you or confront you… This is no different than we as humans cross our arms which indicates we are closed to further discussion… It is body language and it requires conscious thought processes to happen… Even the Giant Pacific octopus can recognize individuals, use tools and has a distinct personality by individual octopus…
Do you feel as humble as I do at this point?
Google these terms – “Betsy”, “Rico”, Border collies – or go to Wikipedia and look up Betsy there - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_(dog)... These dogs are absolutely amazing and just like Alex, it is not mimicry, it is thinking…
So where am I going with all this rambling?... Two directions…
One… The smaller the dog, the longer the life span… This is pretty much a fact… Great Danes and Russian Wolfhounds live between 7 to 10 years, German Shepherds and Pitbulls live between 12 and 14 years, Chihuahuas live between 10 to 20 years depending upon their health and care…
Those dogs that tend to be clannish or choose to live in packs or pack environments tend to be much better at relationships, understanding how the natural order of things work, etc… Chihuahuas definitely fit both of these criteria because they are exceptionally clannish and commonly ‘pick their human,’ favoring one person over another in any family as well as being one of the longer lived canine breeds…
My personal experience with Chihuahuas (as well as a LOT of observation) has convinced me that they are a LOT smarter than they’re given credit for – to the point that if they don’t want to do something – even if they do indeed know how to do it – they’ll out-think you so they don’t have to do it… I CONSTANTLY watch, observe and learn from my Chihuahuas in an unlimited amount of venues – how they interact, their reactions, their actions…
Accordingly, while they may not be labeled as being one of the more intelligent dog breeds, they certainly do show the adverse affects faster when placed in an abusive situation or even our nation’s shelters systems where the lack of socialization can be limited, there can be a larger amount of dogs without good canine manners and the over stimulus of unbelievable activity can just about do in any balanced Chihuahua if left in that environment too long…
So I pose to you this question… Living longer, more clannish and society-oriented, are we actually abusing these smaller breeds when we subject them to our nation’s shelter systems? Is it not a greater harm than say to canine breeds that don’t think as much and aren’t as dependent upon social interaction amongst themselves?
And two… If animals do think as much as we now believe they do, denying them rights and protection under our laws beyond being just ‘property’ should be tantamount to felonies when abused or harmed… Our states’ cruelty laws are next to nothing but ‘swatting at flies’ when the gross maliciousness and outright tragedies are seldom given more than probation…
Few cruelty cases get to the legal system and even less receive jail time… Is it because we tell ourselves they don’t think and therefore they do not feel?... And is this right, ethical or moral to allow the current status quo to exist?
This is no different to the battle society waged years ago with the mentally challenged folks… It was felt they didn’t think or feel to the level of ‘normal’ folks, so therefore were not entitled to the same amounts of rights and protection… I’m not saying that dogs are the same as mentally-challenged humans… They are not the same or equal to, but just different…
Inhumanity is inhumanity, no matter to what living organism we do these things to… Whenever a living organism is treated unkindly or cruelly and we ourselves are the protectorates of them, we cannot allow others in our species to inflict this amount of harm onto another species, no more than we can allow other humans to destroy our planet, our economies, starve our children, mistreat our seniors, etc… We are the protectorates of those that cannot speak for themselves --- or at least, not in our human language --- and until we ourselves establish a nationwide series of laws defining cruelty and the ramifications of incurring it onto companion pets, we should stop referring ourselves as a humane country, concerned with the lives and welfare of others around our planet! Let it begin at home… if already in your home, then onto your community and state followed by the nation!
Joe Biden's Poor Choice of Judgment
Biden Second Puppy Coming From Pound
Joe Biden's wife Jill gave him a German Shepherd puppy as a post-election present. The Vice President-elect loves the breed, but he took some heat for his choice from animal rights activists who wish he had chosen a dog from a shelter. Now Biden tells ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that he's getting a second dog, and this one will come from the pound. "I've had German Shepherds since I was a kid and I've actually trained them and shown them in the past," Biden said. "So I wanted a German Shepherd and we're going to get a pound dog, which my wife wants, that is hopefully a Golden [Retriever]." Source
Well, that was the hot animal advocacy news for this week... From the inception and launch of www.biden.com along with the petition started, it took only four days for the news story to be twisted in various ways. At the end, the "established" positions seem to be yes, it was yet another puppy mill puppy purchase from a miller, but it was a gift and "I've had them before" which is somehow supposed to justify all of this in the end.
I'm still waiting for the public apology from Biden... After all, how many of us have been pleading for people to adopt and not shop, to not buy petshop puppies and/or to give puppies as gifts, especially during the holidays? So far, none of his comments do this and they invalidate all of the animal advocates' hard work to educate the public and reduce the inhumanity of the pet trade industry.
Sorry, Joe... Not good enough... Yet... Try again, please!
Joe Biden's wife Jill gave him a German Shepherd puppy as a post-election present. The Vice President-elect loves the breed, but he took some heat for his choice from animal rights activists who wish he had chosen a dog from a shelter. Now Biden tells ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that he's getting a second dog, and this one will come from the pound. "I've had German Shepherds since I was a kid and I've actually trained them and shown them in the past," Biden said. "So I wanted a German Shepherd and we're going to get a pound dog, which my wife wants, that is hopefully a Golden [Retriever]." Source
Well, that was the hot animal advocacy news for this week... From the inception and launch of www.biden.com along with the petition started, it took only four days for the news story to be twisted in various ways. At the end, the "established" positions seem to be yes, it was yet another puppy mill puppy purchase from a miller, but it was a gift and "I've had them before" which is somehow supposed to justify all of this in the end.
I'm still waiting for the public apology from Biden... After all, how many of us have been pleading for people to adopt and not shop, to not buy petshop puppies and/or to give puppies as gifts, especially during the holidays? So far, none of his comments do this and they invalidate all of the animal advocates' hard work to educate the public and reduce the inhumanity of the pet trade industry.
Sorry, Joe... Not good enough... Yet... Try again, please!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Animal Parents
I object to the label of 'dumb animals'... whoever came up with that label needs to get a new dictionary for animals are anything BUT dumb~!!! Whatever genetic coding exists in so many aspects of an animal's life is beyond the human's intelligence to break or understand, IMHO...
The other day I was reading a thread about a Giant Pacific Octopus named "J-1" here at this NPM forum... The title of the news story was "Aging Octopus Finds Love At Last" and basically J-1 was reaching his senior years without having known the experience of amplification of his species...
In a human-controlled environment, he was never given a mate but due to the extreme length of his years, time was running out to mate at all... And once octopi mate, they die so I'm sure those in charge held off on this for as long as they could... In May of 2004, he was introduced to Aurora, a female of his species and they fulfilled the aspects of parenthood... On month later, she laid thousands of eggs and three months later in September, J-1 died but Aurora continued on with the goal of having babies...
In April of the following year, Aurora's eggs were considered sterile, but she surprised them all as they started hatching, so plans to drain her tank were halted... For you see? Birth for a female octopus marks the final milestone for them as well... They stop eating as they tend to their brood and then die as well... However Aurora's babies were carefully watched and studied by those at the Alaska SeaLife Center... In August of 2005, Aurora was humanely euthanized out of concern for her health... But both J-1 and Aurora achieved their goals - prolifically increasing the numbers of their species...
Considered one of the smartest in the marine world, octopus brains far outweigh others in their environment by size and weight... And it is believed, computing power as well... Dumb animals?... Well, that is for you to decide, but despite a human controlled environment and many inaccurate human guesses along the way, these two managed to outwit their caregivers not once, but many times...
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Is there truly any justice for animals?
Neither a 'tree hugger' nor dedicated PETA supporter, I believe I am simply the average, everyday citizen that reads things in the news... And afterwards, wonder why the American justice system is so poorly servicing the needs of those that cannot speak for themselves - in this case, the companion animals that are abused, neglected or disposed of via horrendous means...
If the criminal is caught and arrested, somewhere along the way through the legal system, the system fails the victims and a 'wrist slap' is given - usually nothing more than probation or maybe a fine. Deterrent of any crime is the consequences of the deed... but when everyone knows it is doubtful no much will be done (if anything) when caught, where is the system breaking down?
Or am I the only one questioning this failure?... Inquiring minds want to know!
If the criminal is caught and arrested, somewhere along the way through the legal system, the system fails the victims and a 'wrist slap' is given - usually nothing more than probation or maybe a fine. Deterrent of any crime is the consequences of the deed... but when everyone knows it is doubtful no much will be done (if anything) when caught, where is the system breaking down?
Or am I the only one questioning this failure?... Inquiring minds want to know!
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