For Your Entertainment

Au Revoir, Not Goodbye

2011-01-15T14:08:00.008-07:00

I've been blogging less and less here as I've become busier and busier - I haven't even looked at Facebook in weeks! It's time to let you all know what I've been up to.

Around the time my Broadway show announced its closing (I typically make my living as a Sound Engineer) I was approached with an interesting proposal. Pets Alive, a rescue I have long been associated with, took over Elmsford Animal Shelter in Elmsford, NY approximately six months ago - it's now known as Pets Alive Westchester. Since the takeover, conditions at the shelter have improved dramatically - there are no more animals living full time in crates (unless recovering from surgery or illness), adoptions are up, the volunteer program is expanding, the lobby is a happy, bustling, busy place, and they are charting a path to financial self-sufficiency. Still, challenges remain - it's a large place with capacity for hundreds of dogs and cats, and restoring it to its full former glory will take some time.

Pets Alive Westchester invited me to join them as Operations Director, a post I'll be officially beginning tomorrow. I've been helping out for some time in a volunteer capacity - and between that, the holidays, and closing my show, it's been a bit busy around here! I will be joining Joy Sarnelli Carson who began a few weeks ago as Executive Director. I am excited to be working with Joy, a very skilled and talented administrator, advocate, and businessperson.

It's going to get busier as I really get into this, and so for the moment I am bidding this blog au revoir - and should it ever return on any sort of regular basis, it will probably be reincarnated someday as one of them fancy newfangled WordPress blogs. Blogger was the hotness when I started this thing in '04 but the world has moved on. It's my hope to add a blog to the Pets Alive Westchester site soon as a place for us to participate in the national conversation on the subject and value of animal welfare.

Please follow my new venture: on Twitter, on Facebook, and on our website. We need your support and your help. I need your support and your help.

Until we meet again.

-J

2010-11-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Anniversary

2010-11-23T23:48:00.010-07:00

"...that chestnut-coated pit bull popped back into my mind. I decided to drive over and check up on her, but when I got to the shelter she was gone. In her cage was an old hound dog. I asked the woman at the front desk if someone had adopted her. Her face fell, just a little, but I knew. The dog had been euthanized, put down because of our personal fetishes, the shelter's lack of space, and a whole series of reasons that no longer made much sense to me. 'No one adopts a pit bull', she said, as if that cleared everything up."
- Steven Kotler, A Small Furry Prayer

This past weekend was the one year anniversary of me driving from Utah across several states and many hours to pick up a dog whom I had grown to care about greatly but had never met up until that point: Oliver. I usually celebrate my dogs' adoption days as their birthdays, so I'm calling him three years old now.

It's been a tremendously rewarding year with Oliver - he is SUCH a great dog and is beloved by all who know him in my neighborhood in the Bronx. He's beginning to settle a little with age - he still loves to tear around the apartment and bounce off of things, but he also really enjoys his lazy naps, stretching out on the couch, a good belly rub. He's also a great wrestler, a total bed-hog, and an enthusiastic passer of gas. I love him, and I'm glad he's here.

I thought, when I sat down to think about what I wanted to say about him, that I would tell you all about what a wonderful dog he is. His playfulness, his dorkiness, his unparalleled love for people, his resiliency and the love and gratitude he shows daily for the opportunity to recover for the abuse he has suffered in his past. All good points, but I realized tonight that that isn't what I want to say.

One of the most educational aspects of Oliver's companionship over the past year has little to do with who he is, but how people react to him because of what he is. Finding a rental in New York City with three dogs, him included, was very difficult - this is a city of renters, and most housing here bans pit bulls outright. People cross the street when they see him coming on the sidewalk, or afford him a large berth rarely granted to my spaniels. I have the paranoia of the pit bull owner, always scanning all around me when we're out and about - I know if any incident at all, however minor, were to happen with another dog or a person, he is likely to be blamed for everything regardless of facts. There's no need for this. He's a great dog.

Meanwhile, in the city shelter a mere mile and a half from my apartment, pit bull type dogs constitute the majority of dogs killed every single day. Good dogs, great dogs. Dogs that ace their behavioral evaluations. Dogs that are smart, social, love other dogs, know tons of commands, love people. Dogs that would be snapped up in a heartbeat if they were born into the body of a Shih Tzu or a Collie or a Retriever - and it is like this all over the country, in every shelter. The scourge of shelter killing in America is the plight of the pit bull.

And so my simple request and my reflection on Ollie's anniversary: if you're thinking about adopting a dog, I ask you to consider a pit bull type dog. The exact and much debated definition of "pit bull type" doesn't matter, in the end it's a largely academic question; the important part is perception, what people think of as a pit bull - these days, any blocky-headed, short coated mutt. Whatever you want in a dog, you can find among these dogs at your local shelter - active or quiet, loner or social, great with cats and children, pre-trained with a dozen commands, at any age you might prefer. These are some of the dogs dying most often American shelters for no reason other than their appearance and there is quite simply no reason for it. My birthday wish for Oliver and his brethren is that people who care about ending shelter killing lead by example and show the world that these dogs do not have to die by showing the world what fantastic dogs they are and stepping up to take one home. It is sometimes not easy, but rescuers are used to that. It starts with us.

My name is John, and my dog Oliver is an American Pit Bull Terrier.

2010-11-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Cruelty is freedom, compassion is communism!

2010-11-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

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Rally to Restore Sanity

In Honor of National Animal Shelter Reform Week

2010-11-10T22:55:00.007-07:00

In Honor of National Animal Shelter Reform Week, November 7 - 13, 2010.

I walk into the Manhattan branch of Animal Care and Control of New York City. I'm in here on an increasingly regular basis to pull dogs (and the occasional cat) from the kill list for rescue, I transport them to Pets Alive when they ask me to. The kill lists are released every night around 5pm and executions begin the following morning as early as 8am in Manhattan, 6am at the Brooklyn branch. It's not much time to get pulls organized, but I live only 10 minutes from the Manhattan branch and 25 minutes from the Brooklyn branch. My pickup truck, a rarity in New York City, helps me pull up to 5 dogs at a time for transport. I am happy to help however I can.

Today I am here for one, who is supposed to be ready after 10am. It's 10:10 when I enter the front doors.

The Manhattan desk is, as per usual these days, manned by a lone staffer. NYCACC recently saw massive budget cuts that have led to reductions in essential services. Prior to the latest budget cuts, they were already one of the worst funded shelter systems in the country, receiving about .87 per capita from the city. Guidelines from the Humane Society of the United States recommend per capita funding in the $4-7 range. The only way they remain remotely functional is through massive assistance from an outside non-governmental group called the Mayor's Alliance. At the beginning of November, the New York City shelters eliminated their call center as a cost-saving measure; it is now near impossible to contact the Manhattan branch by phone.

I walk in and sign the sign-in sheet at the front desk. I recognize the woman working. She is experienced and efficient and kind-hearted and overwhelmed. She has seen way too many things that no one should have to see.

I wait during a few cat turn-ins, mostly people who have found cats on the street or when moving neighbors have left them behind. These mostly go as smoothly as is possible. All are advised that if a suitable home cannot be found for the cat, it will be "euthanized" (God, I hate that word), but people want to believe that the cat they have found is special and will be snapped up in a heartbeat. They are all special, but they are not necessarily snapped up - in September, the last month for which there is data available, 1/3 of intake were killed. Disease runs rampant through the shelters here and many cats will land on the kill list strictly for coming down with upper respiratory infections. A new HVAC system was recently installed in an effort to prevent the spread of disease, but they are so desperately understaffed that there is no time for proper cleaning, so the spread of disease continues unchecked. On paper there is a volunteer program that could help with the staffing issues, but not many are here. The volunteer program hasn't had any new volunteers start work since April. I've been trying to volunteer for them since June and have attended the orientation and my meeting with the coordinator. I've paid my $25 volunteer fee. I still need to take several classes over the next few months in order to be allowed to begin. There are many people who have heard about the service cuts and want to help. I wonder how many will stick with it through the long process.

An NYPD officer comes in and we who are waiting in the lobby yield - she steps to the counter. She's bringing in two dogs that were abandoned, an adult that was left tied to a tree and a puppy that was laying nearby. She needs help unloading the adult dog in a crate from her car but has to wait as there is no one yet available. The desk attendant begins the long process of entering the paperwork, asking for details that the officer mostly does not know. Sex? Color? Without the adult dog in front of her, she's not sure. She has carried the puppy in in a milk crate and he's on the ground in front of her. She mentions that the puppy was crying and wailing during the whole trip, but the focus on paperwork continues. We curious onlookers lift the blanket that covers the weeks-old puppy in the milk crate; his skull is crushed. It is inflating and deflating as he breathes. The man next to me brings this to the attention of the desk worker and he is whisked away, likely for euthanasia. It is probably best to end his suffering as soon as possible.

A man steps up to the counter to take his new dog home. All he has left to do is pay to take his new companion home. The credit card machine is not working and he is not carrying enough cash to cover the adoption fee. He is sent away to find other payment. I dearly hope he comes back.

I am next in line but I let two women in front of me, a few more minutes won't kill me and they have more pressing issues. One requests euthanasia for her desperately ill cat. His kidneys are failing and she cannot afford further treatment or her vet's euthanasia charges. She is very upset and crying and obviously cares very deeply for her cat. She is quickly processed and taken to the back.

The next woman at the counter is also turning in a cat. Her neighbor moved away and left five behind, she has placed four of them but this one remains and she says she is highly allergic. Sometimes this can be an excuse but as she opens the cat carrier her eyes begin to water, her face flushes and she begins to sneeze uncontrollably - she is, in fact, highly allergic. She has a good heart to have helped those cats who were left behind. She has nothing but praise for this cat who has been wonderful with her multiple dogs and her children, and the cat is young and friendly. As she is lifting the cat from the bag, the desk attendant mistakenly bangs the crate he is to be lowered into against the desk and he startles and flails, scratching the woman holding him. The desk attendant explains that now that he has (barely) drawn blood, he is to be placed on a mandatory Department of Heath hold of approximately two weeks, during which time his fate will be decided. The woman is confused - he's a normal, sweet cat who reacted in a perfectly logical manner to being frightened. She doesn't hold it against him, but rules are rules. What she is not told is that any cat held for that length of time is nearly certain to become ill and is likely to be killed due to illness even if they are judged to be not a threat to public health. These animals generally do not show up in shelter statistics.

I am called into the back to meet the rescue coordinator for the dog I am to pick up. She says she needs a little more time, the dog has not yet had the required shots to be released. No problem; back to the lobby. Many of the coordinators are good people, she's trying to get as many dogs out as she can this morning.

The man who was sent away to find alternate payment comes back for his dog, an older black mutt who is so very excited to be going. I'm so happy the man came back for him, older black mutts can be hard to place! We're all happy to see the dog go home.

I see the dog I am to pick up in the hallway beyond the doors to the back. He is coughing and hacking. They all are when I come for them, nearly every dog I pick up is sick or will get sick. He is being held in the middle of the hallway for his immunizations which are quickly administered, but he's coughing all up and down a hallway that has animals moving through it constantly, hacking up mucous and spit. The coordinator pokes her head through the doors and asks me if I have a slip lead - they never have enough. I hand her one and she leads the dog out to me into the lobby. A man has entered with his Yorkie and I try to keep as far away as possible with the sick dog. His cough is deep and rattling and he has green mucous around his nose, he will need further treatment once we arrive at Pets Alive. I get him out of the building as quickly as possible and load him into my truck outside, then go back in to sign his paperwork and get copies of it, as well as the antibiotics that go with nearly every dog.

Two hours after entering the lobby I am on the road. The dog I have picked up is sweet and social, calm and well-behaved. Most of the dogs I pick up there are, and most are quickly adopted once they are nursed back to health from the illness caused by the shelter.

I can't imagine what it would be like to enter as a potential adopter and to witness all of this while waiting for someone to have the time to help me. It's enough to drive one to the nearest pet shop. While NYC's kill numbers are better than the national average, most of what they count as "adoptions" - approximately 2/3 - are really transfers to rescue. I wonder how long even that is sustainable in the face of budget cuts.

I'm happy for the dog I've picked up as I pull away. I'm glad I'll have a chance to know him and hopefully to see him adopted into a good home. But always I remember the ones I have left behind.

2010-11-08T22:40:00.001-07:00

Cheetah

2010-10-27T23:17:00.004-06:00

I write too many of these, I know. I took a few weeks off from the wired world and I'm sliding back into my blogging/FBing/Tweeting routine again, but I can't continue without taking note of the passing of a very special dog that I knew.

I met Cheetah at Pets Alive back in 2007. She was a senior dog even then, the matriarch of a group of semi-feral dogs that had been trapped nearly a decade ago at a building that was being torn down. She was the most feral of the group, and in a very special way: while the others had little experience with people and displayed a lot of fear, Cheetah was not afraid when we entered her pen. She had just made up her mind that the people thing wasn't for her.

Slowly but surely, Cheetah came to accept human beings... to a point. She enjoyed her walks, but she was always happiest and most comfortable in the presence of her pack, where she quietly ruled the roost - she lived with semi-ferals Tarzan and Lonesome and the dapper and fully socialized Stuart Noble. Adopted out twice, she came back to Pets Alive because she was unhappy living in houses with lots of human attention. She wanted her pen, her pack, and her familiar surroundings. She was happy at Pets Alive.

When I came back to New York after two years away, I could not believe she was the same dog. She actually approached me and solicited petting; she not only allowed herself to be picked up she actually seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps it was just the dementia of old age, but she was finally fully comfortable with human contact and was enjoying her life to the fullest.

Cheetah passed away on Oct 13, at the age of... well, very old. At least 13 or 14 and very possibly considerably older than that. I find myself not sad that she never went to a home, because that was what she chose for herself. I am happy that I got to know her.

Puppy Mill Rescue Reunion

2010-10-14T21:05:00.009-06:00

I really should have posted this the other day - at the recent Best Friends Strut Your Mutt event in NYC that raised more than $130k for local area rescues we had a mini-reunion of some of the dogs from the mill rescue Ginger is from.

Mabel, Anti-Puppy Mill Spokesdog pictured here with her person Lynne Przychodzki, is reunited with my friend Jen's dog Sadie, who came from the same puppy mill. We theorize that they may be related, possibly mother and daughter - they both have unusual body types and head shapes for beagles and have a very similar look.

The three girls are reunited. It's hard to get all of them to look at the camera at the same time! They're all in very happy adoptive homes now.

As for this picture, I really have no good reason to post it other than that I find Doga (Yoga with dogs) hilarious. Hey, as long as the dog is having fun...

Ginger's Freedom Day

2010-10-12T10:36:00.003-06:00

Like many dog people, I celebrate my dogs' birthdays. With rescue dogs that gets a little tricky, so I use their estimated age and celebrate their adoption day as their birthday. I don't get too crazy about it, but the dogs might get an extra biscuit or two.

Ginger, however, gets another day of celebration every year: today is the third anniversary of Ginger's freedom from puppy mill hell as a breeding dog in an infamous VA puppy mill. This Amish-run facility had no electricity or running water and had already burned to the ground once in March of 2007 from unattended propane heaters, killing 167 dogs. Best Friends rescued 178 dogs and saw the facility shut down three years ago today - when I met Ginger, who was then known as Butterscotch. I am in awe of her resilience, her determination, and especially her sense of humor - this little dog has quite the mischievous streak and I love her for it.

Puppy mills are now on the public radar more than ever before, but this is no time to let up the pressure. The place that produced Ginger never should have existed in a civilized society. Please help me celebrate her Freedom Day by learning about puppy mills - and how to stop them. You might also want to check out the story of Mabel, Freedom Day spokesdog.

Goodbye Don Bain

2010-10-11T13:04:00.004-06:00

Best Friends employee and my friend Don Bain passed away today. You can read a little about him and his interesting history in this article. Don was the first guy in Dogtown to remember me by name when I started volunteering. He took the time to show me a little about the desert and about the Indian artifacts I was walking by and over every day without even realizing it. When I was a volunteer, taking his puppy class was one of the highlights of my day.

Don created that puppy class in response to a problem: puppies adopted from Best Friends were being returned at a high rate, so he created a class that would socialize them with people and help prepare them for the real world. Nearly every morning he could be found conducting the class, a favorite of volunteers. The return rate of puppies dropped like a rock. He would later oversee the expansion of the program after the Puppy Care Center building opened earlier this year.

Don was an extraordinarily good and kind man who loved animals and who loved people as well, which made him a wonderful teacher. I will miss him.

Dakota

2010-09-21T21:28:00.004-06:00

In every dog person's life, there are animals who steal your heart forever. If you are lucky, sometimes those dogs are your own, a match of soul mates. Sometimes they're not - they are the dog of a friend, a co-worker, a shelter dog you fall for but cannot, for whatever reason, take home with you. There may be many of these dogs throughout one's lifetime, or only a precious few.

For me, one of these dogs was Dakota, a large Malamute who arrived in my area of Best Friends when I was a caregiver there. We knew little about him other than that he had come from a hoarding case, and when he arrived at Best Friends he would not eat any significant amount for weeks. It's not uncommon for dogs in a new place to turn up their nose at food for a little while, but Dakota took this to new heights. He was unsure of his new environment, uneasy.

We had to get food into him, so we laid out an elaborate selection of temptations to get something into him - not just different dog foods but deli meats, cheeses, hot dogs. None thrilled him. We eventually found just one particular brand of canned food that he would eat, most of the time, and I went out once a week to load up on it for him.

He slowly settled into his routine in my area - he was paired up with a very playful dog and she would not let him rest or wallow in his sorrows. If he would not play, she'd nip him in the butt and make him chase her, just to get him going. He began to respond to us as well - he went on overnights to my house and hung out with me and my dogs and began to love his routine, his walks, his caregivers. He was 70 lbs and nearly six feet tall when he stood on his hind legs, and when he really liked someone he would put rear up and put his paws on their shoulders so he could lick their face. As he settled in, his appetite slowly came back and we transitioned him to our regular food over the course of several weeks.

Originally a red collar (restricted to staff only) for guarding behavior, he began to show improvements there as well. As he got to know and trust us he was no longer concerned about what we might take away from him, for our presence brought good things. He graduated to working with volunteers and went to the Human Resources office one day every week to act as their greeter and get a day of special attention.

Near the end of last year, Dakota damaged a cruciate ligament in his leg and needed surgery - a not uncommon injury. Given the difficulty of the surgery on a dog of his size and his long recovery period, all of his caregivers were afraid that he might regress from the happy, playful and affectionate boy we now knew him to be.

I tried to take him home to foster him through his surgical recovery period, but I had a new dog settling into the family and he and Dakota hated each other from the moment they met in a way that I thought was too unsafe to work with - both were large, powerful males and the chemistry between them was downright awful. I was incredibly upset the day I brought Dakota back to work with me. I felt that I had failed him.

Soon after coming back, Dakota was transferred to another area along with his runmate - and two people who were there volunteering fell in love with him, and he with them. They adopted Dakota, and he now travels the country with them in their RV. They rave about him. He's now been with them three months and he has the best life I could possibly imagine for him - he just looks overjoyed in every picture. I am so grateful that they came along and gave him a true home.

Some of the dogs who steal your heart forever steal many hearts. At Best Friends, Dakota was beloved by all who knew him and everyone follows the updates on his new life from his post-surgical hydrotherapist to his caregivers to his trainer. I will likely never see him again, and the pictures make me miss him so much - but buddy, I'm so happy you got everything I ever wanted for you.

I want the next one to have dogs AND treadmills

2010-09-20T17:45:00.001-06:00

Jim Gorant's "The Lost Dogs"

2010-09-19T22:20:00.005-06:00

I just finished Jim Gorant's book The Lost Dogs, about the investigation of Michael Vick and the rehabilitation of his dogs. It's a great read and incredibly engrossing, an exploration not only of how the case against Vick was built but of the emotional roller coaster of those involved in the case and of the dogs themselves.

Perhaps most importantly, Gorant lays out for a mass audience the clearest and most coherent explanation I have yet read of Why This Matters, and why it should matter - to everyone. Even people who are not "into" dogs are bound to be touched by this work.

Gorant gets so much so right about the nature of dogs, of pit bulls, of bust dogs. I see in his descriptions echoes of dogs I have worked with and of my own pit bull, Oliver - the arrested development, the hopeful nature, the dorkiness, the resiliency, the incredible capacity for joy and forgiveness. Best of all he illustrates how an outpouring of abject and depraved cruelty from just a few men brought out the best in so many people across the country, people who stepped up and gave everything they could of themselves to help. Ultimately it is a story of the very best in human nature.

And I'm not ashamed to say it made me cry twice.

Highly recommended.

The 5%

2010-09-18T22:31:00.008-06:00

The goal of the No Kill movement in the United States is to achieve a time when no healthy or treatable animal is killed in a shelter, and the definition of animals that are healthy or treatable does not currently extend to vicious or violent animals who may be a threat to their communities. It is estimated that in most communities a save rate of around 95% is achievable, the remaining 5% consisting of animals with massive behavioral problems and animals who are severely sick or injured with a very poor prognosis for recovery for whom euthanasia is an appropriate and merciful choice. As the practice of animal hospice gains traction, even those animals who are terminally ill are beginning to have a place to go as well as volunteers step up to take them into their homes and provide palliative care for animals in the last stages of their lives, when their condition is terminal but euthanasia is not yet an appropriate choice.

I have no doubt that No Kill will one day - soon - become the norm in American animal sheltering. Even now, as the word spreads about what is possible and what has been done in cities across the US, animal lovers everywhere are demanding changes in their local shelters and that change is beginning to happen. As No Kill communities pop up around the US, more shelters stuck in the antiquated mode of catch-and-kill will be hounded by their constituencies to change and evolve, to get with the times, to step up their game. I believe the change to be not only inevitable, I think that it will come much sooner than most believe to be possible.

Which has me looking to the future and to the 5%, to the animals that no one that I know of has yet found a solution for: the animals, nearly all dogs, with behavioral problems severe enough to prevent their release into the community. As it was once the norm to kill all but the most perfect (the "adopt the best, kill the rest" model), as it is even now common practice - but changing quickly - to kill the old and the sick, even when No Kill comes to fruition it will still be the norm to kill these animals who are healthy and capable of happy lives, and my hope is that one day that too will change.

Most of my background is not in traditional shelters but in sanctuaries, and it has been my pleasure to meet, work with, and care for many dogs whom even I could not support adopting out - but I love them and care for them and try to give them the best lives possible in the sanctuaries in which they live. Given a stable and predictable environment, nearly all are capable of leading happy lives and can be worked with by many dog-savvy people who are willing to take the time to get to know them. Even most dogs who have done terrible things in the past, animals with long and storied bite records, can be handled safely and mostly normally in the right environment with people who are accustomed to reading their body language - and most of these dogs will improve by leaps and bounds, given the chance, as they build positive relationships with people.

In a traditional, relatively high-volume shelter these animals would take the most resources. They need specialized and flexible environments, more skilled personnel to care for them, careful risk management. It is because of this that they are the last in line and because of this that resources must be used to save the more savable first.

I have yet to hear a practical solution for these animals, but I'm going to keep looking - it's wonderful to envision a Best Friends-style sanctuary setup operating in partnership with every shelter but I'm not sure that is feasible. In cities that setup would need to be quite large; my guesstimate is that a sanctuary in a community the size of Washoe County NV would require the capacity to house 1500 - 2000 animals.

No Kill was once thought to be impossible; this too is a solvable problem. What's your idea?

Ok, it's an ad, but still...

2010-09-11T22:38:00.002-06:00

Thanks, Clarice!

Had such a beautiful moment with Ollie today

2010-09-07T21:36:00.004-06:00

Ollie really enjoys himself here in the Bronx. We had a wonderful moment today - even in a neighborhood where pit bulls aren't unusual, some people cross the street when they see you coming. I don't blame them, if I were raised on a steady diet of New York City tabloids... well, I might too.

A woman and her kids were approaching us coming the opposite way down the sidewalk, and I could see her steering away to give herself a wide berth. Ollie, of course, wagged his tail furiously and grinned at the approaching strangers - he loves people. As they were about to pass us her little boy, maybe 6 years old, broke away from his mom, ran up to Ollie, and hugged him by his head. You've never seen a happier boy or a happier pit bull.

No, I'm not advocating that kids go running up to strange dogs on the street and grab them. But he read Ollie's intentions beautifully. So sweet.

We Are

2010-09-07T21:22:00.000-06:00

A protest I can get behind

2010-09-06T13:49:00.001-06:00

11 Foot 8

2010-09-06T13:08:00.001-06:00

Maybe the ones who don't run screaming...

2010-09-06T12:09:00.001-06:00

Dante Goes On Vacation

2010-09-06T12:07:00.002-06:00

Click to enlarge.

[via]

A new product for your nuptials...

2010-09-06T12:04:00.002-06:00

Want to include your beloved dog in your upcoming wedding? You're going to need this ring-bearer harness!

Thanks, Laura!

2010-09-01T22:26:00.001-06:00

Dual Burglar Fail

2010-08-30T17:39:00.001-06:00

Big Ball

2010-08-30T17:31:00.001-06:00

More on rendering...

2010-08-29T09:53:00.006-06:00

WARNING: The following videos are graphic and may disturb some viewers.

Note the Division Manager for the Bureau of Sanitation of the City of LA who says on camera that the animals being picked up will go to the rendering plant:

[Side note: I wonder if PETA renders the remains of the thousands of dogs and cats they kill in a year?]

...and finally, a 2007 undercover video showing dead pets being prepared for rendering at D&D in California, which holds most of the rendering contracts with Southern California shelters. Please be warned that the video below is very graphic.

Thanks to YesBiscuit! - been trying to find that Dept of Sanitation video for a week! She has a great story tying it all together: Could Dogs and Cats Be an Ingredient in Your Pet's Food?

Back to the funny tomorrow, I promise!

More on rendering, or Soylent Green

2010-08-24T12:35:00.004-06:00

...from this EPA document.

"Meat rendering plants process animal by-product materials for the production of tallow, grease, and high-protein meat and bone meal. Plants that operate in conjunction with animal slaughterhouses or poultry processing plants are called integrated rendering plants. Plants that collect their raw materials from a variety of offsite sources are called independent rendering plants. Independent plants obtain animal by-product materials, including grease, blood, feathers, offal, and entire animal carcasses, from the following sources: butcher shops, supermarkets, restaurants, fast-food chains, poultry processors, slaughterhouses, farms, ranches, feedlots, and animal shelters."

We didn't really need the EPA to confirm it as plenty of rendering plants have done so on the record and in the press, but it's interesting to see confirmation from a government agency that they're well aware of it.

More on the document and a list of ingredients that you never, ever want to see in your pet's food can be found at The Truth About Pet Food.

Still Ick

2010-08-20T21:40:00.002-06:00

I've known this for years, but some still don't believe: it's perfectly possible for your inexpensive dog food to contain the rendered remains of cats and dogs, among other nasty stuff. But of course - where did you think the pentobarbital found in dog food comes from, exactly?

It's not uncommon for high-kill shelters and municipalities that pick up a lot of roadkill to sell the bodies to renderers, and for years the rose-tinted glasses set has insisted that the products that result would never, ever be sold in the US... right?

Just a Dog

2010-08-20T14:47:00.000-06:00

Why?

2010-08-16T00:24:00.000-06:00

More Language Navel Gazing

2010-08-11T22:48:00.002-06:00

Kathy over at Wisconsin Watchdog recently wrote about five words she'd like to see dropped from the animal welfare vocabulary and I strongly agree with her list... but there's one word that gets tossed around a lot in dog world and it always just makes me a little queasy.

I'm aware of the original, literal meaning of bitch as well as how and why it became a profane insult in our modern lexicon. Maybe it's that I didn't grow up with dogs, maybe it's that I've never been involved with breeding dogs, or maybe I'm just that much of a puritan, but it's not a term I use and it makes me slightly uncomfortable to hear it used. I wonder if others, particularly people without a deep involvement in the animal world, feel the same way?

Or maybe I'm just overreacting.

"Keep Off the Grass" would have worked, too

2010-08-09T11:19:00.001-06:00

2010-08-08T21:49:00.002-06:00

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

2010-08-08T21:48:00.002-06:00

I can't hula hoop while drinking my 4 foot margarita?

Giant Kitteh Couch

2010-08-08T00:56:00.001-06:00

Ain't It the Truth

2010-08-06T09:57:00.001-06:00

2010-08-06T01:00:00.000-06:00

2010-08-06T00:58:00.000-06:00

The Better Angels of Our Nature

2010-08-04T23:44:00.006-06:00

It's been interesting seeing the reactions to my post on the myth of the irresponsible public, especially the reactions over on the wonderful No Kill Nation page on Facebook, who kindly linked the article. Most puzzling to me is a small but vocal group who insists that all of humanity is evil and not to be trusted.

I just don't believe it.

One of the more inspiring moments at the No Kill Conference was listening to Nathan Winograd put the No Kill movement into context of other social movements and rights movements throughout history. Every social movement has parallels, each follows a similar arc throughout history from radical idea to accepted social norm. I do not mean to suggest that the No Kill movement is on equal moral footing with social movements such as abolition or suffrage, but there are commonalities to all social movements throughout history, one of which is the belief in and basic appeal to the good in most people.

Of all of history's leaders I believe Lincoln summed up this belief best with his use of the phrase "the better angels of our nature" in his closing to the first ever inaugural address. With secession looming, Lincoln addressed the secessionists directly and closed with this statement.

I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

I think of that phrase often, "the better angels of our nature", in animal rescue. As much abuse and neglect as I see, I also have these moments of absolute wonder that people can be good, and kind, and generous. I can think of two specific moments that stand out.

A few years ago, I did a rescue transport from a high kill southern shelter that was full and about to begin the process of killing all the dogs. When we pulled up in the van to take the entire canine population of the shelter to safety at Pets Alive, I expected to be greeted by evil demons at the door. Instead I discovered a shelter staff who treated these dogs warmly and affectionately, calling them by name and saying goodbye as they brought them to the van - they were so grateful that we had come to get them. One of the shelter staff had brought her young children with her and they proudly told me all about their five rescued dogs at home, all from the shelter. I had expected inhuman monsters, but what I found were people who did not want to kill but didn't appear to know any other way. It affected me profoundly in that I realized that these people were not necessarily my enemy.

Most recently I did a rescue, also for Pets Alive, that took 90 beagles from an animal testing lab. The lab had gone bankrupt and locked their workers out - some of whom scaled the fence, cut the locks, and broke into the lab to feed and care for the animals who had been locked inside. They then started looking for a way to get them to safety. When we pulled those dogs we were helped by two of the workers who had done just that - I wish I could have asked them about it. I was surprised that they handled the dogs with care and affection. I had expected pure evil; they weren't it.

When have you witnessed the better angels of our nature?

Euthanizing the Myths - The Irresponsible Public

2010-08-03T10:09:00.008-06:00

I've seen Nathan Winograd speak several times now, most recently at the No Kill Conference in Washington DC, and I always come away with something I didn't know or something that I needed to be reminded of. Nathan's opening keynote touched on a few of the myths widely held in animal sheltering and rescue, myths that need to be put out of their misery in order for us to make progress within communities. The first shelter myth I'm tackling is one that I think has the potential to be the most poisonous and the most self-defeating to shelter operations everywhere: the myth of the irresponsible public.

It's not difficult to pull quotes these days from directors and staff of shelters the world over telling the press that they have to kill animals, even inviting TV crews to be there while they do it, because it's the fault of the irresponsible John Q. Public that forces them to kill. What a load of claptrap.

Americans love their pets. Love them. When I walk my dog in the morning, I don't generally run across people beating their animals. I run into other people with their dogs, and we talk about them. I run into people out for a walk who stop me and ask about my dogs - ask about their names, want to pet them, introduce their children to them. They want to tell me about dogs they have had, dogs they have loved. I have had the benefit of living with my dogs all over the country, in all kinds of areas from rich to poor, rural to inner city. My positive interactions about animals with people outweigh my negative interactions by a thousandfold.

A few statistics for you:
- In 2009, giving to environmental and animal related charities (which are lumped together by the IRS for the purposes of reporting) increased by 2.3% even as overall giving decreased by 3.6% in the midst of a recession.
- American spending on pet expenses hasn't experienced a decline in ANY subcategory of spending since 2007, with a 2009 overall increase of 5.4% - also in the midst of a recession - to total spending of $45.5B. In 2010 they project further 4.9% growth.
- A pet owner survey in 2000 found that over half of respondents had taken time off of work to care for a sick pet.
- Stories about animals are big in American entertainment in movies like Marley and Me, which had a US gross of $150M for its theatrical release and was based on a book that was a New York Times bestseller. One movie studio exec was quoted in the press as saying "I have learned never to bet against any dog movie".

In an America where people very obviously love their animals, it follows that they would like to do what is best for them. I do not, personally, know anyone whom I would characterize as irresponsible with their animals. Now, I do know poeple who have occasionally done something irresponsible, knowingly or unknowingly - which includes myself, and I know people who have made mistakes - which includes myself. But I do not, personally, know anyone whom I would call irresponsible. I do know many people who love animals. I do know people who have skipped meals - or had ramen - to feed their animals, who have skimped on their own medical care to pay a vet bill, or who have given money to save an animal's life when they had almost none. I know this doesn't get nearly as much press as the bad people in the world, but these are the folks I know.

Now, there are definitely people out there who ARE irresponsible, and being in the shelter industry you're going to see a lot of them. You're on the receiving end of animal cruelty cases, and your daily communications and email are full of awful things that have been done to animals by a very small minority of people within society. But to use this as an excuse to kill is bunk, and more than that it's self-defeating.

When you are a shelter and you need donations to keep operating, you need to appeal to the public. Most people aren't going to give money to an organization that demonizes them, which is going to interfere with a shelter's ability to carry out their mission. If you had a choice between donating money to a shelter that told the public that most of the animals they took in were doomed to die because of an irresponsible public and a shelter that told you they would do their utmost to use your donation to work as hard as they could to find homes for animals that needed them... which would you choose?

You need the public to adopt your animals. Why would I walk in to adopt an animal from an agency that tells the public they're not responsible enough to take care of them? Why would I sit down with an adoptions staff that works for an organization that views the public - me - with disdain?

You need the public to volunteer for you, to help you care for your animals, to support you in public, support your mission and spread the word. Why would anyone want to even find out about your organization when you're telling them they can't be trusted?

We who work in, among, and with shelters need to be a part of putting this attitude to sleep - NOW - and we need to speak up and correct it when we hear it repeated. It is a poison among us, completely counterproductive to what we are trying to achieve, and it runs contrary to the attitudes we believe in as a No Kill Nation - No Kill communities are founded by people who love animals and believe not only that the public loves animals as well, but that engaging the public in the mission of saving animals is key to achieving No Kill.

"The truth is you cannot blame having to kill shelter animals on an “irresponsible public” or “too many animals” when a shelter doesn’t implement lifesaving and low cost programs. I personally witnessed missed opportunity after missed opportunity from alienating potential fosters to terrible customer service to rude behavior toward rescue groups. I heard the same stories from other volunteers. These were not isolated cases. These were failures of management and staff to do what they should be doing: saving lives."
- Jessica Reid, No Kill Louisville

2010-08-03T09:55:00.001-06:00

[via]

Ride It Like You Stole It

2010-08-03T09:49:00.003-06:00

Starbucks

2010-08-03T09:47:00.001-06:00

My Fair Zombie

2010-08-03T08:40:00.001-06:00

On Activism: Revision 1.1

2010-08-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

Embrace radical transparency. Own your successes, but also own your mistakes. Admit to both.

Love.

If you believe in what you're saying, stand behind it. Do not allow yourself to be bullied or shouted down.

Take the time to celebrate your successes. Even small or incremental successes can help to build a great framework for the future. Similarly, carefully analyze and learn from your failures - they are also a part of that framework.

Be truthful. Be honest. Be respectful. Be polite. On the other side there is also a human being.

Be persistent.

Believe in yourself.

Communicate.

To speak is not enough; you must also lead by your actions. Be the change - in word and deed.

Be kind.

Be open. To possibility, to change, to debate, to discussion.

Embrace technology. We live in a golden age of mass communication, where free and inexpensive tools enable anyone and everyone to potentially reach millions in an instant. Experiment with new technologies. Keep what works.

Grasp the opportunity to educate. Reach the undecided with reason and intelligent persuasion.

Laugh. Often.

Ask questions. Think critically. Seek understanding. Educate and inform yourself. Be ready to have your mind changed.

Be calm, especially when there is chaos all around you.

Smile.

Be kind to yourself as well. It's easy to burn out. Know when to step away and rest yourself. There will be plenty to do when you get back.

Believe in, in the words of Lincoln, "the better angels of our nature".

What would you add? To be revised on an ongoing basis. I hope to eventually make it a poster.

Image: Banksy

Just Back!

2010-08-02T10:20:00.002-06:00

I'm just back from this year's No Kill Conference, which was FANTASTIC - and I have SO many posts to write! Invigorating, inspiring, and a chance to meet and learn from some true heroes of the No Kill movement. A big thanks to everyone!

Wonderful Local Vets

2010-08-02T09:43:00.004-06:00

I have sometimes used this space to take companies to task that have ripped me off or provided me with awful service (are you listening, games-stock.com?) but it's also important to recognize folks providing superior service in their communities, and I thought it was important to make this one a matter of public record and make sure The Google can find it forever.

One week ago, my beloved dog Jessie was the victim of an accidental poisoning. She was not badly symptomatic until nearly 72 hours after ingestion (which I did not know about) but once she became obviously symptomatic, they were very, very bad. When I took her out to use the bathroom in the morning she had more blood coming out of her than I have ever seen. Although I am traveling and away from my usual vet, I have a relationship with a nearby vet and called them immediately - they advised me to bring Jessie to a nearby emergency vet center, the VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center of Norwalk, CT. Doing so saved her life.

We were seen within five minutes of walking in the front door. At the time I had no idea what had happened, but Dr. Ehrlich had some strong suspicions and her most likely guess was absolutely correct. They began treating Jessie immediately, as she was crashing and in grave danger of dying within the next 12 hours. There are vets in the building 24 hours, they continued to work to stabilize her throughout her first night there.

Dr. Ehrlich and the vet who took over the case on her days off, Dr. Mahlberg, were fantastic. They were communicative. They discussed options. They were up front about costs, risks, and the pros and cons of available approaches. They spent a lot of time with me and answered every question completely and with patience and respect. They called me every morning and evening to update me. Their staff tolerated my phone calls with friendliness, good humor and excellent service - and when I finally pieced together exactly what had happened, I was able to contact the overnight vet at 1am to let them know.

They're not cheap, which they were totally upfront about - but that kind of service is worth it and there are few facilities in the area capable of doing what they did for her, and they unquestionably saved her life. I wish most of my interactions in human medicine were so positive.

Split?

2010-07-31T13:04:00.002-06:00

Years ago (yeah, I'll update the design eventually...) I started the site as a place to put all the fun stuff I found around the internet. As things evolved I started using the site for writings and news on animal welfare (and specifically dogs) as well. So I'm wondering what people think: should I split this blog in two, one for humor related content and one for animal related content?

I'm sort of inclined to leave things the way they are - it won't hurt people coming here to see some fun stuff to see a bit about dogs (and gloss over it if they so choose), and it definitely won't hurt those of us tacking some pretty serious subjects to have a laugh now and then, but I wanted to know what YOU think. Feel free to comment as well!

Macaroni

2010-07-30T08:53:00.002-06:00

[via]

Shelter Access

2010-07-28T21:40:00.010-06:00

The Jersey Shore Animal Center is set to kill a mother cat and five kittens today. Normally this would not be news, as shelters kill animals all the time. What is news is that there is a No Kill rescue with a wonderful setup for cats that's willing to take them in and save their lives - and has been told no.

The mother cat has been tested for, and is positive for, FIV - a slow moving immunodeficiency virus. FIV is certainly not a death sentence in cats and many FIV positive cats live very long and happy lives. It's also fairly difficult for cats to transmit to each other - it's most commonly transmitted through deep bite wounds - and does not infect any other species. There's really no reason to kill an FIV positive cat, any more than there's a reason to kill for diabetes, blindness, or a skin condition - it's just something to be aware of and educated about.

The Jersey Shore Animal Center missed the memo on that one. They consider FIV cats "sick", and when a rescuer brought in a mother cat and her newborn litter for care and the mother cat tested positive, they slated them for killing (although FIV is not always transmitted to kittens, they didn't bother to test the kittens - presumably because they didn't know that). When their rescuer found out the fate of the cats, she asked to take them back and was told she couldn't have them. When their rescuer called Pets Alive for help and they offered to take the cats - and provide them with lifetime care if necessary, they were told no because killing all FIV positive cats is the policy of the Jersey Shore Animal Center, logic be damned.

This is what shelter access laws such as California's Hayden Law, Delaware's Companion Animal Protection Act, and the proposed Oreo's Law of New York are designed to prevent, and why it's so very important to continue working for shelter access laws across the country.

The number one cause of death for dogs and cats in the United States isn't cancer, or being hit by cars, or neglect by hoarders, or any exotic disease. It's shelter killing. Shelter access laws like Oreo's Law guarantee access to animals in immediate danger of being killed (what shelters usually call "euthanasia") and give rescuers a chance to save their lives. Period.

Much has been made over protections and safeguards in these laws to make sure that only the "right" people get them, and certainly some level of safeguarding is a good idea. It's important, however, not to lose sight of the overall risk/reward scenario: the animals that these access laws usually are designed to help are the ones in immediate danger of death, and opposing laws giving rescuers access to animals based on the objection of what theoretically might happen to them in order to send them to a certain death is quite simply idiotic. Indeed, if we were to follow this logic to its end no organization would ever adopt out a dog or cat - they would simply kill them all. Although I'm in favor of some level of safeguarding in these laws, even a bill with no safeguards at all has the potential to save a tremendous number of lives by virtue of providing a chance to go on living versus a near certain death.

With shelters out there like the Jersey Shore Animal Center - and they're not at all uncommon - we need all the help we can get.

John Callahan

2010-07-27T05:57:00.003-06:00

I found out today that cartoonist John Callahan had died, I've been a fan since discovering his incredible autobiography in the 80s. Godspeed to a remarkable (and very, very funny) man.

Batman Pug Remix

2010-07-22T10:09:00.001-06:00

Pets Alive Wednesdays

2010-07-22T09:37:00.007-06:00

Busy day at Pets Alive! I was very happy to see that the Freegle enclosures were packed away and nearly every Freegle has been adopted! There are just a few left and even some of them went home while I was there - I'm betting that next week they'll all be in homes, which is so awesome.

Since the Freegles were well in hand I spent the day with my regulars, including my new boy... Andy. A few of my regulars are lifers, but Andy's not, he's just a sweet boy who needs a little extra help. We took our usual walk and headed out on an outing to get an Italian Ice, but Andy was too nervous to eat. He loves the car and he's very calm riding in one, but he's nervous in new situations - not too bad, just a little shy - and lots of situations seem to be new to him. Sitting on a bench, relaxing and eating an italian ice just wasn't something he's used to... but don't worry, he will be!

Continuing to explore what Andy likes and what motivates him, he met my little dog Ginger.

Ginger is a fantastic test dog to meet other dogs - she's small, very non-threatening, female, and has great dog skills, she reads the intentions of other dogs very well. No surprise for an ex-puppy mill dog!

Andy liked her very much and instigated play with her. She also let him know when he was being too rough and he accepted the correction instantly, a wonderful sign. I think these two are going to be buddies and hopefully can go on some outings together - once they're friends I'm hoping Andy picks up on Ginger's excitement to be out and about!

I'm hoping to give them a play date together next week!

I got to visit my ferals, too. When I first started at Pets Alive there was a large group of dogs that had always lived together, had minimal human contact and were badly undersocialized. It's amazing to see how far they've come and how much they enjoy people now. One of the crew, Tarzan, is slowly losing his sight due to an irreversible eye condition:

No worries though, on the trail he rolls deep with his seeing eye pack, including the dapper Stuart Noble.

I'd never met Stuart before last week, but he's a very impressive little guy - especially with all he's been through. He's very friendly to people, loves the group of dogs he lives with, and is in better shape than any dog of his age I've ever met - he's very active and playful. He's just fantastic. I'm really hoping he finds the right person soon, he's a very sweet guy!

Finally, I had to see Cam to make sure he'd recovered from this recent humiliation...

He was fine. Whew! Won't someone save him from the next dress-up opportunity?

2010-07-22T09:32:00.001-06:00

2010-07-20T14:27:00.000-06:00

Pugs Love Batman

2010-07-19T22:31:00.001-06:00

Back to Pets Alive!

2010-07-14T20:12:00.004-06:00

Dropped by Pets Alive today to visit the dogs of the Great Beagle Rescue - so good to see so many of them GONE! They're flying into their new homes just as fast as they can have their spay/neuters! Several went home today while I was there including this cutie.

I also met this really cool dog who I think I'm going to be spending some time with: Andy! Andy's had a hard start to his young life but he is SUCH a sweet boy! The shelter environment makes him a little nervous and hyper so I took him on a little field trip - he calmed right down the moment he hit the car seat and was a perfect gentleman on his ride (though the ice cream shop was out of italian ices - drat!). Next week we'll go on a longer outing and I'll be sure to get some pictures. Such a sweet guy!

Doga

2010-07-09T09:41:00.001-06:00

I don't care what the New York Times says, I find doga kinda weird.

Heartbreaking

2010-07-07T22:20:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Shirley at YesBiscuit for catching this story today.

I'm not sure how much I have to add here that's constructive except to say that this one simple video exemplifies everything that's wrong with some shelters in this country today. You've got a TV news crew in the building - what a golden opportunity to ask for the help of the public, to ask for foster homes, to ask for adopters to step forward, to promote your animals, to do some good in the world.

Instead, they vilify and blame the public and kill a puppy while the crew is there for good measure while telling their community "this is your fault". Who in the world is going to want to step forward and help you when you're telling them how horrible they are?

No, it's not the fault of the community. It's the fault of a hellhole who seem to be actively trying to drive away and reject the people who could help them rather than engaging their community in a positive way, appealing to the better nature of humanity, and asking for the help of the public. Putting that puppy on camera and talking up how wonderful he is instead of putting him to death would literally be the very least they could do. This sort of self-sabotage of a shelter's essential mission is grossly unacceptable.

What a waste.

Safe for whom?

2010-07-07T10:50:00.002-06:00

[via]

2010-07-07T10:47:00.001-06:00

It's OK, we're all safe now.

2010-07-07T00:36:00.001-06:00

[via]

Might be an improvement

2010-07-06T23:53:00.001-06:00

[via]

Profile of a Backyard Breeder

2010-07-06T00:36:00.005-06:00

Just ran across this series of TV reports. A few thoughts come immediately to mind...

It is an absolute travesty that this woman was allowed to operate as long as she did when authorities were obviously well aware of what was going on. A lot of people clamor for new laws restricting "bad breeders" when simply enforcing laws we have now would go a LONG WAY towards shutting down backyard breeders like this.

There are really people out there who will spend $6500 for a dog, sight unseen? The second travesty is that some of her customers were not arrested as well for utter stupidity. It's awful to be taken advantage of, but sending $6500 for a good-lookin' website?

Finally, love the hair. Queens NY REPRESENT!

Your thoughts?

I think that's from the Made Up Testament

2010-07-06T00:34:00.002-06:00

How did I miss this?

2010-07-06T00:11:00.000-06:00

How did I miss this video? It's great!

Beaglemania continues!

2010-07-05T20:16:00.009-06:00

Had to go back to Pets Alive today, I needed a beagle fix. They're just so damn happy, and they're really loving the cuddling they're getting.

I also picked up some freshly-neutered beagles from the vet - so cute and sleepy and almost ready for adoption - so exciting! They've got a TON of applications and I can't wait to see them go into homes!

I've been so busy with the beagles that I hadn't been spending enough time with my old friends, so later in the afternoon I took Cam and Bindi out for lemon ices. Yes, really. You've got to look out for the long-term residents, you know - they need some fun outings!

Now THAT is a goofball pittie face! Bindi remains that happy, bouncy clown princess of Pets Alive. Maybe with all the media attention from the beagles there might be that one special pit bull lover who falls for Cam or Bindi...

2010-07-05T09:17:00.001-06:00

2010-07-04T22:43:00.001-06:00

On Activism

2010-07-04T15:17:00.004-06:00

Embrace radical transparency. Own your successes, but also own your mistakes. Admit to both.

Love.

If you believe in what you're saying, stand behind it. Do not allow yourself to be bullied or shouted down.

Be truthful. Be honest. Be respectful. On the other side there is also a human being.

Be persistent.

Believe in yourself.

To speak is not enough; you must also lead by your actions. Be the change - in word and deed.

Be kind.

Be open. To possibility, to change, to debate, to discussion.

Embrace technology. We live in a golden age of mass communication, where free and inexpensive tools enable anyone and everyone to potentially reach millions in an instant. Experiment with new technologies. Keep what works.

Laugh. Often.

Ask questions. Seek understanding. Educate yourself.

Be calm, especially when there is chaos all around you.

Believe in, in the words of Lincoln, "the better angels of our nature".

What would you add?

Image: Banksy

Competitve Eating

2010-07-04T14:46:00.001-06:00

I like competitive eating more than soccer because there's more drama.

Beagleriffic

2010-07-04T13:52:00.000-06:00

Gettin' Pricey

2010-07-04T11:47:00.002-06:00

New cost for cigarettes at some locations in NYC: $14.50. Awesome.

Bo Burnham with the Nerd Rap - NSFW

2010-07-04T11:26:00.000-06:00

Breathe, damn you, breathe!

2010-07-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

[via]

Beaglemania Slide Show

2010-07-03T22:56:00.001-06:00

2010-07-03T18:33:00.001-06:00

I went to see the Freegals at Pets Alive today. As I was walking through the pens, there was this one female dog that really, really, really wanted my attention. I went in with her and took a seat on her dog house, and she jumped up and put her front paws in my lap, pressed her head into me, and thumped her tail like mad. We sat that way for five minutes or so, her tail going the whole time. She just wanted to be held.

She's what it's all about.

The Great Beagle Escape

2010-07-02T23:44:00.010-06:00

The Great Beagle Rescue. The Freegles. Beaglemania.

Whatever you want to call it, Pets Alive and Best Friends rescued a large group of beagles from a failed research lab in New Jersey today.

I thought I was on the unload end when I headed up to Pets Alive today but the team pulling the dogs needed some supplies, so I loaded up the truck and GPSed the destination, an idyllic country setting in a beautiful area of NJ.

At first glance it looks like a farm. You probably wouldn't even look twice on your way by. But it's not, it's an animal research lab compound. The "barn" in the photo is a fake, a concrete building that's been dressed up to look like a barn. Four vans went in with teams of two loaders, one van at a time, and loaded up to take the beagles to freedom.

They're an awesome group. A little scared (understandably!) but very social, very friendly. The vans brought them back to Pets Alive, where pens have been built just for them in a pasture.

So many first for these guys. First time walking on grass. First time on a leash. And some of the best firsts of all as they were paired up and had playmates for the first time in their adult lives, and they started to play. To explore. To bask in the attention from their adoring public.

If you've ever wanted to get started volunteering with an animal rescue, now would be a fantastic time. There's a lot to do with these guys and with the rest of Pets Alive's animals (dogs, cats, horses, goats, birds...). As much as anything, these guys just need some socialization, some loving guidance, and some fun! They're great dogs to hang out with.

It's fantastic to see two orgs who have had their differences put them aside for the good of the animals and collaborate on such a wonderful and worthy project - one that any and every animal lover can get behind! I've never been prouder to be a volunteer for Best Friends and Pets Alive.

Blog to Watch

2010-07-01T22:35:00.001-06:00

Keep an eye on Wisconsin Watchdog, new and fantastic! I'm adding it to my blogroll.

Freedom Beagles!

2010-07-01T09:50:00.004-06:00

Pets Alive of Middletown, NY is doing a mass rescue of 90 beagles who will be coming to their facility Friday, July 2. If you've ever wanted to get involved with animal rescue... well, now would be a great time, they're going to need a lot of help this weekend and beyond! Check out their website or their Facebook page and GET INVOLVED!

The name I hoped to never speak again.

2010-07-01T08:45:00.002-06:00

So evidence suggests that the reformed Mr. Vick violated the terms of his parole and his Eagles contract in the latest criminal case he's involved in - a shooting at his birthday party. (He was not the shooter or the shootee.)

I'm sure the HSUS will stand by him. After all, he's changed.

Can we now leave this man in the dustbin of history where he belongs?

Ice Cream

2010-07-01T07:27:00.000-06:00

I need an iPhone 4

2010-06-30T22:02:00.002-06:00

Salty language alert!

Animating your platform arguments: possibly the geekiest thing evar.

Thanks, Sarah!

The Force

2010-06-30T18:31:00.002-06:00

Thanks Jen!

But did anything interesting happen?

2010-06-30T18:00:00.002-06:00

Whoa

2010-06-30T17:38:00.002-06:00

KC Dog Blog with the analysis I wish I'd written!

2010-06-30T07:15:00.000-06:00

[via]

Look Out For Them Appleheads

2010-06-28T19:11:00.002-06:00

Thanks, Clarice!

On Oreo's Law

2010-06-28T01:27:00.010-06:00

"While everyone in the room has had successes, we can’t let that past success blind us to new possibilities. Don’t be afraid to question the status quo. Don’t be afraid to challenge your colleagues."
- Julie Castle, Best Friends

I haven't commented at all in public about Oreo's Law since the tabling of the bill by the NY State Legislature. This is mostly because I don't want my difference of opinion with Best Friends over their support to seem like sour grapes; I don't want it to seem like I'm going up against my former employer because I have a personal ax to grind - I do not.

So let's start this post with some full disclosure: up until two weeks ago, I was employed by Best Friends Animal Society as a Dog Caregiver. I loved my job, I loved my dogs, and I loved where I worked. It was an absolute privilege to be a part of the sanctuary at Best Friends and it is truly a unique place. It was a joy to be able to give sanctuary animals the physical, social, mental, and medical support they need to live happy, fulfilling lives. There is truly nowhere else like it on earth, and it is and always will be part of my heart. I am immensely proud to have worked there.

As you might imagine, a caregiver has little contact with the executive team and I have no special knowledge, no magical insight, and no smoking gun regarding the lack of Best Friends' support for Oreo's Law. I am breaking no confidences and I'm not making anything public that is confidential or privileged information - quite simply, that's not something I had access to. What follows is simply my guess and my opinion.

I was disappointed but not entirely surprised by the initial lack of support for Oreo's Law and the policy statement that left many wondering... so do you, or don't you? Best Friends has a history of being the kinder, gentler group and attempting to stay out of divisive issues within the animal welfare movement, at least publicly. They are especially loathe to start a public spat with any other animal welfare group, which usually makes a lot of sense - but there are occasions when you have to, when you should, and this was one of them. This law runs so close to the core beliefs of the organization that it wasn't hard to imagine Best Friends not just supporting it, but taking up the cause and promoting it like the leader within the No More Homeless Pets® movement should.

I believe why they didn't was not only that well known tendency to avoid public conflict with other groups but also for political ease and monetary gain. Best Friends is expanding its presence in New York City - if you monitor the employment section of the website, you might have noticed job listings for New York positions. I think it's safe to assume that the increased activity will come with increased visibility and of course, fundraising, in what is very firmly the ASPCA's home turf. Best Friends may be hoping for some collaboration with the ASPCA or perhaps they're just trying to antagonize the ASPCA as little as possible while attempting to access a rich pool of untapped potential donors, and the very existence of this bill and the reason it came into being is very, very embarrassing for the ASPCA.

Francis Battista is a man who I have incredible respect for and admiration of, but his response to the controversy was weak sauce at best and disingenuous at worst, because we now know that Best Friends spoke of neutrality in public while privately trying to undermine support for the bill. As Nathan Winograd pointed out, when all the players in animal welfare were on the same page about shelter policy, we were killing more than twenty million animals per year. Sometimes, to get things done, you have to take a principled stand and make some noise; sometimes you have to get involved in a fight you may lose because it's the right thing to do. If Rosa Parks had yielded her seat instead of staying put and creating conflict, the course of history may have been markedly different.

This will all begin again in January, when Oreo's Law will once again be introduced to the legislature, and I hope that this time Best Friends will support it and acknowledge that they were wrong to previously withhold support, because that's the right thing to do. After all, both they and Ed Sayres, now President of the ASPCA, supported the Hayden Law - the CA ordinance that Oreo's Law is based on that is credited with saving many thousands of animal lives in the decade-plus it has been on the books. The only difference between the Hayden Law and Oreo's Law is additional safeguards built into Oreo's Law to protect against abuse - provisions that the Hayden Law have shown to be unnecessary but added to attempt to gain support within the animal welfare community.

On a slightly different but very, very related note I would like to offer an unsolicited suggestion to Best Friends, which has been pretty clearly facing a crisis of direction in recent years. I'm under no illusion that anyone will pay any attention, but it will be good to get it out.

It is a basic tenet of business to concentrate on your core business - that is, to figure out what it is you can do better than anyone else in the world and focus on doing it to the best of your ability. What Best Friends has the capability of doing better than anyone in the US, better than anyone in the world, is to operate the finest animal sanctuary anywhere, a shining beacon of inspiration and hope to every animal rescuer, shelter worker, animal lover and activist in the world. I do not say this because that is the side I worked on, I say this because they have a unique combination of resources that makes sanctuary and rehabilitation what Best Friends can do better than anyone, anywhere. The transformation into a national advocacy and policy organization is one that they are ill suited to. For one, there are already three major national animal welfare organizations that focus primarily on advocacy and policy, and they all have a higher national profile. More importantly, as an organization, they're awful at it. Best Friends has always sought to be the good news people, the kinder and gentler org, the one that stays above the fray - and advocacy is all about the fray, all about political fights, all about conflict, all about the things they've spent years branding themselves as being different from. Additionally, the organizational bloat of recent years has led to attachment to expensive programs without metrics of success that are not modified or abandoned even when they are clearly failures - like a social network for animal lovers - that make it difficult if not impossible to focus maximum organizational resources on things that do have a chance of working.

You can find your way again by focusing on what you're best at and eliminating what you do badly. Go back to your roots, go back to basics, and re-think it all. Focus on what you're best at and the rest will sort itself out.

Before the multi-million dollar income and the glossy magazine and the star-studded events and the political concerns born of money, back when you were a bunch of crazy people rescuing animals in the middle of nowhere, when sanctuary was the core of who you were, would you have kept quiet, issued a non-statement statement of non-support and then privately labored to kill the bill? Or would you have cheered on a law that would have allowed many more lives to be saved?

I love Best Friends, and I am one of many. We want to see you succeed, and we want you to regain the moral compass that you once displayed so clearly. We, I, remain hopeful. I may be disappointed, but I still love Best Friends. We need you to step up right now and do the right thing. We need you to show the moral clarity that you started this journey with. We need your help.

I love the New York Post

2010-06-27T22:14:00.003-06:00

It's okay, we're highly disorganized

2010-06-27T22:13:00.000-06:00

More on Lizzy

2010-06-27T14:30:00.002-06:00

You can follow the progress of Lizzy, the "better off dead" chihuahua on the YouTube page of Amy Harmon, her rescuer.

I need a smile

2010-06-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

[via]

On Honesty in Animal Rescue - the Fallacy of "Better Off Dead"

2010-06-26T22:15:00.007-06:00

I was recently cc'ed in on a conversation between rescuers debating the pull of a very small elderly dog from a kill shelter who had shown a tendency to bite since entering the shelter. This isn't uncommon - when you're 4 pounds, sick, blind, and freaking out because you've lost the world you knew and have been thrown into an unfamiliar and frightening environment - well, it's easy to understand how some dogs could get a bit bitey.

The person in favor of the pull was asking for help with possible placement and foster, and got a reply from a breed rescue group saying, essentially: don't bother, this dog is better off dead.

They had a list of excuses - this breed doesn't take to rehoming well, this breed is too challenging, we can't find experienced homes willing to take a dog with issues - and this is the breed they specialize in! The representative closed with this line: "Sometimes the absolute best gift you can give is to release the dog from a miserable, frightening, and traumatic existence."

All without ever seeing, meeting or evaluating the dog, taking her out of the shelter environment that was absolutely freaking her out, treating her for her flea infestation and her painful, rotting teeth. Better off dead, without even trying.

The better off dead line is one that has been used for years by the people with the awful job of killing shelter animals, because who could live with that? You have to justify it somehow to be able to sleep at night. All kinds of coping mechanisms are tried: blame the public, blame the animal - when in fact what we need to be doing, all of us, is to be trying a lot harder to not kill shelter animals at all.

I'm big on language. I hate the use of the term "euthanasia" to mean "shelter killing", something I have written about a few times before. We owe it to the animals we are trying to save to be honest with them, about them - to not obfuscate what's happening with pretty words designed to soothe our guilty consciences. I'm pretty sure I have an idea of what's behind this person's attitude, so be honest about it: this is too hard for me. I can't handle this. I don't have the contacts to place this dog. I don't have the expertise to rehabilitate this dog. This will take up resources that we could be using to take other, more easily adoptable dogs.

Those are the honest reasons, the ones that are so very difficult to say because they open one up to attack, to judgment. But I at least respect when one has the gumption to be honest with others and with themselves rather than saying that a dog is better off dead without even the slightest attempt to go beyond the most superficial of long-distance evaluations.

That bitey little dog, Lizzy, went home today with a rescuer who doesn't believe in better off dead and after a little time to decompress will go into the home of a very experienced foster parent who is willing to do whatever is necessary; who is willing to try. She's already showing some positive signs of adjustment, and I've almost got my heart rate under control from once again hearing the dishonest excuse: better off dead.

At least I'm not the only one

2010-06-26T13:50:00.002-06:00

Wash your Han S.

2010-06-16T21:19:00.001-06:00

[via]

Rough Night

2010-06-16T10:32:00.001-06:00

Welcome Home, Oliver

2010-06-15T10:54:00.010-06:00

So my famous foster dog, Oliver the Pit, has come to a crossroads. He's got his own twitter following, had a Bark Radio show about him, and has been featured all over the internets from Facebook to Twitter to Blogs. I'm sort of sad to say that although he's gotten a lot of attention, all the PR for him hasn't resulted in any adoption interest at all. Sort of. :) I know an ex-fighter is a tough sell when there aren't any famous sports figures involved, and I know that there are dogs like him all over the country. I also know when it's time to walk the walk. Besides, I'd miss the big dork.

So I'm adopting the lovable goofball. No can haz.

Once I made the decision on that it was time to get serious about a few things. Ollie's always gotten along well with my little Spaniel, Ginger, but my larger mix Jessie... not so much. She's afraid of other, unknown dogs, and she has a tendency to try to drive them off by acting aggressively towards them. Unfortunately for her, if this turns into an actual dust-up she almost always loses.

As you might imagine, this isn't the smartest way for her to interact with a former fighting dog. Oliver's actually very good around other dogs - very mellow, friendly, and curious - but if another dog comes at him with what he believes is a serious challenge he will come after them. I don't blame him - if he's been fought, this is a completely natural reaction. Jessie starts things, Oliver unfortunately finishes them.

So given that, Jessie and Oliver have been leading largely separate lives where they've been rotated - one in a crate, one out with me and Ginger. This has been actually a good way to start, as Ollie doesn't mind his crate and doesn't act aggressively at all to dogs outside of it, so it was a good way to introduce them in a non-threatening manner - but Jessie is very stressed out by her crate time and gets upset when she knows I'm nearby but she can't be around. I distracted her with food toys for a while, but eventually reached the end of that road too; she wanted out. This led to her being out more often and Ollie being crated more often, which wasn't fair to him. Time to move on.

I'm not typically a big fan of muzzles. I have too often found that they can change a dog's reaction so that you're not getting a true read on what's going on, and I don't like using them in public because it reinforces the scary-dog perception, which is not at all what's going on here. In this case, however, it seemed like it could work... so I started getting Ollie used to a muzzle with the help of Easy Cheese.

You'll see two different muzzles in the pictures because I switch back and forth to avoid irritating his face. He quickly became accustomed to the muzzle. He likes to rub it on things sometimes to try to get it off, but he's not obsessive about it and is easily distracted.

At that point I started having all the dogs out together under close supervision with Oliver wearing his muzzle (we call it his Happy Mask). We started with just an hour at a time, working up to the dogs spending all day together with less supervision - me always in the house but not necessarily right next to them. This has gone quite well, with only two very minor squabbles over food and my bed, which is still disputed territory.

The next step was to try something with the dogs' arousal level a little higher - to have them take a walk, everyone on leash together. I'd tried that long ago and it didn't work out very well - Jessie was very stressed out by Oliver's presence nearby and wanted to attack him. Now that she had spent so much time near him, first in his crate nearby and then in the house with him muzzled, she was no longer stressed out by his presence and was not reactive to him. This is a fear issue for both dogs, and she's been desensitized to her fear of him by having him quite close for so long and not having anything bad happen. He is also desensitized to her aggressive behavior and is less likely to see a "get away from me" growl as a serious threat - not that I'll be testing that one anytime soon!

Finally, for the last few days they've been walking all together, no muzzle.

So we still have work to do, but I can see the day when all the dogs will be together and Oliver won't need a muzzle. For now, however, I can give him a much more complete life than I could before!

Welcome home, Oliver.

2010-06-06T17:39:00.000-06:00

[via] - thanks, Shirley!