I looked at all
the caged animals in the shelter.
The cast-offs of human society,
I saw in their eyes love & hope, fear &
dread, sadness & betrayal. And I was angry.
"God," I said, "this is terrible!
Why don't you do something?"
God was silent for a moment and
then He spoke softly, "I have done something,"
He replied. "I created you" -
Author-
Jim Willis
The Tragedy of Stray Cats
If you are planning to add a family pet,
please check with your local shelter first-
you will probably find a beautiful animal
that is just perfect for you.
Thank you
ATLANTA (Feb.
10, 2007) - Two teenage brothers were each sentenced to 10
years in prison for torturing a puppy by cooking it in an
oven.
Joshua Moulder,
17, and Justin, 19, pleaded guilty in January to charges
including burglary, criminal damage to property, terroristic
threats and cruelty to children.
The brothers
brought neighborhood children to see the dead puppy, then
threatened to kill them if they reported it, prosecutors said.
Police said
they found the dead mixed-breed puppy inside an oven at an
apartment community center Aug. 21. Scratch marks were found
inside the oven, indicating the puppy had been alive when it
was placed inside, prosecutors said.
A necropsy on
the 3-month-old dog found its paws and snout had been duct
taped and it had been doused with paint before being placed in
the oven, prosecutors said.
IF THEY CAN DO THIS TO A
PUPPY - WHAT WILL THEY DO NEXT???
PALMER, Mass. -- A man who
severely maimed a friend's dog with a chain saw because he
"saw the devil" in the animal's eyes was sentenced to 2 1/2
years in jail after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges.
Randall Mason, 42, of Monson,
received the maximum possible sentence on Monday in Palmer
District Court.
The dog, a Labrador-husky mix
named Blue, had to be euthanized after suffering deep cuts to
its head and paws during the Jan. 4 incident.
Mason was staying with the dog's
owner, Jason Wemette.
A baby sitter caring for Wemette's
two children called police at about 1 a.m. after she awoke to
the sound of a running chain saw and a whimpering dog. She
said in a statement to police that she found Blue with one paw
nearly severed and saw a large amount of blood in the house.
Police said they think Mason was
drinking just before the incident. The baby sitter said in her
statement to police that when Mason drinks, "he does stupid
stuff." She also said that Mason cried as he tried to stop the
dog's bleeding with a towel.
Police said Mason claimed he "saw
the devil" in the dog's eyes.
Mason's court-appointed attorney
said at his arraignment that his client was acting in self
defense, but prosecutors said Mason did not have injuries
consistent with a dog attack.
"I'm glad Mr. Mason has accepted
responsibility and is being held accountable for his actions,"
Monson Police Chief Stephen Kozloski said in a statement.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated
Press. All Rights Reserved.)
INDUS, Minn.
- A school principal has resigned and could face felony
firearm charges after he shot and killed two orphaned kittens
on school property last month.
Wade Pilloud,
who resigned as principal of the K-12 Indus school, 40 miles
west of International Falls, said he shot the kittens to spare
them from starving to death after their mother was killed in
an animal trap.
Pilloud said
the shooting, which occurred on school grounds, endangered no
one.
HOW ABOUT TRYING TO FIND
THEM A HOME???
Seeing-Eye Cat - click on picture for larger view
I LOVE THIS STORY
If you have a story about an animal rescuing or helping
someone, please send it to me if you would like to see it on this page. If you
wish to include a picture please make sure it's .jpg format.
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon ...
A man convicted of throwing his
girlfriend's kittens into a fire
received a year in prison on Thursday...
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is
a full management plan in which stray and feral cats already
living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely
trapped, then evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by
veterinarians. Kittens and tame cats are adopted into good
homes. Healthy adult cats too wild to be adopted are returned
to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of
volunteers.
BREAKING NEWS:On
February 6, 2007, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued
their opinion in the case of ALDF v. Woodley—and it was a
unanimous ruling in favor of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
While the Woodleys do still have the option of appealing to
the N.C. Supreme Court, ALDF is one giant step closer to being
able to permanently adopt out the hundreds of dogs rescued
from horrific conditions at their Sanford property. (The dogs
currently remain with foster families, where they have been
for nearly two years).
This latest ruling is also a clear and absolute
affirmation of the right of animal protection organizations to
utilize North Carolina's Civil Remedy for Protection of
Animals statute (Section 19A) to rescue animal victims like
the Woodley dogs in cases of extreme abuse. This is the first
time a court has confirmed the right of a non-resident animal
protection organization to use this North Carolina law to stop
the kind of egregious cruelty found in this case.
Days after the landmark ruling, ALDF and
local animal control officers removed the final 200 dogs from
the Woodleys’ property. ALDF had already rescued approximately
100 dogs from the property the previous January, subject to a
court order. In the wake of these momentous events, ALDF began
the daunting task of coordinating the care and housing of
approximately 320 dogs, many of whom were sick and diseased,
and most of whom were unaccustomed to human contact.
An astounding force of local volunteers
and veterinarians donated countless hours caring for these
dogs, treating both their medical needs and their social and
daily requirements. For months, these dogs were cared for at
an ad hoc shelter in Sanford, the Halls of Hope, learning to
trust and play for the first time while waiting for foster
families to open their homes to them.
Currently, all of the dogs are being
cared for by foster families in the Sanford area and
around the country. But some are still in need of homes.
If you could be the one to make a difference for one of these
special animals, please consider
becoming a foster parent.
Show A Chained Dog Some Love This
Valentine's Day and throughout the year
Many of us have experienced the love,
companionship, and joy of sharing our homes and lives with a
pet. Sadly, some people still do not realize or care that it
is an utter act of cruelty to make a dog - a creature that
innately craves social companionship - live out its' existence
at the end of a steel chain.
Dogs that are chained
and forced to remain outside their entire lives are just as
sensitive, loving, and desiring of comfort and happiness as
other beloved indoor companion animals.
Unfortunately,
because of their minimal territory space and lack of
socialization, these animals often appear exceedingly hyper
and/or aggressive.
Many of these poor
creatures live out their lives connected to a 3 foot (or
shorter) metal chain. Under these static, cramped, and often
times filthy conditions, dogs are forced to eat, drink, and
sleep.
Through the boiling
heat of summer and the bone-chilling winds of winter, many
dogs are denied socialization with humans and comfortable
shelter. It makes one wonder – why have the animal in the
first place?
Try to politely
encourage owners of chained dogs to make a change.
The following ideas might begin to
"get the wheels turning":
Noah's Lost Ark Believes...... in educating
the public about the plight of exotic and endangered animals
in our society. That's why we are one of the few sanctuaries
federally and state licensed that offers educational guided
tours. If we do not take the time to educate people they will
just go on without knowing they
CAN make a difference. We at Noah's Lost
Ark know we will make a difference.
If you know of any animal help group or
organisation that you would like to see included, please send
me an e-mail with the link to their website and I will check
it out and add the link.
Puppy or Adult Dog: Making the Right Choice for
Your Lifestyle
February 12, 2007
By Meg Charendoff
Congratulations! You’ve decided to adopt
a dog. It’s a big decision. But it’s only the first step
in a process that will ideally result in a loving and a
lasting relationship with your canine soul mate.
The next logical question to ask
yourself is whether a puppy, an adolescent, or an adult
dog is right for you. And, if you have a family, you must
carefully consider what age of dog makes the most sense
for them before you and your ecstatic children are
face-to-face with that irresistible litter of tumbling
puppies.
Puppy Love
“Puppies are intoxicating,” says
Marty Becker, DVM, author of the several best-selling pet
books, including Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet?
and Dogs for Dummies. “They have those giant
eyes and that syrupy-sweet puppy breath that is so hard to
resist. We forget, though, that the first year of a dog’s
life is the same as 18 years of a human life, so your
puppy will go through terrible twos, puberty, and teenage
years all in about one year: that’s a lot to go through.”
Cuteness and puppy playfulness are
two of the benefits of adopting a puppy. But, as Dr.
Becker points out, raising a dog from puppyhood is a
challenge. Puppy playfulness can mean high-energy hi-jinx,
so be prepared to lose some shoes. Be prepared to lose
some sleep too, as nighttime toileting comes with the
territory. A puppy also requires a commitment to training
and to proper veterinary care, both of which have an
impact on your time and finances.
Still, you get to raise your dog from
infancy and watch it grow. And while you probably won’t be
able to eliminate behaviors that are characteristics of
your dog’s breed or personality traits, you can have a
great deal of impact on what kind of an adult dog your
puppy becomes when you’re with him from the beginning.
Bringing Home an Adolescent
Adopting an older puppy or adolescent
dog allows you to experience some of the enjoyable aspects
of puppyhood while reducing some of the more challenging
aspects of raising a dog. “You short cut some of the
problems,” says Becker. “For example, the adolescent dog
is probably already house trained. You still get the puppy
playfulness without the other things that go with it.”
Of course, depending on the breed,
adolescence can also bring its own challenges. For
example, a large breed adolescent dog may mean a bigger
and more hard-to-control dog with the same high-energy
behaviors as a puppy. And when you adopt an older puppy or
adolescent dog you have no control over the dog’s early
training, and some difficult behaviors are harder to train
away than others.
The Benefits of Adulthood
Your final option is to adopt an
adult dog, an option Dr. Becker unabashedly promotes. “An
adult dog is kind of hard to beat,” says Becker. “The dog
has been through all of the negatives [of puppyhood and
adolescence]. The people you adopt from can tell you what
the dog is like, so you can do more than predict—you
almost know—what you are getting. An adult dog is an
intelligent choice.”
An adult dog is more likely to have
matured beyond typical puppy behavior like teething or
night toileting, so it is a lot easier for most people who
already have hectic lives, says Dr. Becker. And while the
oft-cited disadvantages of an adult dog include
established habits—good and bad—and difficulty bonding,
Dr. Becker disagrees, “What’s neat about dogs,” he says,
“is that they have this bond with their owners...Dogs are
so loyal. And you can have transference of that bond to
you as a new owner and then they’d walk to the ends of the
earth for you.”
As for dogs with bad habits, Dr. Becker
says, “The one with behavior issues is not the one you’re
going to adopt.” Some things you’ll be able to find out if
you interview the shelter or person from whom you’re
adopting the dog. And if you discover difficult habits or
behaviors that you can’t deal with, you can return the dog
to the shelter.
Adopting an
adult dog also has the added “good deed” benefit of giving
a home to a dog that may otherwise be euthanized. “Lots of
dogs want a good home,” says Dr. Becker. “So many are
euthanized because there are not enough homes. It’s
senseless slaughter.”
Making that Important Decision
How do you decide which dog is right
for you?
“It’s like dating,” says Dr. Becker
with a laugh. “Think of it as if you are going out to find
the right person—the right match. Say you were dating
online—you wouldn’t form a relationship with the first
person you meet, would you? No, you’d have a set of
criteria for what you want and you’d learn what you could
about the person: What’s this person like? What’s his
family like? Does he fit your lifestyle? You should do the
same thing with a dog." And, he adds: “You need to do your
research before you meet the first puppy or dog, or you’ll
fall in love with those puppy eyes.”
