Pet Monologues

Another sustainable product. Make that pet product. Make that dog product. Here’s why it’s a good idea. In the US, our dogs produce enough waste to fill an 800-foot-tall football field every year - not the most glamorous image. And scooping all that poop into petroleum-based plastic bags not only leaches toxic chemicals as the whole package slowly breaks down (for thousands of years) in a landfill, but preserves what needn’t be preserved.

Leaving scat on the ground isn’t an eco-friendly option either, as 20-30% of all pollutants in waterways can be attributed to canine waste.

Solution: use a biodegradable bag. The Business Bags from Spike are made from corn, and the company recently worked with a domestic company to devise an entirely homegrown product. One of our ecofabulous ladies can attest that they decompose in the promised 45 days. Keep in mind; not much biodegrades in a landfill. Business Bags are a simple, great option for people with municipal composting. For the rest of you, check DIY composting here.

For the political poop visit dogs 4 democrats featuring the “Mission Accomplished” bag.

via ecofabulous

On average, caring for a cat costs $1500 annually and a dog $2000.

With the U.S. economy currently on very shaky ground the falloff is tighter family budgets or worse, completely new business models for family households. In an effort to help keep households together, including family pets, let’s talk about possibly surrendering your pet to a shelter, how to pinch pennies on pet-care, and, a philosophic POV on saving animals.

Downsizing the family to make ends meet.

If you feel that you really can no longer afford your pet please consider finding another family for your pet first. If you can’t find a foster home then take the animal to a shelter, don’t abandon your animal. Here’s a story that was in the Chicago Tribune several weeks ago…

More strays linked to once-happy homes.
The sad stories have been all over the news. Pet owners who have fallen on hard times are coming into shelters and reluctantly, sometimes tearfully, surrendering their animals. Read the rest of this entry »

Two Chihuahuas wear wedding outfits at a fashion show during the VenusFort family dog fiesta in Tokyo May 17, 2008. (Getty Images photo / June 18, 2008)

June brides are everywhere in the media at the moment, we don’t want to be left out.

An article by John Kass, Chicago Tribune…
My brother has selected a puppy for his family’s pet—a Parson Russell terrier pup he’ll call Wrigley (he’s a Cubs fan)—but even before all the kids play with it I’m wondering how I’ll feel the day Wrigley gets married.

Will the “bride” wear white? Will I begin to cry, like a big fat baby?

When the “reverend” performing the pet marriage says, “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you dog and . . .”—is that when Satan pops out of the wedding cake and takes us all straight to hell?

Also, how much for the Pet Wedding Consultant?

“It varies,” said famed pet counselor-wedding consultant Shirley Scott, from Walla Walla, Wash. “It could be between $500 to $1,500. But that’s just an estimate.”

I found Scott’s name in a recent, and terrifying, news report on the American pet wedding phenomenon. Americans spend $40 billion a year on their pets, and the pet wedding industry wants its cut. There are fees for clerics to say the rites and blessings, and black tuxedos for four-legged grooms, and cakes and caterers, and beaded satin wedding gowns.

“Your little bride will be so beautiful walking down the aisle wearing this elegant, fully-lined white satin and lace wedding gown set,” promises one pet wedding Web site I won’t name in the hopes of staving off damnation. “The six layers of tulle can be separated to make this beautiful wedding veil very full and elegant. This set also includes a matching white satin leash.” Read the rest of this entry »

No, that is not a typo in the headline. Read on…

NEW YORK––The bride was radiant. Some guests said it was the sunlight bouncing off her cascading white chiffon veil; others commented that it was a “pregnancy glow,” because Ashley Nunn was carrying octuplets. The groom’s excitement was visible: Buddy Lewinski drooled and wagged his tail vigorously as he waited for his bride to reach the altar.

Ashley, a blackmouth cur mix, and Buddy, a tri-color beagle, were married in Katy, Texas, in 2002 by Rev. Lynn Turner, a licensed minister who marries both pets and people (although not to each other). These unions, called “Bow-wow vows,” are on the rise in the United States and are often accompanied by a cadre of professionals, such as pet marriage counselors, pet wedding planners, pet caterers, pet trainers and pet priests.

“Holy Muttrimonies, Bark Mitzvahs and pet ceremonies in general have really started taking off,” said Diana Guerrero, animal behavior expert and pet-trend watcher. “People treat their pets like their own children. Sheltering organizations, church leadership, party planners are saying, ‘Holy hot dog! Here’s all these people with pets and they’re spending a lot of money, let’s welcome them in.’ ” Read the rest of this entry »

from our post the polar bear makes endangered list

from our post wisconsin bird feeder

PM joined this group on February 28, 2008. At that time we signed on as #593. We were quite surprised at the number of responses that have come in, the new acquaintances made that are very supportive of our interest in how all of us relate to animals, the environment, the creative influence animals bring into our lives.

You can visit our original post. If you wish to get acquainted follow the instructions below and share your passion with others. The blogosphere is a unique opportunity to network and make new friends, to support your beliefs. Woof! PM tags Robby’s a side of cartoons, please the cartoonist who also can be found on Pet Monologues

*Start Copy Here*
You do not have to be tagged to play along. This game is simple and so are the rules.
1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*
2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.
3. Tag or don’t tag, your choice, however, the more tags you create the bigger the list will grow.
4. Let me know your blog’ name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list. (If you would like the scroll box code, leave me your email address and I will email it to you.)
5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in. Read the rest of this entry »

$24M pet food settlement.

CAMDEN, NJ—A judge granted initial approval to a $24 million settlement in which companies that manufactured or sold contaminated pet food would compensate pet owners fro all costs related to the death or illness of their dogs and cats. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy endanger species day!

Hey, did you know today’s a holiday? That’s right: it’s Endangered Species Day, 5/16/08, a national celebration to spread awareness about all our planet’s wildlife, fish, and plants—including the beloved polar bear—that are threatened with extinction. It’s also a great day to take action to help save them.

One of the most important actions of all? Spreading the word. Read the rest of this entry »

In Chicago there is a visible, successful, inspiring organization, Streetwise.

Who We Are and What We Do
StreetWise is a social enterprise designed to help severely impoverished men and women out of poverty. We publish weekly a general interest newspaper with a gritty “from the streets perspective” to give insite to its readers on what is really going on in Chicago. By using vendors as the distribution mechanism, we are able to personalize the face of poverty and create income for the vendor.

In April, 2008, there was an article about a vendor who was no longer selling Streetwise. He was a vendor for two years and during that time was able to pull it together, save some money to go to school. He is currently paying his rent, buying his food, and going to school. Bravo!

PM supports this organization, the vendors, whenever the opportunity presents itself. If you are in Chicago, please do the same when you see a Streetwise vendor. Also visit the Streetwise site. If your city does not have a similar program think about introducing the business model to your city.

swine n. , pl. swine . Any of various omnivorous, even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae, including pigs, hogs, and boars, having a stout body.

nellie, a hampshire from indiana is a clone

clone “offspring” pork chop from indiana

acorn-fed iberico pig in eastern spain

a proper carving jamonero with hoof properly up

chow time

Top two photos from Wired magazine [wired 15.11] discussing cloning. “The other other white meat”—it looks the same, it cooks the same, it tastes the same. but this pig, a Hampshire from Indiana name Nelly, is a clone. And cloned bacon? It may already be at your supermarket. The second photo deck copy reads “My fist-size chop is glazed in a sugary, thick-as-molasses marinade. It tastes better than anything I’ve had at a restaurant—moist, succulent, and wonderfully tender.” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a week since Earth Hour 2008. So we looked around to see what happened then, and if anything since…

A student told me Google went black! Good for them. This is how my mind envisioned a black Google.

The normal Chicago skyline at bottom.

This taken from the Chicagoist…

Earth Hour officials indicate last year there were 2.2 million who participated in a one-hour effort to bring awareness to energy conservation. Yesterday, they estimated that number was around 10 million. In Chicago, the Sears Tower, the John Hancock, the Wrigley Building, and the Tribune Tower dimmed decorative lights, while 500 McDonald’s throughout Chicagoland turned off their golden arches. In the theatre district, marquees went dark, and Elphaba, the witch from “Wicked” turned out the lights with a dramatic “spell”. Navy Pier’s iconic ferris wheel went dark and nearly every store on the Magnificent Mile turned out their lights. Read the rest of this entry »