Pet Monologues

Can a “doomsday” pet site save dogs?

A dog is killed approximately every 9 seconds. Read the rest of this entry »

PM just received a request from “Animals as Friends” to raise awareness of a troublesome issue. The killing of animals for money. Possibly people are killed too. The troubled location is the Virunga National Park, Africa.

Please take the time to visit Animals as Friends as well as spread the word, offer advice, or more. Thank you.

Chapter 9: The stories that nourish a newspaper.
By John Armstrong

[This is the ninth of 14 excerpts, running Tuesdays and Thursdays, from John Armstrong's memoir of the working life: Wages.]

When a cement truck lost its brakes on a hill and ploughed through someone’s backyard, you needed the parents and relatives of the dead and wounded, the name of the driver, the owner of the company, the neighbours (to fill out the background and describe the terror they faced daily with Big Trucks roaring though their neighbourhood) and someone from government licensing to comment on why he and his department hadn’t checked this truck’s brakes.

It was also important to get the Opposition critic for that department who would describe how the government had failed so tragically in this case, despite his repeated warnings that such a disaster was coming, and how his party would do things differently if they were in office….

The same was true of any local tragedy whether it was the man who hacked up his wife and mailed her postage due to her parents or an immigrant woman who spoke and read no English and bled to death in the emergency room because she couldn’t fill out the admittance papers. Read the rest of this entry »

Protecting pets from domestic abuse.

States extend abuser protection to pets—WISCONSIN—Following the State of Maine, Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced legislation that would extend an abused person protection order to include pets. Read the rest of this entry »

All Austin, TX, dogs could be declared dangerous!

While this is just for Austin, there is a lot of discussion going on today about this issue. Here is a great breakdown from a legal mind: Read the rest of this entry »

HSUS statement on spate of police dog deaths.

The Humane Society of the United States is saddened by the unnecessary suffering and death of animals wherever it occurs, and believes that no animal deserves such a sad fate. Read the rest of this entry »

Sergeant arrested in K-9 death.

Sheriff’s Office books Chandler police official after animal-cruelty investigation. Read the rest of this entry »

Knock out animal fighting video contest.

Humane Society (HSUS) has contest. The votes are in! Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a glimpse on pet literature today. One writer says that with all the attention from publishers, you’d think pets could read.

Dogs and cats have taken up residence in American homes in record numbers, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Its 2007–2008 National Pet Owners Survey found that 63% of U.S. households—71.1 million homes—own a pet. Households with dogs number 44.8 million, while felines can be found in 38.4 million homes. The cat populace, 88.3 million, outnumbers the 74.8 million dogs, that’s because pet parents with cats are more likely to have more than one. However, that in spite of the larger cat population, dog-related books still outsell any other category, the dog-related books outnumbered cat tales by about six to one. What are the books about? Here are 44 titles to think about:

Health and wellness

According to a 2004 American Animal Hospital Association survey, 94% of pet owners take their pet for regular veterinary checkups to ensure their pet’s quality of life. And animal medicine, like its human counterpart, the information and options available in terms of treatment and diagnoses have become vastly more complicated over the last decade. People are, therefore, looking for resources that will help them make sense of it all. Now it is becoming commonplace procedures for dogs as organ transplants, joint replacements and cancer treatments. There are also books, from home remedies to cutting-edge alternative homeopathic therapies.

There’s an author that offers practical strategies for keeping mature dogs young and healthy in mind and body. Among her findings is that only 20%–25% of a dog’s longevity is determined by its genes; the owner can influence the remaining percentage by how he or she cares for the animal. Read the rest of this entry »

Dog behavior training: aggression, biting, guarding problems.

Handling an Aggressive Dog

Aggression is probably the most common reason an otherwise healthy dog is euthanized (put to sleep). Read the rest of this entry »