Pet Monologues

Today 21.7 million pounds of hamburger were recalled by Topps Meat Co. Fortunately, it was people food.

A concern was the swiftness of the USDA to conclude that a recall was necessary. 18 days. Our USDA looks highly competent to monitor people food, pet food, and also let’s include painted toys. Expect class action suits for Walmart, Pathmark, ShopRite, and Rastelli Fine Foods.

It was determined that one of the first victims was a Florida teenager. According to the teenager’s mother, she consumed a patty that was “pink” on the inside: cooking meat until the juices run clear will kill harmful bacteria.

While the skillet is hot, not in all cases, now is a good time to bring up raw vs cooked food again. Below is a very detailed study of bacteria, raw diets, dogs and cats.

Here is a summary statement:

1) Feeding raw diets to cats and dogs is becoming increasingly popular. 2) There is an inherent risk of bacterial contamination of raw meat for human or animal consumption. 3) There are unsubstantiated benefits used to support the feeding of raw diets. 4) There are unsubstantiated claims that bacterial pathogens that may be found in raw foods are not able to cause disease in dogs. 5) There are potential risks of feeding raw diets for people handling the food, people handling feces from animals fed raw diets, people handling food bowls, and animals exposed to animals that are fed raw diets.

Get a beverage of choice, get comfortable, and read a scientific study and conclusion: Read the rest of this entry »

October is adopt a shelter dog month.

ASPCA’s message this month is “Think Globally, Adopt Locally.” They encourage people who are considering adding a four legged barking buddy to their family to adopt from their local shelter. And, if you do bring a new friend home, they also have tips that will help make the transition go smoothly for you and your new dog. Here are some of their tips…

1. You Better Shop Around
Stock up on supplies before Fido arrives! Your new pal won’t need much—the Burberry overcoat and crystal tiara are optional—but essentials include food and water bowls, safe chew toys, grooming tools, a collar and leash, an identification tag and a crate with bedding (towels will do if you don’t want to spend money on a fancy crate pad).

When it comes to food, try to buy the same brand he’s already eating. If you want to change foods, make the switch gradually, mixing old food with new, over a period of a few weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

I found during the past 18 months there were six deaths from dogs being dragged to death. Few were accidents and I have been hesitant to post these stories. Just too darn sad and maddening. And when I do see pets, animals, children, sitting in the back of a pickup truck, it makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t think anything should be back there that cannot survive a rollover, a sudden stop. And yet, the dead dogs were leashed to the vehicles and your dog, Jackson, was not.

And then this story! Count your blessings!!!

The story…

Well, one of my worst fears took place yesterday afternoon. Jackson fell out of the truck. Read the rest of this entry »

Town awards girl with pet rooster then cries fowl telling her to get rid of it.

The David Mamet movie “Things Change” is based on a series of accidents, coincidences and misunderstandings. Read the rest of this entry »

Citizens unite against dog fighting.

CHICAGO—According to a press release announcing the formation of Safe, Humane Chicago (a coalition of the city, police, animal rights and community advocates), the educational and monitoring program responds to the high correlation (70%) between animal abuse/dog-fighting and those arrested for violent felonies against people. 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 »

by Sadie Stephens, age 13

so i’ve like this one guy for a while, right? ok, well, today i wrote a note, saying that i like him, and i gave it to him in class. unfortunately, he said that he’d read it after class, and i don’t get to see him for the rest of the day. boys. jeezy creezy. and there’s this boy named will in my class that likes me (i don’t care, really), and we were playing a game where someone yells your name, and they toss a ball at you. if you don’t catch it, you’re out, and if you call someone’s name that’s already been called, you’re out. so my teacher asks us if we’re ready, and then she throws it at will, and he doesn’t catch it, so he’s out. well, he gets kinda upset, and then goes off to sulk. then he comes back in the game just as i get the ball, so i say his name, and throw it at him as hard as i can. he obviously doesn’t catch it, and i hit him just as my teacher’s talking about how he was out, and she’s agreeing that he can come back in the game. then i hit him and she says, “well, now you’re out”. it was so easy. i got him at least twice. and he was threatening me about it too. he even took one of the tennis balls off of the bottom of the chairs, and he threatened to hit me in the face with it. fortunately the bell rang for the end of the day. Read the rest of this entry »

Humane Society has Vick’s talking points.

Michael Vick gave a public apology last week after he pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges related to his Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting ring. 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 »