One of the worst days of the year, if not the worst, for losing your dog is the Fourth of July.  Why?  One word:  fireworks.  The loud explosions and bright flashes scare many dogs when they are outside and in their panic, they will bolt out of their yard and get lost.  PLEASE take precaution and keep your pets inside during the festivities so they do not spook and run away.  Do not take your pet(s) to any firework viewings and definitely do not take your dog for a walk after dusk during the holiday weekend, as it is rather easy for a spooked dog to get away from you even if on leash.

And while I am on the subject of keeping your dog safe from running away, please talk to your vet as soon as you can about microchipping if your pets are not already microchipped.  Even for indoor-only cats, microchipping is an amazing way to ensure your best chance of finding your pet if they ever get lost.  Your pet’s already chipped?  Make sure the contact information is up to date on the account.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Online shopping has become an amazing convenience for Americans.  From electronics to books to even groceries, almost everything can be purchased online and shipped directly to your home.  But with something so accessible and convenient comes a very evil practice:  selling animals online.

You can find them all over the internet.  Individuals creating websites that project a family atmosphere of only a few happy dogs in a loving home that just happen to get pregnant on a regular basis and are creating designer breed puppies.  And with just a few clicks, maybe even through paypal, you can have one of their precious puppies shipped to you anywhere in the continental United States.  So what is wrong with this you ask?

No reputable breeder will ship their puppies off to whoever will pay the exorbitant fee.  I don’t care what their website says or what cute, happy pictures they post of their “family dogs”.  If they are selling their dogs online and willing to ship a living creature to perfect strangers, they are a puppy mill or backyard breeder.  It’s just that simple.  And want to see what it actually looks like at these facilities?  Check out this rather standard puppy mill in Minnesota.  I urge you to watch the entire video.  While they were shut down from selling their puppies to pet stores, they can still sell online.

Another issue besides the obvious mistreatment of the animals is that backyard breeders and puppy mills are notorious for not vaccinating their puppies (or providing basic veterinary care for the puppies and parents).  So that super expensive puppy you just bought and had shipped to you?  He probably will have worms, kennel cough, parvo and/or even distemper.  And these breeders do not care about genetic issues when they breed, they are focused on appearance alone, so you have just purchased an animal that will most likely suffer from at least one serious genetic defect.

So PLEASE do not buy an animal online and encourage all your friends and family to ADOPT, not shop.

Let’s pretend you are traveling in a foreign country, a place where you do not speak the language at all.  In your travels, you get separated from your travel buddies and are suddenly being arrested by the local police.  Next thing you know, you are in a jail where you cannot speak to anyone and have no clue why you are there.  You cannot ask anyone for help or ask why you are being kept there.  And you have no idea how long you will be detained or if you will ever get out.  How would you act?  Would you be yourself?  Would you shut down and become non-responsive?  Would you act really tough so no one would try to hurt you?

I know for a fact that I would not be myself in this situation.  So how can we expect a dog or cat to be themselves when dumped at the shelter?  Cats shut down and dogs growl, but this is not their true nature.  They are terrified and confused.  They can smell the death coming from the back room and heaven knows what the other animals are communicating to them.   So how can we expect any animal in this situation to “pass” a behavior test?

Hell, my Monty failed it.  Twice.  My foster cat, Lady Gray, failed one test and was on the fence with the second test.  They said she was incredibly aggressive and unpredictable.  Lady Gray literally was purring in my lap 30 minutes after being in my house and has not shown any aggressive behavior since.  I’m not saying behavior tests are complete crap, I’m just saying no shelter – and I mean NO shelter – should make life and death decisions based on them.

Need another reason to go vegetarian, or at least cruelty-free?  According to the associated press, the first study to test the nation’s supply of beef, chicken, pork and poultry found that nearly half the tested samples were contaminated with staph and most strains were resistant to more than one antibiotic.  Smarten up, folks – factory farms are more than just dangerous to the animals “living” there.

Austin Pets Alive! has a great program called “Big Brothers, Big Sisters”, where a dog in the program is assigned to a volunteer and you get to spoil them with attention, treats, presents, field trips, or even take them on a sleepover.  This is a great program for both the dog and the person – the dog gets extra special 1 on 1 attention and a champion who looks out for their best interests and the person gets to make that special connection with an animal that they may not be able to own due to personal/financial reasons.

I currently have a little brother named Lion, who is a very handsome golden retriever mix of about 6 years.  Lion came into the program with severe hair loss and was extremely depressed.  He didn’t eat, wouldn’t play, and showed no interest in people.  But with an amazing program like Big Brother, Big Sister, Lion had someone looking out for him and now we know that he has a food allergy which was the cause of his discomfort, as well as heartworms (PLEASE give your dogs their monthly heartworm pill – it is absolutely ridiculous that dogs are still suffering from this preventable parasite).   Lion now enjoys Royal Canin venison and sweet potato food and is loving life.  Here is his video from this past week:

Lion is available for adoption – so help me spread the word about this amazing dog!  http://www.austinpetsalive.org to see his profile and email adopt@austinpetsalive.org to learn more.

As you have probably already heard, a video of Bob Parsons, CEO of GoDaddy.com, has surfaced which depicts him shooting and killing an elephant in Zimbabwe.  Rightfully so, many are up in arms about this and are leaving GoDaddy.com in protest of Parsons’ behavior.  Obviously I am also outraged by this child who makes himself feel like a man by killing defenseless living things so I am definitely happy to see so many protesting.

However, a question comes up that I honestly do not know the answer to.  Why?  Why are people so angry at Mr. Parsons for killing this elephant?  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that people are angry.  But thousands of deer are killed every hunting season, and you don’t see anyone switching companies because the CEO uploaded a video of him killing a deer and then posing by the lifeless body.

Millions of cow, chickens, pigs, and lambs are killed every year so you can eat them.  Countless dogs, cats, rabbits and other defenseless creatures are tortured and killed every day because people are careless and ignorant.  Yet the general public says nothing.  Society doesn’t cry out for justice.  You don’t see a massive protest of Cover Girl for the tortures they inflict on animals every day.  You don’t see a mass exodus of people swearing off McDonalds due to the factory farming conditions in the US.  So why does everyone care about this elephant, and not about all the other living beings that are killed each and every day?

I can only hope this outcry will force others to ask this question and maybe they, too, will consider why they care about one life more than another.  And maybe, just maybe, they will learn to value all lives equally and we can start moving towards a day where all lives are important.

Just something to think about.

It isn’t easy.   This is not the type of work for the faint of heart (or for those who like sleep).  Every day you will witness kindness that warms your heart and every day you will witness such cruelty and stupidity that you will wonder if the battle for compassion will ever be won.  Weeks will go by without a single thank you from another human, and sometimes it wears you down that no one sees the hours and energy you are pouring into your work.  But it is all worth it.  If I every doubt what I am doing, I just need to walk outside to where the dogs are in their runs, go into a kennel and sit down with the pup in it for a few minutes.  The affection shown by this amazing, appreciative creature is all I need to keep going.

Deep down in me, I feel it is my duty to protect those that need us, those who rely on us.  I am not doing this for fame or fortune.  I am not here because the hours are good or the benefits are amazing.  I am not doing this for some superiority complex of working in the nonprofit field.  I am doing this because it is what I am meant to do.  This is my calling.

Meet my newest foster, Lady Gray.  She was on the dreaded kill list at the local municipal shelter because of aggression…  shelters need to reform now – killing because a cat doesn’t like a crowded, noisy, new environment is unacceptable.  This has got to stop!  Call/email/talk in person to your local shelter and (kindly) demand they become no kill TODAY!

Here is what E-Bay has to say about why they allow the Live Animal Classified Ads:  “Free online classified ads have made it easier for animal lovers to find their perfect pet from local households, rescue shelters, and breeders”

The fact that Craigslist and assorted other online venues doesn’t make it a good idea.  Online ads are a natural outlet for puppy millers, puppy brokers, and the worst sort of backyard breeders to market their wares with no safeguards for the animals themselves.  They may find well-intentioned buyers who don’t realize the risks of buying from these sources, or they may find careless buyers who could not pass the screening required by a responsible breeder or animal rescue group.  E-Bay claims to have safeguards in place, but there’s no way that they are checking out every seller, OR every buyer; they can’t.  Even if they wanted to, it would be completely impractical for them.

E-Bay stopped the sales of live animals through their auctions due to the objections of their users who care about animal welfare.  Maybe they thought their animal-loving users wouldn’t noticed the live animal sales in the classifieds sections, because those ads don’t come up when you’re searching the auctions for leashes, dog clothing, and toys.  I don’t know.  But they have been found out, and they need to realize that this is not acceptable.

Help me get the point across to E-Bay to shut down the sale of live animals on their site.  I have set up a petition on care2.com, which you can visit here, please take a moment and sign.  Thank you!