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My Favorite Pet Blogs from the Past Year

Below is a list of my favorite articles I wrote during the past year, often with an explanation of what made them memorable. Five Non-Cash Ways to Help Animals/Shelters this Holiday Season: This was my first article to have a comment left on it. Is It Ever Okay to Kick a Dog?: This was my first article to ever get stars. The BMK Fund: This practice is very near and dear to my heart and it was neat to have a platform such as blogging for Families.com to share it on. How to Put Your Shopping Dollars to Work Helping … Continue reading →

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Have you ever heard the song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” sung by Gayla Peevey? If not (or if you’d just like to hear it again), click here. John Rox wrote the song in 1950. It became a hit in 1953 when some savvy PR people had ten-year-old Gayla sing it as part of a money-raising campaign to get a hippo for the Oklahoma City Zoo. Kids were encouraged to send in their change and voila! Gayla got her hippo. (Matilda. Which of course Gayla immediately “donated” to the zoo.) Well, if you’ve ever wanted a hippopotamus of your … Continue reading →

Extreme Pets! – Jane Harrington

If you have an animal lover in the family, or if your family is considering a new pet, pick up a copy of Extreme Pets! by Jane Harrington. The book is loaded with marvelous color photographs. While Extreme Pets! makes owning these unique pets look very exciting, it also deals with the realities of cage cleaning and costs. The book also emphasizes responsible pet ownership. The book starts with a pet pact – making sure that the owner knows they are responsible for special feeding, care, safety, potential allergies, and medical care. Extreme Pets! is wire bound, which makes the … Continue reading →

Giant Panda Ling Ling Passes Away

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The fifth-oldest male panda in the world passed away at the end of April. Ling Ling was Japan’s oldest giant panda. He was born at China’s Beijing Zoo in 1985 and was given to Japan as a symbol of friendship in 1992. Ling Ling was a star attraction at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo for more than fifteen years. This is the first time in a long time that Ueno Zoo has not had a giant panda in residence — Ling Ling’s predecessors arrived from China to commemorate the signing of a peace treaty between China and Japan in 1972. The Ueno … Continue reading →

24 Wildlife Conservation Organizations Worthy of Your Donations

The other day I listed 79 animal rights, welfare, and service organizations worthy of your donations based on ratings generated by Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy. These were organizations that scored either four stars from Charity Navigator (their highest rating) or “A”s from the American Institute of Philanthropy. Using the same methodology, the list below represents the top rated wildlife conservation organizations that you can feel confident are utilizing your donation dollars in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Again, charities are listed in alphabetical order and are linked to their websites, if applicable. 1. African … Continue reading →

Reptile Awareness: Did You Know…?

Special note: gator photo by Elvis Santana For starters, did you know that today is Reptile Awareness Day? Did you know there even was such a day? (I only recently learned about it myself.) I admit I don’t know much about reptiles. I’ve never had one as a pet. About all I know is that frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles, gators and crocs are all part of the reptilian family and are cold-blooded. (And that Murph takes delight in chasing lizards and frogs whenever possible.) Well, since I don’t know much I had to do some research. Here’s some things I … Continue reading →

More Viral Animal Emails: Heart Tuggers

Back in August I wrote about a certain type of email we all get: the forwards. You know what I’m talking about –the jokes and anecdotes that assure you they’re the funniest thing and you just have to read them. I probably delete 95% (if not more) of these without passing them on and making them even more “viral.” But some I just can’t resist sharing. Like now. Here’s some that tugged at my heart so much I not only forwarded them but felt the need to write about them. The Hippo and the Tortoise Remember the tsunami of 2004 … Continue reading →

National Wildlife Day: How You Can Help

Last month I wrote about National Dog Day sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation. Today is another AMF sponsored day, National Wildlife Day. What It’s About Initially the woman who created these days, Colleen Paige, was going to have this one fall on June 6th. However, she changed it to September 4th to honor “the last day that Steve Irwin graced this planet.” The goal is to raise awareness of the non-domestic creatures those of us who are urban dwellers may forget about. The ones who are endangered or otherwise threatened, but who can be saved with a little help … Continue reading →

Be Kind to Animals Week 2007: How to Participate

This week (May 6-12) is Be Kind to Animals Week. The American Humane Association started this national awareness week 92 years ago, in 1915. Their mission was the same then as it is today: to raise awareness about the importance of being kind to animals, and to educate people about the importance and impact animals have on our lives. Be a Part of It! Aimee and I are both big time animal lovers. (Naturally. You’d hope to have such people assigned to the Pets Blog, wouldn’t you? The managers at Families.com excel at placing bloggers in appropriate subjects, but I … Continue reading →

The Falcon at the Portal – Elizabeth Peters

The Emerson clan has a reason to celebrate – Walter and Evelyn’s daughter, Lia, is going to marry David Todros, the young Egyptian Emerson and Amelia brought home with them during an earlier adventure. While it took a little time for the couple to overcome the objections of the family, they were finally victorious, and “The Falcon at the Portal” begins with the wedding. David and Lia head off on their honeymoon, leaving things decidedly more quiet around the Emerson household, until an old friend of Emerson’s shows up at the house with a forged antique scarab and the alarming … Continue reading →