Search Results for: blog pet overpopulation statistics

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Feb 19-25

Presidents’ Day, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday … ah, there was a lot going on in the “real world” last week, but what about in the Pets Blog? Miss anything? If so, here’s a recap of what Aimee and myself covered: Monday, February 19 Monday was Presidents’ Day. What better way to pay respect Pets Blog style than with a virtual trip to the Presidential Pet Museum to Hail the Resident Pets in Chief? (Of the many interesting facts I learned, the one that struck me the most was how pet-friendly our Leaders in Chief are or have been. Only … Continue reading →

Pet Overpopulation Statistics

If you don’t believe that spaying and neutering your pets is a good idea, maybe these statistics will change your mind. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that between six and eight million cats and dogs enter animal shelters and rescues every year. Of that number, approximately half are euthanized — that means between three and four million dogs and cats die for no other reason than they are in a shelter that cannot afford the space or money to keep them. There are between four and six thousand animal shelters and rescue organizations in the United States. … Continue reading →

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month: Share Your Story!

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month! If you’ve been thinking about rescuing a pet from a local shelter, this is a good time to do it. (Okay, there isn’t really a BAD time to save a pet from a shelter, is there?) There are so many wonderful pets sitting in shelters for various reasons. Maybe their owners had an unexpected health issue and had to surrender them. Maybe a soldier was deployed and couldn’t find a new home for a beloved pet. Maybe an abandoned dog or cat had a litter in the wild and was picked up by … Continue reading →

Other Man vs. Animal Double Standards

I covered the double standard of euthanasia as it applies to man vs. animal, but there are other double standards, too. Spaying and Neutering I believe “castration” is the term used for humans. The practice has been used for centuries for everything from medical purposes to warfare strategies against opposing armies. And, yes, even on occasion for population control. But the later especially drew criticism and cries of “Foul!” when discovered. With animals though? Heck, even Aimee and I advocate the owner responsibility of spaying and neutering your pet. There are all sorts of reasons why it’s so important, but … Continue reading →

Man vs. Animal Double Standards: Euthanasia

On “And I Thought Declawing Was Bad?”, Samual left the following comment: “I hate it when owners or the police punish the animal for aggression, every animal is aggressive in some way but if it’s to the point where it goes around biting people it’s because the animal has not been taught not to bite. The police need to stop just putting the animals down and punish the owner instead.” Unwittingly, Samual touched on something that’s long bothered me and more than once aggravated me to the point of tears: the double standards that exist for man and beast. I’m … Continue reading →

Cloned Puppies Up for Auction

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Would you clone a beloved pet? How much would a cloned pet be worth to you? A biotech company in northern California called BioArts International is auctioning off five chances to have a cloned dog. The auction begins on June 18th and bidding starts at one hundred thousand dollars. BioArts calls the project “Best Friends Again”. The chief executive for BioArts International once ran Genetic Savings & Clone, a company that offered to clone pet cats for a mere fifty thousand dollars. The company folded in 2006 because few pet owners could afford to pay that much. So why try … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Feral Cat Efforts

At the cats only boarding facility, they welcome cats of all shapes and sizes. We get some “mostly outdoor” cats whose owners bring them in to stay when the weather is bad. We get some pampered princes and princesses who require daily brushing and like to eat from fancy dishes. I know for sure that my coworkers are cat lovers. But more than that — they really care about the welfare of cats. All cats. Even the feral ones. Every day, we take all the leftover cat food and empty it into a big dish. After each shift, somebody brings … Continue reading →

Happy’s Happy Ending

How is this for an amazing adventure: a runaway dog is home after seven months in which he managed to find TWO new homes, get neutered, and get renamed. Happy — also known as Radar during his seven month adventure — ran away from his Illinois farm home in April. He had been with his family for more than two years, after human mom Misty Bowman picked him out from a friend’s litter. Human dad Rob named the dog Happy because he looked like he was always smiling. When Happy left for his wild vacation, the Bowmans looked all over … Continue reading →

National Homeless Animals Day 2007: Ways to Participate

Today is National Homeless Animals Day. The International Society for Animal Rights first held the day in 1992 to raise awareness about cat and dog overpopulation. (Their mission is to fight animal overpopulation and end the suffering animals endure because of it.) Since then it’s become a tradition to hold it on the third Saturday of August. With the exception of Budly, all the rest of my dogs —Mackie, then Tiger and Murphy –were homeless dogs rescued from shelters, or in Mackie’s case, from a vet who found him wandering the streets. My life with cats isn’t as extensive as … Continue reading →

Shelters Overwhelmed With Fighting Dogs

The dogs seized from Michael Vick’s property may be the most famous dogfighting survivors headed to animal shelters this month… but they aren’t the only ones. Animal control and police departments around the country have seized dozens of injured and abused pit bulls from dogfighting operations in homes, barns, yards, and on the streets. In July 2007: Six dogs were seized in Columbus, Ohio. Thirty-seven dogs were seized in South Holland, Illinois. Four dogs were seized in Chicago, Illinois. Thirty-one dogs were seized in Reelsboro, North Carolina. Twenty-two dogs were seized in Richland County, South Carolina. And that’s just a … Continue reading →