Our battle is not against the many, but the few: those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. This includes failing shelter directors, uncaring bureaucrats, and the large, national organizations which defend them. It is time to educate the media and the public that there is a better way.
Send the following “Letter to the Editor” to your local newspaper: Read more…
A single step…, Our battle is not against the many, but the few:….
Ode to a Mockingbird
I love to hear the Mockingbird that sits up in my tree
I wonder why he sings so much, or if he sings to me.
He sits up on a branch so high, so he can fly away,
But I know that he likes it there, and that he wants to stay!
I love to hear the Mockingbird that sits up in my tree
If I could reach the limb he’s on, I’d put him on my knee.
I’d tell him what a joy he is, to listen to each day
And that I’d like to understand, just what he has to say.
I love to hear the Mockingbird that sits up in my tree
I wish he had a friend sometime, so happy he would be.
I guess that I could be his friend, for he does comfort me,
On lonely nights and rainy days, because I cannot see.
Rita Hestand Author
Happy 4/20! Curious about marijuana? These dogs, while not actually under the influence of marijuana (as far as we know), are here to give you some key facts about the drug.
(Photo credit: AP)
(Photo credit:Getty)
(Photo credit: AP)
(Photo credit: Getty)
(Photo credit: AP)
(Photo credit: Getty)
(Photo credit: AP)
(Photo credit: Getty)
(Flickr user _tar0_)
(Photo credit: Getty)
We dogs try and talk to you humans all the time with our bodies, it’s just that you humans never seem to listen to us very well.
Have you ever wished that your dog could talk to you? I’m sure, like millions of others, myself included, that you have. Well, I have good news for you, dogs do “talk” to us, and they do it a lot. There are 2 forms of communication, verbal and non-verbal. We are constantly communicating to our dogs, whether we know it or not, through non-verbal communication (body language). Humans mainly communicate verbally. Read more…
What’s up with all the colored peeps again? Why would you do this to an animal? I would not like it if someone dyed my fur and treated me like a toy. Animals are not toys for human children. We are real living, feeling beings (just like you). We have the ability to feel pain, joy, and fear (just like you). We have interests and are individuals (just like you). We are all animals of the earth. Please respect us enough not to dye our fur and feathers for your human pleasures.
I found your dog today. No, he hasn’t been adopted by anyone. Most of us who live out here have all the dogs we want and those who do not have dogs do so because they choose not to. I know you were hoping he would find a good home when you left him out here, but he did not. When I first saw him he was miles from the nearest house and he was alone, thirsty, thin and limping from a burr in his paw.
How I wish I could have been you as I stood before him. To see his tail wag and his eyes brighten as he bounded into your arms, knowing you would find him, knowing you had not forgotten him. To see the forgiveness in his eyes for the suffering and pain he had known in his never-ending quest to find you, but I was not you. And despite all my persuasion, his eyes saw only a stranger. He did not trust. He would not come.
He turned and continued his journey; one he was sure would bring him to you. He does not understand you are not looking for him. He only knows you are not there, he only knows he must find you. This is more important than food or water or the stranger who can give him these things.
Persuasion and pursuit seemed futile; I did not even know his name. I drove home, filled a bucket with water and a bowl with food and returned to where we had met. I could see no sign of him, but I left my offering under the tree where he had sought shelter from the sun and a chance to rest. You see, he is not of the desert. When you domesticated him, you took away any instinct of survival out here. His purpose demands that he travel during the day. He doesn’t know that the sun and heat will claim his life. He only knows that he has to find you.
I waited hoping he would return to the tree; hoping my gift would build an element of trust so I might bring him home, remove the burr from his paw, give him a cool place to lie and help him understand that the part of his life with you is now over. He did not return that morning and at dusk the water and food were still there untouched. And I worried. You must understand that many people would not attempt to help your dog. Some would run him off, others would call the county and the fate you thought you saved him from would be preempted by his suffering for days without food or water.
I returned again before dark. I did not see him. I went again early the next morning only to find the food and water still untouched. If only you were here to call his name. Your voice is so familiar to him. I began pursuit in the direction he had taken yesterday, doubt overshadowing my hope of finding him. His search for you was desperate, it could take him many miles in 24 hours.
It is hours later and a good distance from where we first met, but I have found your dog. His thirst has stopped, it is no longer a torment to him. His hunger has disappeared, he no longer aches. The burrs in his paws bother him no more. Your dog’s been set free from his burdens, for you see, your dog has died.
I kneel next to him and curse you for not being here yesterday so I could see the glow, if just for a moment in those now vacant eyes. I pray that his journey has taken him to that place I think you hoped he would find. If only you knew what he went through to reach it, and I agonize, for I know that were he to awaken at this moment, and if I were to be you, his eyes would sparkle with recognition and his tail would wag with love and forgiveness.
Our companion animals are living feeling beings who depend on us for care. They are not garbage to be thrown out with the trash or abandon along roadsides. Please think before you go dumping an animal off thinking it can fend for its self or that someone else is going to find and give it a home. The fact is, most will die, lonely, hungry, and terrified. So please be responsible by trying to find your companion animal a new home or by taking it to your local animal shelter.
Below is a video of one little dog named Rosie who was lucky enough to have been rescued by a very lucky earth angel.
http://www.hopeforpaws.org - Rosie was dumped in the desert with no food and no water. Temperatures were over 100 degrees, and she was terrified and wouldn’t let anyone get near her. I drove 3 hours north to give it a try. This video will tell the full story.
Life With Dogs. A place where you can meet many animal loving friends: http://www.facebook.com/eldad75?ref=ts#!/lifewithdogs?ref=ts
Otter 501, a southern sea otter pup, was found on the central California coast June 10th, 2010. She was only a few days old and without human help her chance of survival was slim. Luckily, she was rescued and cared for by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation program. We at Sea Studios were lucky to have had the chance to film this incredible process and are creating a feature film, “Otter 501″, based on her experience.
The crew of “Otter 501″ spent long hours filming 501 and other wild otters in Elkhorn Slough and we recognized how important this haven is to sea otters. However, we also saw that the Slough has many human visitors – kayakers, fishermen, wildlife enthusiasts – and many of them are not aware of their impact on sea otters and other wildlife. Due to sea otters’ incredibly high energy demands, they are especially vulnerable to human disturbances. As a welcome gift to our friend 501 we want to keep her, and the other animals she lives among, safe from these stressful and costly disturbances. There is one location in particular, the Jetty Road area, where we often saw humans disturbing sea otters. The funds from this project will go to create a permanent sign at that location. This sign, and any others we are able to fund in the Elkhorn Slough area, will show visitors how unique and important sea otters are and how to observe all wild animals respectfully.
Visit our Facebook page to help keep Elkhorn Slough a safe place for sea otters.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Otter-501/146483308772102?sk=app_2318966938
