In Russia there are dogs that have figured out how to use the subway system to travel to locations with better food. From what I can tell, most Russians aren't particularly bothered. The article there calls them stray, but I've seen them also referred to as feral dogs the way that we refer to feral cats in the US.
In the US, 30% of Americans consider pets family but Trap, Neuter Return (TNR) groups, such as Alley Cat Allies, always have a tough sell convincing people not to just poison feral cat colonies.
I feel like these are related somehow but I'm not sure. Maybe because so many Americans do have a familial relationship with their pets, it's more difficult for us to accept feral cat colonies? I don't have an answer yet but I want to explore and find one.
In England, it's considered best for cats to be outdoor animals or at least only confined inside at night. In the US we build giant catios (patios for cats) to keep our kitties entertained while also safe and secure, as we point to figures showing that indoor cats live significantly longer. We round up strays and bring them to shelters and seem certain that this is the way to handle things.
In Italy, we saw a ton of freely roaming dogs and cats. The winery where we stayed fed and cared for a dog and a cat that had shown up in the past and hung around, but they weren't allowed inside the buildings because that would be considered dirty.
I do volunteer at an open access shelter and my gut reaction is that it's better not to let strays wander all over the city. I also support TNR and not taking feral cats into a shelter where they will likely end up euthanized or miserable. In the southern US, a far smaller percentage of pets are fixed than in the northeastern US. I want to know why.
Yes, part of me wants to know why the differences are there because I think that trying to change people's behavior (i.e. get more people to spay/neuter) without first understanding the reason for that behavior is doomed to failure. A large part of it is simply a desire to know more and explore.
A cat-like curiosity if you will.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Monday Bit of Cute
If you don't already know, my nana and grandpa were the first to really teach me about dogs and how to interact with them. I really credit them and their dog Mickey with inspiring my love of animals so it means a lot that she gave me her little stuffed dogs. I have no qualms about a respectful display of stuffed animals in an adult apartment. There are also Andy Warhol cat prints and a full bar.
After setting up a new headboard to make reading in bed a little more comfortable, I placed a few of the stuffed dogs there. That night I woke up to all but one of them being dropped onto me by a stretching Toby. Since then, Toby has been spending the majority of his time up there, curled up with the little brown and white stuffed dog. I tried to snap the photo while he was napping with his head resting on the dog, but Toby of course woke up at the sound of my approach.
It's still a cute shot all the same, I think. I'll be visiting my nana and grandpa in two weeks and am looking forward to telling them that Toby has adopted one of the dogs. He hasn't rough played with the dog at all, just curled up with it and purred.
I wonder if he'll be so sanguine about it the first time he meets a real dog...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Support Pakistan
When Haiti experienced an earthquake, there were telethons, collections, front page headlines, radio djs talking about it, massive cell phone donations, and more to help the victims.
Now there’s massive flooding in Pakistan, causing more damage than “the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined” (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/19/why_doesnt_the_world_care_about_pakistanis ) and the first I heard about it was when my sister mentioned that she needed to stay late at work because of the flooding. At my confused look she clarified “in Pakistan.” My sister genuinely saves lives for a living and does tend to be more up-to-the-minute with foreign issues than I am, but it seemed wrong that I hadn’t heard something earlier via Twitter, the radio, or just office talk. But I hadn’t. I still don’t hear much about it. Weeks later, as the floods are getting worse and more people are suffering, I see the occasional tweet from a charity group or Foreign Policy and an email from WSPA asking for donations. I did hear about it in the sermon at the new parish I tried this past weekend. There doesn’t seem to be a giant push to help though. People don’t seem to care. There are no calls for a massive telethon like for Haiti or a charity concert like for Tennessee. That seems wrong.
Foreign Policy has a great article on why people aren’t giving to help Pakistan flood victims. The article is great, the comments made me cry at how inhumane people can be. They gave me an idea though. If people really are going to be racist jerks, refusing to help the poor of a country because they dislike the country’s elites, well what about the animals. Those animals have no political agenda. They understand less about the word Jihad than the average American (whose understanding seems to be pretty limited from what I can tell). They’re suffering, too. WSPA is doing its best to help them. http://www.wspa-international.org/wspaswork/disastermanagement/whyanimalsmatter.aspx explains why helping animals matters even if you’re not prejudiced against the people.
I have a monthly budget for donations to help me deal with constantly feeling like I should be giving more (and then seeing my credit card bill and realizing nothing got saved for next month). August went to help in Pakistan. September’s probably will as well.
If you don’t have a monthly charity budget or have maxed yours out for the month (it is the end of the month), please consider giving up today’s coffee or muffin and donating at least that much to one of the many organizations helping people and animals in Pakistan. How we take care of each other matters.
WSPA: Update on a small success in Pakistan http://www.wspa-international.org/latestnews/2010/three-surviving-bears-rescued-pakistan-floods.aspx
IFAW’s blog about their work in Pakistan with a donation link: http://animalrescue.typepad.com/animal_rescue_blog/2010/08/ifaw-rushes-to-aid-animal-survivors-of-pakistans-tragic-flooding.html
IRC: Report on their work in Pakistan http://www.theirc.org/special-reports/special-report-pakistan
Now there’s massive flooding in Pakistan, causing more damage than “the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined” (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/19/why_doesnt_the_world_care_about_pakistanis ) and the first I heard about it was when my sister mentioned that she needed to stay late at work because of the flooding. At my confused look she clarified “in Pakistan.” My sister genuinely saves lives for a living and does tend to be more up-to-the-minute with foreign issues than I am, but it seemed wrong that I hadn’t heard something earlier via Twitter, the radio, or just office talk. But I hadn’t. I still don’t hear much about it. Weeks later, as the floods are getting worse and more people are suffering, I see the occasional tweet from a charity group or Foreign Policy and an email from WSPA asking for donations. I did hear about it in the sermon at the new parish I tried this past weekend. There doesn’t seem to be a giant push to help though. People don’t seem to care. There are no calls for a massive telethon like for Haiti or a charity concert like for Tennessee. That seems wrong.
Foreign Policy has a great article on why people aren’t giving to help Pakistan flood victims. The article is great, the comments made me cry at how inhumane people can be. They gave me an idea though. If people really are going to be racist jerks, refusing to help the poor of a country because they dislike the country’s elites, well what about the animals. Those animals have no political agenda. They understand less about the word Jihad than the average American (whose understanding seems to be pretty limited from what I can tell). They’re suffering, too. WSPA is doing its best to help them. http://www.wspa-international.org/wspaswork/disastermanagement/whyanimalsmatter.aspx explains why helping animals matters even if you’re not prejudiced against the people.
I have a monthly budget for donations to help me deal with constantly feeling like I should be giving more (and then seeing my credit card bill and realizing nothing got saved for next month). August went to help in Pakistan. September’s probably will as well.
If you don’t have a monthly charity budget or have maxed yours out for the month (it is the end of the month), please consider giving up today’s coffee or muffin and donating at least that much to one of the many organizations helping people and animals in Pakistan. How we take care of each other matters.
WSPA: Update on a small success in Pakistan http://www.wspa-international.org/latestnews/2010/three-surviving-bears-rescued-pakistan-floods.aspx
IFAW’s blog about their work in Pakistan with a donation link: http://animalrescue.typepad.com/animal_rescue_blog/2010/08/ifaw-rushes-to-aid-animal-survivors-of-pakistans-tragic-flooding.html
IRC: Report on their work in Pakistan http://www.theirc.org/special-reports/special-report-pakistan
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Puppies aren't products
The focus of Best Friend's "Puppies Aren't Products" campaign isn't giving puppies as gifts (it's the awful practice of puppy mills) but the sentiment still applies.
I've been asked multiple times by different people for advice on buying a cat or dog as a gift for someone. I always tell them not to do so. If you want to buy a gift for someone who loves animals, maybe ask to help pay for their adoption fee on the animal they pick out themselves, but don't go buying them a cat or a dog as a gift. Period. They Should Not Be Gifts.
I know that we see images of the kitten or the puppy with the big red bow at Christmas. I know that it seems sweet. But think about it for a minute. Would you ever give someone a child as a gift? A pet means years of responsibility, vet bills, and more. Yes, there are great aspects about pet ownership, but there are a lot of responsibilities as well. When you give someone a pet, you're taking away a chance for them to really think whether they're up for all the work involve--teaching kids how to behave toward the animal, handling allergies, buying appropriate food, training the animal, caring for him/her, etc. It's easy for people to forget all that when handed a cute puppy with a bow around his neck.
Plus, it diminishes the value of that animal. Animals, even pure-bred animals, are unique and have their own personalities. While a great deal of that personality is based on nurture, it's no more immune to nature than my or my sister's very different personalities. We're great people, both of us, but many who would happily deal with her for 10 years might not want to deal with my quirks for that time period and vice versa. When you give an animal as a gift you remove the opportunity for the new pet parent to really look and find an animal with whom the bond and can get along.
Why this topic now, in the middle of my family vacation at the beach where I've been mostly offline? Because a friend of a friend is looking to rehome a dog she was given as a gift. . I'm not going to get into the reasons for the rehoming here because I'm standing by my belief that it will do no good for me to judge and the girl is trying to find a new home for the puppy which is responsible. The dog is pure-bred so I first suggested contacting the breeder because most reputable, good breeders will take back their dog However, the girl apparently can't do that because the breeder is across the country where the mom lives and she can't get back across the country to return the dog. I don't think people consider that outcome when they give animals. Apparently the dog is sweet and cute and I'm sure she'll find a new home soon--cute, pure-bred puppies with papers don't lack homes long. I'm just frustrated by the situation.
Don't give animals as gifts. Don't accept an animal as a gift if you aren't 100% prepared to commit to that animal for the span of his or her life. If you really want to give someone a gift and they want a pet--make a donation to a shelter in their name and sponsor one of the animals there. It costs about the same and it'll help save a life instead of putting one potentially at risk.
I've been asked multiple times by different people for advice on buying a cat or dog as a gift for someone. I always tell them not to do so. If you want to buy a gift for someone who loves animals, maybe ask to help pay for their adoption fee on the animal they pick out themselves, but don't go buying them a cat or a dog as a gift. Period. They Should Not Be Gifts.
I know that we see images of the kitten or the puppy with the big red bow at Christmas. I know that it seems sweet. But think about it for a minute. Would you ever give someone a child as a gift? A pet means years of responsibility, vet bills, and more. Yes, there are great aspects about pet ownership, but there are a lot of responsibilities as well. When you give someone a pet, you're taking away a chance for them to really think whether they're up for all the work involve--teaching kids how to behave toward the animal, handling allergies, buying appropriate food, training the animal, caring for him/her, etc. It's easy for people to forget all that when handed a cute puppy with a bow around his neck.
Plus, it diminishes the value of that animal. Animals, even pure-bred animals, are unique and have their own personalities. While a great deal of that personality is based on nurture, it's no more immune to nature than my or my sister's very different personalities. We're great people, both of us, but many who would happily deal with her for 10 years might not want to deal with my quirks for that time period and vice versa. When you give an animal as a gift you remove the opportunity for the new pet parent to really look and find an animal with whom the bond and can get along.
Why this topic now, in the middle of my family vacation at the beach where I've been mostly offline? Because a friend of a friend is looking to rehome a dog she was given as a gift. . I'm not going to get into the reasons for the rehoming here because I'm standing by my belief that it will do no good for me to judge and the girl is trying to find a new home for the puppy which is responsible. The dog is pure-bred so I first suggested contacting the breeder because most reputable, good breeders will take back their dog However, the girl apparently can't do that because the breeder is across the country where the mom lives and she can't get back across the country to return the dog. I don't think people consider that outcome when they give animals. Apparently the dog is sweet and cute and I'm sure she'll find a new home soon--cute, pure-bred puppies with papers don't lack homes long. I'm just frustrated by the situation.
Don't give animals as gifts. Don't accept an animal as a gift if you aren't 100% prepared to commit to that animal for the span of his or her life. If you really want to give someone a gift and they want a pet--make a donation to a shelter in their name and sponsor one of the animals there. It costs about the same and it'll help save a life instead of putting one potentially at risk.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Crossing my fingers
Keen met his applicant yesterday. And ate from her hand! It took him months to eat off of my hand. He also purred when she held him. I think it was true love.
Now I'm just waiting for the shelter to process the application and paperwork. I'm crossing my fingers that she'll get approved quickly so he can go home before Virginia Beach.
He's such a special cat. I want him to have his forever home.
Now I'm just waiting for the shelter to process the application and paperwork. I'm crossing my fingers that she'll get approved quickly so he can go home before Virginia Beach.
He's such a special cat. I want him to have his forever home.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Might be a bite?
Just a quick update on my lunch break...the shelter called and a woman heard about Keen from Sunday's event (I think a friend of her's saw him?) and she's interested in him. She's an older lady who has a soft spot for older cats. I should be getting a call from the lady soon to talk about him and possibly set up a meeting.
(side thought--I really should have cleaned this week more than just reorganizing my book and game shelves)
I'm really hopeful that this is the right lady for him. This will sound nutty, but I've seriously been having dreams the past few nights where he finds the right people and they adopt him. And I haven't had that dream before and now here it's been on repeat (though with different people each time) and he finally gets a bite of interest? I'm just spiritual enough to hope it might be related.
Of course, there will be some sadness mixed in with the joy if he gets adopted by this woman. But it'll mostly be joy. I'll have a glass of wine or a mocha martini, toast the joy and experience he brought to my life and to his happy retirement, and then hope for new photos of him in his new home.
Any vibes/prayers/etc you all have to spare that this works out and he gets his forever home soon, would be greatly appreciated. I really do love this old cat. He's a character and I think could really shine in a home without Toby's jealousy.
(side thought--I really should have cleaned this week more than just reorganizing my book and game shelves)
I'm really hopeful that this is the right lady for him. This will sound nutty, but I've seriously been having dreams the past few nights where he finds the right people and they adopt him. And I haven't had that dream before and now here it's been on repeat (though with different people each time) and he finally gets a bite of interest? I'm just spiritual enough to hope it might be related.
Of course, there will be some sadness mixed in with the joy if he gets adopted by this woman. But it'll mostly be joy. I'll have a glass of wine or a mocha martini, toast the joy and experience he brought to my life and to his happy retirement, and then hope for new photos of him in his new home.
Any vibes/prayers/etc you all have to spare that this works out and he gets his forever home soon, would be greatly appreciated. I really do love this old cat. He's a character and I think could really shine in a home without Toby's jealousy.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Re-homing PSA / I'm on my high horse
I do have sympathy for those who must give up their pets. My grandparents had to give up their dog after my nana's health problems continued to worsen and my grandpa no longer had the time to care for the dog the way he should. Also, the dog loved to dart out open doors and try to run away which isn't a huge deal for younger folk to deal with, but older folk with heath problems and difficult joints? Not so easy. So they asked around and looked at friends of their kids and did give their dog up. The entire process they were open about why they were giving up their dog.
Why is this on my mind? Because I saw a tweet today that said "Tomorrow is the last day for anyone to take our kitty!! If not, she'll have to go to a shelter :( Plz RT!! " from a user whose tweets are locked. This meant that when I thought, "oh that's sad, I wonder why they're giving her up, I'm sure one of her other tweets explained it" (I saw this as a Retweet--rt) and clicked for more info--I couldn't read any of her other tweets. So then I tried clicking on her tumblr link, sure that someone responsible for rehoming their cat would have some photos of the kitty.
Uh, no. No photos. No mention of the cat whatsoever.
Now, maybe she did have other tweets explaining the situation. However, if so, they're in a locked account that's not viewable by the adopting public.
So I'd like to make a PSA for those who, for whatever reason, feel the need to re-home their pet to whom they promised love and fidelity until death do you part (yes, that's part of the unwritten contract we have with our pets, it's even stronger than marriage because humans can deal better with being left after years of being loved, they're not utterly dependent on us).
1. Consider whether you really need to re-home your animal. Is it money? Look into pet foodbanks or vets with flexible pay plans. Behavior issues? Have you talked to a trainer? For any of these, when in doubt, talk to your local shelter. They likely have counselors and behaviorists on staff who can assist you in finding these resources.
2. When emailing/tweeting/flyering/blogging about your pet that you need to rehome, please, for the love of pawprints, say WHY you are finding your beloved pet a new home. Honestly, I promise not to judge you for "my 2 year old son can't breathe with kitty around and we've tried shots, roombas, and wipes all to no avail" or "I'm shipping out in a week and my friends/family are all allergic or unable to take my pet" or even "my pet is too rambunctious with my child and I don't have the time to train my kid and pet how to deal with each other." Seriously, potential adopters and those people who want to help you, want to know what the reason is. It makes it a lot easier to help you find your pet a new home if we know why you're giving the pet up.
3. Read ASPCA's guide to re-homing your dog and seriously do everything they say. I'd love to see ASPCA have some social media tips added to their list, but honestly, it's the best advice on this. Go read it. Make sure you get your pet healthy and up-to-date on shots. Make sure you charge people at least some money to cut down on Class B dealers (those who take free-to-good-home pets and sell them to labs).
4. Don't try to guilt people. It's your pet. If he or she goes to a shelter tomorrow, that hangs on your head. Not the head of readers who didn't adopt him or her. This is not an animal already given up in a shelter, this is someone who you vowed to love and care for. It's really not a very effective way of getting adopters because it just makes me think that you're shucking all responsibility.
5. If you do have to give your pet to a shelter, please make a donation and bring supplies, and try to find one that's no kill if you can to give your pet the best chance possible. Especially if he or she is older. Keen is 15. He's very lucky that he came into a shelter with such an active foster program. He would likely not be alive if he had been dropped off at many other shelters. And I say that with my shelter not being no-kill. We're just lucky to have enough fosters that there was room for him at the time to get into the program.
I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but I get very upset with people. I understand how hard it is to give up an animal, really, I do and I don't judge you for having to do so, but I do think that we need to take responsibility for our actions. Giving up a pet should not be the same as giving up a purse. It should break your heart a little. If it doesn't, why did you have a pet in the first place?
Why is this on my mind? Because I saw a tweet today that said "Tomorrow is the last day for anyone to take our kitty!! If not, she'll have to go to a shelter :( Plz RT!! " from a user whose tweets are locked. This meant that when I thought, "oh that's sad, I wonder why they're giving her up, I'm sure one of her other tweets explained it" (I saw this as a Retweet--rt) and clicked for more info--I couldn't read any of her other tweets. So then I tried clicking on her tumblr link, sure that someone responsible for rehoming their cat would have some photos of the kitty.
Uh, no. No photos. No mention of the cat whatsoever.
Now, maybe she did have other tweets explaining the situation. However, if so, they're in a locked account that's not viewable by the adopting public.
So I'd like to make a PSA for those who, for whatever reason, feel the need to re-home their pet to whom they promised love and fidelity until death do you part (yes, that's part of the unwritten contract we have with our pets, it's even stronger than marriage because humans can deal better with being left after years of being loved, they're not utterly dependent on us).
1. Consider whether you really need to re-home your animal. Is it money? Look into pet foodbanks or vets with flexible pay plans. Behavior issues? Have you talked to a trainer? For any of these, when in doubt, talk to your local shelter. They likely have counselors and behaviorists on staff who can assist you in finding these resources.
2. When emailing/tweeting/flyering/blogging about your pet that you need to rehome, please, for the love of pawprints, say WHY you are finding your beloved pet a new home. Honestly, I promise not to judge you for "my 2 year old son can't breathe with kitty around and we've tried shots, roombas, and wipes all to no avail" or "I'm shipping out in a week and my friends/family are all allergic or unable to take my pet" or even "my pet is too rambunctious with my child and I don't have the time to train my kid and pet how to deal with each other." Seriously, potential adopters and those people who want to help you, want to know what the reason is. It makes it a lot easier to help you find your pet a new home if we know why you're giving the pet up.
3. Read ASPCA's guide to re-homing your dog and seriously do everything they say. I'd love to see ASPCA have some social media tips added to their list, but honestly, it's the best advice on this. Go read it. Make sure you get your pet healthy and up-to-date on shots. Make sure you charge people at least some money to cut down on Class B dealers (those who take free-to-good-home pets and sell them to labs).
4. Don't try to guilt people. It's your pet. If he or she goes to a shelter tomorrow, that hangs on your head. Not the head of readers who didn't adopt him or her. This is not an animal already given up in a shelter, this is someone who you vowed to love and care for. It's really not a very effective way of getting adopters because it just makes me think that you're shucking all responsibility.
5. If you do have to give your pet to a shelter, please make a donation and bring supplies, and try to find one that's no kill if you can to give your pet the best chance possible. Especially if he or she is older. Keen is 15. He's very lucky that he came into a shelter with such an active foster program. He would likely not be alive if he had been dropped off at many other shelters. And I say that with my shelter not being no-kill. We're just lucky to have enough fosters that there was room for him at the time to get into the program.
I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but I get very upset with people. I understand how hard it is to give up an animal, really, I do and I don't judge you for having to do so, but I do think that we need to take responsibility for our actions. Giving up a pet should not be the same as giving up a purse. It should break your heart a little. If it doesn't, why did you have a pet in the first place?
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