baileykix

Rescue Ink | National Geographic Channel

2009-09-26T19:29:00.001-04:00

Rescue Ink Unleashed follows a group of tattooed motorcycle-riding tough guys on a mission to save animals in danger.

Am I ranting? (Language)

2009-08-11T12:34:00.002-04:00

Am I ranting? Fuck yes... and I have every right to.

I'd like to let it be known that my reason for leaving my place of employment wasn't seen in a good light by the person I had the conversation with. I was asked to give A reason, so I gave the latest of many reasons. When asked to elaborate, I was cut short. Nothing new there, I expected as much.

During several prior and subsequent conversations it was repeatedly brought up that my company loyalty was lacking. Excuse me? One wants to question company loyalty, one needs to take into consideration the fact that not very damn many people would spend a 4-hour daily commute and $200 a month in bus fare just to get back and forth to work for the better part of a year. No where else, just to and from work. If I wanted to go anywhere else, I'd have to either walk or pay extra fare.

Company loyalty? In five years, I only called out once.. And that was because I stressed out to the max with an effin' migrain because of what all was going on.

Let it also be known that it was not my decision to leave one week short of my two-week notice. I was told to leave the day I asked for the next day off. It shouldn't matter what the reason was. It could have been for anything from a doctor's appointment, to some personal emergency. The point is, I could have taken the lazy way and just called out the next morning. Instead I took the high road and tried to give some kind of notice for it. For that I was told that it was the last straw.

Last Straw?

I've put up with plenty of "last straws." Let's see, there were the several times I was left nasty personal notes in the log book, all the times I pointed out unnecessary risks being taken in the workplace, all the times I came to someone in authority with a legitimate concern, only to be told that it's trivial personal bullshit. The times I've offered a solution to a problem that would have meant out-of-pocket expense to myself - again, only to be told that they misunderstood what I was saying. And isn't it funny that to another person standing there, having heard the entire conversation, what I said made perfect sense. I find that very interesting.

A "Last Straw" comes to mind when I went to verify some procedure that wasn't the regular practice, during a particularly busy time of day. I was completely cut short, talked down to, and later screamed at because "I was questioning someone's position." I would like to let it be known that Let it be known that every single day at work I've given 110% but on this particular day I gave 120% effort to help them prepare for an event. For that I deserved to be screamed at?

Excuse me, anyone else would have walked out long before that. But I didn't. And yet they cite "loyalty" or "personal dislike" or "not being able to keep my opinion to myself" or any number of things they might want to come up with.

The point is, one can only cut corners for so long before one hangs one's self with one's own rope. The reality is (its like an old friend always told me) "Greed'll get 'em every time."

So how was YOUR day?

2009-06-13T19:16:00.002-04:00

I'm getting to where I really hate working on Saturdays. Come to think of it, I'm really starting to hate the place I work more and more these days - A little more on that a bit later.
The day started out ok when I left the house, caught the first bus to the El. It was even ok on the train - till I got to Center City. I hadn't taken even five steps toward the Dunkin Donuts for my favorite coffee, when someone I passed on the sidewalk says "Hey, you got an extra cigarrette?" I gave him the one I was smoking and let him think it was my very last one - like the guilt is really gonna kill somebody like that. Then after getting my coffee, and was heading back out the door to the bus stop, this lady comes in and right away hits me up for 50 cents. I pull out a bunch of change... then she says "You got a dollar?" No effin' way - "I gave ya 50 cents." I've really had it. I'm sick of these assholes thinking people like me owe them $1.50 just because they happen to see me in a place of business. Let them commute two effin' hours and spend $10 a damn day just to get back and forth to work.
It didn't get much better from there either. When I got into work, there was a nice little note waiting for me from the evening kennel tech. "I cleaned the kitten cages, the ones that were in holding. I also cleaned their ears, which were very nasty. PLEASE clean their ears again tomorrow and clean them more often in the future." ..... Like I don't? Get f-in' real. I do more in one hour than this girl does her entire shift. I've worked continuous circles around her the entire four years I've been there. I've seen her sit down on the the sales floor (not on a chair or anything, mind you, but the actual floor) at the beginning of her shift because she was "tired." I know for a fact that when she disappears and nobody can find her, she's hiding out in the bathroom playing a handheld video game or talking on her cell phone. She's illiterate, she can't spell and what notes she does write make little or no sense at all. I struggled with deciphering the syntax of the above-mentioned note for twenty minutes before I could eventually figure out what she was actually trying to say. I know that if she put as much energy into doing her job as she does thinking of ways to get out of doing any work, she might actually get something done.
Add this to the cheapness factor, the miscommunications, the bug-eyed responses whenever I ask a simple question, the self-absorbed mentality, the tunnel vision, the bottom line and all the other crap I'm sick of putting up with... I'm soooo ready to just walk right the hell out. Everyday I go in I tell myself - this might just be the day.

IMAGE_020

2008-12-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

Important announcement

2008-12-07T18:07:00.001-05:00

Hey,

I wanted to see if I could get your quick help. I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's a movement of citizens inspired by the presidential campaign who are now submitting ideas for how they think the Obama Administration should change America. It's called "Ideas for Change in America."

I've submitted an idea and wanted to see if you could quickly vote for it. The title is: Require utilization of an extensive animal abuse database.. You can read and vote for the idea by clicking on the following link:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/require_utilization_of_an_extensive_animal_abuse_database

The top 10 ideas are going to be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day and will be supported by a national lobbying campaign run by Change.org, MySpace, and more than a dozen leading nonprofits after the Inauguration. So each idea has a real chance at becoming policy.

Thanks for the support,

Beth Rogers
(Baileykix)

New Post

2008-10-27T15:14:00.001-04:00

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Dog Starved for a Month and Nobody Cared

2008-09-29T11:10:00.004-04:00

Please sign petition for Shepp, starved to death on a chain

Complete news coverage of Shepp.

Warning: Disturbing Video
Once at the page, click where it says "Special Projects" on the left of the page.

JUSTICE for SHEPP

Shepp was a dog that was left for well over a month, to die with no food or water and chained to the extent that his collar was embedded in his skin. No one cared. The neighbors saw him suffering, yet nobody did anything until it was too late. Someone had placed food by him, but by then he was too weak to even get up. Someone contacted (KZTV) a news station that stands up for people and animals alike.

Shepp was taken to animal control were he was cared for by the vets and staff there, I know for a fact, for I was able to see him from behind the glass on Friday afternoon. The tech, vets and staff that were there with him, treating him with such compassion and care. Shepp passed away later that afternoon, which was devastating to the vets and staff.

His will to live was there, he wagged his tail and even tried to lift his head. However his body couldn't take it, due to the extreme neglect he endured for a month. He left this life. (KZTV Action 10 News) has set up a site for Shepp they will remain attentive to this story .

What is needed is signatures on a petition started out for justice.

In these cases of cruelty it is often difficult to catch and charge those responsible. For one month.Shepp had no food, little or no water. There are many that are in dire need of help and it is appalling how far this went on.

Our VOICE can make all the difference ..

Please take a moment, as hard as it is, please, view the video. It tears me apart, but to bear witness, we shall speak out for those that cannot.

Thank you my dear friends. And please REPOST Shepp's story far and wide. That justice may prevail and to those who stood by and did nothing you must be held accountable as well. For the guilt lies heavy upon you.

Action 10 News
301 Artesian
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401

Telephone (361) 883-7070
Fax (361) 884-8111
Email: news@kztv10.com
Date: Sep 22, 2008 8:14 PM

I am at a loss to express the sorrow and anger I feel .

I only wonder why and how can people turn their heads and say its only an animal...

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION - Justice For Shepp

Toxic Artificial Sweetener

2008-09-29T07:42:00.001-04:00

Not many people are aware of this...

Xylitol is deadly to Dogs !
You may be aware of the risks of Xylitol to dogs.
(an artificial sweetener used in diabetic foods, mints, chewing gum,
Sugar free pudding, etc.)

The risks of xylitol ingestion with dogs:- (as little
as 2 pieces of gum can cause death in a 20 lb dog).

Xylitol causes mass insulin release in dogs, leading to severe, acute hypoglycemia.
Symptoms in as little as 20 minutes, or as late as 12 hours: ataxia
(staggering gait), depression, lethargy, confusion, seizures & death.
Even if they survive the hypoglycemia, many dogs experience liver
failure and death 3-4 days later. There is no antidote or "cure." The
only option is to try and stay ahead of it by giving mass amounts of
Glucose to combat the effects of the Xylitol until it finally
metabolizes out of their system in 12-24 hours. Also, to check liver
enzymes a few days later to see if your dog is experiencing fatal
Liver failure - no real cure or treatment, just supportive care.

Xylitol tastes just like sugar, but with fewer calories, so there has
been an explosion of products in the US with Xylitol added.
Strawberries & Raspberries are natural sources of xylitol.

Notes From What's Left Of The Weekend

2008-09-28T14:04:00.001-04:00

Rainy and drizzly at times... But that didn't stop me from getting these:

Then of course, there were these from work yesterday...

This is Buddy, a five-month-old Maltese, who came back for a minor trim from the groomer!

Bailey, a 9-year-old Collie, seems happy to be getting groomed!

... and was very patient for the entire process...

Beautiful, just beautiful!

Vote, Vote, Vote!

2008-09-21T12:08:00.001-04:00

There are several people (myself included) who will not rest until this election is over. I'm so against Sarah Palin and her flawed way of thinking. She is the epitome of everything I've been dead-set against. There needs to be such an overwhelming response to her VP candidacy, to the extent that it'll be impossible for Mccain/Palin to gain access to the White House. I'm calling on everyone who's able, to VOTE against the McCain/Palin ticket. I'll be a sad day for the U.S. if those two are in charge.

I found an excellent website:

http://womenagainstsarahpalin.blogspot.com/

Where Do We Start?

2008-09-15T18:07:00.002-04:00

Maria Daines sent this blog from someone she knows well. I visited Bonnie's blog and subscribed. Thought I'd share this post...

www.myspace.com/harleynanabiker

Where Do We Start?

The task so daunting.
Where do we start?
Every second of every hour of every day
They die in terror and agony.
Some part of the livestock "food chain".
Some for their coats.
Some for the "delicacy" of their meat.
Some for "sport".
Some for the satisfaction of a sickness that defies explanation.
Some people react with no reaction.
"Better not to know."
Some react with knowledge, but wear blinders.
"What I don't know won't hurt me."
Some react with disgust, but beyond that - just empty words.
Some react with horror and it's just too painful to see.
Some react with outrage and soul-wrenching pain and say
We must do something to stop this!
And then the inevitable....
Where do we start?
There are the shelters and rescues that never have enough room
Who face day in and day out the need to choose
Who lives another day to hope,
Who dies because hope is now lost,
Or are run by the very evildoers we need to fight;
Monsters dressed as doers of good.
There are the poor ones who live in the streets.
Fighting for the tiny scrap.
Terrified to trust.
Always on alert.
Targets of the most brutal of abuse, torture, death.
There are ones born and seconds later ripped from their loving mothers
Tied in crates to make pale flesh.
The mothers impregnated over and over until the body breaks down;
For the milk intended for that precious torn-away baby
That billions of humans consume.
There are those whose lives are spent never stretching legs,
Never being able to turn around,
Chewing at bars and hoping to find a way out.
There are those who live having tubes rammed into their throats
To make their livers sick.
So some even sicker "humans" can have the "delicacy".
There are those who are crammed in wire boxes,
Plucking out feathers, breaking legs,
Hearing only the constant noise.
No soft nest to lay their eggs.
There are those skinned alive for their fur or hides
So someone can drape it over their body
And feel as if they are something above everyone else,
At the cost of so many beautiful lives.
There are those stolen from their homes,
Or bred on farms whose only aim
Is to provide the labs with those creatures they can control
So they are able to do nightmarish experiments,
These current day Mengele types.
Our animal holocaust, growing every day.
There are those who are bred to run;
Dogs and horses from fine lineage on paper,
Culled out to keep the fastest ones.
The others expendable.
Easily hacked up and thrown away.
Shot, starved, mutilated, hung.
The mighty beasts upon whose backs so many countries were built;
Bred for light and fast.
Fragile legs that shatter and it's over in an instant.
All the while the other offspring or too-soon-spent
Loaded onto trailers out back of the stables bound for Canada or Mexico.
Or others of so many types, sent from one continent to another.
Thousands of miles over days;
No food, no rest – only fear, hunger, thirst, pain.
To be sent off overseas to satisfy the palates
Of the ones who don't want to see what they are causing.
There are the ones in homes that were supposed to grow trust and love,
But instead are a pulsing business grown on forcing
A gentle giant to lust for the blood of another.
Which they do because they want so much to please;
Any scrap of kindness gobbled up.
And they do what they are told they should....
To the death.
I see this.
I feel this.
I want to run from this.
I know it is not in me to run.
And I think to myself....
Where do we start?
The answer is simple really.
We start wherever we can gain a foothold.
Whether it be music that reaches both the mind and the soul;
Sprung from the hearts and talents of those who truly care.
Or the rescuers whose life's work is to try to save
As many as can be saved with whatever they have to save them.
Or the ones who take the pictures that can blister the eyes
Of those who have never looked.
Or the ones in power who have not been tainted yet,
Who will fight where it has to be fought so that people sometimes pay
For the horrors they commit.
Or the ones who make the choice to eat a compassionate diet.
Personal, individual choices that still hugely impact
The bottom line of numbers of those for whom we are too late,
But for whose offspring we might not be.
Or those like me,
Whose bodies won't allow the physical battle,
But whose mind can somehow spin thoughts into written words
For others to take in and ponder,
And sometimes say, "That's how I feel!"
Creating a tiny bond.
We were made for this.
All the guardians of the precious, voiceless ones.
Armed with a sparkling prism of ways....
To start.
With every small victory that I find - I cheer, regroup, and get ready....
For the next round.
Until then I know tomorrow brings
Another wretched list of the daily results of the holocaust.
I will see the visions in my mind, which shrieks at me to stop looking,
But knows I can't stop.
The visions of their complete helplessness, their inability to even try to fight back....
Or even know if they should try.
I will hear the screams as they ring in my head
Echoing so loudly as if I am right there.
The witness of their confusion, terror, burning desire to live,
As their blood drains their life away.
We will look into the eyes of our own beloved animal companions
And see there reflected back their total immeasurable intelligence, love and devotion;
Their only desire to be everything they think we want them to be,
And know that to some they would be seen only as a pelt, dinner, or an object to inflict pain upon just for a momentary thrill.
And we will hug them close and let them know
We are fighting the good fight.
We are trying.
We are looking for that foothold.
We are making noise.
We are being heard more every day.

That, my friends, is where we start.

Bonnie Snider
©08/09/2008

Vote Obama

2008-09-15T07:08:00.001-04:00

This has to be the most dangerous woman in the world, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way....

Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best known for 'The Vagina Monologues,' wrote the following about Sarah Palin:

Drill, Drill, Drill

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a
particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my
life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them.

It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the
presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor.
In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The
earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.'

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not. She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather
she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the
floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between
nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing
we call life?

Eve Ensler
September 5, 2008

Info links -

http://www.womenagainstsarahpalin.org/

http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm

Highlights from a Saturday

2008-09-14T06:26:00.000-04:00

Cherry Hill, we have photos. A day filled with dirty cages, animal care and some grooming.

Meet Chloe, a 4-month-old Shih Tzu...

And this is Alfred, a 7-month-old Lhasa Apso. As you can probably tell, Alfred really enjoyed his session...

Two of the five American Eskimos that have been rescued...

And a little of kittens abandoned by the mother. We've been handfeeding them with milk replacement and soft kitten food.

pablo_on_sunday_mornng

2008-09-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

its been a while since I posted a new one of Pablo... quality isn't so good, its a cell phone shot.

Open Letter to the Zimmerman Brothers

2008-09-01T07:22:00.002-04:00

I know this is "old news" but it's been bugging me constantly ever since I heard about it. So here is an open letter to the brothers Zimmerman....

Mr. Zimmerman,
I am not a member of the media. I'm not a reporter, journalist for any magazine, newspaper or tv show. I work as a kennel tech in a small family-owned pet shoppe in New Jersey, who absolutely do not condone the nature of your business, your behavior or the course of action you've followed.

I take care of small dogs, many of them similar to the ones you and your brother brutally killed late last July. I take good care of the dogs and other small animals I come into contact with, treating them with the same kindness and respect that I give my own pets. With that said, it comes as a total shock that anyone could so violently kill those eighty dogs, those otherwise perfectly healthy dogs simply because some alleged expert recommended it.

Wouldn't it seem right for someone who claims to value family, God, religion, and the simple life - as your Mennonite community would have us believe - would also value all eighty of those lives that were suddenly taken? But yet those animals were killed, one by one, with no thought given toward any other course of action. Certainly with no remorse whatsoever. I can't call that being any sort of Christian, I'd have to call that hypocrisy.

What was going through your mind, Mr. Zimmerman, as you completed the task you set for yourself? Did any of them whimper before you murdered them? I'm sure some of them did, a detail that would make you even more monstrous for continuing. Not so much human as a monster. Anyone who could prove themselves that cold, despicable, such a killer with no conscience deserves to be subject to shame. This is how you represent your families and community.

One of you once stated to the public, "I have a thousand people against me." That may have been true at the time, but as time goes on, I believe those numbers will be greater. It's true you have been and still are being judged, but not wrongly so.

There are people who've spent their entire lives devoted to rescuing and caring for animals like the ones you killed. The saddest part is that this entire situation could have been prevented, had you had the heart to do the right thing: spare those puppies from death and let those people find loving homes for them. Instead you let impatience and financial issues take over.

I sincerely hope you never have contact with any other animal again.

VIDEO_003

2008-08-31T18:21:00.001-04:00

Another "WTF?" Moment

2008-08-31T12:43:00.002-04:00

Whoever votes Republican this year are absolute idiots... Sarah Palin just may be worse than the devil himself.

Sarah Palin - On the Hunt
Sarah Palin, a moose-hunting, lifetime NRA member guns for D.C.

Article by Brian Braiker / Newsweek / August 30, 2008

Like many Alaskans, Gov. Sarah Palin is a lifelong hunter and strong proponent of Second Amendment rights. A longtime member of the National Rifle Association, she told USA Today when she was running for governor as a Republican in 2006 that "We hunt as much as we can, and I'm proud to say our freezer is full of wild game we harvested here in Alaska." Her own parents had just returned from hunting caribou when they learned that she had been tapped as Sen. John McCain's running mate.

Most Alaskans wouldn't bat an eye at such a lifestyle. (Palin's favorite food? "Moose stew after a day of snowmachining," she told Vogue.) But in selecting a pro-gun female running mate who can probably skin and process a deer, Sen. John McCain may be inviting a debate on gun control into the campaign-and he could be seen as extending an olive branch to the wary right wing of his party: a recent independently-produced video clip by a Palin supporter included footage of her firing an assault rifle with Alaska National Guard soldiers. Such imagery stands in contrast to Sen. Barack Obama, who, in accepting the Democratic Party's nomination yesterday, said assault weapons pose a threat to city's streets. "The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland," he said, "but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals."

Palin publicly applauded the Supreme Court's recent 5-4 ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller that struck down the District's 32-year-old ban on handguns. Obama hedged, stating that he "always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures." His supporters describe Obama's stance on guns as nuanced; opponents call it deliberately vague. Eugene Volokh, a legal commentator and UCLA law professor, described Palin's stance as "very mainstream, while Obama has been cagier."

"The lines are being more clearly drawn on the gun issue," says Dennis Hennigan of the Brady Center, a gun-reform lobby group. "One day after Senator Obama made it clear that he thinks assault weapons should be banned in a remarkable portion of his speech, here Senator McCain selects someone who is not only proud to be endorsed by [the NRA], an opponent of that ban, but apparently is pretty enthusiastic about the guns themselves." Perhaps. But Palin has a long history of supporting gun-safety education for kids and nobody would expect her to be thrilled by the prospect of AK-47s flooding the streets of Anchorage. "Of course, we want to keep any firearm out of the hands of gang members and felons and drug dealers," says NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre. "But there is no way that Senator Obama can make a claim to be a supporter of the Second Amendment based on his voting record. Governor Palin understands the values of the American public on these types of issues."

Gun ownership in Alaska has little to nothing to do with gangs and everything to do with hunting, which comes with its own array of complicated issues. In 2003, residents in the interior of the state began complaining to state game officials that wild wolves and bears were eating too many moose calves, depleting the stock for hunters (who also presumably love a hot dish of moose stew). Over the past five years the state has intensified its "predator control" program, which reduces the numbers of wolves and bears in the wild in order to inflate the populations of moose, caribou, sheep, deer and other ungulates. Statewide, an average of 1,000 to 1,500 wolves are taken through hunting and trapping each year. Of that total, about 120 to 150 are "harvested" through the predator-control policies, according to Doug Larsen, director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation Department of Fish and Game. In a handful of regions, as many as 60 to 80 percent of the wolf population is targeted.

The practice of deliberately exterminating animals to manipulate the populations of other species is not without controversy. "Palin is on a massive extermination program for wolves across large swaths of Alaska to artificially inflate caribou and moose populations to pacify trophy hunters," says John Toppenberg, the executive director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. "It's totally illogical, it's extreme, it's the draconian manipulation of bears and wolves in Alaska." But it is a practice that predates Palin's governorship and remains popular with a majority of Alaskans.
"Her approach to environmental issues generally reflects someone who has grown up and depended upon natural resources, and has the perspective that resources should be used and used responsibly," says Jonathan Adler, director of the Center for Business Law and Regulation at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. "You don't want to reduce the wolf population too much, or it will drop below a sustainable level. There is a certain amount of uncertainty in the field on how to do that. But the consensus is that the folks in Alaska tend to know what they're doing." And as one of their ilk, Palin may be giving Democrats some pause on the eve of the Republican convention. The hunter has them in her sights.

Must See TV Show

2008-08-23T05:51:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, Get The Real Truth About The Michael Vick Case

"I want to apologize." "I take full responsibility for my actions." "Those things just didn't have to happen."

—Michael Vick, former football star sentenced to 23 months in federal prison on charges in connection with a dog fighting operation on his property in Virginia

The sentence may have been handed down, but the concern and questions still remain. What happened to the dogs seized in the case? How did Vick get involved in this underworld?

Many of these questions will be answered this Sunday night during "Animal Witness: The Michael Vick Case," the premiere episode of Animal Planet's new series on animal forensics. The one-hour show offers an in-depth look at Vick and exposes the hidden world of dog fighting—and for the first time on national television, lead investigator Bill Brinkman talks about the inner workings of the case.

The episode will also feature interviews with Dr. Melinda Merck, ASPCA Forensic Veterinarian, and Officer Annemarie Lucas, Supervisory Special Investigator, ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement. As reported in ASPCA News Alert, the ASPCA worked closely with federal authorities at every step of the case, first assisting in forensic examinations and later leading behavior evaluations of the seized dogs.

"Animal Witness: The Michael Vick Case" airs at 10:00 P.M. EST this Sunday, August 24; please note, the episode does feature footage from underground dog fighting videos—viewer discretion is advised.

BS Haters and PA Kennel Dogs Shot Execution Style

2008-08-17T23:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, first there's YouTube still not checking the content on flagged videos. An animal welfare friend of mine has been getting her videos flagged by haters on a regular basis. Her videos have always been a show of support of large breed dog owners, showcasing how gentle a breed Rottweilers are, when treated right. YouTube administrators tell her that one more complaint will get her account suspended. If they were doing their job, they would see those flags as unfounded. She's leaving the site on her own now, disillusioned... and the haters win again.

Saw this on the news this morning. Pennslyvania's Governor Ed Rendell wants to change an antiquated law that allowed two sick individuals to shoot 80 of their kennel dogs in eastern PA because a state inspector told them to treat the dogs for flea and fly bites, make sure the cages had solid flooring and to allow better ventilation for the facility because heat was a problem too. Instead of fixing the problem, doing repairs and taking the dogs to the vet, as RECOMMENDED by the inspector, the Zimmerman brothers shot a total of 80 dogs in two of their kennels.

Also, if you live in Pennsylvania, I strongly urge you to openly support Gov. Rendell's call for this much needed change regarding treatment of animals kept in kennels.

Info on HB 2525

08-13-2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Aug. 12, 2008 Department of Agriculture

Commonwealth News Bureau

Room 308, Main Capitol Building

Harrisburg, PA 17120

CONTACT: Chris L. Ryder

(717) 787-5085

SECRETARY WOLFF: PENDING LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE SAVED DOGS KILLED BY BERKS KENNEL OWNERS

Current Law Allows Commercial Breeders to Shoot Dogs

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff released the following statement in response to the shooting of 80 dogs at two Berks County kennels:

“The recent shooting of 80 dogs at two Berks County kennels is saddening. The decision by commercial breeders to kill healthy dogs instead of paying to repair a kennel and seek veterinary care is alarming, and will likely outrage many people. Unfortunately, the killing of the dogs was legal under current Pennsylvania law.

“The two kennels involved have both voluntarily closed, but until our state’s outdated dog law is changed kennel owners may continue to kill their dogs for any reason they see fit, even if it is simply to save money. We can’t afford to wait any longer to pass legislation that would ban commercial kennel owners from killing their dogs.

“House Bill 2525, introduced in May, would allow only veterinarians to euthanize dogs in commercial breeding kennels. The bill would strengthen current dog laws and provide better standards for the health and safety of dogs in commercial breeding kennels without burdening other types of kennels that house dogs. The legislature has an opportunity to pass this important legislation this fall, and they should -- as doing so will assure that this activity will be illegal in PA commercial breeding kennels moving forward."

Rather than seek medical attention for dogs suffering from fleas and fly sores, kennel owners Ammon and Elmer Zimmerman of Kutztown shot all 80 of their dogs to save costs. The Zimmermans, owners of A&J Kennel and E&A Kennel, voluntarily surrendered their licenses on July 29 after killing the dogs.

Dog wardens inspected E&A Kennel on July 24, noting several violations for kennel sanitation and maintenance. Wardens also noted fleas and fly sores on 39 of the dogs and ordered veterinary checks. Wardens issued four citations for violations and planned to confirm the veterinary checks during a follow-up inspection. The wardens were notified on July 29 that the owners of both kennels chose to destroy the dogs and dismantle the kennels.

For more information on House Bill 2525, visit www.DogLawAction.com.

VIDEO_004

2008-07-24T14:30:00.001-04:00

sunflower

2008-07-21T20:19:00.001-04:00

IMAGE_059

2008-07-21T20:17:00.001-04:00

ciera

2008-07-21T12:31:00.001-04:00

7-8-08

2008-07-08T20:13:00.001-04:00

Moopy gets a well deserved break during today's walk

sleepkitty

2008-07-08T12:12:00.001-04:00