I can’t believe it. I really didn’t think we were going to find a home for Fudge He is a beautiful dog but he’s so shy. I prayed about it, and Lee was nice enough to put him up on PetFinder, and out of the blue I got an email from a loving gay couple that were looking for a companion for their dog. I took Fudge over and he got along great with their dog and two cats. Miracles happen all the time and this was truly a miracle.

Congratulations on your new family Fudge! We love you and miss you but know you’ll be very happy with your new family.

SB 250, otherwise known as The Pet Responsibility Act, was introduced by State Senator Dean Florez on February 24, 2009 in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted animals in California shelters, where more than half a million animals are euthanized annually.  The proposed bill simply requires that dogs and outdoor cats over 6 months of age be spayed or neutered unless doing so would pose a high risk of seriously bodily harm or death (with written confirmation from a licensed veterinarian), or the owner obtains an unaltered dog license.  An owner of an unaltered dog or cat may be cited or otherwise penalized if the owner is concurrently violating any state or local law pertaining to the proper care of the animal, including but not limited to anti-tethering ordinances, failure to maintain current rabies vaccination, and failure to provide adequate care in violation of animal cruelty laws.  Further, such owner would be required to spay or neuter the animal.  If an unaltered dog or cat is impounded, the owner of such animal would be required to pay any applicable impound fees and spay or neuter the animal to secure it’s release.  Additionally, the bill provides for the denial or revocation of an unaltered dog license where the dog is determined to be dangerous in accordance with nuisance laws, the owner has been cited for violating a state law or local ordinance regarding the care and control of animals, among other enumerated circumstances.  Finally, the bill would require that any transfer or sale of a dog or cat be accompanied by documentation identifying the animal’s license number and microchip number (if one exists). CLICK HERE TO GET DETAILS AND SUPPORT THE BILL.

A surprising study conducted by a team of veterinarians at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Turkey’s University of Uludag indicates that high cholesterol in dogs may be a marker for anxiety-related behavioral problems, which may manifest themselves as frequent tail-chasing.  The study tested 15 chronic tail-chasers and 15 dogs who rarely, if ever chased their tails.  The tail-chasing dogs had significantly higher cholesterol levels than those who did not chase their tails. Click here for full story

About six months ago my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, last week she lost the battle. We were with her when she passed. The entire family and her beloved little chihuahua Petey. Petey was a comfort through her entire illness. I always knew that even when I couldn’t be there that Petey would be laying with her on the sofa. She was never alone.

After she passed Petey laid with her body for a few hours. We had heard that it’s good to let the dog see the body, that they somehow understand death and it’s better than having someone just disappear, so we let him just do his thing. Laying on her stomach until her body was cold and he realized she was gone. After a while he just got up and went downstairs.

Animals are an amazing comfort during an illness like this. Everyone would jokingly call Petey a therapy dog because of how he stuck so close to my mother through her illness. The thing about animals is that when things are maybe to emotionally intense for us people, it’s not for them. Life is very simple. They see suffering and they just want to be with you. You don’t have to look good, or feel like talking… they just want to curl up next to you and share the warmth. Animals are an amazing gift from God. I think God for Petey and I think Petey for all the love he gave my mother. When I was off living my life and my mom’s husband was out running errands, Petey was there with her. She was never alone.

Good-bye mom. We miss you and love you (all of us, including Petey.)

Los Angeles, Calif. – Animal Advocates Alliance (AAA), a Los Angeles based non-profit organization, is doing all it can for local animal shelters, like the Baldwin Park County shelter, but they need more help. Los Angeles County shelters are in dire need of funding and assistance from the community, as their funding is limited. A critically high number of animals are currently being housed at these facilities as a result of many factors, including pet owners failing to adhere to spay/neuter laws, puppy mills, owner neglect or accidents leading to stray animals, lack of identification tags or microchips, and families being forced to surrender their pets due to housing foreclosures and poor economic conditions. However, despite these obstacles, AAA’s efforts have helped place hundreds of animals in new homes over the last few months.

AAA is currently assisting the staff and animals at the Baldwin Park Shelter by providing volunteer support to socialize, photograph, and take videos of the animals and promoting them to various rescue groups through online and print media efforts. In cooperation with the Baldwin Park shelter, AAA has also implemented a mobile pet adoption program, where dozens of adoptable dogs will be brought from the shelter to a public park to get some much-needed fresh air and sunshine, and hopefully find adoptive homes. The first mobile adoption event will take place on Sunday, March 29th , from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Pan Pacific Park in Hollywood, located near the Grove at 7600 Beverly Blvd. Subsequent adoptions will be held on the last Sunday of every month at this location (except in April, the event will be on April 25th).

AAA is working tirelessly to facilitate the adoption or rescue of as many animals as possible, but the organization needs further support from the community. Volunteers and monetary donations are desperately needed to support the Baldwin Park volunteer program and the upcoming mobile pet adoptions. The more available volunteers, the more animals can be photographed, promoted, and brought to adoption events, which will greatly increase their chances of finding loving homes.

“When I dedicate my time and emotional strength to the care and welfare of animals, I receive the greatest gift of all, feeling connected and alive” said one AAA founder and volunteer Phillip Gharabegian of Hancock Park. “Compassionate people cannot sit by while animals in our care are abused and neglected at the hands of those that lack the compassion and connection to care.”

“I hate going into the shelters and seeing all the desperate dogs and cats, but every morning I wake up and look at my menagerie of rescue dogs and cats and think how easily any of them could have been one of those unfortunate homeless animals,” said AAA volunteer Ric Browde of Beverly Hills. “I try to emotionally steel myself and drive to whichever shelter I can. If I can save one animal I’ve done a little good, and if I save two, I’ve done better, and three makes it almost a tolerable day.”

There are several volunteer opportunities available in the next few weeks that will benefit both the Los Angeles County Shelters and AAA, so please contact the Baldwin Park shelter and/or AAA to sign up. Volunteers are needed on weekends and weekdays at Baldwin Park, as well as other city and county shelters, to walk, socialize, and photograph the animals. In addition, volunteers are needed on the last Sunday of each month to assist with mobile pet adoptions. Anyone interested in volunteering should 1) visit their local city or county shelter; 2) visit the AAA website at www.animaladvocatesalliance.org; 3) send an email to info@animaladvocatesalliance.org; or 4) call AAA at 310.285.8422.

About Animal Advocates Alliance:

Animal Advocates Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting the humane treatment of animals through legal advocacy, effecting social change through community education initiatives, and support of animal rescue organizations. In part, AAA rescues animals from city and county shelters, provides necessary veterinary care, and places the animals in safe and loving homes. Many of these animals have been neglected, suffered mental and/or physical abuse, or have physical injuries requiring surgery and rehabilitation. AAA also works in tandem with other humane groups to raise awareness of spay/neuter laws and to expose pet stores that sell dogs from “puppy mills.” Finally, AAA advocates for animal welfare legislation and aggressive prosecution of perpetrators of animal abuse under anti-cruelty statutes, including California Penal Code § 597.

Russia took a step in the right direction by banning the hunting of harp seals under 1 year of age.  Last month, Putin characterized seal hunting as a “bloody industry” that “should have been banned long ago.”  Countries that continue to engage in seal hunting include Namibia, Greenland and Finland.  The largest commercial seal hunt takes place in Canada and is set to begin next week. Read full text of story here: Full Story

A Federal Court in Washington D.C. heard closing arguments in the Ringling Bros. elephant abuse trial.  Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, along with their parent company, Feld Entertainment, were sued by a number of animal welfare groups, alleging that the circus’ practices of chaining Asian elephants for excessive periods of time and hitting them with bullhooks violated the Endangered Species Act.  Evidence provided by plaintiffs included photos, video footage, correspondence between the circus and the USDA, along with eyewitness testimony from former employees.  A decision from the Court is forthcoming. Read full text of story here: Full Story

Check out this article (click here for full text of article) to see which dog breeds have been judged the most intelligent by PetMD.com.  Notably, among the top ten are Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers, two breeds that are often mis-categorized as “aggressive.”  On the contrary, the article notes that both of these breeds are not only highly intelligent, but also exceptionally loyal to their people and make excellent family pets.  Thank you, Pet MD, for educating the public and helping to remove the undeserved stigma attached to so many wonderful dogs!

Bassethound Baby Boy escaped the safety of his back yard and wandered around the streets of his Alabama neighborhood. His family didn’t even know he had escaped until a neighbor knocked at the door with bad news. Baby Boy had been cruelly gunned down by neighbor Chris Delawder who (after consulting a lawyer) claims that he was protecting his cats… Does he even have cats? Has anyone even looked into that? Neighbors claim he never owned a cat in his life… And what cat can’t outrun a Bassethound?

Baby Boy’s owner Teri Davis held his poor lifeless body and sobbed in the middle of the street, still unaware of what had killed her beloved, Baby Boy. The entire time, the man who had shot him stood near by, asking if anyone had “seen anything?”

To this day charges have not been filed against this dog killer. Police in Alabama just don’t think that shooting a dog is a crime worth prosecuting I guess. It’s tragic. The family has no closure, no justice… but you can help!

You can read more details about this tragic event and sign a petition to hopefully get the police to do something about this crime by visiting this website http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/bassethound-babyboy-was-shot-killed-by-neighbor

The family has also created a myspace account: http://www.myspace.com/justice4babyboy

Yet another undercover investigation conducted by the Humane Society of the United States has exposed horrific acts of animal cruelty – this time in the area of research.  The investigation yielded footage of employees at the New Iberia Research Center (part of the University of Louisiana) abusing the chimps in myriad ways, including striking them.  New legislation to be introduced by several U.S. Congressmen in conjunction with the Humane Society proposes to ban the use of chimps in invasive research and to retire at least half of the 1200 chimps currently being used in research to sanctuaries.  Read full text of story here.