A great article on organizing a puppy store protest

I found a wonderful article on organizing a protest of a dog store that sells puppies that come from puppy mills.

This article by Melissa Maroff is complete as it tells about the legalities of the protest, and how to get the word out to the press. I suggest you check it out!

Should Pet Owners be bonded?

Hey, I just tapped into an interesting conversation on a forum in amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/tag/dogs/forum/ref=cm_cd_dp_rt_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1TSBNUMOHYAJN&cdThread=Tx2W6P80KMISFBZ

Dr. Chris C. Pinney initiated the thread by saying that since owning pets is such a huge responsibility maybe owners should be bonded, and the cost of the bond could cover the costs involved if an animal was relinquished at an animal shelter. Maybe the owner would even have difficulty purchasing another bond, which might make it more prohibitive to get a pet unless you were prepared to take care of it.

There were discussions on both sides of the issue, and I don't really know where I stand on this. However, it does bring up a curiosity in me in relation to our responsibility to our dogs it and reminds me of a trip I took to Europe. First of all, the German people would bring their dogs into restaurants. And I heard that you had to take your dog to obedience school as part of the ownership. So there was that image: a properly behaving dog that could go out into society in Germany. When I got off of the train in Italy, it was completely different. The first sight to greet me was a muzzled dog straining at a leash. The much more mellow Italians had much more unruly dogs. And I am sure they would be more likely to be abandoned or relinquished when they got inconvenient.

Does the government need to regulate dog ownership? Would it make a difference? I don't know, but it is an idea worth pondering for sure.

Black dogs and cats need homes too!

Today I had a wonderful conversation with a friend about her little dog Cricket who recently passed on to where good dogs go when they leave this planet. They had had Cricket for over a decade, which is pretty good since he was a "last day dog" at the county shelter. One of the problems that Cricket had was that he was a black dog, and in our silly world black pets are often the last ones to be chosen. True enough my friend told me that the shelter lady had told her that "no one looked at Cricket." My friend told her that "they loved Cricket already," and so Cricket found a new home. Cricket was top cock on the rock, and was easy to get along with as long as you realized she was alpha. When the new dog came into the home she made that perfectly clear, and my friends went along with it and would feed her first, leash her first, etc. Anyway, Cricket gave many wonderful memories to a family, and there are many black pets in shelters and rescue societies that get overlooked. Have you thought about adopting one?
I found this really cute youtube video on the subject. The author runs a rescue, maybe you want one of her dogs or cats - or maybe there is one for you at your own shelter.

A lovely purebred dog in a Shelter finds a Home

I loved this little story. Of course, the fact that my youngest son is named "Nick" and my other son "Ben" has always wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog makes it even more poignant. Dogs should be family members and shelters make this possible. I thought it is interesting to learn of the high percentage of purebred dogs that can be found in shelters.

Click here every day and help dogs and cats!

We all know that having people adopt more of their dogs and cats from shelters is an excellent way to discourage indiscriminate purchasing of dogs, and help eliminate puppy mills. Here is a way to make a cash donation without paying anything. Every time you click, an advertiser will make a donation to this great charity.

What is behind the mind that allows for cruelty?

I believe there is a disconnect that occurs in certain people's brains - where they cannot see animals as connected to themselves. And then there is more disconnect when the greed issue arises. Ad stress, and miserable situations, and a puppy mill is created.

Puppies that are bought over the Internet are impulse purchases. Puppies should never be that, as they are members of the family.

A good rescue society or Humane Society will take its time in getting to know you. Often you will not be allowed to have your dog the first day.

Help me stop puppy mills!

All animal lovers are captivated by the sight of a cute puppy. Because of that, unscrupulous businesses called "puppy mills" have sprung up. Rather than being responsible breeders, these miserable businesses are cruel and exploitative. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can work together so that there are puppy mills no more!

In this blog you will learn of what puppy mills are, how they developed and what you can do to help stop this practice.

Please follow along and see how you can do your part to eliminate puppy mills!