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The Dogs in the Knotty Pine

I stare up at the knotty pine ceiling in this sweet old cottage and see dog faces. There’s one that looks slap-happy. There’s one that’s long-faced. One that’s reproachful. Another, expectant.

IMG_2105Here, in this place of meadow and forest and pond, where the Milky Way is deep with stars, I remember our dog, Beez…

Beez, of the expressive eyes and sense of things as they are. Beez, without layers of history, complexity, and interpretation, just pure emotion.

DSC_0086I see him lying on his bed, unmoving except for his eyes, missing nothing. I hear the tick-tick-ticking of his toenails on the pine floor. I see him looking out the screen door toward the grass, the pond, the sun and shadows on the distant hill. I see him lifting his nose to the wind.

DSC_7498I see Beez trotting down the lane between the cottage and the pond, tail swishing side to side. I see him fishing, ankle deep, in the shallows for pumpkin seed fish, pawing and pouncing, catching nothing.DSC_0043 3

I see Beez on top of the world—a flower-dotted high meadow with a 180˚ view of the mountains. Storybook clouds drift across the sky. Beez and I walk along with the wind whispering, the DSC_0571insects buzzing, the birds singing.

I see Beez walking down the lane ahead of me, returning home. He has turned toward me, waiting for me to follow. Then he moves into the shadows of the deep woods, disappearing from sight.DSCN1362 - Version 2

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Takes 2 Minutes: Add Your Voice End 24/7 Tethering of Dogs in Pennsylvania

A quick email, a phone call from you can facilitate passage of SB 373 in the PA House and end 24/7 inclement weather tethering for dogs.

article from http://www.humane-pa.org

Senator Richard Alloway + 18 co-sponsors introduced SB 373, which  overwhelmingly passed the Senate 45-4! Now it needs to pass the House. Please call, write, e-mail,  or use social media to contact your State Representative  to request their support of  SB 373.  Your message can be short, stating simply “I am a constituent – please support SB 373, the inclement weather/anti-tethering bill.”

Please follow up by making a call to Representative Ron Marsico, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to ask him to move SB 373 from his committee: Rep. Marsico: (717) 783-2014 or rmarsico@pahousegop.com.

SB 373 will:

  • Ensure that a dog is removed from the tether in periods of inclement weather.
  • Provide minimum standards for length and type of tether.
  • Ban the use of poke, pinch, or pronged collars which pose a danger to the dog while tethered.
  • Ensure that the dog may only be tethered long enough for the owner to complete a temporary task and that the owner may not leave the dog unattended and tethered.

Facts about tethering:

What does “chaining” or “tethering” of dogs mean?                      

These terms refer to the practice of fastening a dog to a stationary object or stake, usually in the owner’s backyard, as a means of keeping the animal under control. These terms do not refer to the periods when an animal is walked on a leash.

Why is tethering dogs inhumane?

Dogs are naturally social animals who thrive on interaction with people and other animals. A dog kept chained in one spot for hours, days, months or even years suffers immense psychological damage. An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious and often aggressive.

In many cases, the necks of chained dogs become raw and covered with sores, the result of improperly fitted collars and the dogs’ constant yanking and straining to escape confinement. Dogs have even been found with collars embedded in their necks, the result of years of neglect at the end of a chain.

In addition to The ASPCA, The Humane Society of the United States and numerous animal experts, even the U. S. Department of Agriculture issued a statement in the July 2, 1996, Federal Register against tethering: “Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog’s movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury.”

What effects does tethering have on the community?

Banning permanent tethering makes for safer neighborhoods and happier dogs all without adding burden to our animal control agency. – The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports chained dogs are three times more likely to bite resulting in greater incidences of dog attacks and bites to humans and animals. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also concluded in a study that the dogs most likely to attack are male, un-neutered, and chained.

Find your State Legislators.

More articles/information on tethering:

Pa. bills would outlaw dog tethering, revenge pet cruelty

Tethering – on its Last Thread?

Table of State Tethering Laws.

Township Tethering Ordinance (sample language)

Philly Dawg York Co. borough approves landmark anti-tethering law.

Philly Dawg: Harrisburg Poised to be the first PA City with anti-tethering law

 

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A Victory for Elephants: The U.S. Now Has a Near-Total Ban on African Elephant Ivory

Here is the article from the NRDC:

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/elly-pepper/its-official-us-now-has-near-total-ban-african-elephant-ivory

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Company Stops Live Exports of Animals & Share Price Rises

Exporting of live animals – it’s misery and suffering for animals, and it turns out it’s bad for business.  A major international exporter of live animals—agribusiness giant Elders, an Australian-based company—just announced that it will stop shipping live animals from Australia.  Stock prices rose immediately.

cows-1029077_1280Elders, which was a pioneer in the live export industry, will immediately cease shipping cattle to China.  Perhaps other industry giants will take note, if for no other reason than economic gain, and follow suit.

For more information: http://bit.ly/2ddL8wE

 

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Go Ahead: Put Some Water Out for Strays…

feral cat pexels-photo aug 2016It’s August, it’s hot, and rain is scarce in many regions.  Imagine being thirsty.

A bowl of water, refilled daily, along with some food, can ease suffering immensely.

Thank you….

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Armchair Animal Activism – part 3

You’re here to help animals. So are we.  Join the Humane Society of the US in their efforts.   http://www.humanesociety.org/  Click on any of the links below to make a difference.

  1. Donate now to help protect animals!

    DONATE NOW

    You make our work possible. Donate now to help animals who desperately need you.

     

    SAVE MORE LIVES

    46 dogs rescued from cruelty and neglect in Arkansas this week. Animal lovers like you made this possible.

    TAKE ACTION

    Don’t be silenced. Speak out against dangerous “ag-gag” bills to help protect farm animals!

  2. Speak up for farm animals!

    ADOPT

    Meet the love of your life through the Shelter Pet Project.

    Shelter Pet Project: Adopt a Pet

    SEE THE FILM

    You’re invited to a special screening of At the Fork, a new film taking an unbiased look at the lives of animals in our food system.

    Wayne Pacelle's The Humane Economy

     

    START SHOPPING

    Are you an eBay user? Whether you’re shopping or selling, you can donate back to our lifesaving work for animals!

Drive change for animals!
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ARMCHAIR ANIMAL ACTIVISM – Ask Sec. of State John Kerry in Intervene for Former Bomb-Sniffing Dogs in a US-Owned Facility

https://animalpetitions.org/132540/shut-down-security-company-that-allegedly-massacred-dogs/

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A Bill to Reduce Pet Overpopulation on Puerto Rico is under Consideration….please sign this letter urging support of the legislation

A  bill to improve the lives of animals is currently under consideration in Puerto Rico’s legislature. P de la C 2950 / P del S 1631 is designed to reduce pet overpopulation on the island, which could save millions of dollars and improve the welfare of animals.

This legislation would enact an effective spay/neuter policy and facilitate the participation of mainland veterinarians to perform high volume spay/neuter clinics in Puerto Rico. In addition, this legislation would encourage adoption, place a temporary moratorium on the sale of cats and dogs for five years, and create a coalition to help citizens stop overpopulation in their communities.

Pet overpopulation in Puerto Rico is severe. P de la C 2950 / P del S 1631 will protect animals from cruelty and neglect while simultaneously saving Puerto Rico’s government millions of dollars and empowering its citizens.

TAKE ACTION
Please write to your senator and representative today and urge them to vote yes on P de la C 2950 / P del S 1631:

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=7213&autologin=true&s_src=sh_tw

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Apparently the Chipmunk Thinks He Should Return What He Stole

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Armchair Animal Activism (it works)- Part I

From the comfort of your living room, you can have an impact on humane treatment of animals.  This is part I in a series that provides ideas on how to do so.  Today’s topic is the hundreds of thousands of homeless, unspayed/unneutered dogs and cats in the South.

Several thousand rescue dogs are transported yearly from the South to the Northeast for adoption.  Why?  The cultural norm in many places of the South is not to spay and neuter, and in many places, not to inoculate pets against disease. There are millions of homeless dogs wandering around—and starving—in the South.  There are several thousands in high-kill shelters, because adoption is not a common practice either.

You can do something about it. Cultural norms are shifted over time through the steady application of change. For example, remember how we used to call humane organizations “pounds” and homeless pets “strays”? That gradual shift away from “pound” has had an impact on how people perceive humane organizations, and the introduction of the word “rescue” to adopted animals positions the rescuers to have the added benefit of feeling good about themselves.

But back to the Southern dogs. I was told by owner of Main Line Animal Rescue that the way to make an impact on treatment of dogs from the south is to write letters to the editors of the papers there. Below is a sample letter you can use or adjust as you see fit. Search this link ( http://www.50states.com/news/ ) to identify newspapers. Copy/tailor and email the letter to the editor—be sure to include your contact info, or the editors will not publish the letters.   Thank you!

your name
address
phone
email

date

Dear Editor,

I have a friend who had good fortune to adopt a sweet dog from Alabama via a Pennsylvania animal rescue. “Finn” is a hound mix and is doing well despite a rough beginning: unneutered, homeless, and unvaccinated, Finn contracted distemper, from which he has recovered, despite lingering gait issues.

I’ve learned that in areas, spaying/neutering, and vaccinating pets are not always common practice.  Yet pet overpopulation is rampant, and in many states hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are homeless and die slowly from starvation, disease, and injury. You can help prevent pet overpopulation and suffering.

Please consider the benefits of spaying and neutering—this prevents unwanted animals from being born, improves the animals’ disposition, and is not perceived as loss by the animals.  Here is a link: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/low-cost-spayneuter-programs where you can find low-cost clinics in your area.  Alternatively, please consider asking your local vets to provide this community service, for the good of the animals and the community (and good PR for the vet).

Respectfully,

[your name]