A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a old style house: “Talking Dog For Sale.”

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

“You talk?” he asks.

“Yep,” the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says “So, what’s your story?”

The Lab looks up and says, “Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.”

“I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.”

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

“Ten dollars,” the guy says.

“Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?”

“Because he’s a liar. He never did any of that shit.”

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I stumbled over this page on a website today and quickly went quiet with the sheer sadness of it. It shows the remains of birds that have picked through trash found in the ocean and died from the plastic they have ingested; the young died from plastic fed to them by their parents.
 

reprinted from Chris Jordan’s website (see the website for more photos)

Midway
Message from the Gyre

These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

~cj, October 2009

want to see more photos from Midway?

In part, Wikipedia describes the Albatross as:

Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. They are absent from the North Atlantic, although fossil remains show they once occurred there too and occasional vagrants turn up.

Albatrosses are highly efficient in the air, using dynamic soaring and slope soaring to cover great distances with little exertion. They feed on squid, fish and krill by either scavenging, surface seizing or diving. Albatrosses are colonial, nesting for the most part on remote oceanic islands, often with several species nesting together. Pair bonds between males and females form over several years, with the use of ‘ritualised dances’, and will last for the life of the pair. A breeding season can take over a year from laying to fledging, with a single egg laid in each breeding attempt.

This website shows the results of a tiny camera attached to the backs of four Antarctic albatrosses revealing a clever feeding strategy: Instead of randomly scanning the open ocean for prey, some birds appear to fly alongside killer whales and scavenge for scraps left by the mammalian predators.

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FDA is providing the following information from Premium Edge Pet Foods to alert pet owners of a voluntary recall of certain cat foods manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods for Premium Edge. The affected brands were found to contain an inadequate level of thiamine, which may cause clinical signs of thiamine deficiency in cats eating this food. FDA is working on this situation and will provide additional information as it becomes available. If your veterinarian diagnoses that your cat has become ill from consuming the affected pet food, please ask your veterinarian to file a report with FDA.

Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall on the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult cat food and Premium Edge Hairball cat food: RAF0501A22X 18 lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6 lb. The date of manufacture is May 28, 2009. All retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves. The retailers were also asked to contact their customers via email or telephone requesting them to check the date code of the food. However, if you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, please return them to your retailer.

Symptoms displayed by an affected cat will be neurological in nature. Symptoms may include wobbly walking or muscle weakness, paralysis of the hindlimbs, seizures, ventroflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, and abnormal eye movement called nystagmus. Any cats fed these date codes that display these symptoms should be immediately taken to a veterinarian.

The company tested the product and found no contaminants in the cat food; however the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. Diamond tracked the vitamin premix lot number that was utilized in these particular cat foods and have performed testing on another lot of Premium Edge cat food that used the same vitamin premix, and it was not deficient in thiamine. No other neurological signs have been reported on any other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.

To contact Premium Edge Pet Foods, please call 800-977-8797 between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm central time, Monday through Friday

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In the mountains, a 4×4 SUV is almost a necessity if you plan to drive when it’s snowy. But if you live almost anywhere else, the “gas guzzlers” are a target of green scorn.

A pair of researchers in New Zealand ask: Should someone walking their Labrador be equally eco-outcast?

Yes, according to a book released this month by Robert and Brenda Vale, who study the science of sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

In “Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living,” the Vales calculate the ecological paw prints of our pets. The authors encourage the green-minded to look at their decision to buy a companion animal like they would consider buying a plasma television or SUV.

Their statistics show that owning even a medium-sized dog is like owning a 4.6-liter Toyota Land Cruiser and driving it 12,000 miles per year.

The research focuses largely on what dogs and cats eat, calculating the diet of a medium-sized dog to contain 90 grams of meat and 156 grams of cereals in the recommended 300 grams (or about 11 ounces) of dried dog food per day. That works out to about 450 grams of meat and 260 grams of cereal in pre-dried weight.

Environmental “footprints” are calculated in terms of land required to produce the energy, food and other resources a particular human, or pet in this case, needs to survive with its current lifestyle.

Chicken, per kilogram, requires 43.3 square meters of land to generate. Lamb and beef require much more than that, and a kilogram of cereal requires 13.4 square meters to grow.

In all, that gives a medium dog a footprint of 2.07 acres per year. A larger breed (the authors mention a German Shepherd) is more like 2.71 acres per year.

That Land Cruiser, to build and drive 12,000 miles per year, requires about 2 acres worth of energy.

Other ecological impacts of dogs are less dramatic, but the study shows that wildlife areas where owners walk their canines are about 33 percent less diverse in bird populations than similar habitats banned to pets.

Cats are not let off the hook in the study, though dogs are definitely the gas-guzzlers of the animal kingdom. The average cat has an ecological impact of about .37 acres (roughly equivalent to a Volkswagen Golf). Even keeping two hamsters is like owning a large plasma television.

In a town noted for both dog ownership and a commitment to environmental sustainability, the study was received with mixed reactions.

“I feed him like I feed myself,” said Lydia Leonard of her medium-sized pooch. “I think there’s issues with dogs, but I think (the comparison to an SUV is) pushing it.”

Leonard said that she has serious problems with factory pellet food, the kind of diet the study is calculated with, and often gives her pet scraps from the table, which are largely produced locally.

“I don’t see owning dogs like owning 1,000 head of cattle,” Leonard said. “Dogs are not SUVs, and no one is raising a herd of dogs.”

Justin Bridge said he feels a life of mountain recreation isn’t particularly green in the first place. He said he owns snowmobiles and 4×4 SUVs, both because he loves to ski and needs to get to where the stashes are.

“I try to respect a lot of things, but I do use a lot of carbon,” Bridge said. He also said he often feeds his dogs what he’s eating, which mitigates some of the problems stated in the study.

But like Leonard, dogs and carbon output are a non-issue for Bridge.

“She doesn’t drive my truck that much,” he said.
………………………………………………………….
reprinted from the Telluride Daily Planet website

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Newport Beach, CA (PRWEB) October 28, 2009 — The National Canine Cancer Foundation has awarded RESVANTAGE CANINE their Pink Paw Seal of Approval for a “product that helps to advance the holistic health of our pets and helping fight canine cancer.” This designation is granted only to companies who have met rigorous quality standards and other criteria established by their Scientific Advisory Board.

RESVANTAGE CANINE is a nutritional supplement for dogs containing resveratrol blended together with a unique combination of nutrients. Resveratrol has been shown to reduce tumor incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages of cancer development.

John Park, Executive V.P. of Corporate Communications for Resvantage, says that “we are both gratified and honored to receive this recognition from the NCCF. Extensive scientific study contributed to the development of this supplement and we appreciate the acknowledgment of our efforts from this wonderful organization.

The National Canine Cancer Foundation is a nationwide, contribution funded, 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to eliminating Cancer as a major health issue in dogs by funding grants directly to Cancer researchers who are working to save lives, find cures, better treatments and accurate, cost effective diagnostic methods in dealing with Canine Cancer.

The purpose of the Foundation’s Research Grant Program is to encourage and provide grant support for basic, pre-clinical and clinical research in high impact and innovative cancer research, which is intended to develop innovative approaches to a cure, treatment, diagnosis or prevention of cancers in dogs. The program fosters collaboration between basic and clinical scientists with the intent of enhancing the transfer of basic research findings to clinical usefulness.

Gary D. Nice, President and CEO of NCCF states, “We are pleased to award RESVANTAGE CANINE our Seal of Approval. Resveratrol has shown efficacy in the prevention and treatment of many different types of cancers and RESVANTAGE CANINE is an excellent way for us to give it to our dogs. It gives us all hope as we continue to work to find a cure.

Resvantage Canine & Feline are pet supplements containing resveratrol blended together with other essential nutrients that work synergistically to help pets reach their full potential and diminish the many symptoms of aging. It is available online at www.resvantagecanine.com and at pet stores throughout the US.

The Resvantage Canine® products are distributed by Advantage Partners, Inc. and can be reached toll free in the U.S. at 877-676-0990.

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Creative Coops (a small time manufacturer of modular chicken coops) has announced that it will give away a new back yard chicken coop worth $260. Keeping back yard chickens is a revolution that is spreading across the country. Facebook members are finding it easy to join in, because by just by signing up as Fans of the Facebook page Creative Coops, they are entered into the drawing. People have until, October 30, 2009 to sign up as fans. The drawing will take place at the APPLE Center for Sustainability in Nevada City, California on Halloween, October 31st.

Grass Valley, CA (PRWEB) October 20, 2009 – Why would anyone want a back yard chicken coop? Because raising chickens and enjoying fresh eggs is one thing people can do to off set rising food bills. Its fun, kids love it, and the eggs are healthy and delicious tasting from happy chickens. Producing food locally saves fossil fuels and it doesn’t get much more local than the back yard. Even the garden benefits from all the free fertilizer which serves to restore the soil. Only two or three fun and entertaining pet chickens will provide one to two dozen eggs per week.

For people tentatively taking their first step into the field of chickens, the back yard chicken coop offered by Creative Coops is an easy way to start small with only two to three chickens in a single hen house. But unlike any other coop on the market, all the parts are modular, so along with some new parts, customers can later transform what they have into a larger hen house to accommodate more chickens. One hen house can expand from 2′ x 2′ to 2′ x 4′ or as much as 4′ by 4′. “It’s like LEGO® meets chicken coops” says owner Mark Hall. Wheels can even be added allowing any hen house and pen to be easily moved around a yard. Everything is ordered over the internet and shipped to the customer’s front door.

Become a Fan of Creative Coops and join the feather revolution today!
Web site | Facebook

Related links about the feather revolution:
NY Times | The Economist

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Only one of the pictures below features the real American PitBull Terrier. Take the test to see if you can find it. To find the breed of a dog, click on image. Note there are no mixes or rescue dogs of unknown background who’s breed could be debated. All dogs have been picked from breeders’ websites and should be good representatives of their breed.

When you are done, ask your family and friends to take to test and watch the results. For many people, a Pit Bull is a a big headed dog, or a dog with cropped ears. For some it’s a brindle dog, a big, stocky dog, or one with an eye patch.

Quite often dogs that attack are identified as pit bulls when they are not. There are 20+ breeds that are commonly incorrectly identified as pit bulls. Visit Understand-a-bull for more information.

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Being the eternal romantic that I am, I love songs like hers. This quote from Hot Indie News website explains her style better than I can:

Love Travels has been called “one of the top debuts of the year” by the Associated Press, and received three-out-of-four stars in People magazine, which announced Angel as, “fresh and honeydew-sweet … her glowing pop tunes will win over fans of both Corinne Bailey Rae and Colbie Caillat.” Essence magazine raves that Taylor is “heaven sent” and that her “graceful piano driven songs about finding, losing and yearning for love are sure to resonate with audiences of all ages.”

I immediately searched the internet for her debut album — Love Travels. Not on eMusic.com yet, so I googled her name and found that she is available for download from iTunes and Amazon.com for $7.99. Get her at this price while you can, I say.

I would be hard-pressed to name my favorite tune right now. Seems that with each listen, it changes — there is just that much to like about this album.

She’s really off to a great start, having toured with Adele and Brett Dennan this Spring and heading on the road now with Brandi Carlile and Five for Fighting. You go, girl!

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• Later the next day…

From Baxter’s own website

Baxter, the world’s best, most devoted, and oldest working therapy dog, 19 years and 6 months, eased peacefully from his life on Friday afternoon, October 16th.

Baxter began volunteering 7 years ago at San Diego Hospice. In a place created for making goodbyes gentler, Baxter comforted everyone who crossed his path. He licked tears from grieving faces, gave hugs to those at a loss for words, and warmed the hearts and souls of those who were making their transition. He would take his body and curled himself next to a patient for hours, making this intense eye contact that penetrated the human spirit in everyone, proving his undeniable loyalty, love, and sensitivity. Everyone loved Baxter!

I took in Baxter after he was rescued from a life threatening circumstance. He was 2 years old, and it took me 6 weeks to make him mine. It was not much longer when he became my heart. As I socialized him more and more, I realized Baxter was not like other dogs. He had a gift and everyone who met him witnessed it. Though perhaps difficult to believe, to meet Baxter was an experience. And, you never forgot that experience. He touched everyone he met.

When my husband, Dennis, and I went through the volunteer orientation at San Diego Hospice to become volunteers, Baxter accompanied us because he went everywhere with us. During those many hours, he spread his magical spirit throughout the room. And, in the end, the knowing staff exhorted: “You must get Baxter certified. He’s magical, and he would make the perfect hospice dog!”

What they recognized was Baxter’s special ability to bring light to darkness, smiles to downturned lips, respite to tear swollen faces, and comfort to pained hearts. His mere presence brought joy to rooms that were filled with tragedy and imminent loss.

He was the perfect love affair. His love never ended, he was true to the bone, and his companionship was invaluable. Baxter taught me many of life’s lessons. And when I forgot one, he reminded me in the subtlest of ways. He was consistent, reliable, and predictable. He was always in a good mood, prepared to volunteer, and full of love, kisses, and devotion.

There has never before been a dog like Baxter in my life. And there will never be another Baxter. He truly was the world’s best therapy dog.

Though Baxter is gone, his legacy lives on through his book, MOMENTS WITH BAXTER, a series of 36 true stories and photos that demonstrate the magical connection Baxter made with individuals at the end of their life. Visit Baxter at his website and become his friend on Facebook at Baxter Bussey.

–Melissa Joseph, Baxter’s mom and author of Moments with Baxter

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• Today?

But there is more. There are the people that prosecute the abuser. This group ranges from the officers that arrest the abuser to the people who enter this offense into an internet database of abusers to the prosecuting attorney to the witnesses in the case.

And the people who represent the abused animals in court. Not because they know the animal that was abused, but because they choose to be a voice for a life that otherwise has no voice in our world.

I only recently became aware that there were people and groups like this. A friend introduced me to Heather Anderson from Calgary. Heather created a group called Daisy Foundation after the death of a lab-border collie. Daisy Duke had a plastic bag taped over her head, was hit in the head with a shovel and was dragged behind a truck. Daisy was discovered so injured that a veterinarian had to euthanize her.

The mission of Daisy Foundation is to promote stiffer penalties against animal abusers. It is their goal to bring to the Canadian government’s attention the proven statistical link between animal abusers and serial killers.

Per their website: “We also bring the companionship and friendship of animals to people that have special needs someone to love unconditionally. With the help of their caregivers and our volunteers.”

“We are working on ways to get puppy mills shut down. We are educating children about how to treat animals and that there is no excuse for abuse and that animals have emotions and feeling just as you and I.”

Kudos to Daisy Foundation in Calgary. I applaud the hard work you do.

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