I'll Start with the Easy one....

[gemjunkie]

Please be warned these were EXTREMELY hard for me to read, watch but it makes you think...

http://jimwillis0.tripod.com/tiergarten/id21.html

http://www.brightlion.com/InHope/InHope_en.aspx

Made me cry like a baby... Unfortunately, the people that need to see these are probably NOT frequenting the sites like ours here... I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, if not please move it..
Thanks

~Pam~
AKA: Sophie's Mom

[ZdogZ]

That was so sad. I just don't get some people. It almost killed me when I had to put my 17-year old cat to sleep this summer. I didn't want to do it, but I had to for her sake. I had everyone in the vet's office crying. I also had half my town crying. One of my friends sent me a peace lily with a sympathy card. I still feel guilty but I know I made the best decision for her (Kalli). There was no way that I could let her suffer.

[milosmom]

Wow. The movie was very powerful, moving, and so sad. It made me cry. The first story was also so sad and so true. Both should be mandatory viewing for anyone that wants a pet! Sadly, the people that should see this, don't...you are right about that. Animals are not disposable toys and I hate people that think they are.
It is almost exactly a year since I had to put my 17 year old Maddie cat to sleep, he had cancer and was suffering. It was the right thing to do but it was the hardest thing to do. Thank you for sharing these with us...sad as it is.

[milosmom]

Originally Posted by milosmom

Wow. The movie was very powerful, moving, and so sad. It made me cry. The first story was also so sad and so true. Both should be mandatory viewing for anyone that wants a pet! Sadly, the people that should see this, don't...you are right about that. Animals are not disposable toys and I hate people that think they are.
It is almost exactly a year since I had to put my 17 year old Maddie cat to sleep, he had cancer and was suffering. It was the right thing to do but it was the hardest thing to do. Thank you for sharing these with us...sad as it is.

On a bright note: go to bestfriends.org. This is a no kill shelter and animals that cannot be adopted out for whatever reason can live a happy content life there for the rest of their lives. I am going to become a guardian angel and donate. I wish this shelter could be nationwide and become a model for all animal shelters...so no more animals would have to be euthanized because of a dumb human decision.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by milosmom

On a bright note: go to bestfriends.org. This is a no kill shelter and animals that cannot be adopted out for whatever reason can live a happy content life there for the rest of their lives. I am going to become a guardian angel and donate. I wish this shelter could be nationwide and become a model for all animal shelters...so no more animals would have to be euthanized because of a dumb human decision.

Sigh ... define happy content life.

Two years ago this coming spring early summer a five year old tri Pembroke boy was rescued by a Pembroke breeder from a life in a kennel run with thirteen Beagles. The Beagles bullied and attacked and had chewed off a part of his ear. He was taken home by his rescuer and began a fresh life in her kennel office with a nice couch to relax on, a door to go in and out as he pleased or needed and lots of grass for walks with his rescuer angel. After he healed physically, he made a trip to North Carolina where he was with me for about a month. I watched him continue to come out his shell and enjoy moments of playing with toys. Then he would catch himself, look over his shoulder as if expecting the Beagles to attack and take his new treasure away. He continued to settle and the playful periods and enjoyment of toys lasted longer. I would watch him sleep, sometimes fitfully as if having nightmares. A darling sweet boy, just wanting to know he was loved and that the affection he was receiving was really his. He continued to gain confidence and blossom and a wonderful home came along; corgi savvy having had several corgis over a long many years. The weekend after Hurricane Katrina he went to live with them and became their Prince. He did well in obedience classes, they worked with his insecurities and then sometimes as it sadly and unfortunately happens - the security of knowing he was "home" led to the manifestation of other behaviors. He began snapping at his owners. Full physical was done and ruled out any medical causes. Snapping became biting. They worked with trainers and behaviorists and consulted everyone they could think of and/or I could find for them to talk to. I researched and asked questions. The owners invested 200 % into trying to find a solution. While this corgi boy had the sweetest and most loving heart, it could not overcome the demons of his mind and they ultimately won out behaviorally. He couldn't help himself, as much as he seemed to want to, he just couldn't. His unpredictability cause owners who wanted nothing more than for him to be happy and loved to fear him. At 2:32 January 3rd this year, they showed him the final act of love they could and were with him as he made the journey across the Rainbow Bridge.

Now this fellow would/could have been a candidate for Best Friends, but explain to me how his life would have been happy or content? He would no longer have the touch of his humans or to be able to lie next to the desk while his owner kept up with correspondence on the computer. He would no longer be able to announce it was lunch time and fetch his best friend down the stairs. He would no longer be able to share walks with his person. So please explain to me how life in an enclosure on a no-kill animal sanctuary/shelter would have been kinder or gentler or more humane than the final act of love by his owners? That would have been sentencing him to living the rest of his life more or less where it began, just minus the Beagles. Where would be his quality of life?

No-kill is a very idealistic and romantic notion, but not practical or realistic. Health, age, temperament, behaviors, there are just somethings that the kindest thing one can do for an animal is to release it from its suffering. Others are a danger to other animals and humans - a public health and safety issue. A year old Pem male that literally nearly took off the end of my finger as I was tossing a bit of kibble into his bowl is a good example. And there are some dirty little secrets that some of the so called no-kill facilities don't tell, they may not do the euthanizing themselves and pass it off to the local animal control/shelter. But they can pat themselves of the back for being "humane." Others don't accept anything but near perfect pets, easily placeable and adoptable. They refuse difficult behavioral cases or medical cases that take time to reverse.

For a little more reading on No-kill: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/05/9...accomp9.05.htm
And I think you might just find Jim Willis' name in this article, the author of "How Could You?" A very poignant piece indeed and one I have read over several years now.

Best Friends also started an initiative called No More Homeless Pets. Now take that to the logical end conclusion - when will it be possible to have no more homeless pets? Owners pass away, gates get left open and pets run off, pets are stolen and then dumped ... as long as there are pets, life happens that can render pets homeless. Only when there are no more pets will there be no more homeless pets. Yes, Best Friends is a part of the animal rights movement and that is the stated agenda of the AR's.

I'm still reeling from the end of this very special boy who left many paw prints on my heart, so if my post sounds a bit touchy, that is because I do feel personally vested here.

Debbie

[corgimom]

Deb,

What an incredibly sad story and ending for this dog, and the new owners(and yourself), that tried so hard to help him overcome his fears. Again, I don't know how you do what you do.

[Dillydoodle]

Deleted my post

[pat_m]

just a another of view....

http://www.petsavers.org/articles/Sp...ay_Neuter.html

We are to a point here where shelters here import Dogs from other parts of the country frequently.

I wish I could say the same for Cats...

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by pat_m

just a another of view....

http://www.petsavers.org/articles/Sp...ay_Neuter.html

We are to a point here where shelters here import Dogs from other parts of the country frequently.

I wish I could say the same for Cats...

Cats are a different problem, more complex than dogs. The northeast does have a shortage of adoptable pets and they are importing from other areas of the country. Some of the runs are the equivalent of bunchers/brokers collecting "product" from the breeders supplying the commercial industry and then taking it to distribution centers. The Christian Science Monitor had an article describing the pick ups, deliveries, lines of people waiting to adopt outside the makeshift veterinary triage tents where the dogs and puppies were spayed/neutered, vaccinated and handed over to their new owners. Even with the shortage, it does not stop more and more restrictive anti- breeder legislation from being proposed.

Debbie

[manymuddypaws]

doing rescue and volunteering I have seen alot, but the in hope video was amazing. it is unfortunate that more people have not seen it- or wish to.

[Checkers]

I wanted to get a better idea today of just how bad backyard breeding is.... so I did a mini-experiment. I took the most popular locally based (northern Utah, southern ID) free online ads and did a tally of 24 hours worth of dog ads. Here are the results. (Apologies in advance for any breed names that I mis-spelled)

Labrador Retrievers 35
Shih-tzu 10
Pug/Dachshund mix 1
Parson Jack Russell 1
Yorkie/poodle mix 5
Chihuahua 11
Cavelier King Charles Spaniel 2
Pekinese 5
Yorkshire Terriers 6
Poodles 9
Rat Terriers 4
Boxer 3
Chinese Crested 2
Maltese 10
Pug 5
Dachsund 5
Mini Schnauzer 8
Golden Retriever 2
Great Dane 3
Staffordshire Terriers 1
Pomeranian 7
Cocker Spaniel 6
Cocker/Springer Mix 1
Dachshund mix 6
Pug/Beagle (Puggle) 2
Pit Bull Terrier 10
Mutt 5
Tibetan Spaniel/Yorkshire Mix 5
Min Pinscher 1
Min Pin/Dachshund 1
Shih tzu/Pomeranian 4
English Bulldog 8
Brittany Spaniel 1
Softcoated Wheaton Ter./Heeler mix 1
Shiba Inu 1
Great Pyrenese 2
Bloodhound 1
Doberman 5
Border Collie mix 7
Shih tzu/Maltese mix 5
Lab mix 2
Yorkie/Jack Russell mix 1
Mini Aussie 4
Chihuahua/Yorkie mix 2
Jack Russell 4
Bassett Hound 1
Beagle 4
Chesapeake Bay Retr. 1
German Shepard 1
French Bulldog 4

Grand Total 230 (in just 24 hours!!)
Five of those were advertised as mutts, 34 advertised as some type of designer dog (including one that tried to call it a "Monkey Faced Dog" whatever mix that is). The remainder were all purbreds.

There were actually fewer ADS for Labs than for other breeds, but there were a lot of pups per ad. One ad had two litter for a total of 15 pups.

In a 30 day period there was approximately 77 ads per day.
In my test I was counting dogs, not ads... so if an ad was for a litter of puppies I was counting each dog. Any ad that implied they had a litter available but didn't say how many I assumed 4 pups for counting purposes.

There were no corgi ads on this day but in doing an advanced search there are 28 corgis in the last 40 days (most puppies), 3 corgi mixes, one stud being advertised and one looking for a corgi. These are all for Pems.... I have never seen a Cardi being advertised on these listings.

Just some food for thought....