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Panda Accused of Faking Pregnancy To Get Better Food, Air Conditioning

Expectant pandas are moved to air-conditioned rooms and showered with more buns, fruit and bamboo.

Headshot of Dominique MosbergenBy Dominique Mosbergen – News Editor, The Huffington Post – Posted: 07/30/2015 12:57 AM EDT | Edited: 07/31/2015 02:07 PM EDT

Pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, names together mean "reunion", eat bamboo at a panda base in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan province, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. A few weeks after this photo was taken, the duo were moved to Taiwan. (Associated Press)

Keepers at the Taipei Zoo were excited. Resident giant panda Yuan Yuan was exhibiting signs of pregnancy — an all-too-elusive event among captive pandas.

There were tell-tale symptoms, like a loss of appetite and a thickening of the uterus. Yuan Yuan’s fecal progesterone concentration was also on the rise.

Yet despite these promising signs, the panda’s pregnancy was a false alarm.

According to China’s Southern Metropolis Daily, ultrasound scans determined that Yuan Yuan, who was artificially inseminated earlier this year, was not pregnant. Now the panda is being accused of faking the pregnancy as a way of getting her caretakers to shower her with better food and care.

Pregnant pandas are typically treated like queens. As China Daily notes, the expectant bears are moved into “single rooms with air conditioning” and given “round-the-clock care.” They receive more buns, fruit and bamboo as well.

Panda experts have speculated that Yuan Yuan, who gave birth to a cub in 2013, may have been feigning pregnancy to reap these added benefits.

Taiwan’s panda cub Yuan Zai, right, and her mother Yuan Yuan enjoy Yuan Zai’s first birthday cake at the Taipei Zoo in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, July 6, 2014. (Associated Press)

Last year, another female panda named Ai Hin was accused of trying to pull the same trick. The panda, who lives at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, exhibited pregnancy symptoms for two months before experts determined that she didn’t actually have a cub in the oven.

“After showing prenatal signs, the [panda] ‘mothers-to-be’ are [pampered],” Wu Kongju, an expert at the Chengdu Research Base, told CNN last year. “So some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life.”

Other panda experts disagree with these accusations.

Zhang Heming, director of the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda, told the Guardian last year that pseudo-pregnancies are actually fairly common in the panda world. He attributed the pandas’ behavior to "more of a hormonal issue than a deliberate ruse."

"This phenomenon occurs in 10 to 20 percent of pandas," he said. "After the mother panda is inseminated, if her health isn’t so good, the pregnancy will terminate, but she’ll still behave as if she’s pregnant."

According to a 2010 LiveScience report, scientists "don’t know why pseudo-pregnancies happen, or if they have evolved for an evolutionary purpose."

"In a sense there’s no answer, but there is speculation that perhaps pandas’ bodies just rehearse pregnancy all the time," Lisa Stevens, curator of primates and pandas at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, told the news outlet.

Also on HuffPost:

Alamy AK58HY Giant Panda Cub  Kin Cheung/AP One of the one month old Panda triples receives a body check at the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou in south China’s Guangdong province Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014. China announced the birth of extremely rare panda triplets in a further success for the country’s artificial breeding program. The three cubs were born July 29 in the southern city of Guangzhou. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Panda cub Bao Bao hangs from a tree in her habitat at the National Zoo in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014. Today marks her first birthday and the zoo is marking the event with a traditional ‘Zhuazhou’ ceremony, a Chinese birthday tradition symbolizing long life to mark the event. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Getty Images

YA’AN, CHINA – JUNE 29: A giant panda climbs onto a platform at the panda research base on June 29, 2015 in Ya’an, China. China’s Sichuan province is home to the majority of the the world’s nearly 1,900 endangered giant pandas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

leungchopan panda eating bamboo

  Alamy AJC9T9  -  ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

A woman poses for photographers with the part of the 1,600 paper pandas, created by French artist Paulo Grangeon, in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building during the month-long "1600 Pandas World Tour" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin) ABA PREFECTURE, CHINA – JULY 05: (CHINA OUT) Aerial view of people, wearing panda costumes with mahjong tiles, playing mahjong during a mahjong competition at a theme park in Jiuzhai Village on July 5, 2015 in Aba Perfecture, Sichuan Province of China. Over one hundred people wearing panda costumes with mahjong tiles played on a one hundred-square-meter mahjong table during a mahjong competition. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)  

Getty Images

CHENGDU, CHINA – JUNE 30: Giants pandas pause from eating bamboo in an enclosure at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding on June 30, 2015 in Chengdu, China. Twin female cubs were born by artificial insemination to seven-year-old Kelin at the center on June 22. China’s Sichuan province is home to the majority of the the world’s nearly 1,900 endangered giant pandas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

‘Dogs Have The Intelligence of a Human Toddler’

Smartest Dog In the World, Chaser – 60 Minutes With Anderson Cooper

Quebec bill changes animals from "property" to sentient beings and includes jail time for cruelty

Spanish town gives pets equal rights as citizens

China, Korea, South East Asia: Stop Cooking Dogs, Any Animals, Alive 

Our Weasel Of The Week Nominees!–06.02.15

August 1, 2015 Posted by | animal behavior, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Dogs, Just One More Pet, Pets, Stop Animal Cruelty, Stop Euthenization, Unusual Stories, We Are All God's Creatures | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quebec bill changes animals from "property" to sentient beings and includes jail time for cruelty

Puppy-mill-bust_large

By Tamara – Dog Heirs – Cross-Posted at JOMP

Quebec, Canada – Animals will be considered “sentient beings” instead of property in a bill tabled in the Canadian province of Quebec. The legislation states that "animals are not things. They are sentient beings and have biological needs."

Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis proposed the bill and wants to change Quebec’s infamous image as a haven for puppy mills

The legislation specifies that animals have biological needs and includes fines of up to $250,000 for those who are cruel to animals, as well as jail time for repeat offenders.

Paradis said the bill puts Quebec more in line with other Canadian provinces like Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba. The act will apply to all domesticated and farm animals and certain wild animals. Paradis said he wants to see animals “treated with dignity as much as possible” it doesn’t matter what animal.

"If you have a goldfish you have to take care of it," he said. "Don’t get a goldfish if you don’t want to take care of it."

Under the bill inspectors will have the power to demand to see an animal if they have “reasonable cause” to suspect the pet or animal is being mistreated. They also can also obtain a warrant to enter a home and seize animals. Repeat offenders would also come under fire as authorities and judges would have the discretion to increase fines and sentence serial violators to jail for up to 18 months.

June 14, 2015 Posted by | animal abuse, Animal Rights And Awareness, animals, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Outreach for Pets, Pets, Political Change, Stop Animal Cruelty, Success Stories, Toughen Animal Abuse Laws and Sentences, We Are All God's Creatures | , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Our Weasel Of The Week!! – 06-04-15

Once again, It’s time to present this week’s statuette of shame, The Golden Weasel!!

Every Tuesday, the Council nominates some of the slimiest, most despicable characters in public life for some deed of evil, cowardice or corruption they’ve performed. Then we vote to single out one particular Weasel for special mention, to whom we award the statuette of shame, our special, 100% plastic Golden Weasel. This week’s nominees were all disgusting but one of them stood out as an almost unanimous choice. The envelope please…. for Weasel Of The Week.

Image source: Charleston Animal Society

The Monster Who Tortured And Abused This Dog

Don Surber: The known-only-to-God-and-the-Devil expletive who did this. The bastard.

Ah, but he’s not only known to G-d and the devil anymore, but to the world.

William Leonard Dodson (Photo Source: Al Cannon Detention Center)

This man (and I use the term loosely) is William Leonard Dodson, of Charleston, South Carolina’s northside Chicora Cherokee neighborhood and he’s in much better conditions than he left a helpless animal.

Caitlyn, a 15-month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix was left chained up with her muzzle taped tightly shut with electrical tape. That meant the dog was left in intense pain for what authorities estimate was 48 hours without being able to eat or drink, and her ability to cool herself was impaired.

The dog eventually broke free and was found on a neighbor’s porch, who turned her into the local animal shelter for treatment. Because her teeth were clamped down by the tape on to her tongue and the blood flow was cut off, a large part of it may have to be amputated, affecting her ability to drink or cool herself normally by panting for the rest of her life.

In fact, it was one of Dodson’s neighbors who turned him in:

Court documents allege Dodson purchased the dog, which was known as “Diamond” at the time, for $20 on May 25. A witness who said she sold him the dog told investigators Dodson approached the woman who sold him the dog and said he had taped the dog’s face with electrical tape because she would not stop barking. The witness said Dodson was laughing about the claim, court documents state.

Dodson also reportedly told the witness he had chained the dog in his front yard but that the dog had broken free and escaped, the affidavit states.

The dog was found the following day, Wednesday morning, on someone’s doorstep with electrical tape wrapped around her muzzle.

A medical report from Veterinary Emergency Care described the dog’s muzzle as “markedly swollen with evidence of tape around its muzzle,” and its tongue as “significantly swollen, significantly bruised, discolored (dark purple) and oozing blood,” court documents state.

After this story broke, donations for Caitlyn’s treatment poured in from as far away as Mexico, Ireland, Australia, Guatemala, England, Germany, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Canada, Belgium, Scotland, Indonesia, Estonia, the Philippines, Iceland, Hungary and Japan as well as from many people in the United States. If she heals, Caitlyn has a waiting list of fifty people who have applied to adopt her.

Dodson was was issued a $50,000 surety bond Tuesday by Magistrate Priscilla Baldwin and told he had to surrender a second dog he has at his residence. He’s been charged with felony animal cruelty, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine.

As one Council member remarked, Dodson isn’t quite Weasel material being simply cruel and sadistic. That’s true, but while it’s stretching it a bit, there more than a bit of weasel in treating a dog like this and then giggling about how clever you are and how this was going to teach the dog a lesson. You see, one thing Weasels have in common..they’re largely amoral.And I’d be willing to bet better than even money that Dodson doesn’t even think what he did was wrong.

You see, Dodson is a career criminal, with extensive convictions for drug and weapons violations:

At the time of his arrest Monday, Dodson was on probation for a weapons conviction and out of jail on bail on a more recent drug and gun charge.

Dodson was convicted in May 2013 of possession of a firearm by a convicted violent felon, sentenced to six years and put on probation, according to a criminal background check with the State Law Enforcement Division.

Dodson was arrested again this March and charged with possession of cocaine and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to SLED. He was released from the Charleston County jail on $110,000 bail.

I’m sure these are just the latest highlights in a long career.

There’s been a lot said about how ‘warehousing criminals’ is both expensive for society and morally wrong. So quite a few criminals simply get released early, or plea bargain to a shocking degree and get probation or sharply reduced penalties for lesser charges.

There is a fiscal argument there, but it falls apart when you consider the high cost, human and financial of repeat offenses, which are typically more egregious and deadly than prior ones.

The reason for that is because prison time is increasingly less of a deterrent these days, and not taken overly seriously by the William Leonard Dawsons of the world. Even the death penalty is hardly a deterrent these days when it consists of a painless drug cocktail administered after decades of appeals ad delays..if the death penalty is even applied at all.

No, I’m not advocating daily whipping or drawing and quartering murderers. But making prison a lot less pleasant and a lot more of a place to stay out of and bringing back the traditional methods of executions with limits on appeals might have an amazing effect of society and even encourage the William Leonard Dawsons to think twice.

Mr. Dawson isn’t here to get his Weasel, which is fine by me. I will see to it that it’s delivered to The Charleston Animal Society for him to pick up there. Being that it’s the South, a place where many traditional values hold forth, I have a feeling some of the members might take the opportunity to make their feelings known about this to Mr. Dawson in a personal way if he shows up to obtain it. At any rate, I would hope so.

No punishment would be to severe for Dodson, but unfortunately, he and most animal abusers get off far to light!! Teen Who Killed Kitten Only Had to Serve One Year in Prison  Help Stop Abuse… Animals, Pets, Seniors, Child and Spousal, All Abuse and most abusers cross the lines into several or all types of abuse.

Well, there it is! 

Check back next Tuesday to see who next week’s nominees for Weasel of the Week are!

Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum, and remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council, and the results are posted on Friday morning.

It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere, and you won’t want to miss it...or any of the other fantabulous Watcher’s Council content.

And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that, y’know?

June 6, 2015 Posted by | Animal or Pet Related Stories, Animal Rescues, animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Man's Best Friend, Pets, Political Change, Stop Animal Cruelty, Toughen Animal Abuse Laws and Sentences, We Are All God's Creatures | , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Christmas for Pet People – Woc 2013

“A hug from a child or a lick from a pet makes everything better including the holidays!”

(Consider adopting or fostering just one more pet for the holidays… the shelters are overflowing and 2 out of 3 animals who get into the shelter system never leave there alive!)

Video: Animals of the Tube sing “Deck the Hall

The War on Christmas (and religion) verses the Spirit of Christmas Series at AskMarion – 20

Santa Photos With Fido or other Furry and Feathered Friends

Many places these days offer photos for pets with Santa. Some do better jobs than others!! Even within a chain like PetsMart or Petco, the quality of the photos vary with the group contracted to do the photos in individual stores. (They are often amateur volunteers sponsored/run by local rescues inside the store) And remember, most are Polaroid, so if they come out well have them copied or scan them in.

At our local Petsmart, you basically get a Polaroid of your dog sitting on Santa’s lap. Others may have a higher quality set up and better photographers, but don’t count on it. Most allow and even encourage you to be part of the photo. And some will let you snap a few shots with your own camera as well (as long as you purchase one of theirs as well).

Some local malls have special ‘pets day(s)’ with the mall Santa and even some smaller pet store chains do Santa photos. The special “pictures with Santa” days during which dogs, cats and pets in general are allowed inside the mall is usually in the evening or off hours. They are also usually sponsored by a rescue, so the proceeds go to a good cause. The pictures are usually okay, but not great. Nothing to write home about, but when you have x amount of dogs waiting in line and lots of stuff going on, even the best photographer may not manage making your dog look like Lassie, RinTinTin or the Beverly Hills Chihuahua… after all half the kiddie photos aren’t much better. But it is fun to have a photo with Santa no matter what!

Some of the photos of ourselves, our kids and our furkids with Santa aren’t the greatest, but as the years go by the old ones seem to get better and better! Winking smile And, over the years we have managed to get a few cute ones too!

Angel and Santa - Good

Some places will allow you to bring your own camera and take a shot as long as you buy their package. And definitely always, like with the human kids, be ready prepared to end up in the photo along with your pet(s).

Santa pet photos are usually with dogs, but I’ve seen people come in with cats, bunnies, ferrets, pot belly pigs, birds, and even a fish bowl but I would suggest coming in at a slow time to do that, or the cats and birds will be spooked and even try to run or fly away.  We had a greycheek, Poly, that was tame and friendly as can be that flew out the front door because she was afraid of Santa.  I did see a Santa come for the day to an exotic bird shop where people came with their large parrots and cockatoos.

Even with dogs, remember there will often be lots of dogs in line and Santa can be a scary figure to some, just like he is for some children!

Some of the best Christmas and holiday photos are done at home or better yet by a professional; in a private session.

Libby & Santa 2009 santababy

Councilman Ed Reisinger plays Santa at Locust Point Dog Park

Balzac (225 lbs) with Santa

Every Pet Santa Deserves a Tip!!

Santa Perch

 Gracie and Sahmmy with SantaRocky the Ferret Kisses Santa

PetsMart and Santa Paws are just a few programs that take Pet Photos with Santa. Often the proceeds go to help homeless pets in shelters and rescues or to supply needy families with food and needed supplies.

Merry Christmas… the Season has begun!

Critter for Christmas Gift… Not Best Idea! unless you know the person wants a pet and which one or kind they want; taking them to the shelter, a rescue or pet store and allowing them to choose the pet is always the best idea!!

Often Photos taken at home (without Santa) are the the cutest and the least stressful!!

lillycatx-wide-community

mysterypg-vertical

Photo #5 –Where’s Apachi? and Photo #6 – Can You Find all 6???

santa-dogs

by Ask Marion/the UCLA Shutterbug

There is always room for Just One More Pet!!

Adopt a Pet This Christmas… Or Give Someone a New Forever Friend – WoC 2013

Mahatma Gandhi…  “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” 

‘Miracle’ dog that survived gassing headed to Rose Parade

Related:

Christmas Baking – WoC 2013

The Best Christmas Gifts – WoC 2013

Remembering Military and Veterans at Christmastime – W0C 2013

American Traditions – WoC 2013

Still Think There Is No War on Christmas – WoC 2013

In Defense of the Truth and Megyn Kelly – WoC 2013

Carolling… or Caroling and Christmas Music – WoC 2013

Best Christmas Season Movie Classics – WoC 2013

Santa Photos… Often Yesterday’s Oooops Are Tomorrow’s Treasures! – WoC 2013

Christmas Lights – WoC 2013

Nativity Scenes and Glories – The Reason For the Season – WoC 2013

European Markets or Christkindlmarkts Capture the Christmas Spirit – WoC 2013

St. Nickolas Day – WoC 2013

Hanukkah… The Jewish Festival of Lights – WoC 2013

God Rest Ye Merry Merchants – Christmas: An American Holiday and Tradition to Love and Preserve – WoC 2013

Where Does the War on Christmas Come From? A Worthwhile Read – WoC 2013

The War on Christmas verses the Spirit of Christmas Series 2013 at AskMarion – WoC 2013

Advent – The Season of Anticipation and Hope – WoC 2013

2013 Official Christmas Card Only Features the Four-Legged Obamas

Sending Holiday Season Regards to our Conservative Warriors

ANOTHER FAILED IDEA: Woman gets laughed at after bringing up Obamacare at Thanksgiving…

The Twelve Days of ObamaCare

Huckabee’s ’12 Days Of ObamaCare’

Disney scores big with biblical values

The Thanksgiving Illusion

Obama Thanksgiving and Christmas Disgrace

Keeping Pets Safe for the Holidays: The “Not So Safe” or No-No Pet Food List

Sarah Palin on Politics and Religion • 11/10/13 With Susan Page

The Cross – Billy Graham’s Message To America

Citizenship and Church Membership

There are some great books out for Christmas this year: ‘Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas’ (Kindle), The Romney Family Table: Sharing Home-Cooked Recipes & Favorite Traditions (Kindle) and Dear Chandler, Dear Scarlett: A Grandfather’s Thoughts on Faith, Family, and the Things That Matter Most (Kindle) Plus: Losing Our Religion(Kindle) by atheist S. E. Cupp

MERRY CHRISTMAS! God bless us all, each and every one!

December 20, 2013 Posted by | Adopt Just One More Pet, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Fostering and Rescue, Holidays With Pets, Just One More Pet, pet fun, Pets | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

IDF Dog Finds Arms In Terrorist Hideout AFter Soldiers Fail

החיילת והכלב. צוות לעניין 
JoshuaPundit – Cross-Posted at AskMarion  -  h/t to Rob Miller… and I have to agree… I like this one too!  JOMP~:

During a military operation conducted last Thursday morning, soldiers from the Givati Brigade raided Bita Al Fuka, a Palestinian village near Nablus after receiving intelligence on the whereabouts of a man suspected of terrorist activities.

They found him, searched the house and were ready to take him in for questioning and leave..but then one of the IDF’s dog soldiers, accompanied by his fellow soldier from the IDF’s Oketz (canine) unit refused to leave the premises, even when ordered to.

So his IDF handler gave him his head, he went right to the suspects mattress and signaled that there was something of interest within. When the soldiers cut open the mattress, they found the man’s arms and ammo…which may very well link him to several attacks.

If it wasn’t for one stubborn IDF dog, they wouldn’t have found them.
Yasser koach, kelev tov!

The IDF’s dog soldiers in the Oketz unit are a valued part of Israel’s defense forces. Just like their two-legged counterparts, they have their own personal serial numbers and files. And the file includes all the details a commander or Oketz handler might need to know about the dog – where it was born, when it joined the unit, what training it had completed, what operations it has participated in, the dog’s level of operational preparedness, a complete health and fitness profile, and accreditations and commendations the dog has earned.

Yes, the IDF’s dogs have the opportunity to complete advanced training (the norm is six months) and are recognized officially when they perform exceptionally.


Aside from missions like the one above, some are trained to be experts at finding victims of terrorism buried under rubble, as well as in the location of explosives.

July 8, 2013 Posted by | animal behavior, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Service and Military Animals, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dogs Welcome Home Soldiers

Dogs reunited with their soldier…

Video: Military Reunions with Man’s Best Friend: Dogs…

Cross-Posted at Ask Marion

April 4, 2013 Posted by | Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet Friendship and Love, Pets | , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pet Food Stamps

Struggling families can now apply for nonprofit’s Pet Food Stamps

ALBUQUERQUE KRQE.com – h/t to TLA: Although the government has offered food stamps to struggling Americans for decades, there haven’t been any provisions for their four-legged family members. Until now. Marc Okon has launched Pet Food Stamps, a New York-based nonprofit that will give qualifying pet owners throughout the U.S. (who must be receiving government assistance for themselves) funds to buy food for their animals from the website PetFoodDirect.

In the program’s first two weeks, Okon says he has already fielded more than 12,000 applications. "It’s aimed at preventing people from having to choose between feeding themselves or their animals or having to surrender them to a high-kill shelter," Okon said.

ALBUQUERQUE KRQE.com: A new program to offer pet food stamps is getting a big response from New Mexicans.

The nonprofit Pet Food Stamps is not a government program but works just like human food stamps. Families who qualify for state assistance could qualify for assistance in feeding their pets as well.

Local animal shelters hope the assistance will ease their overpopulation problems.

"We distribute roughly 3,000 pounds of pet food each week in Albuquerque," said Dawn Glass, marketing director at Animal Humane New Mexico.

Animal Humane’s emergency food bank feeds about 400 families every month in Albuquerque, but the help is only for dire situations. There is no long-term help.

Now a new national group Pet Food Stamps is changing that.

"It’s aimed at preventing people from having to choose feeding themselves or their animals or having to surrender them to a high-kill shelter," explained founder Marc Okon.

Okon launched the New York based nonprofit two weeks ago, and It’s already seeing a huge response from New Mexicans.
"We’ve had tons of people that have submitted applications," Okon said. "I think about 300 to 400 people to be exact." And that’s in New Mexico alone. In just two weeks the program has had more than 12,000 requests for assistance.

To qualify families must prove they’re receiving state assistance. If approved they’ll get a monthly allotment to spend at national retailer PetFoodDirect..

Local shelters say they’re thrilled about the idea of long-term relief.

"If we can have an ongoing source for these families while they’re trying to get on their feet, that’s huge" Glass said.

Glass hopes it will also keep more families with their families instead of state and city facilities.

"When people are going through difficult situations, where they’ve lost their jobs or their home is foreclosed, the last thing they need to do is lose their very best friend," Glass added.

Applications can be filled out on the Pet Food Stamps website .

Because the organization is a nonprofit, it is also in need of monetary donations while they search for federal funds and grants.

*This is a long overdue program. With the federal food stamp program you can buy candy, soda, and junk food but you can’t buy pet food or a pre-cooked chicken or off the dollar menu at any fast food place. If you are truly homeless and living on the street or in your car being able to feed your pet, sometimes your only companion, or eat a warm meal when you have nowhere to cook, would be worth a lot. It is perhaps time to re-consider some of the restrictions and impose a few new ones.

**If you can donate or perhaps work with this program, Pet Food Stamps, to help all families in need feed their pets, please do so.

Related:

Homeless With Pets – Choosing Pets Over Shelter

The “ex”-Middle & Upper Class Homeless

Foreclosure Crisis Leads to More Homeless Pets to the Rescue!

Where there is a will…

Is Your Pet a Voiceless Victim of the Tanking Economy?

Unconditional Love

Can the U.S. Become a No Kill Nation?

Chinese City’s “One Dog” Policy Has Residents Howling

Homeless Shelters that Allow Pets

How to Help Pets of Homeless People

A Patchwork of Food Assistance for Pets

Help Feed Hungry Pets

Humane Society list of pet financial aid-related organizations

N.J. Pets Welcome at Hurricane Evacuation Shelters

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals … and its weakest members.” …Ghandi

March 10, 2013 Posted by | Animal or Pet Related Stories, Animal Related Education, animals, Dogs, Dogs, Help Familie Keep Their Pets, Just One More Pet, Pet Friendship and Love, Pet Health, Pet Nutrition, Pets, Stop Animal Cruelty, We Are All God's Creatures | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

World’s First Driving Dog Goes Viral

Video: World’s First Driving Dog Goes Viral

Mashable: We told you about the world’s first driving dogs back in December when they were in training, and now a video of one of them driving around a track has reached viral status on YouTube.

Teaching dogs to drive is a project of the Auckland, New Zealand SPCA, where the organization teamed up with carmaker Mini Cooper in a social media awareness campaign.

What they’re trying to prove in this publicity stunt is that many abandoned pets are whip-smart, trainable and can even do surprising things.

What they’re trying to prove in this publicity stunt is that many abandoned pets are whip-smart, trainable and can even do surprising things.

Heck, they can even be molded into good drivers if you so desire (all well and good, but not in my backyard — keep that part in New Zealand).

As you can see in the video, Porter, the world’s first driving dog, is using a paw-activated accelerator and brake to pilot the vehicle. He’s doing pretty well at the wheel, albeit at a snail’s pace and requiring considerable micromanaging from his trainer. Don’t try this at home, folks — it’s a "professional driver" on a closed track. Never mind that the pro driver is being paid in dog biscuits.

SEE ALSO: 3 New Zealand Dogs Learn to Drive Mini Coopers

It’s not surprising that dogs can drive, given their enthusiasm for sticking their heads out the windows of moving cars. We’re thinking Porter is a much better driver than many we’ve seen recently. Even so, were hoping these driving dogs don’t add to the highway chaos anywhere near here.

Pic and video courtesy Auckland SPCA

Related:

Carolina Camera: The Original Motorcycle Dog

January 27, 2013 Posted by | Animal and Pet Photos, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pets, Unusual Stories | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sears now adds bestiality to its website

Along with explicit nudity, one-time family store kicks it up a notch

Sears-275x275[1]

WND: In the past, Sears in its online store has offered a wide range of nudity, from pornographic videos such as “Curse of the Pink Panties 2″ and “Hot & Exotic” to “art posters” such as one that revealed four couples with arms and legs intertwined who appear to be wearing nothing but each other and some foamy waves.

Now the store that once served as an American icon for families has kicked its offerings up a notch, featuring bestiality in its latest round of promotions.

The situation has been documented by officials with the American Family Association. (Be aware that the link contains proof of Sears’ offerings with explicit images).

“Last year, Sears promised to stop selling these type products,” AFA said in its alert to constituents about the problem today. “In our subsequent monitoring of sears.com, AFA found that Sears resumed selling sexually explicit products.”

In a statement by the AFA, officials said, “Along with explicit nudity, Sears now adds bestiality to its website.”

The statement continues, “After our last Action Alert in May, Sears assured AFA it was updating filtering equipment and enforcing strict guidelines to prevent sexually explicit products being available on their websites.

“AFA took Sears spokesman at their word and … we shouldn’t have. Sears made the same promise in 2010. They broke their word then too.

“Less than two months after Sears’ latest promise on May 2012, the pornography has returned,” the organization said.

Explained AFA, “But that’s not the worst of it. Sears also sells books on bestiality and zoophilia. Titled ‘Dearest Pet, On Bestiality’ and “Bestiality and Zoophilia: Sexual Relations with Animals,’ these books are ‘how to’ manuals for people who want to have sex with animals.”

The warning continued, “I don’t want to be too graphic, but they contain descriptions, drawings and sketches beyond belief.”

The family organization said technology allows Sears to “remove and stop selling these products within minutes, if company executives want to. … Unless Sears hears from you, the company will continue to sell hardcore pornography…”

The web page lists a telephone number for Sears Chairman Edward Lampert and asks supporters to call. There also are options for sending an email or calling local store managers.

WND reported in 2010 when the company offered a poster with four nude couples. The poster image was highlighted by the theme: ‘Safe sex is hot sex.’ Another revealed two topless women embracing, wearing only the skimpiest of shorts, and a model who appears to be wearing some water and a small sponge.

As a former Justice Department official whose research on the detriments of pornography led 7-Eleven to stop stocking Penthouse and Playboy, Judith Reisman, author of “Sexual Sabotage: How One Mad Scientist Unleashed a Plague of Corruption and Contagion on America,” has studied extensively how pornography impacts the brain.

She has said, “Decades of hard science confirm millennia of observation that despite our individual genes, what we see – like how what we eat and drink shapes our bodies – affects our brains and our physical and mental health.”


Edited and cropped! Image of “10 Sex Starved Babes” offered earlier by Sears

WND later reported when Sears offered the explicit videos. The AFA fought the company over those, too. The organization reported it ordered one of the explicit products, and it was delivered in a Sears package with no check on the age of the person ordering it.

July 13, 2012 Posted by | animal abuse, Animal or Pet Related Stories, Animal Rights And Awareness, animals, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Pets, Stop Animal Cruelty | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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