Most of us have seen — or avoided looking at — the pictures of dogs at mass commercial breeding operations, better known as puppy mills. Crowded into wire cages stacked on top of each other, the dogs are commodities, pure and simple. And the people who profit from these operations give the term “breeder” a…
Pet Adoption Videos That Don’t Make Me Want to Kill Myself #9
This one needs to be played without the sound on. Trust me. I can’t find the source of the contest in which this seems to be an entry (probably for the best), and I’m not sure about the connection between this PSA and the Companion Animal Placement Program, which flashes across the screen at the…
Happy Birthday, Petfinder!
Once upon a time, pets in animal shelters were considered inferior, tainted. After all, if they were good dogs and cats, they would be in loving homes, wouldn’t they? Over the past 15 years, Petfinder.com has been a tremendous force in disproving that notion, educating people that adopting a shelter animal is not about pity…
Pet Adoption Videos That Don’t Make Me Want to Kill Myself, #7
I like this blog to be fair and balanced, and I’ve been dissing Canada — well, specifically Ontario — for its pitbull ban. AJ, who guest-authored the post, pointed out in the comments that Winnipeg has a ban on bully breeds too. So I’d like to prove that Winnipeg has powerful animal defenders, some with…
Et Tu, Canada? Ontario’s Province-Wide Breed Ban
I recently blogged about Breed Specific Legislation — I prefer the term Breed Discriminatory Laws as more accurate — in the U.S.: Let’s Call Breed Bans What They Are: Death Sentences. Several people wrote to inform me that Canada had similar laws, so I looked into it. Jeez. I tend to think of Canada as…
Pet Adoption Videos That Don’t Make Me Want To Kill Myself, #6
Brought to you by the Shelter Pet Project, which has an amazingly creative site, featuring the dog in this video as spokesdog. This may be the funniest one in the adoption series — as opposed to the spay/neuter series — so far, though the practice it depicts is awful and all too common. What do…
Selling Live Animals Online? Tell eBay No Way!
Several people have been blogging about how eBay has weaseled out of its promise not to sell puppies and kittens and other live animals online by shutting down its auctions but letting the abhorrent practice in through the back door of its classified ads. Here’s a sampling of the posts: Felissa Hadas at Two Little…
Spay & Neuter with a Smile, #2
As promised: a new series of humorous public service ads (PSAs) promoting spaying and neutering. I would have thought the message (if not the precise way it was conveyed) would have had unqualified reader support — but I was wrong. Last week’s initial entry drew a bit of fire from people who said owners should…
Pet Adoption Videos that Don’t Make Me Want to Kill Myself, #5
I’m taking advantage of having another another funny video to share to comment on a few (mostly) unrelated things. As they say in New York, “So sue me.” Magical Mystery Mutt Tour First, thank all of you who took part in the Magical Mystery Mutt Tour, whether by contributing a post or commenting on posts.…
Ethical Pet Travel: Let’s Give It a Road Test
For many people, the phrase “pet travel” evokes images of indulgence, of ladies with with little frou frou dogs getting pedicures in hotel spas (the dogs, that is, not the ladies). As I discussed last week in my post on 9 Things That Genuinely Make a Hotel Pet Friendly, I blame the hotel PR industry…