Heart 4 Animals

Don’t sit on the sidelines, animal lovers—come join Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor on the ASPCA team! In a brand-new public service announcement (PSA) created by the ASPCA in partnership with the National Football League, Taylor introduces us to his good buddy of 11 years, Bear the Akita. “Nothing compares to the love and loyalty of a pet,” says the defensive end. “This little guy’s a big part of my team….And today, we need you to get in this game.”. Click here to see Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor plea .

Here is an excerpt from an excellent blog entry by Michael Northan:

SOS ALERT: Save Our Sharks

Chinese New Year is nearly here (which is on 7th February in 2008, the Year of the Rat), and no doubt sharks fin soup will be on the menu in many households and restaurants….

Every year, in oceans around the world, tens of millions of sharks are hunted to meet the demand for shark fin soup. Sharks’ fins are often removed when the animals are still alive; the sharks are then thrown back into the water to endure a painful death from suffocation, blood loss, or predation by other species. Sharks are apex predators who play an essential role in marine ecosystems. The cruel and ecologically devastating practice of shark finning endangers their survival….Read his entry to find out what you can do to save other animals from cruelty

Stop the cruelty towards sharks. While in Thailand, please don’t eat shark fin soup! .

“Your child may want a puppy, but puppies need lots of care and attention. They need socialization and if left alone too long will make messes. Then get into trouble. Allergies can be a problem, you might not know you child has them until you get an animal …. click here for more .

POLL : Someone who lives in Asia commented:

many young children or girls think puppies or kitties are cute…They buy these as “pets” at the peak of their cuteness, dump or leave them on the streets when the puppies grow old or sick, or no longer look cute.

Is this true? Is this a responsible thing to do What do you think ?

Humpback whales are safe — at least for now. Giving in to U.S. pressure and worldwide criticism, Japan’s government on Friday announced a whaling fleet now in the Southern Ocean for its annual hunt will not kill the threatened species as originally planned. The fleet will, however, kill some 935 minke whales, a smaller, more plentiful species, and 50 fin whales. For greater detail, click here .

Furrier to be site of another protest

Dec, 19 2007 - 12:00 AM

RICHMOND/CKNW(AM980) - Animal rights activists are planning to stage an anti-fur demonstration at a Richmond mall tomorrow. And the protestors hoping to capture the public’s attention.This isn’t the first time Liberation BC has protested against Pappas Furs in Richmond’s Aberdeen Centre. In October they rushed the stage during a fur fashion show and they hold a weekly protest outside the mall.

This time, organizer Joanne Chang says two nude activists will appear in cages while activists hold signs saying Pappas Furs stole our coats, “We just want to remind people again that fur, even though it’s coming back as a fashion item, it’s very, very cruel. It’s just as cruel as it was 10 years ago, if not more so.”

The protest will take place between 12:30 and one o’clock.

Last summer, Paris Hilton brought home a new Chihuahua and Britney Spears a Yorkie — both purchased from Pets of Bel Air, L.A.’s pet boutique to the stars.

At Pets of Bel Air, staff members perfume and coif their tiny puppies for sale, creating an illusion of perfection. That illusion fooled Paris, Britney, and many others — showing that even the rich and famous believe what pet store clerks tell them about the puppies they sell.

Watch our exclusive undercover video exposing the dirty secret behind the puppies sold by Pets of Bel Air.

The HSUS’s undercover investigation relealed that many of the puppies sold at Pets of Bel Air come from puppy mills in the Midwest including Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. At these large-scale factory farm operations, we found hundreds of breeding dogs living in barren wire cages where they are treated like production machines. Some had untreated injuries, were pacing frantically, and were housed in overcrowded cages that reeked of urine.

Each mother dog at these mills is sentenced to a miserable life in a cage so her puppies can be sold at pet stores across the country. In addition to the lifetime of neglect their parents will suffer, the puppies are also much more vulnerable to illnesses and disease due to the conditions in which they were born — with many falling ill or dying within days or weeks of purchase.

As we celebrate compassion this holiday season, many people will unwittingly support this cruel and inhumane industry when they purchase a puppy from a pet store. Pets of Bel Air is just one of thousands of retail stores and Internet sites that sell puppy mill puppies — and that’s why we need your help.

After you watch our video exposing the truth about the puppies sold by Pets of Bel Air, please share it with your friends and sign our pledge to stop puppy mills. Animal shelters and breed rescue groups are the best sources for dogs — not pet stores or Internet sites.Yesterday, as a result of our investigation, local authorities shut down Pets of Bel Air for failing to secure the proper permits.

Thank you for all that you do for animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

Created by: Catherine Méthot

Most of us still ignore the cruelty behind the fur industry. Minks, rabbits, foxes, lynx, chinchillas and other animals raised for their furs are forced to live their entire lives into filthy wire cages. Exposure to harsh weather conditions and survival without clean water, adequate food and space and self mutilation causes many of them to go insane. A study in Danemark indicates that approximately 17 percent of minks raised in fur farms are dying prematurely as a result of stress, poor sanitation, and cannibalism.

Fur trapping is just as cruel. Leghold traps are used to capture wild animals, holding them tightly between their two metal jaws. These are powered by high strength springs that shuts themselves on the paw as soon as triggered. Not only are they causing severe bleeding and injuries, but the animal will most of the time try to escape and cause himself even more damages than the trap did. They will mutilate themselves, break bones and teeth, rip tendons in their struggling to break free.
Traps are also a danger for children, companion animals and other animals (including endangered species). After one, two, three, or even more days of languishing, the trapper will come back to take him, and kill him.

”To kill the animals without damaging their fur, trappers usually strangle, beat, or stomp them to death. Animals on fur farms may be gassed, electrocuted, poisoned with strychnine, or have their necks snapped. These methods are not 100 percent effective and some animals “wake up” while being skinned.” - http://fur.elehost.com/

Even buying the tiniest fur trim on items and accessories such as purses, bikinis, sweatshirts, hats and boots encourages the cruel practices of the fur industry.

Tell Burberry that you won’t buy their products until they adopt a permanant fur-free pledge.

Source_
Once the petition reaches it’s goal, it will be sent to:

Angela Ahrendts, CEO
Burberry Group PLC
18-22 Haymarket
London SW1 4DQ
United Kingdom
angela.ahrendts@burberry.com