ANIMAL CONNECTION

Archive for the ‘Volunteer Opportunities’ Category

Paige with Rudy and Dakota

Greyhounds can turn on light switches, peek around corners for incoming crowds and check out in grocery lines.

They are Purple Heart Veteran Greyhound Service Dogs, also known as furry lifesavers, for sufferers of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

These service animals are part of a new local initiative that is an extension of the Second Chance at Life Greyhound and Inmate Prison Partnership Program.

The dogs undergo 10 weeks of training at Gadsden Correctional Institution, and veterans can apply to be paired with them at no cost.

Retired racing canines appreciate the unconditional love, and veterans benefit from the protective companionship.

“Greyhounds will accompany veterans everywhere and help give them confidence as they perform their everyday activities in life,” said Joanne Wuelfing, who co-runs the Southwest Florida branch of the Purple Heart Program with Ken Wuelfing.   Here is a link for a fundraiser they would like to promote:  http://bikersanddogs.org/ .  Let Joanne know if you would like to get involved.  You can also contact me and I will get you connected with her.

Nickel, a greyhound who once competed under the moniker Regal Queenie, is an example of one potential pal for a veteran. Sox is another.

“We have many veterans returning from war who are unable to cope with life due to PTSD and they could really do well with dogs like Nickel or Sox,” Ken Wuelfing said. “PTSD in one of the biggest problems facing our veterans returning from war, and we owe it to our veterans to assist in any way we can.”

The Wuelfings became involved in the effort after adopting their own pet, a greyhound named Seymour, two years ago.

Seymour was trained in prison for obedience and could not be more loyal, the couple said.

Seymour

Greyhounds, as a breed, were chosen for the program because of their relaxed, calming demeanor, an attribute that helps PTSD patients who often get easily upset.

“The greyhounds learn how to block their owner in front and cover in the back, or walk in a circle around the veteran to keep people away from him,” Joanne Wuelfing said. “They can be taught that, if someone is coming up behind them, to alert the veteran.

“In Home Depot, for example, they have those tall, scary aisles, and the dog can be taught to check out the end of the aisle to make sure there’s no one around the corner that will alarm the veteran.”

If a veteran experiences night tremors, a greyhound might be trained to lick its owner’s face to wake him or her from an awful slumber.

The dogs can ring bells. They can lie on top of their owner’s chest for comfort.

The program is currently seeking foster families to introduce service dogs-in-training to everyday activities for 10 or more weeks.

If you know anyone in the military who are looking for additional income, have them contact me.  paige@animalconnectionshow.com

A puppy, who is said to be the smallest surviving canine in the world, defied the odds and lived despite her extremely small size. Thus, she’s been named Beyonce, due to the song ‘Survivor’ penned by the superstar singer.

Now, about two weeks old, she is just the size of an iPhone and weighs 4 ounces. This actually indicates she’s making healthy progress, as when born, she was only the size of a business card.

To watch video of Beyonce the puppy, click here.

According to World Records Academy, Beyonce has set the new world record for Smallest Puppy.

Her mother is a dachshund mix named Casey who was found living on the street and was picked up by animal control.

Earlier this year, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) “. . . announced that it has teamed up with WebThriftStore.com to launch an online thrift store where its supporters can sell unneeded goods on behalf of the ASPCA, which will receive 80 percent of the sales proceeds.”

It is understood that national non-profit organizations must fundraise in order to meet their mission of helping people and/or animals in their designated field.  In fact, in order to help others the development person or group within a charitable organization is often viewed as the foundation from which the organization launches all its good works.  We are a capitalistic society and money continues to  drive the work we do and often how successful we become.

The non-profit world is often viewed as different because its goals are usually more altruistic than those in the for-profit domain, but when it comes to national non-profits and local non-profit concerns of the same defined mission is there an imaginary line in place that might get crossed that harms fundraising efforts of one or the other?

Do you care about animals?  Would you like to find a new job, or need a job? Listening to the news I would think the economy is coming back, but not when I talk with a lot of people around the country.  Making a living still seems to be a challenge for most.  Many people are very unhappy doing the work they are doing everyday.  They have passions and desires that are not being fulfilled.  Others are out of work and say they want to find “anything” because they need the income.

This is the perfect time to evaluate what is really important to you, what your passions are AND help animals at the same time.

If you are out of work, or would like to do something else, this is the best time to open the doors for the kind of work YOU want to do.  Do you know what you’re really passionate about?  Most people have no idea.  Don’t think in terms of income but what kinds of things get you really excited and leave you happy and fulfilled when you are finished. It could be ANYTHING:

1. Walking in the woods

2.  Doing crossword puzzles

3. Meeting new people

4. Caring for animals

5. Gardening

6. Talking on the phone

7. Reading

8. Traveling…..the list goes on and on

Recently I’ve had a number of friends ask me to help them figure out what they should do, they are not happy doing what they are doing, or they got laid off and fear they won’t find a job in their industry.

If you know what you’re passionate about, you can use that passion to help animals and open doors for your next career.  Yes, CAREER, not job. The animal organizations, and charities, around the country need help now, more than ever before.  Funding has dried up so they can’t hire the people they need.  They also can’t afford to buy the food and supplies needed to care for the animals.  Everyday I get requests from these organizations for volunteers and donations.

Right now you are asking yourself, “How can helping an organization help me”?  It can, in MANY ways. You meet new people who might open the door to your next position.  You also get to do the things you are passionate about.  It’s a great way to find out if it’s something you want to do for a living.  If so, you can put the experience on your resume.  Most people have only worked in the field they have been trained in, but that is not what they love doing.                                                                                                    

Here are some ideas for you to think about:

1. Walking and caring for animals at a shelter (if you like being outside)

2. Help the staff with ideas about how to raise money and supplies (doing crossword puzzles)

3. Feeding baby animals or holding ones that are afraid (caring for animals)

4. Cleaning up and landscaping the facility (gardening)

5. Making calls for supplies, donations, volunteers, etc.  (talking on the phone)

6. Research and help find new ideas that can benefit the organization (reading)

7. Animals and supplies need to be transported to other locations (traveling)

These are only a few ideas.  I could go on for quite sometime.  There are also a lot of animals that need to be fostered until a permanent home can be found.  They can be cats, dogs, ferrets, iguanas, pigs, etc.

What kinds of animals do you like?

1. Tigers

2. Dogs

3. Cats

4. Birds

5. Horses

6. Monkeys

7. Deer

8. Pigs

There are organizations caring for any kind of animal you can think of, all over the country.  All of them need help. You can Google the kind of animal you want to help with “rescue” or “shelter”, then your area.  (Ex: ferret shelter Florida)  You will most likely find something in your area.  If not, call or email the ones that pop up.  The animal community is very small and we all help each other the best we can.

I hope that this post will inspire people to find their true passion, and use their passion in a way that will fulfill them personally and help animals that have a lot of needs.  At the very least, you will open doors by meeting other people who might know a company that needs a position filled with someone who has your qualifications.

Gini Hyman donated to our wildlife fund and won a weekend at Clear Creek Ranch in the beautiful North Carolina Mountains.  Thank you so much Gini!

I also want to thank all of the other wonderful people who donated to this cause. Even though the oil may have stopped spilling in the Gulf, the problem is far from over.  The chemicals used to get rid of the oil is having an impact on the wildlife, seafood, etc.  There is still a lot of oil in the swamps where these creatures live.  I am headed to New Orleans to see for myself.  I will do a special report when I return.  I will also post the pictures.

If you would like to help this cause, like Gini, please go to our homepage or click here.

You could WIN 1 WEEKEND at Clear Creek Ranch in the North Carolina Mountains & HELP WILDLIFE.  There are so many creatures that are still dying from the oil that has been dispersed into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  There are so many political issues involved and it is impacting the lives of so much wildlife.

I am raising money for the wildlife.  Go to my HOMEPAGE and you will see the link “Wildlife Donations”.  If you donate, you have the potential to win a weekend at Clear Creek Ranch in the beautiful North Carolina Mountains. Please pass this on to the people in your database and social sites.

There will also be a conference in New Orleans Aug. 7th & 8th.  Details can be found on their website at www.humanela.org under their BP oil spill link.

I have been very discouraged watching the news and reading articles about the oil disaster.  Every time I turn around I see, or hear, more negative.  My goal is to empower people, not bring them down. I have been making calls and doing research to find ways that people can help with the oil disaster. The information I get varies from source to source.  I got a call from Jeff Dorson today.  He is the Executive Director for the Humane Society of Louisiana.  He told me about a couple of groups that are actually qualified to help the wildlife in the Gulf.  Even though we have a long way to go, there are people who are able to make positive changes, if we help them.

I found out that there is so much red tape when it comes to helping these creatures. You need the proper training, an organization has been approved and the list goes on. Otherwise, you are not allowed to do anything with the animals.   In many ways that could be good.  We want to be sure the people dealing with these animals know what they are doing.  After all, this needs to improve the quality of life for the wildlife, not make it worse.  There are people who have had experience but don’t have the specific training needed to be approved for this mission.  Then there are those who are doing it for other reasons and it’s a good thing they are not allowed to be close to the wildlife.

Below are some wonderful organizations that could use your help.  You can give your time as a volunteer, send money or make calls/ send emails to officials that have the authority to make the changes needed.

1.  Operation Here to Help, is a joint effort launched by the Humane Society of Louisiana and Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary to help wildlife adversely affected by the oil spill. Clearwater’s staff and volunteers are trained and certified wildlife rehabilitators who are working at the triage sites and administering direct aid to captured birds. They are providing logistical support by utilizing dozens of their volunteers who are transferring oiled birds directly from wildlife agents to the recovery centers. They’re also providing real-time information to state and federal agents by providing them with photos, notes, and coordinates. They are taking volunteers out on boats, contacting legislators, and more.

Operation Here to Help has staff and volunteers that have been out to the barrier islands in Barataria Bay, near Grand Isle, twice during the past several days. In the six total hours they spent surveying the area on boats, they spotted a mere three agents with nets with two large plastic dog carriers in the back of their boat. Meanwhile, they witnessed hundreds of oiled birds in distress. These trips made it clear to them that more aid is necessary to account for the significant number of birds currently in need of assistance.

That’s why they set up “Operation Here to Help”, a program of the Humane Society of Louisiana, with the goal of surveying the affected areas and providing coordinates to state and federal agencies. Although red tape still prevents them from handling oiled wildlife ourselves, They can provide critical information to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries so that they can most effectively mobilize their extremely limited manpower.

The facts are sobering. They were told by a wildlife agent that, for the entire Louisiana coastal area, there are a mere 100-150 officers licensed to rescue oiled wildlife, on shifts from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM and they do not work at night. These are incredibly inadequate numbers. Additionally, most of the barrier islands, including Cat and Four Pass Bayou, which are rookeries and home to tens of thousands of water birds, have already been contaminated with oil.  The utilization of booms as buffers is extremely ineffective and dates back to the 1960′s. That is why their team wants to be “here to help” direct officers to areas where their work will have the most impact.

They have identified several ways that each of you can help them save more marine life and wildlife, whose lives hang in the balance. Their goal is to complement state and federal agencies in order to achieve the results they want. As one of Louisiana’s most dedicated humane organizations, they cannot sit back and let a handful of government workers and BP contractors respond with disgraceful inadequacy to the worst disaster in modern history to hit our precious wetlands. Here are their plans; they need your help to implement them:

Advocacy:

Call Robert Barham, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife, and ask that he assign more agents to the capture of wildlife and ask him to ask for reinforcements from other states or other agencies if needed. Please use their reports from the front lines as evidence that much more help is needed. Call 1-225-765-2800.  Remember that there are between 100-150 agents out in the entire Gulf Coast assigned to wildlife capture. These numbers are not sufficient for the task at hand.  In the six hours they have spent surveying the areas on boats, they have only seen three agents with nets on one occasion. They had two large plastic dog carriers in the back of their boat, both empty.  At the same time, they also saw hundreds of birds in distress.

Information Gathering:

They will be going out in chartered boats during the next several months to obtain first-hand information and photographic evidence of the mistreatment of marine life.  If you would like to join them, please write an email to contact us at stopcruetly11@gmail.com.  Cost of trip per person: $60.00 for a three-hour trip. They are currently scheduling one to two trips a week, out of Venice and Grand Isle.

Information Sharing:

They will be hosting a two-day conference in New Orleans at the end of July. They intend to invite representatives from BP, the Coast Guard, the White House, members of Congress or their staff, social justice groups, animal protection and environmental groups to attend, speak, and listen to one another with the intention of developing and implementing short- and long-term goals. They will send out additional announcements during the next several weeks. They plan on visiting the coastline on the second day as a group.

Fund-raising

Funds are needed to keep their chartered boats in the water, to underwrite their upcoming conference, and to help mobilize volunteers from around the country. Please be as generous as possible. Each of you can help by donating through their PayPal account at: http://www.humanela.org/bpoilspill.htm.

65% of those proceeds from their website link will go to Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary, whose staff and volunteers are caring for the wildlife. They have pledged to support them. The remaining 35% will go to the logistical support their group is providing. You can also send them a donation by mail to: The Humane Society of Louisiana at P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 7017

2. Nature Conservancy

We can’t afford to wait. The damage done by this spill demands that we ramp up our efforts as rapidly as possible.

They know we could be building 20 to 30 miles of reef a year, and promote hundreds of acres of seagrass and marsh recovery in the process. Within 3 to 5 years, they could complete 100 miles of oyster reef and at least 1,000 acres of seagrass and marsh habitat. That’s conservative — it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that a properly designed restoration could support 10,000 acres of seagrass and marsh.

Rebuilding such a system will have huge benefits beyond kick-starting the oil spill recovery:

• If designed properly, oyster reefs will slow, and in many cases, halt the massive erosion that continues to carve into Alabama shorelines.
• Reefs will help to filter the loose sediment that turns Mobile Bay a dark chocolate every time the wind blows.
• Light-loving seagrasses return, tying down still more mud.
• And in the quit eddies created by the reef, marshes will get a toe-hold and spread rapidly.

Best of all, re-creation of these reefs, seagrasses and marshes will result in an explosion of life. It won’t just be old timers who remember what it was like to go floundering in the seagrasses along the shores of Mobile Bay:

• Harvest of white shrimp, once Mobile’s prized catch, will almost certainly rebound.
• Crab habitat will increase dramatically.
• Tens of thousands of young speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead and other Gulf game and food fish will once again find a place to grow and thrive.

To learn more about this endeavor, and how you can help, click here.

3. The National Wildlife Federation has been on the front lines responding to the wildlife crisis unfolding in the Gulf since the BP Oil Spill started on April 20.

Their Louisiana-based staff–already working on existing Coastal Louisiana restoration efforts before the spill–was deployed to help with the initial response. They have been joined by national staff, affiliates in the region and a growing network of volunteers.

They believe strongly they have an obligation to find out what is happening, share this information with the public and do everything they can to help wildlife survive this tragedy.

You can learn more about their “Search and Rescue”, how they are raising awareness and what they are saying on behalf of wildlife.  Click here.

Would you and your family like to really get away this summer?  How about becoming one with nature again, if you could sleep in a comfortable bed and take a nice hot shower?  There is a place like that in the North Carolina Mountains.  It is called Clear Creek Ranch. Nestled in a quiet valley in the Great Smoky Mountains at an elevation of 3,200 feet, Clear Creek Dude Ranch is surrounded by the beautiful Pisgah National Forest.  They welcome guests from April to Thanksgiving.  Some of the activities you will enjoy are horseback riding, camp fires, golf, fishing, hiking, swimming and many more.

It is owned by some wonderful friends of mine, Rex and Aileen Frederick. Rex was a great basketball star at Auburn University.  He became only the 3rd Auburn Tiger to have his jersey (#32) retired.  Rex is in the Auburn Hall of Fame.

Rex and his wife, Aileen, have always had a passion for animals, especially horses.  They decided to buy a dude ranch. It has been a wonderful experience for them but it is time for them to move on.  They are at that age where they want to travel and enjoy other things life has to offer.

They have been running this ranch 24/7 for many years.  It is not as easy, and glamorous, as you might think. Can you imagine having to get up at the crack of dawn to meet your guests as they arrive for breakfast every morning?  Then organize the activities, make sure everyone is having fun, oversee the business of the ranch, etc. At the end of the night making sure you are still awake to tell your guests, having a nightcap in the Cantina, good night before turning in?  Talk about a long day, everyday.  They have wonderful staff that come back year after year because of the way they are treated.  Even in the winter, when it is closed to the public, they need to care for all of the horses and other animals, as well as continue to run the ranch.

I hope you will visit Rex and Aileen before they sell this beautiful ranch.  If you go, tell them I said hi.  If you, or someone you know, has interest in buying this ranch, please let me know.   I’m selling the ranch for them.

Please enjoy this video of the ranch.

I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. I also want to empower people. Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!

1. A French Journalist contacted me.  She wanted to know if I could send her true stories depicting peculiar relationships between a child and one or several wild animal(s).

Some examples:

* They’re going to tell the story of a little girl in South Africa looking after elephants with her parents in a sanctuary.

* Two little boys in India who protect snakes with their father and who are not scared to handle them. They’re “working” with their father at freeing the snakes they find in the cities to protect them.

They’re looking for a young girl or boy (aged under 15), fond of scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, whales…. In the end a child passionate in marine life.   Any histories are welcomed!!

One important thing: Their aim is not to promote proximity between wild animals and humans. They DO NOT want promote people taming wild animals!  They’re just looking for extraordinary stories relating a peculiar relationship between a child and an animal at a specific moment.

If you’ve heard about such stories you are welcome to contact Mélodie TISSOT directly.

melodie@maijuin.com

+33 1 58 05 16 60

+33 6 77 24 58 03

Www.maijuin.com

2. Emergency Situation at Wild Animal Orphanage, San Antonio, Texas

The Board of Directors of The Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas, announces the existence of a financial, personnel, and management crisis at their sanctuary where more than 400 wild, exotic, and domestic animals reside.  The sanctuary has been in operation for 24 years and the decline in contributions along with the recent discovery of severe personnel and management issues have created this crisis.  Steps have been taken by the Board of Directors to resolve some of the problems including replacement of the CEO with an acting director, Mr. Jamie Cryer, a Texas businessman, who has willingly agreed to work without compensation to assure the feeding and care of the resident animals.

Funds are needed immediately to continue providing food and care for the lions, tiger, bears, wolves, cougars, primates, and other species that reside at the 2 sites of the WAO. Compassionate animal care-givers are still reporting to work to feed, clean, and care for the animals, however, there are no funds available for payroll and their pay is already several weeks behind.  Six of the animal care-givers are temporarily working without compensation. The Board of Directors is reaching out to all caring individuals and humane organizations to please step up to the plate and help us take care of these 400 animals that have no one to depend on except generous people.  To learn more and find ways you can help click here.

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

3. Tragically, 50% of domestic violence victim’s delay seeking help for fear that an abuser will harm a pet… Animals are the silent victims of domestic violence. Most people treat pets as members of the family. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic violence, pets are also deemed part of the family unit and forced to suffer in silence at the hands of abusers. Some studies estimate that: *50% of domestic violence victims delay seeking help out of concern that their pet may be harmed by the abuser. *88% of companion animals living in households where domestic violence occurs are routinely threatened, harmed or even killed. The ASPCA witnesses firsthand the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence. Just last month, police in Little Falls, NY, arrested Mark Beacraft, Jr., for assaulting a four-year-old child. The suspect has a history of violence—including a guilty plea in 2007 for murdering a neighborhood cat. He was sentenced to one year in a county jail but was later released under house arrest. This is unacceptable—and they need your help to keep criminals like Beacraft off the streets. The ASPCA works tirelessly to educate law enforcement and the public about the link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse and to lobby for stricter punishments for pet abusers. To help click here

4. May is National Arthritis Month

Just like humans, many dogs suffer from arthritis pain and inflammation as they age. Joints and bones naturally degenerate over time. Fortunately, arthritis can often be managed with the help of acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, supplements and nutrition. Natural and alternative therapies are generally safe, effective and can be used in conjunction with western medicine.

Ancient Solutions for Canine Arthritis is a site for dogs suffering from arthritis.

If you are an acupuncturist interested in learning more about treating arthritis in dogs with TCM, and getting continuing education credits, click here.

5. Best known for the  “I’m Tired of” bracelets, ITo introduced the No More Homeless Pets bracelet and now supports nine different animal causes. ITo will give half of every sale to Best Friends Animal Society to help support their efforts to dramatically reduce the number of homeless pets.

Best Friends Animal Society is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. In the late 1980s when Best Friends was in its early days, roughly 17 million dogs and cats were being killed in shelters every year. Despite the commitment of shelter workers to the animals in their care, the conventional belief was that little could be done to lower that terrible number.  Read more about this on their site by clicking here.

6. If you live in California, or will be visiting, you might want to attend the “Power and Action for the Animals” May 9th Newport Beach, CA.

It’s a gathering of animal advocates, lovers, caretakers, guardians & protectors. Click here for more details.

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7. MOSCOW DOGS

I thought you might enjoy this story. Dogs are allowed on public transport in all of Europe, but generally with their master. This is even more interesting.

Here is a Canine commuter…. A wild dog waits on the platform!!

STRAY dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps.  The clever canines board the Tube each morning.  After a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and   return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Experts studying the dogs say they even work  together to make sure they get off at the right stop after  learning to judge the length of time they need  to spend on the  train…

The dogs choose the  quietest carriages at the front and back of the train.  They have also developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food   on the streets of Moscow.

Scientists believe the  phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs.  Dr. Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses”.

Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway to get to the centre in the morning, and then back home in the evening, just like people.

Here is an experienced dog enjoying a nap on the underground.  Dr. Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute.  He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed”.  They do it for fun. Sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.

This dog is tired …  A mutt naps on tube seat in Moscow.

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said  Dr. Poiarkov.  They use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow.  They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

With children, the dogs play cute by putting their heads on youngsters’  knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy and scraps.  Dr. Poiarkov added: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists”.

The Moscow mutts are not the first animals to use public transport.  In 2006 a Jack Russell in Dunnington, North Yorks , began taking the bus to his local pub in search of sausages.  Two years ago, passengers in Wolverhampton were stunned when a cat called Macavity started catching the 331 bus to a fish and chip shop.

I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. I also want to empower people. The best way to do that, give people options so they can make a difference.  All of my posts give you options to help.  If you have information you want to share, send me a paragraph on the topic with a link to the website, by 11am on Thursday.  I will do this each Friday.  Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!

At the end of this post is a wonderful, entertaining, loving, inspiring video from National Geographic.

My Adopter

1.  You’ve adopted animals but have you ever been adopted by an animal?  Here is a website where you can read stories about animals that have a happy ending.  Join the Story Club. It is totally free and safe. Just by joining you will be helping to save lives and ease the suffering of unfortunate animals.

Floyd the Dog writes, and encourages others to write, stories about animals and their interaction with each other and with humans. His concern and compassion for animals is the basis for the free website publication of these stories both here and on his Story Club.

Daphne adopted me. She hates the cold and was flying from the north of England, where she says she was born, to her winter home in the much kinder climate of southern Spain.  Click here read more about my adopter.

Greyhound Needing A Home

2. With the seasonal closing of the Melbourne track in Florida, it is wonderful how various Greyhound organizations have supported one another to ensure good homes for the Greyhounds. While Gold Coast Greyhound Adoptions has already fostered a handful from Melbourne already, they need additional foster homes.

Gold Coast Greyhound Adoptions is greyt to work with, as they pay for all expenses related to the care of the fostered Greyhound.  It includes food, medical, crate, etc.  All you do is supply the love.  It takes anywhere from 2 days to several weeks to find a home for a Greyhound.  You are not expected to adopt the fostered Greyhound, either.

Mombo Needs A Home

If you are able to foster, or know of someone interested in fostering a Greyhound, contact Joanne at: joanne.wuelfing@gmail.com

Update—April 14, 2010: Congratulations, New Hampshire advocates! At around noon today, the New Hampshire Senate overwhelmingly voted to end greyhound racing in the state forever. We expect that the governor will sign the bill into law. Click Here To Keep It Enforced and get the bill passed in your state!

3. This was sent to me by, Jacob Versnel, one of my contacts in the Netherlands. It’s a hard story to read but they are working towards a happy ending.  You can help.

No rest. No water. No care…  He traveled more than 1,000 miles to his death.

Bred only for food, he spent his life unloved and unnamed.  His final indignity was the tortuous journey from Romania to Italy to his slaughter.

Every year over 50,000 horses are transported from Eastern Europe to Italy for slaughter. Compassion has investigated the long distance transport of horses across Europe – we were shocked by what we found.

Just imagine being pushed and pulled into a truck, standing for hours on end, without water or a chance to rest. It is proven that horse welfare deteriorated after 8-12 hours of transport. Yet our investigators found that the truck filled with horses that they followed, traveled for over 24 hours.

What a sad reflection on modern Europe that this cruel practice is still allowed to continue. But you can help.

The final journey – When our investigators followed a truck transporting horses from Romania to Italy, they found the drivers broke an important EU regulation by not providing these animals with water. They also broke with basic human decency, in their cruel disregard for animal welfare.

If, like us, you believe that no farm animal should be transported for more than 8 hours, please support our work to end live transport and factory farming.

We want to stop to this heart-breaking disregard for animal welfare. Through investigations, lobbying and vigorous campaigning, we’re working to limit transports of farmed animals to 8 hours and ultimately to stop the long distance trade in live animals. At the very least, we want to see the existing welfare laws properly enforced.  YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY CLICKING HERE.

Tony the Tiger

4.  The eye of the Tiger.  Have you ever heard of Tony The Tiger?  He does exist.

Tony the Truck Stop Tiger is a 9 y/o Siberian/Bengal tiger who has lived his whole life at a truck stop in Grosse Tete Louisiana. His home is one of concrete and steel. In Dec 2009 the Louisiana Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries granted a permit to Tony’s owner to keep him at the Truck Stop. This permit is valid for 1 year.

Tony’s living conditions are abhorrent.  He is not living the life of a Tiger. He urgently needs to be rescued and allowed to live out his life in a sanctuary. Big Cat Rescue will take him in.  Tony needs heros, click here to help.

The people who have Tony say that they have had him since he was a baby and he’d be traumatized if he were sent to live someplace else. They also say the Big Cat Rescue would not love, and care for him, the way they do. They say they are providing him a good home.   The owner, Michael Sandlin, says: “People from out of state are telling the most outrageous lies and half truths about Louisiana’s Tiger Truck Stop. When they came to the Parish Council Meeting to argue against my rights, they resorted to yelling and name calling, finally stooping so low as to demean me and my family by labeling us as “inbreds”.  Classy talk from supposedly sophisticated activists.”  Michael’s family and friends extended every courtesy to those people and were repaid with ugly slurs and hate speech.

Please let us know your thoughts and ideas to resolve a situation like this.  There are a lot of issues like this in the US and around the world.

5. They lay on an ice pan, just a few feet apart — two seal pups sleeping quietly, blissfully unaware that a sealing vessel was bearing down on them, just 100 meters away.

As painful as it is to bear witness to this horror, the people with HSUS know they have to keep going there — because every picture, video, and word that they send out to the world touches the hearts and minds of people and governments. That’s why the sealing industry doesn’t want them there. And that’s why they need your help.

Give now and your donation will be tripled by the Giant Steps Foundation and other generous donors.

Watch this video of the beautiful harp seal nursery to see what your donations and support are working to protect.

6. “The Cove”, a documentary and winner of audience awards across the world, including Sundance, SilverDocs and Hot Docs. The Cove follows a team of activists and filmmakers as they infiltrate a heavily-guarded cove in Taiji, Japan. In this remote village they witness and document activities deliberately being hidden from the public: More than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often times labeled as whale meat.

Under the direction of the film’s Ric O’Barry, Save Japan Dolphins.org/Earth Island Institute is actively working in Japan to shut down this brutal practice.

There are ways you can help make a difference.  You can donate here or you can send letters, emails, sign petitions or help in other ways.  Learn about other options here.

7. What will happen to the rescued animals that Martina Navratilova has at the sanctuary she owns, but is selling?

Martina and her partner were very much in love when they paid more than $1 million for land where they could rescue 26 malnourished cows likely to be made into dog food.

They bought the land through their new company, MT Nest. M stood for tennis legend Martina Navratilova; T was her partner, Toni Layton.

The couple turned the 20-acre site in East Sarasota County into a sanctuary where about 100 cows, horses, pigs and other animals, many saved from slaughter, could live in peace.

But in 2008, the couple split and Navratilova threw Layton out of her luxury home on Casey Key, a claim by Layton based on lawsuit records.

Now Layton and other local animal lovers say Navratilova plans to sell the sanctuary and the animals with it. Animal activists who placed animals there are worried they will now be sold to farmers and slaughtered for meat.  Read the whole story here.

8.  Watch this video that was on National Geographic.  It is funny, heartwarming, educational and something that will make you feel good all over.