Blog Archives
Adele and Louie
Adele & her Dachshund, LouieAdele, who just had successful surgery on her vocal chord, was seen for the first time outside her London home with her dog; a Dachshund named, “Louie,”who was seen peeking out of his dog carrier.
The surgery reportedly went well, and Louie has reportedly been very supportive. The male dog was named after legendary singer, Louie Armstrong, but was actually almost named “Britney Spears.”
Adele says, “He was born on the night I went to see Britney Spears in London. I almost called him Britney even though he was a boy. But it only lasted a few hours until my hangover stopped.”
Note to self: don’t name a dog when hungover. Anyway, you can see more of Adele and Louie in this 2011 video of an interview she did for a British radio station:
Dog Twist
Let’s Talk: Is Your Dog Like a Child to You?
Let’s Talk: Is Your Dog Like a Child to You?
Is your dog like your child? Let’s talk! (Photo: Flickr photostream of Lauren Barkume)
Hey Dogsters! I want to run something by you and see what you think. Last week I was quoted in an interesting article in USA Today about the dramatic rise in the number of dog parks in the U.S.
Here are the two paragraphs I contributed to:
“It’s socializing for both” the dogs and the owners, says Maria Goodavage, a San Francisco writer and mom (of a kid and a dog) who founded the Dog Lover’s Companion series of guide books for dog owners and author of the upcoming Soldier Dogs: Untold Stories of America’s Canine Heroes. “I met my husband in a dog area,” she says.
Dog owners have become a powerful lobby, Goodavage says, because they feel that “these children of ours are furry, they have four legs but we’re still paying taxes to be here and we still want our recreational needs met.”
(As background, the article had been talking about the fact that there are more households with dogs these days than with children; thus the mention of the fact I have both.)
What I said seemed innocent enough to me. I was telling it like it is. “I have a dog and I vote” is more than a bumper-sticker slogan. It’s a reality: Dog owners are a powerful demographic these days, in part because dogs are considered kids in many households, and people will do anything for their kids – be they human kids or fur kids. And with dogs more prevalent than children in so many cities, dog groups can be taken pretty seriously by government entities. (Don’t get me started on what’s going on in some San Francisco dog areas these days, though…)
Well, I began getting hate mail from what looked like many people, but it turned out the computer ID was always the same, so it’s just hate mail from one person. Actually apparently there may be another, because someone who’s helping me deal with some issues on another website told me there were more of the same in one of my web inboxes. (I didn’t have time or desire to look, so she trashed them for me.)
(Photo from Flickr photostream of HappyPlatypus)
This person had a problem with me saying that many people consider dogs their children. She had a big problem with it, actually. Here are some lines plucked from a few of her emails:
“You sicken me. You are completely screwed up if you think these vermin called dogs are like children! What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Children are a gift from God. Dogs are SH#$. For you to equate them means YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE IDIOT.”
“You said that people say “These children of ours are furry.” HOW DARE YOU EQUATE CHILDREN AND DOGS?!”
I wanted to respond to the last one and say “Yes, some people think of dogs as furry children. And some people think of children as furless dogs.” But I refrained. I have ignored all the emails in hopes that this fan of mine will get tired and go away.
Last week I was having a laugh with Janine Kahn, Dogster content manager, over some of the hate-filled emails, and she suggested I use the issue of dogs as fur kids for one of my new “Let’s Talk” features. A brilliant idea! Who better to ask about the dogs-as-kids issue than Dogsters?
So I have a few questions for you to get this started. Do you consider your dog to be like your child, or close to it? Do you have any human children? Do people ever give you guff about how you treat your dog if your dog is like your child? Would you risk your life for your dog? I’d love to get a conversation going about how we think of our dogs in our lives.
reposted from Dogster.com
Eco friendly pet shopping in Maine
Great company from Maine check out the website
Doggie Safe n Dry Coats & Accessories
Doggie Safe n Dry Holiday Open House
Wed. Dec. 14th 2 PM-6:30 PM
1257 Sawyer RD
Cape Elizabeth, ME
We’ll have all of our hand made coats, collars, leashes, toys and Christmas stockings for cats and dogs ready to go! Stop By!
Can’t make it??? Let’s set up an appointment.
VT Mulls Anti Hoarding Bill
Vermont has introduced a bill that seeks to impose criminal penalties for animal hoarding.
As written, House Bill 371 defines an “animal hoarder” as any person who:
• Possesses five or more animals;
• Fails to provide adequate food, water, shelter, rest, sanitation, or necessary medical attention or transports an animal in overcrowded vehicles;
• Keeps the animals in a severely overcrowded environment; and
• Displays an inability to recognize or understand the nature of or has a reckless disregard for the conditions under which the animals are living and the deleterious impact they have on the animals’ health and well-being.
The state’s animal cruelty laws define animals as “all living sentient creatures, not human beings.” This could mean a wide array of animals, including cats, dogs, small animals, birds and reptiles.
Violators would be guilty of animal cruelty and could face up to one year’s jail time, a fine of up to $2,000 or both. Second and subsequent violators could face up to two years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.
Under state law, a “humane officer” may seize an animal without a search warrant if he or she witnesses a situation in which the animal’s life is in jeopardy and immediate action is required to protect its health or safety. A “humane officer” includes law enforcement officers, auxiliary state police officers, deputy game wardens, humane society officers, employees or agents; animal control officers; or any officer authorized to serve criminal process.
In an industry alert released today, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) cautioned against warrantless searches, claiming such searches invite potential for harassment and abuse of police power.
HR 371 has been assigned to the House Committee on Agriculture where it awaits action.
To view HR 371 in its entirety, click here
