Posts tagged "HumaneSociety"

Animal lovers won some big victories on Tuesday as voters went to the polls to protect the rights of animals large and small.

Fighting the War Against Puppy Mills
In the so-called "puppy-mill capital of the world," Missouri voters passed the nation's first statewide ballot measure to protect dogs from the worst abuses at puppy mills. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) campaigned for this legislation because at puppy mills in Missouri, dogs are typically crammed into small and filthy cages, denied veterinary care, exposed to extremes of heat and cold, and given no exercise or human affection. The proposition requires large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with sufficient food; clean water, housing and space; necessary veterinary care; regular exercise; and adequate rest between breeding cycles. The measure also prohibits any breeder from having more than 50 breeding dogs for the purpose of selling their puppies as pets, and creates a misdemeanor crime of "puppy-mill cruelty" for any violations.

"It is hard to overestimate the importance of this victory for the national effort to protect dogs from abuse and neglect and to reduce euthanasia of dogs throughout the nation," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of HSUS. "We won in the state where the puppy mill industry is strongest, and now it is time for the mills to begin to conduct animal care in a fundamentally different way."

We know you love animals and want to improve their lives. But we also know how busy you are. That's why Paw Nation is making it easy for you to get involved in the paws cause by sharing ways people are helping animals across the country and around the world. Use these ideas as inspiration for projects in your own community, or get involved directly with animal causes!

Give and Get
Sheryl Crow is teaming up with the Humane Society to make donating your hard-earned cash just a little more enticing. Crow, who recently filmed an ad with the HSUS, is offering a free download of her new song, "Our Love is Fading," to everyone who becomes a Humane Hero and offers a monthly donation. In addition, Humane Heroes receive a free subscription to the organization's magazine, All Animals. You can't lose, but the real winners are the animals who benefit.

Save the Date
Everybody's favorite animal activist, Betty White, can now add "centerfold" to her resume. The octogenarian is posing for The Betty White 2011 Calendar, which will be available in September for $12.99. All proceeds will benefit the Morris Animal Foundation of Denver, Colo., so mark your current, non-Betty-White calendar for September!

With temperatures in the triple digits in many parts of the country, pet owners need to be extra vigilant about keeping their animals cool.

Dogs are much more prone than people to develop heatstroke, because they are only able to sweat through their foot pads and can cool off only by panting. Even the healthiest of dogs can succumb to heat-related illnesses if pushed too hard or left in a confined space. Dogs with medical problems are even more vulnerable.

Help keep your pooch safe with these tips from the Humane Society of the United States, and veterinarian Ira Roth, director of the Community Practice Clinic at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.

Protecting Your Dog From the Heat
Here are three things to keep in mind during these intense summer days:

Limit time outside. During extreme temperatures, it's a good idea for everyone -- man and beast -- to be inside if they can. But short-nosed dog breeds who naturally have more trouble breathing -- such as Boston terriers, pugs, English bulldogs, or boxers -- should be kept in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible. The same goes for dogs with renal or cardiac failure, or other health disorders, says Roth. If you can't keep your dog inside, make sure it has ready access to fresh water and shade, like in a dog house.

Reduce physical activity. Keep exercise short with just a walk in the early morning or evening hours. Taking your dog out to "do his business," or letting him walk with you to the mailbox in the middle of the day is probably fine. But it's easy to overexert a dog without realizing it, Roth says.

Dog Whisperer and Wife Split
Cesar Millan and his wife, Ilusion, have decided to call it quits after 16 years of marriage, the trainer and TV host said on his website. While he states that they'll both remain committed to parenting their two-legged children, there was no mention of who will get custody of the dogs.

Dog Reunited With Family After Four Years
When Cooper, a coton de Tulear, disappeared in 2006, his family feared the worst. Now, four years later, he's been returned to his owners thanks to the microchip found by shelter workers, reports the Long Island Press. How did Cooper's four years of freedom treat him? Aside from his coat being matted, he's in good shape and, according to his owner, very happy to be home.

Humane Society Donates 12 Tons of Pet Food to Oil-Spill Affected Louisiana
The Gulf Coast has had a rough time as of late with the recent catastrophic oil spill, and many animals are bearing the brunt of the bad economy when their owners abandon them. The Humane Society is stepping up and delivering 12 tons of pet food to two of the hardest-hit parishes in Louisiana, reports Tonic. The food will go to shelters to be distributed to families in need so the pets can stay with their families.

Jorge Garcia Mourns Loss of Dog
Jorge Garcia, who played the character Hurley on the hit show "Lost," is having a rough couple of weeks. First, the series ended, and then his dog, Nunu, was killed, he writes on his blog. The Chihuahua-dachshund mix was hit by a car and died in Garcia's arms. She'll be buried in the Pet Garden at Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe, and in three months, visitors will find a plaque with her name on it. "If you'd like to leave a flower or a toy, I'm sure she'd love it," Garcia writes.

Show Mom you appreciate all her love and affection by giving her a present that honors her nurturing nature – and helps needy animals.

At the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch near St. Louis, Missouri, you can support their rescue and rehabilitation efforts by giving your mom a potbellied pig, a thoroughbred quarter horse cross, or even Juniper, the miniature donkey pictured with her mother here. The gift comes in the form of a Barn Buddy sponsorship which helps cover the cost of feeding and caring for the 350 neglected horses and farm animals who live at -- or move through -- the ranch after having either been rescued from abusive homes or turned away by owners.

The 165-acre ranch, a division of the Humane Society of Missouri, offers other Barn Buddies for sponsorship including a hen, duck, goose, sheep, miniature steer, llama, pygmy goat, and several miniature and regular horses -- all with amazing rescue stories. The gifts can range from $25-$2,400 depending on the animal and the length of the sponsorship and include a certificate, a biography card and a frame and color photo of your Barn Buddy.

Juniper, the miniature donkey, is a true Mother's Day gift -- she's celebrating her first birthday today. Juniper's mom Cypress came to the ranch in August 2008 as part of one of the Humane Society of Missouri's largest rescues. She was underweight with malformed hooves and a huge growth that blocked her vision. Today she's healthy and enjoys being a mom to her bold and playful filly Juniper, who was born into a much happier life because of animal lovers like you.

For more information about sponsoring a Barn Buddy or to watch one of the Ranch Cams showing the lives of these animals, go to longmeadowrescueranch.org.

Who says Cinco de Mayo festivities are only for bipeds? We think our party pooches would love to get in on the celebration, and the makers of Puppy Piñata agree. In fact, they're giving hundreds of Puppy Piñata Poncho and Lulu toys away to the deserving dogs of the Humane Society of Broward County in Florida.

Puppy Piñata isn't new to the idea of lending a paw. The company partners with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) International and donates a portion of each sale to the organization. However, this Cinco de Mayo celebration is something new for the 2-year-old company.

"We are huge animal lovers and were looking for a way to give some joy to underprivileged dogs," says Jussi DeFazio, creator of Puppy Piñata. "On this special day, we thought it was the least we could do to brighten their day. We want them to know they haven't been forgotten."

Puppy Piñata is a plush dog toy with a Velcro pouch to stuff with natural treats designed to stimulate a dog's instinct to hunt and work for its food. (If you want to see the toys in action, you can watch videos of them in play here.) We were given a few Poncho toys in both the large and small varieties to test out on a few different dogs.

The Humane Society of the United States rescued over 200 poodles last weekend from unsanitary and inhumane conditions in a Tennessee puppy mill. The fact that those animals were saved is enough to put pep in any dog lover's step. And while we're sure all of the pooches were thrilled to be delivered from their hard knock lives, one puppy in particular just couldn't seem to rein in his happy feet. This video -- shot by the HSUS while unloading the rescued dogs to a facility in Chicago -- shows that, just like us people, sometimes a dog gets so excited that there ain't nuthin else he can do but dance.

Kenai, a Bernese mountain dog mix was named "Dog of Valor" by the Humane Society of the United States' for alerting her family to a potentially deadly carbon monoxide leak.

This hero dog, who lives with her family in Erie, Colo., beat out nine other finalists for the national honor. The award recognizes dogs that exhibit "an extraordinary sense of courage or resolve by heroically helping persons in need," according to the HSUS.

Last winter, 14-year-old Kenai seemed more tired than usual after a day outdoors with her family in the mountains of Colorado's Western Slope. Kenai's owner, Todd Smarr, tells Paw Nation he thought she might have played too hard in the snow. But later that evening, after Smarr and his wife, Michelle, had settled down for the night in the basement of the vacation house they were renting with friends, Kenai began to whine and bark.

As Smarr tried to comfort Kenai, his friend Karen Hull who was also staying in the vacation home, got up and announced she was feeling ill. Smarr woke his wife Michelle to help, and moments later she collapsed in his arms. Smarr rushed to wake the rest of their friends and evacuate the house. The seven adults, two children and four dogs all escaped serious injury, although Michelle and Karen both required treatment in a hyperbaric chamber after being airlifted to a Denver hospital. They later learned the source of the carbon monoxide leak was the vacation home's oven.

Without the early warning from Kenai, Todd doubts that any of the house's inhabitants would have survived the night. Kenai is taking her newfound celebrity in stride. In addition to wining the "Dog of Valor" award, she was honored by the American Humane Association and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation.

"She's the same compassionate and loving dog as always," says Smarr, who is using the experience to remind people of the importance of installing carbon monoxide detectors.

Welcome to Paw Nation's newest column, Local Lowdown, where we give you ideas for hanging with your hound (and kitty!) in your home city. We'll tell you about interesting local events, important activities, useful resources and other fun happenings all across the country. And feel free to help us do a better job by writing in with suggestions for local events near you.

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Although there are few things in life more adorable than a litter of puppies, those precious pooches don't always have happy long lives. That's why today is the 16th annual Spay Day sponsored by the Humane Society of United States (HSUS). On this day -- and throughout February -- the HSUS focuses on educating people on how spaying and neutering can help save animal lives.

HSUS explains, "Seven dogs and cats are born every day for each person born in the U.S. Of those, only one in five puppies and kittens stay in their original home for their natural lifetime. The remaining four are abandoned to the streets or end up at a shelter."

Even if your puppies or kittens do find good homes, it means that those new parents won't be rescuing an animal from a shelter. According to the HSUS, there are six million to eight million homeless animals entering animal shelters every year. About half of these animals are adopted, and tragically, the other half are euthanized.

Now that we're married, Anna and I are almost ready to start looking in earnest for a pooch. But first we have to find a new apartment. You know the song: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes an apartment run by a landlord forward-thinking enough to allow dogs."

We're ready to say goodbye to our tiny apartment in Hoboken, because it doesn't have nearly enough room for all the loot we acquired at the wedding our future canine friend. We also want to be closer to Anna's work, a solid 30-minute drive outside of New York City. Suburbia, here we come!

Some landlords and real estate brokers we've come across aren't too keen on pups. Plenty of desirable apartments don't permit pets, or else only permit cats. (If anything, I'd think they'd be less likely to allow felines, as cat pee is absolutely impossible to get out of carpets and floors.) One broker said that if we want a dog we will have to settle for a "bottom tier" place.

Hogwash! According to a study commissioned by the Pet Savers Foundation a few years back, it turns out that people with pets actually make for ideal tenants. They stay longer, are willing to pay more and don't cause nearly as much damage to units as, say, children.