Travesty. Dog shot twice by a SWAT team

Dog Killed by SWAT

An argument over dog waste results in threats between neighbors so police were called.  Then SWAT was called when one of the parties barricaded himself in his house.

His little dog runs outside with wagging tail and the SWAT team shoots & kills Angel the dog.  They shoot with those massive rifles, twice.

Police say it was an unnecessary distraction? Murdering "unnecessary distractions" is justified? 

I SAY THEY KILLED A DOG! 

Two issues here:

1. HUMANS MUST PROTECT ANIMALS. This is a case of firstly people do not recognize the value of life, especially animals. The number of animals, and “pets” killed through neglect, abandonment, cruel intentions and police is massive.  Maybe people can’t grasp 2.7 million, of course it could be because we lack humanity.  So what if they saw 20 dogs or cats in one room, had to watch “being put down” – which is murder.  Would they change their mind?

This dog should not have been shot.   If a toddler came out of the door smiling, would they have murdered the child?  What if the toddler came outside screaming, crying and growling because she was terrified. Child, dog, cat, guinea pig, rabbit, rat, sparrow - they should not be shot and killed.  Which brings me to point two.

2. Police cannot use the excuse of fear for their life or distraction as a reason to kill. Do not get me wrong, I know that there are many men and women police officers that work hard, put their life on the line and protect & serve.

But governments & police departments must screen all applicants. Or do a better job screening.  And they need improved ongoing training.  Incidents like this would not happen if the right people with the best training were involved. Read an article by Frank Serpico in Politico Magazine to learn more about helping law enforcement.

And America must stop portraying the any means necessary law enforcement movies & TV.  Any means is not necessary.  The right, humane and lawful means are necessary.

What is also appalling, that news articles say “Watch SWAT Shoot a Dog”.  Like wow, this is cool.  It is not cool.  Informational and a tool to help bring change, maybe.  But don’t display as entertainment.

I am saddened, disgusted, appalled and angry.  BE THE CHANGE!

From the Human Society:

3,500—Number of animal shelters

6 to 8 million—Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year

25 percent—Percentage of purebred dogs in shelters

3 to 4 million—Number cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year

2.7 million—Number of adoptable cats and dogs euthanized in shelters each year

30 percent—Percentage of shelter dogs reclaimed by their owners

2 to 5 percent—Percentage of shelter cats reclaimed by owners

Helpers for the Special Needs Dogs & Cats

From the wheels used by Ricky Bobby rescued by HSUS to the pee pads at my back door, special needs can be met for our dog companions.  Not all disabilities are visible and not all involve mobility wheels.

Let me tell you about one of my special needs kids, and this isn't about my sweet Sophie whose special needs were evident to the eye. Following are some touching tales and videos of other dogs. If you can't glean the meaning of this blog I will tell you at the end.

My dog Jax has Diabetes Insipidus. This is a need not visually evident. He was in the home of a foster and the rescue group had deemed him 'unadoptable.  But his fosters loved him and knew otherwise, they had even taken him to TAMU for evaluation on their own dime and that deserves a big WOW. Diabetes Insipidus is a condition that presents with excessive thirst and urination, not enough anti diuretic hormone is produced.

Jax was a 6 month old pup and none of the treatments available helped. He was a pee-pot with little control. They needed to find my boy a new family for legitimate reasons and wanted to give Jax the best home possible. I went to their house to be interviewed and approved. I went outside and sat down on the ground. Jax ran around playing, urinated and went immediately to the water bowl. When he saw be he bounded over with enthusiasm and peed all over me.  His foster parents looked horrified waiting for my reaction. 

I hugged Jax and said, you just christened me.  Pee happens. I have tile floors and pee pads at the back door. As he matured his control improved though the health issue remains. Sometimes he has accidents, usually when he jumps, gets scared or excited he leaks. I don't care, he can't help his situation. And Jax is loving, loyal, well-behaved and a wonderful boy. I am grateful he is in my life and he certainly deserves love and care. All animals deserve love and care.

Pee happens. I have tile floors and pee pads at the back door.



 CHAPLIN

 

 

 

From DFW Pug Rescue: One of our special rescue pugs, Chaplin, was adopted by VCA University Animal Clinic in Dallas, TX. He has neurological issues that we have been treating with acupuncture and intestinal motility issues that are treated with a combination of three medications and a special diet. One of our amazing volunteers offered to continue the acupuncture treatment; she picks him up at VCA and gets him to the acupuncture doctor when needed. 

Chaplin needs medication for the remainder of his life, as well as neurological check ups, so for the doctors and staff at VCA to assume this responsibility is nothing short of awesome!  He goes home with a member of VCA at night and on weekends. This is a video of him hanging out at the clinic, such a happy boy.This link http://youtu.be/cm-WF5op6yk shows the challenges Chaplin faced with mobility.

 

ROSIE

 

Do you remember my posts about sweet Rosie and Remember Rosie? Thank you Rosie and your Mom for helping bring awareness. Rosie was rescued from a puppy mill and had genetic disabilities.  But she was a joy and deeply loved, fun and playful.

 

 

 

Products To Help are Available!

 

Chaplin had a custom made wheels. But there are resources for our friends with disabilities. One of the most heartwarming sights I have personally seen was when I visited a friend at her apartment. A neighbor was taking is handicapped German Sheppard for a walk using a sling to help him down the stairs for his walk. Wheelchairs, slings, ramps, diapers, strollers, splints and more. For example: from Canada http://www.dogquality.com/, the U.S. http://www.handicappedpets.com/ and http://eddieswheels.com.

 

 

This is an ad for doggie wheels nevertheless is shows happy dogs given mobility again.

 

BOBBY & NAPOLEON

 

I didn't forget cats. Bobby was left in a box on the vet's doorstep as a kitten. He has spinal injuries and a broken tail. He walks strangely on his back legs and must wear bandages and care to protect his legs. The video is 9 minutes long but shows how he is enjoying life even though he walks a bit differently, playing and obviously loved. Napoleon has his own wheels.

 

 

ALERA

 

 

This is a tearjerker. But Alera's daddy gave her love and she had a good quality of life though short. The other link shows off her new wheels and how they are used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jNpCgZ3lJEM

 

 

Buddy Love aka The Bumblesnot

 



Bumblesnot is a 10 year old black pug rescued from a shelter in 2011. Click the link to learn more and follow his adventures on Facebook. When this boy was adopted he had some mobility issues with his back legs. Now he has his wheels and his family must suppress his bladder. But he is happy and loved.  If you click the video link know 1) It starts with loud music and 2) I'm not sure I care for the "proper care instructions"  are presented audio wise but you do learn more about the care of this disabled and lovable boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cfrs22nfkA

 

 

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS DISABILITIES DON'T MEAN AN ANIMAL SHOULD BE NEGLECTED OR DESTROYED.  THEY DESERVE LOVE AND CAN HAVE A GOOD QUALITY LIFE.

BE THE CHANGE!

 

 

 

Raining Cats and Dogs by Peter Martz. Sounds beautiful but is so very sad. Claiborne Animal Shelter is a 501c3 organization run entirely from donations and volunteer labor. If you'd like to learn more about us, please visit www.ClaiborneAnimalShelter.com or visit us on Facebook!



 

BE THE CHANGE!

Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies

 

Close

12/26/13 to 1/10/14 After Christmas Special!

Make a Resolution to be Humane.

Make a Resolution to be Humane.

 

I am a vegetarian.  This is how I should have lived my entire life but I was blind. About a decade ago I finally stopped and asked myself where the supplies of food in the grocery store came from.  I immediately stopped eating other living beings.

 I asked myself where the supplies of food in the grocery store came from.  I immediately stopped eating other living beings.

 

If you can be brave go to Meat.org and watch the video.

And you need to be brave to watch this video but the fact is this is reality of what humans allow by closing their eyes and remaining ignorant. The content is horrific and covers every living being humans eat. Content warning. But be brave and call for change.

 



Do Dogs Overeat to Compensate?

In December of 2012 a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior Clinical Applications and Research  entitled, Stress-induced and emotional eating in animals: A review of the experimental evidence and implications for companion animal obesity , authored by veterinarian Dr. Franklin McMillan currently of the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah.

Short recap of Dr. McMillan’s study abstract: “… because emotional eating is a coping mechanism, overeating may be a sign that an animal's psychological well-being is impaired." See below for abstract.

The concept is foreign and unaccepted by some but I believe the study has merit. Ask yourself this:

Would you ask your toddler to stay still by themselves every day for 8 to 10 hours with no human interaction? Then when you return home would you either immediately put them outside to potty? Or have them cross their legs until you situate yourself to take them for a quick walk?

Yet many guardians of animals unthinkingly do this, what they would not do with a child. This neglect causes your animal companion undue emotional stress. Because we all believe our animal companions have emotions and needs, right?

If you said no you should be ashamed. Our animal companions need interaction and exercise. We know that stress negatively impacts humans. Chronic stress impacts our emotional well being, increases levels of cortisol, leads to high blood pressure, digestive distress, aggression, irritability and over eating.  The same is true  for our pets, animals in zoos etc.

One of my biggest soapbox moments was when someone I worked with told me he was getting an 'outside dog'. And the dog was fed and had shelter but was left alone. An animal is not a yard ornament. Our responsibility to animals is to protect and care. Care for their physical and emotional well-being.

This is true for dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, pigs and a host of other animal companions.  Is over eating only stress related? I say No. But the stress factor needs to be investigated and considered. If your pet is overweight take them to the vet to check for or rule out an underlying health concern.  Even if stress is not the cause of overeating or your pet isn't overweight - they still need interaction, affection and exercise.

From article in The Telegraph and interview with McMillan:

"By simply putting an “emotional eater” cat or dog on a diet, they could worsen the situation, by taking away the animal’s “coping mechanism” and making the animal even more unhappy - and even hungrier.

Dr. McMillan, said: “The bottom line is that there is a ton of evidence in humans and animals like rodents that stress induced eating, or emotional eating is a very real thing and contributes to obesity, so we should be looking at it in pet animals. 

“If this is a major factor in our pet animals, then the standard approach, by simply yanking away their food, is very misguided and potentially harmful. "

What do you think?
 

Enrich your animal companions life. Be the Change! Be that Person.

 

 

 

 The abstract: "Eating in response to stress or negative emotional states is well-documented in humans as well as animals in experimental settings and has been shown to work by alleviating the unpleasant emotional experience. This type of eating behavior, termed stress-induced or emotional eating, is linked to the development of obesity. Standard approaches to companion animal obesity have failed to incorporate this concept. Not every animal given more food than they need will become overweight, which raises the critical question: Why does the animal that overeats do so? If it is to help alleviate stress or negative emotional states, then the standard obesity management approach of restricting food intake without alleviating the emotional distress may actually exacerbate the distress by removing one of the animal's coping mechanisms. Moreover, because emotional eating is a coping mechanism, overeating may be a sign that an animal's psychological well-being is impaired."

 

Another Evie Update with Positive News

Evie is doing better! She is having laser therapy, hydro therapy and massages as well - loving touch is critical to all creatures. This video shows Evie eating and eating.

Lots of video of eating and at the end some of her moving around and showing signs of alertness. Such wonderful news.

To stay up to date visit Emma Cleft Plate Palate on Facebook. You can donate for further care here.

To those that have cared, prayed and / or donated, thank you. This is something to be happy about.

Be The Change!

Be the person that cares and acts.

 

 

  

Original Post and first Update.

 

 



Evie Update

Poor Evie was sealed in a plastic container and thrown in the trash.

I posted about her plight and request for donations Here.

NBCDFW also released a story on the efforts to help Evie.

Evie's plight is heartbreaking. I encourage everyone to contact Fort Worth officials to treat this as an animal abuse case and see the repugnant and despicable person that did this heinous act be found and prosecuted.

And everyone in Texas should contact your state representatives to increase the penalty for animal abuse.

DONATE HERE, please.

Evie is starting treatments in a hyperbaric chamber. Evie is still head-pressing. BUT - she continues to accept food and is still fighting through.

Remember Rosie and Adopt

Rosie

I introduced Rosie in my post Rescue Stories: Rosie. Rosie and her loving mom, Cinnamon, have become a strong voice against puppy mills.    


Recently and unexpectedly sweet Rosie died. Cinnamon is devastated as any of us that have lost a beloved companion understand.  I am still grieving for Jelly Bean and I often cry in sadness and joy for all my other darling babies (my dogs) I have lost. This blog is dedicated to the memory of one of my special needs girls I had to let go a year ago, Sophie .
 

With the death of Rosie, Cinnamon has received condolences and messages.  Apparently some fans of Rosie and the icon she has become have spoken of breeding their dog and naming a puppy after her. A link to the page Everything Rosie is below.

Be The Change. Sometimes the Difference Between Life and Death IS YOU!



Sophie

Even in grief Cinnamon has remained an staunch advocate against puppy mills and for animal rights.  I want to share one of her facebook posts to help spread the word.

 

Even in grief Cinnamon has remained an staunch advocate against puppy mills and for animal rights

Quote from Cinnamon on Everything Rosie Facebook :

“Rosie was and always will be beautiful to me. I see a spectacular otherworldly creature from a children’s storybook when I look at her pictures and she radiated something magical when she was in my arms. HOWEVER…what I also see and remember is how those little legs didn’t work as well as she wanted them to and as well as they should have. I see the joy she can hardly contain but can’t fully express. I see a face I dearly loved and will go to my grave loving; yet, I also see the face of a dog that entered this world through a toxic gene pool because of greed and ignorance.

 

So please understand why I am worried and disturbed to receive emails from people saying they are going to breed their dog and name a pup after Rosie. Please understand that my head and heart ache when people write to say it is such a shame she never had puppies. I know those folks mean well.

Rosie and I made the best of what she had, and with an army of assistance, we still couldn’t repair the damage wrought by greed, ignorance and neglect. Please look at Rosie’s video and celebrate her life. Please promise her that you will never let another animal come into the world this way. Make her life have meaning and purpose.”

Soon a worldwide memorial will be held in celebration of Rosie's life and to bring awareness to the plight of dogs bred in puppy mills. Cinnamon has asked you "Make her life (Rosie) have meaning and purpose."

 

 

 

I also ask you to make Rosie's life have meaning  and purpose.  Make my sweet Jelly Bean and Sophie, puppy mill rescues with Congenital birth defects. So many animals have suffered due to the greed and inhumanity of humans. 

 

Please be aware and raise awareness.  As I always ask and say: Be The Change. Sometimes the Difference Between Life and Death IS YOU!

BE THE CHANGE!

 

 

 

For more Rosie visit the Everything Rosie Facebook page.

 

 

 

Allison Herds Sheep But Lamo Doesn't Like to Be with Sheep

LAMO: Lamo likes to go for walks or 'walkies'.

He loves wearing his collar and leash. The rest of his pack, Wallace, Judy and Poppy.
Lamo loves to swim and play around with the ducks.

Lamo is part of the family.

JACK: Allison introduces six month old Jack. Jack's friend is learning from Jessie to be a sheep dog.

Jack likes to shake hands and loves to see people travel by on the canal.

Aside from herding the sheep into the pen, he likes to go for walks and tries to beat Jessie in a game of fetch. 

Lamo and Jack are Sheep.

Sheep are intelligent, sensitive, social and emotional animals. Some people think sheep are stupid due to their strong flocking instincts. It is not that they can't think for themselves but rather they instinct to flock serves as protection from predators.

Sheep can remember the faces of other sheep in their flock and human faces. They can recognize human facial expressions.

In West Yorkshire flocks of sheep have developed the skill to cross cattle guards to reach the yummy food on the other side according to a BBC report by rolling on their backs.

Sheep are quite intelligent creatures and have more brainpower than people are willing to give them credit for. National Sheep Association.

In a study published in the journal of Public Library of Science One, Professor Morton said, "They are quite intelligent animals – they seem to be able to recognize people and even respond when you call their name."

As a PETA advocate I suggest you read The Hidden Lives of Sheep. Sheep are often treated cruelly by farmers, skin carved without painkillers and more. Remember our motto: Be The Change. You Can Make A Difference.

And now more about Allison and Lamo. 

 

 

 

Amazon Prime Free 30 Day Trial

Remember Me Thursday

Remember Me Thursday - Pet Adoption Awareness Campaign

I love my dogs, more than I can express.  When I see shelter and stray animals, I want to help them all.  They Deserve to be cared for and loved. If I see animal in harms way I will stop and help. Everyone one should. My Motto is :

Be The Change. You Can Make A Difference.

Remember Me Thursday is a pet adoption awareness campaign.  Start here and make a difference. Join others that have made a difference like Everything Rosie. Special needs animals especially are dependent on humans.  I am and have been Guardian to many special needs dogs.  My blog is dedicated to Sophie, a very special dog. I love them even more and their devotion is beyond measure.

Raise awareness. Pray for the lost and help make the present and future a better place.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. The time is always right to do what is right." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

What is “Remember Me Thursday – Light a Candle for a Pet”? From the website for the event:

“Animal lovers and organizations across the globe unite on the fourth Thursday of September to light a candle in remembrance of the millions of orphan pets who lost their lives without the benefit of a loving home and to shine a light on the millions of orphan pets still waiting for their forever homes.”

“Millions of shelter pets lose their lives each and every year. Join the awareness campaign – be a light for pets by promoting awareness about pet adoption. By remembering those we have lost, we can shine a light on the ones we can save.”

Helen Woodward Animal Center is uniting with animal-lovers and animal welfare organizations globally in a Remember Me Thursday candle-lighting ceremony. The candles, lit on the exact same day across the world, will honor the millions of pets who lost their lives over the past year without the benefit of a loving home. Word of the awareness campaign has spread in the form of celebrity social media posts and rescue facilities from New York City to Puerto Rico to Japan have joined the cause.

You can learn more by following both links above.
Thank you to Speedy The Cheeky House Bunny and Texas A Cat Austin for bringing this event to my attention.

Remember Me Thursday

By Mike Arms

Remember the day that we first met?

You said you loved me and I was your pet.

Remember how you played with me,

And promised together we'd always be?

But later, when you moved away,

You decided we could no longer play.

You dropped me off at a strange new place,

Although I cried, and licked your face.

Gentle hands took me from your sight,

But no one was with me through the dark night.

I remember I stayed in a small place for days,

And no one had time for my playful ways.

I remember when they said it was time to go,

I remembered your face...and wished it would show.

I will leave this world -- but, please, remember --

And light a candle, this Thursday in September.

Dogs are Angels. Say A Prayer.

Today say a prayer for all animals. Pray humans act humanely.
 
Pray their Guardians love and care for them.

And be Thankful.

Today I am thankful for all the dogs that have blessed me.

I deeply miss and love the ones that are dead.

I love and cherish the companions "the little boogers" that share my life with me now.

Well time to go - P is barking and if my dog translator is accurate she is saying, "You have JB, A and MG in the chair with you.  That is 3.  I am 1.  Stop ignoring me and pick me up.  Now would be good."

P is right.  She is one (1).

 

And every 1 animal is precious. Every animal deserves & requires love and care.

 

BE The CHANGE! You Can Make a Difference.

Amazon Prime Free 30 Day Trial

 

Dogs & Our Animal Companions Are Better People Than Us. Books.

Dogs & Our Animal Companions Are Better People Than Us. If you are a dog lover, you already know that dogs are better people than humans. Here are some wonderful books that help make the point.

“Dogs love and share and help and care. Dogs Are Better People Than Us. Dogs Make Us Better Humans.” Andrea Geist

A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern. Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt—showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)—taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.



The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of "Unadoptables" Taught Me About Service, Hope, and Healing by Susannah Charleson. “Charleson journeys into the world of psychiatric service, where dogs aid humans with disabilities that may be unseen but are no less felt. This work had a profound effect on Charleson, perhaps because, for her, this journey began as a personal one: Charleson herself struggled with posttraumatic stress disorder for months after a particularly grisly search. Collaboration with her search dog partner made the surprising difference to her own healing. Inspired by that experience, Charleson learns to identify abandoned dogs with service potential, often plucking them from shelters at the last minute, and to train them for work beside hurting partners, to whom these second-chance dogs bring intelligence, comfort, and hope. Along the way she comes to see canine potential everywhere, often where she least expects it – from Merlin the chocolate lab puppy with the broken tail once cast away in a garbage bag, who now stabilizes his partner’s panic attacks; to Ollie, the blind and deaf terrier, rescued moments before it was too late, who now soothes anxious children; to Jake Piper, the starving pit bull terrier mix with the wayward ears who is transformed into a working service dog and, who, for Charleson, goes from abandoned to irreplaceable.”

Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog by Susannah Charleson. Charleson first book. In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper of an exhausted canine handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face.


The Silence of Dogs in Cars by Martin Usborne. “Photographer Martin Usborne is on a mission to save as many animals as he can in 365 days. His aptly titled project—A Year to Help—began in July 2012 and will wrap up next month. The quest has sparked him to travel the world visiting rescue shelters in Spain and a dog meat restaurant and a zoo in the Philippines, as well as to launch a blog chronicling his adventures. In his just-released photo collection, The Silence of Dogs in Cars (Kehrer Verlag), he aims to capture the way in which we silence, control or distance ourselves from other animals. Mission accomplished.” — Abbe Wright.

    The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving: How Dogs Have Captured Our Hearts for Thousands of Years By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. “No other animal loves us in quite the same way as dogs love us. And it is mutual. Is it possible that we developed the capacity for love, sympathy, empathy, and compassion because of our long association with dogs? In "The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving", Masson considers the far-reaching consequences of this co-evolution of dogs and humans, drawing from recent scientific research. Over the past 40,000 years a collective domestication has occurred that brings us to where we are today - humans have formed intense bonds with dogs, and the adoration is almost always reciprocal. Masson himself has experienced a profound connection with his new dog Benjy, a failed guide-dog for the blind, who possesses an abundance of inhibited love. But Masson knows that the love he feels for Benjy - and that Benjy feels for all the people and animals around him - is not unique, but is in fact a love that only dogs and humans possess. With wisdom, insight, and a brilliant analysis of recent scientific research, the bestselling author delivers a provocative and compelling book that will change the way we think about love and canine companions.”

BE THE CHANGE. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

 

 

 



 

 

Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies