how much is that doggie in the window??

no doubt we’ve all thought at some time or other when walking passed a pet shop "ooooh, how cute" ... tiny wee bundles of fur that you just want to take home and lavish love and affection on...

but where do these cuties come from??

definitely not from a caring, loving, affectionate environment - the reality is that their mothers gave birth to them while surviving horrendous conditions in total misery in puppy factories / farms / mills - these poor girls produce litter after litter after litter for the greed of humans, and then are 'disposed' of after 4-5 years - that's if they have survived that long from intensive breeding, cruelty and deprivation.

I seem to re-visit this topic each year at this time, but as it's possibly the major commercialized buy-buy-buy time of the year in this capitalistic society, with pets being popular (easy) 'presents' to obtain, it seems appropriate - and unfortunately change is a long time in happening - the cruelty continues, so i feel compelled to mention the horrors of this heinous industry yet again until we no longer see animals as commodities to be bought, sold and treated appallingly...

"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight"... Albert Schweitzer

Debra Tranter, animal liberation activist and rescuer, says "to look into the eyes of a confined dog and into the next and the next and the next and the next makes you feel like you’re on the edge of your sanity. Their eyes scream a silent agony of despair, their spirits broken. I can’t pick up 400 dogs put them in my car and leave, all I can do is film they’re suffering and get the footage out there because the truth cannot be changed until it can be seen. " the following is some of that footage... (my old girl allie only just survived one of these death camps...)

australian filmmaker William Wolfenden has created a documentary "The puppy mill" and you can view the trailer here - according to the australian website Where do puppies come from - "William Wolfenden has created a documentary that every animal lover should see. This is not an extremist animal rights film, but a realistic look into the world of the domesticated dog and where we are suddenly going wrong. Buy it, share it with your friends, have a think, have a cry and know that by watching this film you are making a difference."

if it's a gift giving time for you this december, why not give a gift that may help save lives - you can order a copy of the documentary here (i've just ordered mine!!!) 20% of the sales go to PetRescue, "a not-for-profit organisation that finds new homes for lost and abandoned pets. We believe every homeless pet deserves the chance to find a new loving family, but with rescue groups across the country struggling to feed and care for animals, many pets miss out on homes simply because nobody knows they are available." They have the largest online searchable directory of rescue pets in australia - if you're not looking for a companion you can always make a donation!

According to Death Row Pets "250,000 healthy, but unwanted cats and dogs are killed in Australian pounds each year" and they have 5 ideas to stop this slaughter that they'd like to see turned into a reality:

• Restrict the sale of cats and dogs to ethical regulated breeders, pounds and animal shelters
  


• Stop all sources of mass production of kittens and puppies for profit i.e. stop puppy and kitten farms and backyard breeders
  


• Achieve widespread desexing of all pets
  


• Increase the re-homing rate in pounds and shelters via better low-kill policies
  


• And of course educate everyone on responsible and caring pet ownership...
  

not unrealistic goals... you'd think it would be easy... why not visit the lead the way website and sign the petition to support the Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill - if it's passed in new south wales (Clover Moore keeps trying) then the precedent is set which gives a greater chance of change throughout australia... it's time to take a stand... go on, stand up and be counted - spread the word - help educate to eradicate this industry!!!!

please, visit the sites mentioned - people really need to know what's going on and to what extent...

END THE SILENCE

END THE PUPPY FACTORIES

END THE CRUELTY

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man."... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

timely reminders....

It's sad that there's yet another 'ribbon' day coming up - WHITE RIBBON DAY - November 25th (Tuesday) - International Day for the Elimination of VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN...

"White Ribbon Day - History

White Ribbon Day was created by a handful of Canadian men in 1991 on the second anniversary of one man's massacre of fourteen women in Montreal. They began the White Ribbon Campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women...." to read more go to the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia.

shameful isn't it that violence is still so brutally perpetrated against women in all countries under all political and religious systems...

and coming up to that major commercial time of year the Age had a very timely article on it's front page...

"Backyard puppy factories just waiting for the next bitch on heat

Carmel Egan
November 23, 2008

Belinda Russo, an animal management officer at Lort Smith Animal Hospital, holds three puppies she says were dumped by backyard breeders.

SHE is a dog with no name who lives in a bric-a-brac jumble by her master's back door. Her owner appears surprised when asked her name and seems to pluck "Suzy" from the air. A small, grey-and-white crossbreed with matted hair, she doesn't respond to Suzy. She snarls and squabbles with her litter of hungry pups over a bowl of dog pellets..." read more here.

I wrote about this cruelty 12 months ago now - nothing ever changes - my babe Allie was a brood bitch in a puppy factory and almost died at the age of 4 - you can read her story by clicking her picture and read more about puppy factories here..

and so many people think of animals as the perfect xmas gift without thinking beyond the gift giving time... let's not forget - COMPANION ANIMALS ARE FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR XMAS!!!!

and on that note - it's just a quick post today - it's only a short weekend for me as I'm working tomorrow (normally my day off!!! - but I do get a day off in lieu) - I'm going to an all day seminar (so at least I'm not dealing with the public!!) at the museum called Collections and the Web with a big emphasis on Web 2.0 stuff... I'm really looking forward to it - but now I'm going to check the yummy Greek style baked vegies in tomato sauce I've got bubbling away in the oven and smelling wonderful... so it's ciao for now.

Oh no, it's "that" time of year!!!!

Whether you celebrate Solstice, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Human Light, Dhu al-Hijjah, Hanukkah, Dongzhi, Hogmanay, New Year’s Eve, Saturnalia or any of the myriad celebrations from around the world at this time, it is a gift-giving time, and people give animals - but please think of the poor brood bitches when you see those cute little puppies in the pet shops… instead why don’t you adopt (or encourage someone else to adopt) a babe who’s had a hard life to start with… that would be a wonderful beginning to a new year for both you and them…

my girl Allie would agree with that - the following YouTube videos show the cruelty of life in the puppy factories - where my girl spent the first 4 years of her life before she was saved (otherwise it would have been her death as well!!!)… they’re quite haunting...



and I couldn't resist the following videos - when you're sitting down to your festive, celebratory breakfast, lunch or dinner, I'm hoping you'll think of the cruelty inflicted on animals and say NO to meat - such inhumane treatment to provide rancid, decaying flesh for your 'culinary enjoyment' - I'm sure everyone's seen the brutality of the transport trucks... then there's the abattoirs, and the feed lots, and the battery farms... maybe you could support one of the many animal rights groups as presents for friends and family...

or adopt an endangered wild creature???

a bear...

a wolf...

gorilla maybe...

closer to home, a koala???
or, as Lovegod suggested... a possum


and then there are the interminable 'christmas carols' - they're enough to drive anyone crazy!!!! but that's for another post...

Just for something different...

Another passion of mine....

my canine and feline companions.

HERSTORY:

This is my babe Allie… she started out life as a brood bitch in a puppy factory – after 4 years she 'd had so many litters she was too ill to breed from anymore - she was saved by SADS (Save-a-Dog Scheme) and then adopted by me. Then we discovered the girl had a perineal hernia and needed major surgery. But she survived!!!!

She was such a frightened little girl for a long time – the slightest noise sent her seeking ‘security’ under the bed – it took years for her to feel comfortable with people – but she’s 15 now – who would have thought??? Mind you, she is almost deaf, almost blind and has a problem with her weakened bladder (she just can’t hold on very long these days!!) but I have lived a much richer life because of her.

HISTORY:

My boy Shadow was only 4 weeks old when I first ‘met’ him. I was approached by a woman in the supermarket carpark asking if there was a pet shop around. Once I realised that she wanted to get rid of him, well, there’s not much more to say – I was only too happy to ‘take him off her hands’. And I think he was glad too!!!

He is a bit confused as to his name though – it’s evolved into “There-he-is” because you can’t help yourself, whenever you see him, your immediate response is “thereheis”!!!! He’s 5 now, street-smart, and very sassy.

Both created with fd's" Flickr Toys.

ANIMALS ARE FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR XMAS

PLEASE DON’T SUPPORT THE PUPPY AND KITTEN FACTORIES BY BUYING FROM PET SHOPS – CHECK OUT THE ANIMAL RESCUE AND SUPPORT SHELTERS – THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY BABES NEEDING ADOPTION.