Category: Animal Rights

Animal Witticisms

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Animal Witticisms

Some of the funnies road signs can be found at veterinary offices.

Animal Witticisms

Editor: Alexis de Tocqueville came to America from France in 1831. He was a young, wealthy, aristocrat, budding writer, social observer, and philosopher. He went on to author one of the most definitive studies of America and her people ever written, “Democracy in America.” While touring the young country, he noted numerous uniquely American traits; two carry-overs from those long ago times were, the “intent self-interest” of the average American, and secondly, that Americans are “not a happy lot.” Well, that reassures me; nothing much has changed in the last nearly 200 years. Americans do however, have witty road signs to change that scowl to a smile. Here we go:

 

By D.S. Mitchell

Silly Road Signs

  1. Holly Ridge Veterinary Hospital: I used a spot remover on my dog . . . .  He disappeared.
  2. Highland Road Animal Hospital: My alarm doesn’t have a snooze button . . . .  It has paws.
  3. Grants Pass Vet Clinic: Someone made a joke about my three-legged cat . . . .  Major faux paw.
  4. Washoe County Veterinary Services: Against animal testing. They get nervous and mark all the answers wrong!
  5. Portland Veterinary Clinic: Q: What animal has more lives than a cat?  A: Frogs, they croak every night!
  6. St. Joe’s Veterinary Hospital: Free belly rubs with each exam . . . . Sorry, pets only!
  7. Carroll County Veterinary Clinic: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to see it . . . you can bet a chihuahua 500 miles away will bark at it.
  8. Seaside Animal Clinic: Our dog swallowed a bag of scrabble tiles . . . . the vet is checking him out, no word yet!
  9. Sandy Animal Clinic: Why was the cat sitting on the computer? . . . .  To keep an eye on the mouse!
  10. Warrenton Veterinary Hospital: For a man to truly understand rejection . . . . he must first own a cat.
  11. Astoria Paw and Claws: Why don’t cats play poker in the jungle? . . . .Too many cheetahs.

Well folks, enough of that shit. Have a great day. Be glad you’re an American. We may have our problems, but we’ve got the veterinarians to keep us smiling.

Animal Cruelty a World-Wide Issue

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Animal Cruelty  a World-Wide Issue

Animals world wide face unbelievable cruelty and abuse

Animal Cruelty a World-Wide Issue

By Michael Leonard Douglas 

Barbaric Cruelty

The goal should be a balance in the ecosystem for all living things to thrive.  There is no justification for the barbaric cruelty that takes place daily on every continent. It does not matter whether a human is involved or an animal.  Animal-human right’s activists advocate for treating all animals humanely. Can you imagine the outrage if human beings were held in cages and tortured regularly or were hunted down by wealthy adventurers seeking nothing more than a photo-op with a corpse, or a trophy for their wall?  It is time that humanity finds the resolve to develop a plan that promotes co-existence with the rest of the animal kingdom. Where balance of land and resources put an end to animal cruelty.

Basic needs

Scientifically, human beings are animals. Therefore, when we talk about human rights, there is no real conflict with animal rights. Those most basic rights (needs) for all creatures are to live freely, have access to food and water, a comfortable shelter/habitat; and lastly, security from unwarranted threat and mistreatment. Animal cruelty is denial of any of these basic needs. When any one of these basic rights is infringed upon repeatedly the entire ecosystem is thrown out of balance.

View from the top

Since human beings are at the top of the chain and dominate every activity on the planet it is difficult to convince the global human population that we are equals with lesser animals. The term, “animal rights” was coined to give a voice to the millions of animals that face cruelty and slaughter every single day. There is no animal that is more intelligent than the human species and no species better able to launch and give voice to an appeal against animal cruelty than that carried on by its own species.

 

Animal Abuse Linked to Domestic Violence

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Animal Abuse Linked to Domestic Violence

Researchers have drawn a link between domestic abuse and animal abuse

Animal Abuse Linked to Domestic Violence

 

By D. S. Mitchell and Michael Leonard Douglas

Links to animal cruelty and  family abuse

The link between animal cruelty and domestic violence is clear if we are willing to look at the evidence. Domestic abuse is not usually just an attack on one household member. The abusers target animals too. Most domestic animals that are mistreated are part of a paradigm of abuse. A study by the Animal Welfare Institute confirmed there is a connection between animal abuse, child abuse, and domestic partner abuse.

Statistics are eye-opening

A study by The Animal Welfare Institute measured a strong connection between animal cruelty, child abuse, and non-ending domestic violence. According to their study, up to 72% of abused women reported a similar, if not brutal, abuse of their pets by their spouse or partner. The study shows that not only were the animals abused, but often killed in the process. In a similar study conducted nationwide, a staggering 84% of the people who reported domestic abuse also claimed that their pets were abused or brutally injured.

Animal Welfare Institute

Statistically there is a direct link between domestic violence and animal cruelty. The connection of these women (occasionally men) to their pets was found to be so strong that up to 49% of those reporting abuses chose to stay in the environment to protect their pets. These are shocking numbers and should be of great social concern. But is knowledge enough to turn social concern into social policy that safeguards both animal and human rights? A question not answered by the study was, is the cruelty toward the animals a characteristic trait of the abuser, or is it related to the human target of abuse and their relationship with the abused animal?

Conclusion

I don’t know how we can fix this problem without doing lobotomies on all domestic violence offenders; an unrealistic proposal, I admit. So, friends I’m able to tell you there is a problem that has huge consequences on society, but I have no answer on what to do about it. I apologize but I’ll have to turn the problem over to those more educated than I am.

Transplant Patients Get New Hope

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New Hope For Transplant Patients

In a history making surgery and an amazing 61 days a pig kidney works normally inside a donated cadaver, raising hope for animal to human transplants

Pig Kidney Offers Hope For Dying Patients

A brain dead patient receives a pig’s kidney 

By D. S. Mitchell 

 

OHSU Transplant

As a young RN I worked at University Hospital, in Portland, Oregon. My first assignment was on the Transplant floor. Although it was many years ago, now, it was a great experience, helping those who would die without a donated organ. At that time we did kidney, liver, pancreas, and hearts. It is an amazing program extending life for 1,000’s of patients over the years. One of the hardest things for patient is the seemingly interminable wait if they don’t have a genetic match with a potential family donor. At least a 100,000  people are on the national waiting list, the majority need a kidney, and sadly thousands will die waiting for a donor.

New Hope On The Way

A history making experiment has been underway for the last two months in a New York hospital that offers promise to those waiting for a kidney donation. Xenotransplantation has for decades been nothing more than a dream. The problem is the human immune system, which immediately goes to work to kill the foreign animal tissue. With a new approach scientists are working with genetically modified pigs, so the pigs organs are more humanlike. Some research teams insist on pigs that have up to 10 genetic changes.  The transplant team led by Dr. Robert Montgomery, a heart transplant recipient himself, used in this study, is a pig kidney with only one genetic modification. Importantly, the single gene modification is the removal of a gene that triggers an immediate immune attack.

Maurice “Mo” Miller 

The human recipient, Maurice “Mo” Miller, had collapsed and was declared brain-dead, his family was unable to donate his organs because of cancer. His sister after much consideration chose to donate the the man’s body to the pig experiment. Dr. Montgomery gambled that he could keep Miller’s body on a ventilator for two months to test the transplanted pig kidney. On July 14, 2023, surgeons replaced Miller’s two kidneys with one pig kidney and the pig’s thymus. The thymus is a gland that “trains” immune cells. Two months later at the termination of the experiment, Miller was taken off the ventilator and prepared for cremation. The kidney was still performing perfectly.

The Future

The information gained from this study will be provided to the FDA in the hopes that xenotransplantation may soon be attempted on living humans. Experiments on the dead cannot be predictors of organ transplant success with living subjects. I see years of testing, but this amazing case gives us all hope that someday we will be able to transplant modified animal organs into living humans, saving lives, that would have ended too soon.

 

GREENPEACE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM 50 YEARS

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GREENPEACE:

Highlights From 50 Years

GREENPEACE:

Highlights From 50 Years

Greenpeace uses direct action, lobbying, research, and ecotage to achieve its goals.

Founded in 1971

Greenpeace was founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving and Dorothy Stowe transplanted environmental activists from the United States. The organizations stated goal is to “ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity.” Greenpeace focuses its campaigning on worldwide environmental issues such as; climate change, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering, and anti-nuclear issues.

Global Network

Greenpeace is a global network. The network comprises 26 independent national/regional organizations in over 55 countries. A coordinating body,  Greenpeace International is based in the Netherlands. The network does not accept funding from corporations, political parties, or governments, relying instead on three million plus individual donors and special foundations grants. 

Raising the World Consciousness

Greenpeace is without a double one of the most visible environmental organizations in the world and is critical in raising issues to public  knowledge.

Greenpeace:

50 Years Of Action

February 1972:

After the first Greenpeace action in 1971 the U.S. abandons nuclear testing grounds at Amchitka Island, Alaska.

October 1982:

After at-sea actions against whalers, the International Whaling Commission adopts a whaling moratorium.

December 1989:

UN moratorium on high seas large scale driftnets is passed, responding to public outrage at indiscriminate fishing practices. In 1991 a worldwide ban goes into force.

November 1993:

Due to repeated actions against ocean dumping for over a decade by Greenpeace the London Dumping Convention permanently bans the dumping of radioactive and industrial waste worldwide.

December 1994:

After years of Greenpeace actions against whaling, the Antarctic whale sanctuary is approved by the International Whaling Commission.

December 1997:

Adoption of the Kyoto Protocol by governments of many industrialized countries agreeing to set legally binding reduction targets on greenhouse gases. Europe signed on March 2002 and Russia in 2004.

May 2002:

Greenpeace defeats a major drive by Japan to re-introduce commercial whaling.

March 2009: The Great Bear Rainforest protection agreement capped one of Greenpeace’s longest running campaigns. The protected region covers over 25,000 square miles of Canadian wilderness.

September 2015: Shell Oil abandons Arctic drilling.

October 2016: After years of campaigning for a protected area in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica succeeded. The agreement created the largest marine protected area in the world.

July 2017: Thai Union, the largest tuna company in the world and owner of Chicken of the Sea, agrees to sweeping reforms with expected benefits for sharks, sea turtles and fisherman.

May-July 2018: Foodservice giants Bon Apetit Management and Aramark commit to phase out plastic straws and stirrers, and other single use products.

September 2020: Brazilian government rejects oil drilling applications near the spectacular Amazon Reef right off the Brazilian coast by French oil giant Total.

June 2021: The U.S. Interior Department  suspends oil and gas drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after a Greenpeace campaign leading to an environmental review.

August 2022: California legislature enacts a 3,200 foot public health and safety setback, or a buffer zone to protect neighborhoods from toxic pollution created by oil and gas drilling.

 

Another Tribute To Betty White

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Another Tribute To Betty White

Thank you for being a friend

Another Tribute To Betty White

Editor: Normally CNP stays away from publishing articles on similar topics two days in a row. But in this case I said, Oh, hell, yes. So here is the second article on Betty White in two days, and I suggest just like Anna Hessel, let’s all try to be more like Betty. *Please consider donating to your local no kill shelter in the name of Betty White.

“Be Like Betty”

 

By Anna Hessel

 

The Great Betty White

The world remembers the legendary Betty White with awe, honor, and respect.  Those that knew her personally recognized she treated everyone with equal importance and kindness.  We often recall the “Golden Girls” theme song, “Thank You For Being A Friend”, when thinking of Betty.  She was a friend to all, especially God’s furry creatures.

Lover Of All Big And Small

She is quoted as saying, “When I am around animals, I don’t pay attention to people”.  Her parents were animal lovers, also, so Betty grew up visiting zoos on a regular basis.  Animal rights organizations have been flooded with donations on what would have been her 100th birthday, January 17th.  She was a champion of other liberal causes, as well.  Also on her birthday, a Google search of Ms. White’s name unlocked rose petals fluttering down the page and a message saying, “Thank you for being a friend”.

A Television Pioneer

Ms. White was a pioneer of women in television, the first female to produce a situation comedy, “Life With Elizabeth”.  In the opening of NBC’s “The Betty White Show”, which aired in 1954, Ms. White sang the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic song from “The King and I”, “Getting to Know You”.  She played various characters – naughty Sue Ann Nivens, The Happy Homemaker on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, had the title role in “The Betty White Show”,  but is remembered most as the loveable, storytelling Rose Nyland on the cult classic “Golden Girls”.

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Celebrating The Life Of Betty White

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Celebrating The Life Of Betty White

Editor: Betty White would have been 100 years old today, January 17, 2022. One of the most important aspects of her life was her commitment to Animal Rights. 

Celebrating The Life Of Betty White

By MAHINROOP PM

 

Animal Advocate

Betty White, the iconic American actress, comedienne, singer and legendary TV personality left us on December 31, 2021, just seventeen days before her one hundredth birthday. America’s ‘golden girl’ will be missed, like few other celebrities. Betty was not only a pioneer in show business, but she was a pioneer animal rights activist, too. She was a compassionate advocate for animal protection and animal rights, throughout her long life. For decades Betty White has been known for her generosity; giving to animal rights causes, zoos, and  foundations across the country. It was Betty White who stepped up and paid for the plane to relocate penguins and sea otters being evacuated from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I believe Betty would want to be remembered for her work as conservationist and devoted animal lover, as much as she would want to be remembered for her celebrated 80 years in show business.

Expanding Activism

Betty White worked tirelessly for more than 50 years with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. In a public statement, the GLAZA remembers “her service, her enduring friendship, her lifelong advocacy for animals, and her dedication to supporting our mission. ” The star deeply cared for all living creatures and her demise will leave a huge hole in animal protection endeavors.  As White’s fame grew she expanded her animal activism. One of her most beloved charities was The Seeing Eye in New Jersey, one of the country’s oldest guide dog schools.

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The Shift From Pet To Family Member

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The Shift From Pet To Family Member

Pets have gone from family service to family member.

The Shift From Pet to Family Member

The Changing Landscape of Pet Ownership in the United States

By Megan Wallin

Holiday Photos

Everyone knows that couple whose dog or cat is their “baby,” and to suggest otherwise might get you kicked to the curb—literally or figuratively. It used to be rare, or even laughable, to meet people like that, but now the family pet is just that: a true member of the family. We include them in our family photos, holiday cards, wedding celebrations, birth announcements and more. American pet owners spend an average of $1,480 per year on their dogs and a little over $900 on their cats, according to an article from Fortunly.com. To put that in perspective, some American parents—namely those who can forgo daycare and babysitters—actually spend less on their human children.

The Shift from Pet to Family Member

Perhaps it’s a demonstration of our shift from utilitarian view of pets to a relationship view. We now have behavioral specialists and animal psychologists for dogs. Professionals specially trained to seek out what could be causing Spot’s sudden loss of interest in his favorite toy or his penchant for nipping ankles whenever guests wear funny socks. (Well, maybe that’s not the exact purpose, but you get the idea.) The point is that we’ve expanded our view; from seeing animals as useful contributors to a system, such as the family guard dog or cat who functions as the barnyard mouser, to a loving, sharing, participant in family life. One look at most people’s social media accounts will tell you that pets are now bonified family members. We carefully interview potential pet sitters. We celebrate pet birthdays, and “gotcha” (adoption) days. There seems no awareness that some of our sentimentality might be displaced, because it doesn’t feel at all unnatural.

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The Vanishing Amazon Rainforest

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The Vanishing Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest is in peril. Experts predict there will be no rainforest in 30 years.

The Vanishing Amazon Rainforest 

The clock is ticking. The emergency real. Experts believe that in 30 years the Amazon rainforest will likely be, just a memory. . .

By Megan Wallin 

Ongoing Threat

The Amazon rainforest has been under threat for decades. Despite its indisputable ecological value and unspeakable beauty we are at risk of losing this incredible natural resource.  Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has vowed to protect the forest and reduce harmful emissions. His words don’t match his actions. Unparalleled development continues, transforming forest into farmland or deforested deserts. The entire ecosystem has been disrupted, all for the price of temporary, but immediate profit.

A Ravaged Landscape

According to Reuters, Brazil’s ecological losses have increased 1.8 percent just during 2020, losing roughly 1,062 square kilometers of forest to greed and corruption. But logging isn’t the only issue to blame in this scenario. Farmland conversion, wildfires, droughts and pollution have ravaged the land. More than one billion acres of rainforest have been transformed into public, government or miscellaneous use since the year 1990.

Losing Value

The worth of an intact and thriving Amazon rainforest amounts to approximately a whopping $8.2 billion , but the forest is losing its value both economically and environmentally.  This world wonder spreads across Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon rainforest extends over millions of miles, and provides a safe habitat for thousands of tropical animals. Furthermore, it is home to at least 500 tribal communities.

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Policing Problematic Puppy Mills

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Policing Problematic Puppy Mills

By Wes Hessel

 Producing Pets For Pure Profit

 By definition a “puppy mill” is problematic.  These breeders raise animals purely for profit.  At best,  conditions barely meet legal minimum standards.  Most often there is flagrant disregard of laws and the animals’ welfare, subjecting animals to horrendous conditions.

Per Wikipedia

Per Wikipedia, a codified uniform legal characterization has not yet been made.  A case law definition was established in 1984 by Avenson v. Zegart, as “a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits”.   “Emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care”, is how The Humane Society of the United States’ (HSUS)  Veterinary Medical Association describes the practice.

Make It Stop..

Senior director John Goodwin of The Humane Society of the United States is spearheading a stop puppy mills campaign.  The goal of the campaign is to activate the average citizen. Goodwin believes it is imperative that citizens report puppy mills and then refuse to  patronize stores who sell animals that come from these suppliers.  Some Mennonite and Amish communities have concentrations of puppy mills, particularly in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  The Midwest has a large percentage of the offenders: the animal protection organization’s “Horrible 100” has five Indiana dog breeders on the list, for example, one of which is tied for the seventh worst.  Missouri, who has the highest number of puppy mills in the U.S., reported two breeders with significant numbers of emaciated dogs and abhorrent conditions.

It Gets Worse…

An Iowa  puppy mill with 650 dogs had more than 50 that were ill or injured.  Some of these operations have over a thousand canines in their charge.  Circumstances at smaller breeders aren’t necessarily better.  The Attorney General of Michigan is pursuing action against an AKC breeder for allegedly deceiving customers, euthanizing unwanted puppies, and selling sick animals.  A Kansas puppy miller admitted to shooting and killing over two dozen dogs.  Some others have been known to drown animals rather than go to the expense of humane euthanasia.

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