Rescue, Foster, Advocate

Help needed for animals rescued from hoarders in Warroad

2012-01-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

WARROAD, Minn. - Twenty eight dogs and two cats are being housed at the Pennington County Humane Society after they were rescued from the home of alleged dog hoarders in Warroad.

Police Chief Wade Steinbring confirmed to the Warroad Pioneer that the animals had been kept indoors for nearly 3 years, and that the basement of the home occupied by a male owner and his female companion was filled with an estimated two to three feet of feces.

There was also feces on the walls, stairs, countertops, and just about every surface in the home, according to Steinbring.

The animals were rescued from the home on January 10 by humane volunteers, who took them to the Pennington County Humane Society for care and evaulation.
Neighbors were reportedly not aware of the situation because there was no odor, little noise, and they never saw any of the animals outside.

The Warroad City Council met last week to declare the home a public nuisance and health hazard, and ordered board-up operations to begin.

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/957407/391/Dogs-rescued-from-home-of-alleged-Warroad-hoarders

Please send donations to:

Pennington County Humane Society
15598 U.S. Hwy 59 NE
P.O. Box 64
Thief River Falls, MN 56701

pawstrf@pawstrf.org

Bill Banning Undercover Video Is Back

2012-01-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

NOTE FROM MINNESOTA HUMANE SOCIETY:
Two critical bills from last year’s legislative session, S.F. 1118/HF 1369, are expected to come up for a hearing very soon at the legislature. These bills criminalize anyone blowing the whistle (taking video) on animal cruelty, food and worker safety, labor abuses, and environmental crimes at puppy/kitten mills or factory farms in Minnesota. These bills even make the possession and distribution of this information (images) a crime, including possession and distribution by the news media.

It is because of such undercover investigation that breeder Kathy Bauck was charged and convicted of animal cruelty and, acts of cruelty occurring at Sparboe Farms in Litchfield, MN were revealed to the public. These bills would shield commercial breeders and agri- business from public scrutiny. Please call your State Representative and Senator to express your opposition to these bills (Find out who represents you).

Click on the following links for contact information for your Representative and Senator:
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/housemembers.asp

http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_list.php?sort=d&ls=#header

We must speak for the animals. Thank you for caring.

The Minnesota Humane Society is an education, advocacy and rescue organization dedicated to protecting the lives and interests of Minnesota's animals. Please help us continue our important work. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all donations are tax deductible.

475 North Cleveland Avenue Suite 100B | St. Paul, MN 55104 US

Feline Rescue's Free Cat Claw Clipping Clinics at Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlets

2012-01-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Need a manicure for your fuzzy feline? Visit one of Feline Rescue's FREE cat claw clipping clinics, hosted by Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlets around the Twin Cities.

In addition to a trim for your cat, you'll learn why cats scratch, get tips on doing the clipping yourself, and get information on the best scratching surfaces for your cat.

Clinics are Saturdays, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm at the following Chuck & Don's:

January 14 - Roseville - 1661 County Road C West (by Byerly's)
January 14 - Shakopee - 1270 Vierling Drive E (by Cub)
January 21 - Calhoun Village - 3246 West Lake, Minneapolis
January 21 - NE Minneapolis - 335 Central SE
January 28 - Highland Crossing, 2114 Highland Parkway, St. Paul
February 11 - Shakopee - 1270 Vierling Drive E (by Cub)
February 11 - Roseville - 1661 County Road C West (by Byerly's)

If you are interested in volunteering at a clinic, contact Marie at marie.metzke@felinerescue.org

For more information about Feline Rescue, Inc. check out their website (www.felinerescue.org) and blog (www.felinerescue.blogspot.com).

Cat issue at Wed. City Council mtg in Woodbury

2012-01-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

Woodbury pet advocates decry cat's killing after owner's death
Article by: TIM HARLOW , Star Tribune
Updated: January 9, 2012 - 7:24 PM

Humane Society euthanized diabetic gray tabby in December. Advocates contend the city and the society did not follow state law.

Woodbury police took Jimmy to the Humane Society on Dec. 7.

. The death of a cat named Jimmy has pet advocates in Woodbury demanding changes in how the city deals with pets who have no one to look after them after their owners die.

They plan to speak out at Wednesday's City Council meeting because, they say, the city and the Animal Humane Society are not following state law.

"Jimmy would still be alive if Minnesota state statutes were followed," said Woodbury resident Debbie Long, who is organizing the rally. "We need these statutes enforced to protect animals to be sure they are taken care of."

The outcry stems from a December case in which the Humane Society euthanized a diabetic gray tabby cat whose owner had died. Her will stated that the cat should have gone to a no-kill shelter in Hastings.

Woodbury police took the cat to the Humane Society on Dec. 7. Police identified the deceased woman's estranged daughter as the rightful owner, and the society called her four days later. Ray Aboyan, the society's CEO, says the daughter gave the society permission to euthanize the cat, which the society could not place because of its condition.

Meanwhile, the executive director of Hastings' Animal Ark Shelter learned of the cat owner's death and called police to find out where Jimmy was. Mike Fry said he was concerned because the cat needed insulin. He also was its new guardian, according to the woman's will.

Fry contacted the Humane Society on Dec. 14 to learn that Jimmy had been killed.

State law requires shelters to hold stray animals for five days or until the owner comes forward, or 10 days if animals are victims of abuse, neglect or cruelty. Here, semantics come into play.

Aboyan said the Humane Society viewed Jimmy as a stray and held him for the required five days. Fry disagreed, saying Jimmy was a victim of neglect, which "can sometimes be unintentional," such as in the case of an owner's death, and thus should have been held 10 days. That would have been long enough for Fry, who was authorized by the woman's will to make decisions about Jimmy.

"Woodbury residents are upset because [the woman's] wishes were not carried out and the law was not followed," Fry said.

Aboyan said the Humane Society didn't know that Animal Ark was the cat's rightful owner. If it had known, "we would not have killed the cat," he said. "This is an unfortunate outcome. We were acting with the information we had. We followed the law."

Tim Harlow • 651-925-5039 Twitter: @timstrib

More on Woodbury cat

2012-01-09T17:34:00.001-08:00

Woodbury woman left her estate to a "no-kill" shelter, but the cat was euthanized after a possible miscommunication.

By Zac Farber

Woodbury resident Mary Ray knew what she wanted to happen to her cat when she died.

Ray’s will left her entire estate, including power of attorney over the cat—Jimmy, a gray-striped tabby—to Animal Ark, a “no-kill” Hastings pet shelter she had admired since touring the facility in 2004, Animal Ark executive director Mike Fry said.

When Ray died on Dec. 7 from diabetes at the age of 71, Woodbury police took Jimmy to the local Animal Humane Society. After a telephone conversation with one of Ray’s daughters, Humane Society officials decided to euthanize Jimmy, said Laurie Brickley, Humane Society vice president of marketing.

By Dec. 9, Jimmy was dead.

“It was all done really poorly and unprofessionally, and I would assign responsibility with the city of Woodbury and the Humane Society,” Fry said.

It’s a sequence of events that both Animal Ark and the Animal Humane Society are calling unusual, and many facts are in dispute about whether the proper procedures were followed, whether the humane society needed legal paperwork to prove ownership and even whether Ray’s daughter wanted Jimmy killed.

Fry said that he went to Ray’s house and told her daughter, Susan White, that Jimmy was dead.

“She had this shocked look on her face and immediately started crying, saying ‘The Humane Society killed him’ and saying ‘Oh my god, she loved that cat so much, oh my god she loved that cat so much,’” Fry said. “What information may or may not have been exchanged in that phone conversation, I don’t know.”

The Humane Society defended the action, saying Woodbury police gave them the daughter’s name and they “did everything the way our protocol calls for,” Brickley said.

“We contacted this person and she made a decision based on the cat’s medical care, being a diabetic cat, that no one in the family would be able to care for that cat, so she requested our euthanasia and pet cremation services,” she said.

In response to a complaint from Fry, Woodbury Police Sgt. Neil Bauer wrote that Jimmy “was placed in the care of the Animal Humane Society until the next of kin could make further arrangements.”

“It is unfortunate that the decedent’s wishes were not implemented upon her death,” he wrote. “However, considering the information that was available at the time, the City made reasonable efforts to provide care for the cat until next of kin could act upon the decedent’s wishes.”

A Cat’s Journey
Marlene Foote, a co-founder of Animal Ark, met Mary Ray, who lived at the 6800 block Sherwood Road in Woodbury, in 2004 and spoke with her about her decision to leave her estate to the shelter.

Foote, who voiced her concerns during a recent Woodbury City Council meeting, said Ray was adamant on the point of not wanting either of her daughters to benefit from her will.

“She told me she had broken up with the man she was going to marry, and she wanted to leave her estate to Animal Ark, and she specifically mentioned that she didn’t want either of her daughters—and she mentioned them by name—to have anything to do with her estate,” Foote said. “She said, ‘I’m not omitting them accidentally, I’m omitting them purposefully.’ But her wishes simply were not carried out.”

(Fry said he does not place blame for Jimmy’s death on Ray’s family.)

Foote said she discovered that Ray was dead when she called her house on Sunday, Dec. 11, and a police officer answered. (Ray had called Foote on Dec. 4 to discuss getting a new pet.)

“She must have been feeling reasonably well because the Sunday before she had called me and said, ‘Marlene, I just really need to get a dog, I love dogs so much.’ And so I found a dog that she would have been willing to take care of—a dog we had that had diabetes,” Foote said.

The next day, Dec. 12, Fry started making calls to find out what had happened to Jimmy.

“I could tell early on that things were getting a little weird,” Fry said.

Fry decided to record a phone call with a Woodbury officer who explained why Jimmy was put down. The message says that police were under the impression that the cat wouldn’t have anyone to look after it. The officer said the Humane Society doesn’t provide insulin for cats, which was needed in Jimmy’s case.

“Jimmy can’t come back to life,” Foote said. “All he needed was a shot of insulin and the police said, ‘Well, the Animal Humane Society doesn’t give insulin.’ Insulin is cheaper than a shot of Fatal-Plus, but they chose to give him the Fatal-Plus.”

Brickley, the Humane Society official, said that there was no way they could have known that Animal Ark would be involved in the matter.

“Animal Ark contacted us three days later, saying they were the authorized power of attorney to make decisions about this cat, but unfortunately we could not be psychic and know that was the case,” she said. “We used the information the Woodbury police gave us to contact the appropriate family member to make a decision about the cat.”

Asking For Action
Foote and Fry said the Humane Society is required by law to hold impounded pets for a minimum of five business days, and Fry has written an open letter to the city of Woodbury asking it to bring its “contracted impound center into compliance with law.”

“We’re asking the city of Woodbury to look at who they’re using for impound because it’s really horrible for people who make a will thinking their animals are going to be cared for, and then having them killed,” Foote said.

Brickley said the five-day holding period applies only to stray pets and is not applicable in Jimmy’s case.

“This is an owner-surrender, this was not a stray, this was a family member making a choice about their individual cat on behalf of the mother,” she said. “There is no legal hold required.”

Brickley said that there is conflict between Animal Ark and Mary Ray’s family and that the Humane Society is waiting for the verdict of a probate hearing to find out who gets to possess the remains of the cat.

http://woodbury.patch.com/articles/humane-society-kills-cat-against-dead-owner-s-wishes

Cat euthanized despite will directing care

2012-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

No-kill proponents, Humane Society clash over cat
9:09 AM, Jan 9, 2012 |

WOODBURY, Minn. - A euthanized cat has no-kill proponents and the Humane Society at odds in Woodbury.

When Mary Ray died last month, the Woodbury woman had willed her cat and personal belongings to the Animal Ark No-Kill Shelter in Hastings. But, the Humane Society and Woodbury police say they didn't know about the will.

Humane Society executive Ray Aboyan tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press the cat had no prospects for adoption since it was diabetic and in poor health. Ray's daughter, Susan White, agreed to have the cat put down because she knew it was in poor health and none of their relatives would want it.

No-kill proponents are planning to protest at Wednesday's Woodbury City Council meeting.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=955444
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

What's in a name??

2011-12-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

Dog named L.L. Bean adopted by L.L. Bean employee
1:29 PM, Dec 15, 2011
Photo courtesy Dunn County Humane Society

MENOMONIE, Wis. - A dog named L.L. Bean will soon be united with the clothing company of the same name after a TV report in Eau Claire, Wis., featured the dog in an adoption segment.

The day after the dog, a three-year-old, 80-pound coon hound, was showcased on WQOW-TV during a "Pet of the Day" segment, an employee from L.L. Bean's corporate office in Maine contacted the Dunn County Humane Society to inquire about the dog's availability.

According to the Dunn County Humane Society's website, the shelter had not been able to find a place for L.L. Bean the dog for more than a year. That is, until L.L. Bean the company called.

An employee at L.L. Bean's headquarters shared the dog's story with other employees. Four adoption applications were submitted to the Dunn County Humane Society for L.L. Bean.

Pam Burt of Windham, Maine, is a customer service representative at L.L. Bean and in early January, she will be the proud new owner of the hunting dog. She was selected after a phone interview with the shelter.

"I fell in love with L.L. Bean as soon as I read the story and saw his picture," Burt told WQOW. "My family can't wait to get him."

The dog will leave western Wisconsin for Maine in early January.

Employees at L.L. Bean's Maine offices collected more than $800 to pay for the dog's transportation from Menomonie to Burt's home in Maine.

(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

New limits on use of chimps in medical research

2011-12-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopt strict new limits on using chimpanzees in medical research, saying most unneeded

Article by: LAURAN NEERGAARD ,
Associated Press Updated: December 15, 2011 - 1:08 PM

Marlon, 10, a chimpanzee, in his outdoor cage at the New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, La., Oct. 28, 2011.
Photo: Tim Mueller, New York Times

WASHINGTON - The government on Thursday said it would adopt strict new limits on using chimpanzees in medical research, after a prestigious scientific group recommended that experiments with humans' closest relative be done only as a last resort.

The National Institutes of Health agreed that science has advanced enough that chimps seldom would be needed to help develop new medicines.

NIH Director Francis Collins temporarily barred new federal funding for research involving chimps, and said a working group will review about 37 ongoing projects involving the animals to see if they should be phased out.

Chimps' similarity to people "demands special consideration and respect," Collins said.

These apes' genetic closeness to humans has long caused a quandary. It's what has made them so valuable to scientists for nearly a century. They were vital in creating a vaccine for hepatitis B, for example, and even were shot into space to make sure the trip wouldn't kill the astronauts next in line.

But that close relationship also has had animal rights groups arguing that using chimps for biomedical research is unethical, even cruel.

Chimp research already was dwindling fast as scientists turned to less costly and ethically charged alternatives.

Thursday's decision was triggered by an uproar last year over the fate of 186 semi-retired research chimps that the NIH, to save money, planned to move from a New Mexico facility to an active research lab in Texas.

Where and how to house those animals — and others scattered around the country who probably no longer will be needed — are among the issues that Collins said a government working group will decide as it determines how to implement the new research restrictions.

The Institute of Medicine's recommendation on Thursday stopped short of the outright ban that animal rights activists had pushed. Instead, it urged strict limits on biomedical research — testing new drugs or giving animals a disease — that would allow using chimps only if studies could not be done on other animals or people themselves, and if foregoing the chimp work would hinder progress against life-threatening or debilitating conditions.

The panel advised the government to limit use of chimps in behavioral and genetic research as well, saying such studies must provide insights that otherwise are unattainable — and use techniques that minimize any pain or distress.

"We understand and feel compelled by the moral cost of using chimpanzees in research," said bioethicist Jeffrey Kahn of Johns Hopkins University, who chaired the Institute of Medicine panel. "We have established criteria that will set the bar quite high for justification of the use of chimpanzees."

The U.S. is one of only two countries known to still conduct medical research with chimpanzees; the other is Gabon, in Africa. The European Union essentially banned such research last year.

Here, too, the practice was becoming uncommon. The Institute of Medicine's investigation found over the past 10 years, the NIH has paid for just 110 projects of any type that involved chimps. There are not quite 1,000 chimps available for medical research in the country.

While it's impossible to say how many have been used in privately funded pharmaceutical research, the industry is shifting to higher-tech and less costly research methods. One drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, adopted an official policy ending its use of great apes, including chimpanzees, in research.

Horsemeat may become available in U.S.

2011-12-01T11:36:00.001-08:00

Horsemeat May Become Available in U.S.
By AP / JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011

(TULSA, Okla.) — Horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for human consumption after Congress quietly lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections, and activists say slaughterhouses could be up and running in as little as a month.

Slaughter opponents pushed a measure cutting off funding for horse meat inspections through Congress in 2006 after other efforts to pass outright bans on horse slaughter failed in previous years. Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law Nov. 18 to keep the government afloat until mid-December.

It did not, however, allocate any new money to pay for horse meat inspections, which opponents claim could cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million a year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture would have to find the money in its existing budget, which is expected to see more cuts this year as Congress and the White House aim to trim federal spending.

The USDA issued a statement Tuesday saying there are no slaughterhouses in the U.S. that butcher horses for human consumption now, but if one were to open, it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws were being followed. USDA spokesman Neil Gaffney declined to answer questions beyond what was in the statement.

The last U.S. slaughterhouse that butchered horses closed in 2007 in Illinois, and animal welfare activists warned of massive public outcry in any town where a slaughterhouse may open. "If plants open up in Oklahoma or Nebraska, you'll see controversy, litigation, legislative action and basically a very inhospitable environment to operate," predicted Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States. "Local opposition will emerge and you'll have tremendous controversy over slaughtering Trigger and Mr. Ed."

But pro-slaughter activists say the ban had unintended consequences, including an increase in neglect and the abandonment of horses, and that they are scrambling to get a plant going — possibly in Wyoming, North Dakota, Nebraska or Missouri. They estimate a slaughterhouse could open in 30 to 90 days with state approval and eventually as many as 200,000 horses a year could be slaughtered for human consumption. Most of the meat would be shipped to Europe and Asia, where it's treated as a delicacy.

Dave Duquette, president of the nonprofit, pro-slaughter group United Horsemen, said no state or site has been picked yet but he's lined up plenty of investors who have expressed interest in financing a processing plant. While the last three slaughterhouses in the U.S. were owned by foreign companies, he said a new plant would be American-owned. "I have personally probably five to 10 investors that I could call right now if I had a plant ready to go," said Duquette, who lives in Hermiston, Ore. He added, "If one plant came open in two weeks, I'd have enough money to fund it. I've got people who will put up $100,000."

Sue Wallis, a Wyoming state lawmaker who's the group's vice president, said ranchers used to be able to sell horses that were too old or unfit for work to slaughterhouses but now they have to ship them to butchers in Canada and Mexico, where they fetch less than half the price.

The federal ban devastated "an entire sector of animal agriculture for purely sentimental and romantic notions," she said.

Although there are reports of Americans dining on horse meat a recently as the 1940s, the practice is virtually non-existent in this country, where the animals are treated as beloved pets and iconic symbols of the West.

Lawmakers in California and Illinois have banned the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and more than a dozen states tightly regulate the sale of horse meat.

Federal lawmakers' lifting of the ban on funding for horse meat inspections came about in part because of the recession, which struck just as slaughtering stopped. A federal report issued in June found that local animal welfare organizations reported a spike in investigations for horse neglect and abandonment since 2007. In Colorado, for example, data showed that investigations for horse neglect and abuse increased more than 60 percent — from 975 in 2005 to almost 1,600 in 2009.

The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office also determined that about 138,000 horses were transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010, nearly the same number that were killed in the U.S. before the ban took effect in 2007. The U.S. has an estimated 9 million horses.

Cheri White Owl, founder of the nonprofit Horse Feathers Equine Rescue in Guthrie, Okla., said she's seen more horse neglect during the recession. Her group is caring for 33 horses now and can't accept more. "A lot of the situation is due to the economy," she said, "People deciding to pay their mortgage or keep their horse."

But White Owl worries that if slaughterhouses open, owners will dump their unwanted animals there instead of looking for alternatives, such as animal sanctuaries.

Animal rights groups also argue that slaughtering is a messy, cruel process, and some say it would be kinder for owners to have their horses put to sleep by a veterinarian. "Euthanasia has always been an option," Pacelle said. But "if you acquire a horse, you should be a responsible owner and provide lifetime care."

The fight over horse slaughtering has pitted lawmakers of the same party against each other.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the poor economy has resulted in "sad cases" of horse abandonment and neglect and lifting the ban will give Americans a shot at regaining lost jobs and making sure sick horses aren't abandoned or mistreated.

But U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., is lobbying colleagues to permanently ban horse slaughter because he believes the process is inhumane. "I am committed to doing everything in my power to prevent the resumption of horse slaughter and will force Congress to debate this important policy in an open, democratic manner at every opportunity," he said in a statement.

Yellowstone Grizzly Bear is safe

2011-07-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Protective grizzly that mauled hiker in Yellowstone Park not predatory, won't be hunted
Article by: MATT VOLZ , Associated Press Updated: July 7, 2011 - 5:51 PM

BILLINGS, Mont. - A grizzly bear that mauled a 57-year-old hiker to death in Yellowstone National Park was only defending its cubs and had not threatened humans before. So park officials on Thursday decided to leave it alone to wander the backcountry.

The mauling — the park's first in 25 years — temporarily closed one of Yellowstone's top attractions on one of the busiest days of the year, leaving some tourists to wonder what was going on.

"It was not predatory and so we see no reason to take action against the bear," said Kerry Gunther, bear management biologist for Yellowstone.

The attack also highlighted the potential dangers, however rare, that face tourists who come in record numbers each year to a park known for its burgeoning bear population and the Old Faithful geyser.

Whenever there is a run-in or attack involving bears, park officials must decide whether the attack was defensive or an act of aggression. In Wednesday's mauling, they based their conclusion on the account of the hiker's wife, who survived, as well as their knowledge of bear behavior.

Brian and Marylyn Matayoshi, of Torrance, Calif., were hiking in a backcountry meadow along a trail a mile and a half from the trailhead when they spotted the bear foraging about 100 yards away. The couple immediately turned and began walking away, officials said.

The grizzly charged and attacked Brian Matayoshi, then went for his wife, who ran for cover behind a tree. The grizzly lifted her off the ground by the day pack she was wearing and then dropped her.

She tried to call 911 on her cell phone, but couldn't get a signal. Other hikers in the area responded to her cries for help and managed to get through to emergency officials.

Marylyn Matayoshi told rescuers that the couple surprised the sow, its cubs nearby — one of the most dangerous situations possible for humans encountering grizzlies. Park officials believe the grizzly had two six-month-old cubs, based on previous sightings in the area and cub tracks where the attack occurred.

"All indications are that this was a defensive attack," park spokesman Al Nash said. "In such cases, the park's policy is to leave the bear in the backcountry."

The bear had never been documented before, never been tagged, and there was no reason to believe it had interacted with humans before, Nash said. They said the way the attack happened indicated the bear didn't intend to eat the couple.

Marylyn Matayoshi escaped injury and was no longer at the park, and officials declined to reveal her whereabouts.

In Torrance, neighbor Kathy Hester said Matayoshi and his wife kept their house immaculate and recently had put in a new lawn. "They are the sweetest people you'd ever want to meet," Hester said.

Park officials called the mauling a "1-in-3-million" encounter.

While many visitors Thursday morning were unaware of the attack, many seemed to know about it by the afternoon. Desk clerks at hotels inside the park told new arrivals that there had been a bear mauling. Worried relatives called or texted other visitors.

Some were surprised that rangers didn't let them know when they entered the park that there had been an attack and that some trails were closed.

"They didn't say one word about it at the gate," said Leslie Finch, visiting with her husband and two children for two days from Missoula, Mont. "I would have thought they'd say this area is closed. But they didn't say anything."

Park officials said the attack shouldn't condition the sow to attack again. They also collected DNA samples from fur at the attack site, so they can determine if the bear is involved in another attack, Gunther said.

"We don't believe that this defensive action by the bear would make any future action more probable," park superintendent Dan Wenk said.

Decades of research has established that grizzlies, while dangerous, rarely get aggressive with people except under very predictable circumstances, said Mark Bruscino, a Wyoming state bear biologist who has investigated some 40 attacks.

Grizzlies become aggressive when they are harassed, taken by surprise up close, are defending a food source or are defending their cubs, Bruscino said.

"You can almost explain every incident that occurs with a grizzly bear around those four," he said.

Bruscino declined to weigh in on the decision not to track and kill the Yellowstone bear.

A bear that fatally attacked a man and seriously injured two people at a campground east of Yellowstone last July was killed in part because the circumstances didn't neatly fit into predictable bear behavior, he said.

Hunger and internal parasites afflicted that grizzly, but investigators said they could not explain its late-night rampage through the crowded campground near Cooke City, Mont. That grizzly was captured and euthanized. Its three cubs are now in a Billings, Mont., zoo.

Wednesday's mauling was the park's first fatal grizzly attack since 1986, but the third in the region in just over a year amid ever-growing numbers of grizzlies and tourists roaming the same wild landscape. In June 2010, a grizzly just released after being tranquilized for study killed an Illinois hiker outside the park.

Grizzlies are an omnivorous species with a diet of berries, elk, fish, moths, ants and even pine nuts. Officials routinely urge visitors to take precautions: Stay on designated trails, carry bear spray, hike in groups of three or more, and make noise in places where a grizzly could be lurking.

The decision not to track and kill the Yellowstone bear isn't unprecedented. In nearby Grand Teton National Park, officials decided not to intervene with a grizzly that wounded a man in 2007. Rangers determined that female also was defending its cubs and didn't pose a general threat to humans.

"This is bear country," said Elizabeth Hoffman, a tourist from California who agreed with park officials' decision. "It's got babies. If someone came after a human mother, I don't think that we'd take her from her children."

__

Associated Press writers Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Greg Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Makes me laugh every time

2011-07-07T14:29:00.001-07:00

At least one cat likes to dress up

2011-04-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

Or, is this a trick?
;-)

Swan Lady of Monticello

2011-04-06T11:31:00.001-07:00

'Swan Lady' created a haven for trumpeters
Article by: KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
Star Tribune Updated: April 5, 2011 - 8:13 PM

Sheila Lawrence, who died Saturday, fed more than 1,500 swans each winter near her Monticello home.

Sheila Lawrence, shown in this 2007 photo, began feeding a pair of trumpeter swans that showed up near her Monticello home in 1988. The number grew to 1,500, at an annual cost of nearly $20,000.
Photo: Jerry Holt, Star Tribune

It was typical of Sheila Lawrence that she didn't take her leave of Monticello until after her beloved trumpeter swans, nurtured and fattened all winter long on the Mississippi River below her house, were on their way north once again.

Lawrence, 65, died Saturday after an eight-month battle with cancer. She left a legacy for her river town in the large graceful birds that now winter there, thanks to the "Swan Lady" who fed them for more than 20 years.

"Maybe she was the bird whisperer. Some people have it," said her husband, Jim, who took over the feeding for his wife this winter when she became too sick to continue.

"I don't know when she became the Swan Lady, but it kind of fit. She accepted it as a badge, and it worked for her and everybody else."

Carrol Henderson, nongame wildlife program supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources, said that Lawrence "single-handedly speeded up the recovery of this threatened species in Minnesota." He called her "a great conservationist."

Sheila Lawrence's daily feedings of shelled corn have regularly drawn more than 1,500 swans to Monticello in the winter months, making the community of 13,000 northwest of the Twin Cities a destination for hundreds of tourists from Minnesota and outside the state.

"She has put us on the map," said Sandy Suchy, director of the Monticello Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

The Wisconsin native graduated from high school in Somerset, Wis. After a stint as a beautician, she worked in several manufacturing plants before joining Medtronic in Fridley as an assembler. There she met Jim Lawrence, whom she married in 1980.

While still working for Medtronic, the Lawrences in 1984 built a house in Monticello above a stretch of the river that remains open in the winter due to the water discharge from the nearby power plant. Sheila began feeding the ducks and geese that stayed over the winter.

Four years later, the first few pairs of swans arrived.

"She said 'Wow, look at these big things,'" Jim Lawrence said.

The more swans she fed, the more came.

She worked hours moving buckets of corn from a grain hopper in her driveway down to the shallows where the swans rested. In recent years, the couple rigged a conveyor system using an auger that empties the feed into a tub near the water.

Sheila was quiet and didn't seek attention, her husband said, and years went by before her efforts became widely known.

As more tourists came to watch the growing number of swans, the city set aside a vacant lot next to the Lawrence home to accommodate them and dubbed it Swan Park. The chamber published a brochure with directions, a history of Monticello's swans and a food and lodging directory.

In recent years, Sheila was feeding the birds 1,200 to 2,000 pounds of corn each day. More than 2,200 birds were fed this winter, at a cost of nearly $20,000, but Jim Lawrence said that he plans to continue. "That is my intention. I'm not going anywhere," he said.

Besides her husband, she is survived by a daughter, Tracy Ford, of Big Lake, Minn.; three stepsons, James and Jason, both of East Haddam, Conn., and Chad, of Kings Bay, Ga.; her mother, Mabel Shay, of Monticello; and a sister, Sandra Simma, of Somerset. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Peterson-Grimsmo Chapel, 250 E. Broadway, Monticello, with visitation at the funeral home from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455

A bit of levity for your Friday

2011-03-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Cat with a long neck...

Competing Puppy Mill bills in MN

2011-02-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

This news is so disappointing. Looks like the two largest animal rescues in Minnesota have drawn a line in the sand yet again: Animal Ark is supporting one bill and AHS (Animal Humane Society) is supporting the other.

Can't animal rescue groups work together even for such an obvious common goal as eliminating animal cruelty in puppy mill breeding operations??

Who Is Behind Efforts to Kill Minnesota’s Puppy Mill Bill?
Posted by Mike Fry on February 27, 2011 at 11:30pm

Those who work on legislative efforts nationally and locally know that one of the most effective ways to kill a bill is to offer a competing alternative, thereby splitting the supporters of the cause, and giving opponents a rational excuse to vote down both bills. This is especially true if there is broad support for the original piece of proposed legislation.

This fact combined with news of competing bills to House File 388 and Senate File 384 being introduced in the Minnesota Legislature have left many people wondering, “who is trying to kill Minnesota’s puppy mill bill?”

The potential answers to that question get stranger if people look deeper into who is supporting the new competing legislation. It is a story that uncovers what could be either deliberate sabotage or incompetence within the animal welfare community.

The story begins a few years ago, when differing factions within the Minnesota animal welfare community were working on different approaches to regulating large-scale breeding operations in the state. One faction had been working for many years on one approach that had little support at the legislature and no support at all from those outside the animal welfare community. They had introduced bills repeatedly with absolutely no success at all.

Animal Ark had supported past efforts, but we realized a different approach needed to be taken. We began seeking input from other organizations, including small, responsible breeders, like the Minnesota Purebred Dog Breeder’s Association, sheriffs and veterinarians. The result was an interesting and widely supported new approach. It resulted in new language with broad support. But, a few animal welfare advocates clung to the old model.

When the Minnesota Legislature was approached with this new language, we were given a clear directive: get together with the animal welfare advocates working on other approaches, get on the same page, and deliver to the legislature a viable, single “compromise” bill. We did just that.

The process of getting agreement was fairly long, and somewhat painful for all parties involved. But we all together and succeeded.

The amended House File 253 in 2010 was the result of that challenging work. The new language was strong, tight and was supported by a remarkably broad spectrum of supporters. Organizations that testified in support of this new language last year included Animal Ark, Second Chance Animal Rescue, RAGOM, the Animal Humane Society, the Minnesota Purebred Dog Breeder’s Association, veterinarians and others.

Beyond that, the Board of Animal Health had produced a fiscal note that was very favorable to the language. The language got traction and quickly passed a couple of committees in the House. This was more success than any of its predecessors had ever seen.

In the end, after some dramatic twists and turns, an amendment version of House File 253 came within a handful of votes of passing in the House, thanks to the leadership of Representative John Benson, and others.

Believing in the language and the importance of collaboration, Representative Benson held a series of meetings with the small group of opponents to House File 253 over the interim. At these meetings, he asked for constructive input that would improve the language. None was offered.

As a result, he introduced House File 388 this year, identical language to the “compromise” language that was House File 253 in 2010. Immediately, a group of respected legislators signed on as co-authors. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate (Senate File 384) and immediately gained more sponsors.

Then, more momentum got going. A new Facebook page in support of the bills surged. A grass-roots effort of letter writing resulted in news coverage, letters to the editor and petitions being spread around the Internet. House File 388 and Senate File 384 were off to a strong start.

Then, something happened…

A little known web site (http://www.animalfolksmn.org) announced competing bills. (The House version of this competing set of bills, it is worth noting, was authored by Representative John Lesch, the same representative that tried for several years to ban a variety of dog breeds throughout the state of Minnesota.)

A private individual apparently authors the web site AnimalFolksMN.org. She claims to represent a “broad coalition” of organizations, but has continually refused to say who they are. She has reportedly worked with the Humane Society of the United States. However, an email received today from the President of HSUS, Wayne Pacelle, clearly states his organization has nothing to do with these competing bills. Furthermore, AnimalFolksMN.org does not appear to have a legal lobbying presence at the legislature.

So, the question remains: Who is AnimalFolksMN.org? Who are they representing? And why would they be working to sabotage the puppy mill bill?

We will continue to keep you posted as we learn more.

Support MN Dog & Cat Breeder Bill

2011-02-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

DOG AND CAT BREEDER BILL INTRODUCED
S.F. 462/H.F. 702
And
TAKE ACTION DAY – MARCH 1

SPEAK UP for Minnesota Dogs and Cats on Tuesday, March 1.

We have great news! The Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation bill has been introduced at the Minnesota State Legislature.

The bill number in the Minnesota Senate is S.F. 462, introduced by Senator Barb Goodwin. The bill number in the House of Representatives is H.F. 702, introduced by Representative John Lesch.

Now is the time to act. Your help is needed!

Join the Take Action Day on Tuesday, March 1

A statewide Take Action Day has been scheduled for this Tuesday, March 1, to educate Minnesota legislators about the need for regulation and inform them about S.F. 462/H.F. 702.

That means - on Tuesday, March 1 - we are asking Minnesotans from across the State to call, write or email your State Senator and State Representative and urge their support of this legislation.

Be sure to mention the bill numbers (S.F. 462/H.F. 702) and names of the chief authors (Senator Goodwin / Representative Lesch).

Please put March 1 on your calendar and be ready to call, write or email your legislators on that day. Plan to join the Take Action Day!

For ideas about what to say and for key highlights of the bills, see below.

WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO SAY TO LEGISLATORS

Please contact YOUR State Senator and YOUR State Representative to urge their support of S.F. 462/H.F. 702, the Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation bill.

Here's how to call, write or email:
If you don't know who your State Senator and State Representative are or how to reach them, go to MN District Finder. Just type in your address and it will tell you your political district and state legislators and list their contact information - http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/

State Senator
Call, write or email your State Senator. You can say, "As a constituent of yours (or Senator _________, if you reach an aide), I am contacting you (him/her) to urge support of the Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation Bill, Senate File 462. This bill is authored by Senator Barb Goodwin. It will regulate the dog and cat breeding industry in Minnesota and help prevent inhumane breeding practices and conditions. I would also appreciate it if you would sign onto the bill as a co-author. Thank you."

State Representative
Also call, write or email your State Representative. You can say, "As a constituent of yours (or Representative _______________, if you reach an aide), I am contacting you (him/her) to urge support of the Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation Bill, House File 702. This bill is authored by Representative John Lesch. It will regulate the dog and cat breeding industry in Minnesota and help prevent inhumane breeding practices and conditions. I would also appreciate it if you would sign onto the bill as a co-author. Thank you."

NOTE: If you call your legislators, you will likely speak with an aide who will relay your message.

ALSO: As in past years, multiple breeder bills have been introduced this session. To be clear when speaking with legislators and/or their aides, be sure to mention the bill numbers (S.F. 462/H.F. 702) and author names (Sen. Goodwin/Rep. Lesch).

You may also wish to mention some of the points below.

THE NEED FOR BREEDER REGULATION

The Situation
The problem is inhumane dog and cat breeding practices in Minnesota by unscrupulous or negligent breeders and a lack of oversight of this industry.

No State Laws
Minnesota has no state laws to license, inspect or regulate the dog and cat breeding industry.

Top Producers
Minnesota is among the top producers of puppies in the United States with some of the largest breeding kennels in the nation - housing 300, 600 or over 1,000 dogs and puppies. Kittens are also mass-produced in Minnesota.

Substandard and Deplorable Conditions
While many breeders in Minnesota act responsibly, there are unscrupulous or negligent breeders who have created deplorable breeding conditions. Adult dogs and cats live their entire lives in small, overcrowded cages and are bred repeatedly. Cages are often stacked, allowing feces and urine to fall onto the animals below. Animals may be malnourished from inadequate food and water, receive little of no veterinary care, are stressed from constant confinement and neglect, have fleas, worms, etc. Many have deformed paws, are severely matted, or are burned from sitting and standing in urine and feces. The animals are rarely, if at all, provided human interaction or socialization, resulting in behavioral problems (including aggression and anxiety).

Current "System" is not Working
The current "system" used in Minnesota to address animal neglect and cruelty is complaint-based - i.e., a person must see the inhumane conditions and report the cruelty or neglect to authorities; law enforcement may then decide to investigate and pursue a case; and a prosecutor may choose to take the case.

Animal anti-cruelty laws kick in after the cruelty occurs - if someone files a complaint and if action is taken. Regulation is preventative - allowing authorities to legally enter the property and inspect breeding facilities so conditions can be assessed and cruelty can be prevented before it occurs. Relying solely on reporting, cruelty investigations and prosecution is time-consuming and costly for local law enforcement, animal control, animal welfare organizations and the courts. Regulation is a more efficient use of resources.

The Solution
Breeder regulation will give the State of Minnesota the authority to:
• License - Require commercial dog and cat breeders in Minnesota to be licensed
• Inspect and Enforce - Give legal authority to the Board of Animal Health to inspect commercial dog and cat breeding facilities and enforce existing State laws to ensure animal care standards are met
• Penalties - Impose civil, administrative and criminal penalties for those who violate the law

Additional highlights about the bill language are below.

Bill Highlights
The 2011 Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation bill (S.F. 462/H.F. 702) is supported by a large coalition of humane societies, rescue groups, animal control, veterinarians, animal protection and advocacy organizations, and citizens.

The Coalition introduced the first breeder bill five years ago, when the issue of inhumane dog and cat breeding practices was not known or understood at the Capitol. Over the years that the Coalition has been working on the bill, huge strides have been made in educating legislators and the public – much of it due to all of your help and commitment.

The Bill - Changes and Improvements
Much of the language in the 2011 Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation bill is from last year's bill; however, specific improvements have been made to reflect new research, information and input. Some of the improvements made this year are noted below.

Lower licensing number
A key aspect to a breeder bill is the licensing number - i.e., how is a "commercial breeder" defined and who is required to obtain a license to operate? The 2011 MN Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation bill will license and regulate dog/cat breeders defined as: “a person, other than a hobby breeder, who possesses or has an ownership interest in animals and is engaged in the business of breeding animals for sale or for exchange in return for consideration, and who possesses ten or more adult intact animals and whose animals produce more than five total litters of puppies or kittens per year”

NOTE: Last year, the breeder licensing number was raised to 20 breeding animals as a compromise. This session and with this bill, the licensing number was lowered to 10 (protecting more animals), a decision supported by legislators, law enforcement, rescue groups, humane societies, animal control, veterinarians and others.

Strengthen care standards based on scientific research/input
Considerable studies by respected veterinarians have been conducted in regards to dogs and cats in population settings and what is required to ensure the animals are healthy - physically and psychologically. The Coalition has incorporated some of this insight into the bill language, such as:

Veterinary plan - A provision was included in S.F. 462/H.F. 702 that requires breeders to have a veterinary care plan developed in conjunction with a licensed veterinarian. This not only helps the animals but it provides guidance and support for the breeders.

Animal well-being - S.F. 462/H. F. 702 contains language that requires adequate staff to observe each animal daily in order to monitor health, well-being and temperament.

Strengthen fiscal options
As with last year's bill, authority for inspections and enforcement has been directed to the Board of Animal Health (BAH). In order to best utilize the inspector’s time (and address breeders who are compliant), S.F. 462/H.F. 702 provides:

Inspections - allows every other year inspections if a breeder has had two consecutive years of inspections with no violations.

Reinspection fee - allows the BAH to charge a reinspection fee if they have to continue to return (multiple visits in one year) to a facility that is out of compliance with state law.

Please join the TAKE ACTION DAY on Tuesday, March 1!
Call your State Senator and State Representative and ask them to support S.F. 462/H.F. 702.

Thank you for your commitment to the animals and taking action!

475 North Cleveland Avenue Suite 100B | St. Paul, MN 55104 US

Brooklyn Center animal shelter faces foreclosure

2011-02-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

11:32 AM, Feb 14, 2011
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. -- Cats and dogs have called the Gentle Touch Animal Sanctuary home for many years. But come July those animals may have no place to call home.

Last month the shelter was notified that the mortgage on the building they've been leasing for eight years is in default. Suzanne Thompson, a volunteer with the shelter, says the news came as a surprise because they've always been current with rent.

"Our first concern was what would we do with our animals and where would be able to find a space for them," Thompson said.

The non-profit is scrambling to find a new home. They have until July 31 to relocate but one huge problem stands in the way: money. They need at least $10,000 to move. So far they've raised $3,000. If they don't get enough the animals that cannot be adopted will have no home.

"They deserve to have a life just like some of the more adoptable cats are. They have their own unique personalities," Thompson, said.

The organization does not have a new location picked out yet but Thompson said when they have enough money to start looking they want to remain close to their old home.
To see how you can help, visit their website here.

Written by
Boua Xiong
KARE11.com

Beagles rescued from research lab

2011-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

Watch Freedom and Bigsby's first-ever romp in the sunshine (tear-jerk warning in full effect):

Shannon Keith, a Los Angeles attorney and founder of the nonprofit animal advocacy group, Animal Rescue, Media & Education (ARME), received a call in December tipping her off to news that some beagles were being retired from a research lab. These dogs, bred exclusively for animal testing, had lived in the lab nearly their entire lives had never felt the rays of the sun or grass under their feet.

Shannon Keith, Beagle Freedom Project founder, with Freedom and Bigsy.
Keith gathered a few of her friends and came to the aid of the two young dogs, who they named Freedom (1 1/2) and Bigsby (2 1/2), and the Beagle Freedom Project was born. The organization is dedicated to rescuing and finding homes for beagles used in laboratory research. It hopes to encourage more research labs to release their animals and give these potentially adoptable pets a chance at life, rather than needlessly destroying them.

Beagles are the most popular breed for testing pharmaceuticals, household products and cosmetics because of their friendly, docile, trusting, forgiving and people-pleasing personalities. The research industry says they adapt well to living in a cage and are inexpensive to feed. Research beagles are usually obtained directly from commercial breeders who specifically breed dogs to sell (for a pretty penny) to scientific institutions.

When the dogs are no longer wanted for research purposes, many labs simply kill those that have survived (depending on the nature of the experiments). But some attempt to give them a chance at a normal life by finding homes for those dogs that are deemed adoptable and healthy.

In the case of Freedom and Bigsby, the holidays were approaching and labs typically kill their animals just before the end of December since no one wants to stay and care for them. "Not only is this a horrific practice, but is also wasteful in so many ways," says Keith. "Often the experiments that these dogs were subjected to have not concluded, and the new batch coming in will need to start from scratch."

Working directly with labs, the Beagle Freedom Project is able to remove the retired beagles so they can be placed in loving homes. All rescues are done legally with the cooperation of the facility.

Freedom was recently adopted and lives in Glendale, California. Bigsby is being fostered in Studio City, but is still looking for his forever home. The same lab where they came from recently informed Keith that more beagles will soon be retired.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting a lab beagle, be aware that they come with some unique challenges. They will not be accustomed to life in a home and will not have experience with children, cats or other dogs. They will not be house-trained and accidents will happen (although they will learn quickly). Many have gone directly from a commercial breeder to the lab, and have never felt grass under their feet or even seen the sun. They will have been fed a special diet formulated for lab animals and may have difficulty adjusting to new foods. They will be unfamiliar with treats, toys, bedding and may never have walked on a leash. They will have lived in cages with steel wire floors and may have inflamed or infected paws. They may be initially fearful of people and may have other phobias from a lifetime of complete confinement. They are likely to have been surgically "de-barked" by the breeder and have an ID number tattooed in their ear. Although these beagles are considered healthy, very little information is disclosed about their origin, medical history or what kind of testing they were used for.

With time, patience, play, companionship — and most of all, love — these dogs will embrace their new-found freedom and learn how to become dogs. Just watch the video. Their transformation is nothing short of amazing.

The Beagle Freedom Project needs volunteers, sponsors, fosters, adopters and donations. For more information and to get involved click here.

Please, PLEASE buy products that are labeled "cruelty free" and "not tested on animals." Just like so many tuna fish cans are now stamped with the "dolphin-safe" seal of approval, it's time we advocate for the beagle equivalent on household cleaners, cosmetics and common pharmaceuticals.

Hamadi, one of my favorite haircare brands, proclaims that its products are "Tested on actresses, never on animals." I like the sound of that.

Posted By: Amelia Glynn (Email, Facebook) | January 20 2011 at 03:50 PM

Here is a list from PETA of companies that don't test on animals. So sad that anyone is still doing this.

Peta list:
http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/default.aspx

Minnesota Puppy Mills

2011-01-12T12:31:00.000-08:00

Minnesota Puppy Mills Again Making National News

For more information about this press release, contact Mike Fry at 651-772-8983 Ext. 99

January 13 – Animal Ark, a Minnesota-Based animal welfare organization announces the creation of a new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mnpuppymills for the purpose of raising awareness of the need to regulate large-scale breeders of puppies and kittens in the land of 10,000 lakes. One of the first posts on the page was to a newly released short-form documentary about Kathy Bauck, a notorious puppy mill operator from Minnesota. Bauck has been convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty and torture.

The 17-minute film includes graphic undercover video captured by the Companion Animal Protection Society, the producers of the documentary. It also features interviews with animal welfare advocates and one prosecutor whose efforts resulted in convictions for several counts against Bauck of cruelty and torture.

The most serious charges against Bauck included her performing her own Cesarean Sections on her dogs without anesthesia. In one compelling piece of video, a veterinarian from Bauck’s hometown recounts a conversation he had with Allan Bauck, Kathy’s husband. The veterinarian says, relating to the C-Sections “I asked, ‘in other words you just tie them down and take the puppies out?!’ Bauck responded, ‘Well, if I have to, ya.’”

Another post to the new Facebook page included photos of health certificates of puppies being sold in New York pet stores as recently as September of 2010. The documents list Kathy Bauck as the breeder for the puppies. (Copies attached)

In 2009 Bauck lost her USDA license following her most recent conviction for cruelty and torture, meaning that it is illegal for her to sell puppies commercially to pet stores.

Another post at http://facebook.com/mnpuppymills is a link to a report by the USDA’s own Inspector General. The report is the result of an audit of the USDA’s inspection process. The report uncovered gaping holes in the agency’s inspection and enforcement practices.

Bauck is one of an estimated 400 large-scale commercial puppy mills in Minnesota. Surprisingly, the State of Minnesota provides for no regulation of these facilities. However, a bipartisan group of legislators are hoping to change that this year. Representatives Steve Smith (R) and John Benson (D) co-chaired a legislative workgroup that met with stakeholders over the summer for the purpose of preparing legislation to be introduced in 2011. http://facebook.com/mnpuppymills will provide updates and alerts relating to these efforts.

Pets banned on Indian reservation

2011-01-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Reservation Pet Rescue Needed in Minnesota: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Reservation Pet Rescue Needed in Minnesota
Updated: Wednesday, 05 Jan 2011, 6:47 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 04 Jan 2011, 9:23 PM CST

by Maury Glover / FOX 9 News

SISSETON WAHPETON, Minn. - You've probably never heard of the Sisseton Wahpeton Housing Authority, but a recent change on a reservation near the Minnesota South Dakota border has hundreds of pets -- including some right here in the Twin Cities -- in need of some loving homes.

There's nothing quite as cute as a brand new puppy. While Lilly, Nilly and Willie are trying to find their footing in their new surroundings, Lucy here is expecting some puppies of her own any day now

"We are all guessing when she will have them and how many there will be," said a caretaker.

All four were rescued from the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation near Sisseton, South Dakota after the public housing authority there banned all dogs.

The agency said there have been too many attacks and fights caused by the animals, and that all tenants must get rid of their pets by April 1.

"They are staked out on chains in little igloo houses, They don't live a very good life."

So far animal rescue groups like Paws for a Cause have removed almost 200 dogs from the reservation with 20 ending up here in the twin cities, and volunteers are heading down to pick up more this weekend.

"I just think there are so many dogs that need our help and the idea they would get shot or euthanized breaks my heart so anything i can do to help. I'm willing to do."

After breeding and training afghan hounds for most of her life, Cynthia Dunahay is making room for another dog in her home. And she hopes other animal lovers who hear what's going on will do the same.

"They need homes,” she said. “Good homes…and they appreciate it so much."

That ban by the housing authority includes cats too.

Of the 20 dogs brought to the cities a few weeks ago, all but five have been adopted. Paws for a Cause expects another 20 this weekend. If you'd like to adopt one, click www.paws4cause.net

Meow

2010-11-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

Cat physics

2010-11-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

Scientists learn physics behind how cats drink water without getting wet
By Marc Kaufman

The Washington Post
Thursday, November 11, 2010; 2:43 PM

As all cat lovers know well, felis domestica is a marvel of balance, subtlety and other hidden elegances.

This Story
Scientists learn physics behind how cats drink water without getting wet
Taking the purrfect drink is all physics to a cat
Prepare to learn of another remarkable attribute: Four researchers have painstakingly filmed, analyzed and determined how it is that a cat can drink water while (unlike a dog) keeping its chin and whiskers pleasingly dry.

The answer involves an exquisite demonstration of physics - where the cat, in effect, balances the forces of gravity against the forces of inertia, and so quenches its thirst.

"What we found is that the cat uses fluid dynamics and physics in a way to absolutely optimize tongue lapping and water collection," said Jeffrey Aristoff, now at Princeton University but who was one of the four researchers who began their studies out of curiosity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Nobody had ever studied it before, so nobody knew how the water went from the bowl into the cat's mouth," he said.

As with most basic scientific research, the usefulness of this knowledge is uncertain. But it is not, the researchers say, hard to imagine some downstream applications, perhaps in robotics.

The route from water bowl to mouth is pretty magical, as described in an article released Thursday by the journal Science.

While dogs curl their tongues to collect the water and then pull up what they can, cats barely touch the liquid with the tips of their tongues. A slight backward curl of the tip encourages liquid to adhere to the smooth top of the tongue, but that's not how the water rises.

Rather, the water on the tongue, combined with the low pressure created by the slight-curled tongue moving back up, creates a momentary stream into the mouth. The cat then snaps its mouth shut and the water is captured before the countervailing force of gravity pulls it down. An average house cat, the team found, can make four of these ministreams per second.

Intrigued by what they were learning, the four researchers went to several zoos to observe and film larger cats, and even went to YouTube to find videos of bobcats and lions drinking in the wild.

They found the same basic drinking mechanism in all the cats, though the larger ones (with larger tongues) slowed down their lapping to best take advantage of the physics at play - that is, the balance between upward movement of the water set off by the cat's tongue (the inertia) and the gravity pulling the water down. A lion, Aristoff said, laps two or three times per second.

"In the beginning of the project, we weren't fully confident that fluid mechanics played a role in cats' drinking," said Sunghwan Jung, now an engineer at Virginia Tech whose research focuses on soft bodies, like fish, and the fluids surrounding them. "But as the project went on, we were surprised and amused by the beauty of the fluid mechanics involved in this system."

Aristoff explained the dynamics at work: You're in the shower and turn on the hot water. The steam starts to rise and that upward flow lowers the pressure levels at your knees. The result is that the inside of the shower curtain will billow in towards you, unless you have some weight attached to the curtain to stop it. That interplay of motion and pressure parallels the dynamic that quenches the cat's thirst.

Something as complex as a cat drinking water doesn't get unraveled and turned into a paper at the nation's top science journal overnight. It was almost four years ago that Roman Stocker, associate professor at MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, became interested in how his cat, Cutta Cutta (or "stars, stars" in the Australian aboriginal language), drank. His enthusiasm spread to Aristoff, Jung and Pedro Rios, a physicist who works on the mechanism of soft solids.

"Science allows us to look at natural processes with a different eye and to understand how things work, even if that's figuring out how my cat laps his breakfast," Stocker said. "It's a job, but also a passion, and this project for me was a high point in teamwork and creativity. We did it without any funding, without any graduate students, without much of the usual apparatus that science is done with nowadays."

While the work on cat drinking was done for professional pleasure and to answer a question, the researchers said that there could be useful implications gleaned from their "fundamental" research.

Engineers, for example, are moving into the field of "soft robots" and are working on the basic mechanisms of how non-metallic parts behave. Aristoff said there's great interest in creating robots that can walk on water, and this research could help.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/11/AR2010111104952.html?referrer=emailarticle

Life and death on the streets

2010-09-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Cat Crisis

2010-09-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

There's a 'cat crisis' at Twin Cities animal shelters

By Bob Shaw
Pioneer Press
Updated: 09/22/2010

Where's the love? That's what Minnesota's cats should be asking themselves, at the grim evidence that Minnesotans seem to be loving their cats less — and their dogs more.

In shelters, abandoned cats should be looking jealously at their canine colleagues — because cat adoptions are falling in Minnesota, even as dog adoptions increase.

"We have a cat crisis," said Deb Balzer, spokeswoman for the Animal Humane Society, whose five Twin Cities facilities are being engulfed by a river of 70 unwanted cats per day.

At the cat rescue group SCRAM, adoptions have plummeted by half in one year.

"Oh, the calls ... the calls ...," sighed SCRAM founder Laura Johnson, who talks with an endless stream of fed-up cat owners.

"People want to move, and the cats can't come with them. They ask for help with cat food or kitty litter," she said. "There are no jobs. Unemployment has run out. They can't get medical insurance."

The widening love-gap between dogs and cats is a national trend, said Nancy Peterson, the Cat Programs manager for the Humane Society of the U.S.

Nationally, there are more cats in shelters, while the number of dogs in shelters is remaining steady. Many shelters are being forced to convert dog kennels into cat cages, Peterson said.

Dog owners, like dogs, are more loyal. About 30 percent of dogs in shelters are reclaimed by owners, compared with about 4 percent for cats, according to the national Humane Society.

Pet owners lavish money on dogs (an average of $225 annually) more than cats ($203).
And now, dogs are finding more homes. In fact, Minnesotans are so eager to adopt dogs that the Animal Humane Society imported nearly 1,000 dogs from Oklahoma and Georgia last year.

"People want dogs. That is why we are able to help other rescue groups with dogs," Balzer said.

Why is there such a difference in human feelings for dogs vs. cats?

One reason is simple math. There are far more cats than dogs. Cats — nature's perfect breeding machines — can get pregnant at the age of 4 months and can have up to three litters a year.

About 42,000 kittens are born every day in the U.S., compared with 10,000 people, according to the group Spay USA. The feral cat population is about 80 million — with an estimated 480,000 in the Twin Cities.

Cats dominate shelters, accounting for 58 percent of the animals taken in by the Animal Humane Society in 2009.

That imbalance increases the urgency, Balzer said, of finding more loving homes for cats. Dogs don't have that problem.

"A puppy's face, people come running for. But cats have a different role in society," Balzer said. "This is a community problem."

With adoptions down, the Humane Society will have about 3,000 more unwanted cats to deal with this year.

Officials are trying to find them homes. The group announced this month that it has slashed adoption fees to $50 for a neutered, vaccinated, microchip-implanted cat.

And it is extending a two-for-one sale. The "Double the Love" program allows families to adopt two adult cats for the price of one — $50.

The Humane Society neuters thousands of cats each year and advocates for all owners to neuter cats. Because of such programs, it slashed euthanizations in 2009 by 9 percent to 11,000 animals — most of them cats.

But this year, it will be difficult to keep euthanizations down. Balzer wouldn't estimate how many more cats would be killed in 2010, but she did say, "Euthanasia is a reality."

"Does it break our hearts? Absolutely," she said. "Are we looking for any opportunities to help? Absolutely."

It's too soon to tell if the new programs will be enough to deal with the stampede of incoming cats.

Last July's cat adoptions at the Humane Society were down 15 percent. Adoptions in the two-for-one "Double the Love" program have dropped by 36 percent in one year.

For SCRAM founder Johnson, the stress of dealing with so many unwanted cats is grinding.

She was recently called to help one female cat in Blaine, abandoned when her owners moved. Johnson said the cat has been sitting by the back door for weeks.

"She cries and cries. The neighbor feeds her. And now she has had two kittens," said Johnson — the start of another feral colony.

"It makes me crazy," she said.

Bob Shaw can be reached at 651-228-5433.

Panda Therapy

2010-09-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

It's no wonder the world has fallen in love with these animals.

Mum? Can you come and get me down now?

I'm not coming out. You'll have to come in and get me.

Kung Fu Panda...bring it on!

On the count of three.... lift!

Does this log make my butt look fat?

Oops! Slight miscalculation.

You go. I'll just stay here and rest my head a little bit.

I'll give you 2 seconds to get off me or I'm calling Mom.

Pardon me but do you have a napkin?

Dear Martha Stewart:
I have this brown stain on my nice, white, fluffy bottom ...

Shhhh! I'm reviewing....

I cannot believe that I'm stuck in this tree again.
What is the matter with me?

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...

Absolutely nothing accomplished.
The perfect day for a panda...

DON'T YOU FEEL BETTER ALREADY?!

No Kill Webinar: Reforming Animal Control

2010-08-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

No Kill Webinar: Reforming Your Animal Control

Join us for a Webinar on October 22
Only $25

Nathan Winograd from the No Kill Advocacy Center and Mike Fry from Animal Ark and Animal Wise Radio will host this webinar, featuring a dynamic presentation by Ryan Clinton from Fix Austin. Clinton will share tips for moving your local animal control to the no kill model, whether or not they are on board with your effort.

Lear how Fix Austin transformed their city from a high-kill methodology to one that embraced the No Kill Equation, and learn what you can do in your community to achieve similar results.

Title: No Kill Webinar: Reforming Your Animal Control

Date: Friday, October 22, 2010

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 AM CDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/268138184

SC: Dogs trained to attack chained, declawed, defanged bears

2010-08-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Activists' video shows SC hounds repeatedly running at chained, declawed bear
By MEG KINNARD , Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A declawed, defanged bear is chained to a stake as hunting dogs bark and snap, trying to force the bear to stand on its hind legs. The training exercise called bear baying is intended to make the bears easier to shoot in the wild and it's only allowed in South Carolina.

Armed with new undercover video of four such events, the Humane Society of the United States is pressuring state officials to explicitly outlaw the practice, which the organization says is effectively banned in every other state. Animal rights advocates say it's cruel to the nearly defenseless bears and harms them psychologically.

Hunters say the exercise popular in the state's hilly northwestern corner helps them train their dogs on what to do when they come across a bear during a hunt.

But John Goodwin, the Humane Society's chief animal fighting expert, calls it "bear baiting" — a centuries-old bloodsport that is more for spectators' entertainment than instruction for dogs on what to do when they encounter wild bears.

"This isn't about training dogs. This is a competition," Goodwin said a news conference in Columbia on Monday in conjunction with the public release of the videos. "If this is their idea of training a dog for hunting, then they're sending that dog on a suicide mission."

State law on the issue is murky. Statutes banning animal fighting have a specific exemption for dog training. And while South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster says animal cruelty laws prohibit bear baying, he hasn't prosecuted any cases.

On Monday, a spokesman for McMaster's office said prosecutors were reviewing the videos.

The videos, which were filmed with hidden cameras by activists posing as spectators, show an adult black bear standing on all fours, its back to a 4-foot high wooden fence, tethered to the ground by several feet of chain. Crowds of a few dozen line the dirt pen around it.

The bear rises onto its hind legs as three hounds sprint toward it, which is precisely the point: Hunters have a better chance of killing a bear swiftly with a shot to its exposed underbelly.

The unleashed dogs bark, show their teeth and swat at the bear, which lunges to the end of the chain, then backs up against the fence.

Moments later, handlers pull off the dogs. A new team of dogs — most of them Plott hounds weighing about 50 pounds — soon takes on the roughly 150-pound bear. Dozens more will follow.

"We really view this as a throwback to the days of the Roman Colosseum, when people filled an arena as spectators to watch animals pitted against each other," said Michael Markarian, the Humane Society's chief operating officer.

Animals regularly died bloody deaths during the ancient battles Markarian references. But the Humane Society's videos show no bloodshed. Handlers need their dogs healthy for hunting, and the bear is needed for more exercise sessions.

Along with staging activities such as dog races and field trials, hunting groups hold competitions in South Carolina to see whose dog team can most quickly get the bear to rise up on its hind legs, or "bay."

"It's just training," says Brian Kelly, a hunting enthusiast who organized a bear baying in Greenville County in February. "There's no dogs that get in any conflict with the bear, and the dog does not get hurt."

Kelly said the bear is kept in a cage while dogs on 3-foot leashes bark at it, with judges rating the dogs on how well they pay attention to and become accustomed to being close to the much bigger animal.

That description isn't backed up by the Humane Society's videos, which clearly show the dogs and bear swatting each other. The dogs aren't on leashes, and one of them was injured after the bear slapped it, Markarian said.

The only time the bear is shown in a cage on-screen is in the bed of a pickup truck, either before or after the baying.

Markarian said bear baying is illegal in all states but South Carolina, though a review of some of those laws shows the ban is by default. North Carolina, for instance, has a law against keeping black bears in captivity except for zoos or for scientific research, but have no explicit ban on baying.

South Carolina's ban on animal fighting has an exemption that allows bear baying, as long as there is no "repeated contact" between the animals. When the attorney general was asked to weigh in on the issue in 2008, McMaster issued an opinion saying he views the practice as illegal under the state's animal cruelty law.

Bear hunting is permitted for two weeks each October in only three counties in northwestern South Carolina. Last year, hunters bagged 92 bears — the most ever recorded in a season.

For a limited time in 2005, the state Department of Natural Resources issued 38 permits to keep bears for baying, all for bears that were already in captivity as pets or in small zoos. Fourteen of those bears have either died or been let go, leaving 24 permitted captive bears, according to regional wildlife coordinator Tom Swayngham.

At least eight of those animals are used for baying in the three counties where bear hunting is permitted, Markarian said. But the same bear showed up in all the events taped by the group's investigators, he said.

The man identified by the Humane Society as the owner of that bear did not return repeated messages left by the AP. State records show he has permits for five black bears.

Animal fighting has history in South Carolina, where the mascot of the state's flagship university is a "Fighting Gamecock" with metal spurs. The state's agriculture commissioner pleaded guilty in 2005 to extortion after admitting he took a bribe to protect a cockfighting ring.

That led to a heated legislative debate about cockfighting, deadly contests between two roosters that have been illegal since 1917 but remain fairly commonplace. In 2006, Gov. Mark Sanford signed legislation raising penalties for cockfighting and outlawing hog-dog rodeos — events where dogs maul and maim hogs to subdue them — and other animal blood sports.

State Rep. David Hiott of Pickens County, one of the counties that allow bear hunting, said it's unlikely the Legislature will revisit a ban on bear baying.

If the Humane Society strikes out with lawmakers, it will ask wildlife managers to effectively halt bear baying by revoking the remaining captive bear permits, Markarian said.

"They can put a stop to this cruelty immediately," he said.

___

Online:

Humane Society of the United States: http://www.humanesociety.org/

National Plott Hound Association: http://www.nationalplotthoundassociation.org/

A cat and a box

2010-08-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Feral Feline Freedom

2010-08-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

FROM BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY:
Feral Freedom Success in Jacksonville

August 05, 2010, 8:4AM MT
By Mary Hudgins, Best Friends Network volunteer

Scott Trebatoski helps collaborative efforts and lifesaving program prosper.

“Cats are part of the landscape in Jacksonville, they are part of our community and that’s how we deal with them,” says Scott Trebatoski, division chief for Animal Care and Protective Services in Jacksonville, Florida. He believes this attitude explains the support for the Feral Freedom program in Jacksonville.

The program, begun in 2008, is a collaboration between the City of Jacksonville, First Coast No More Homeless Pets, the Jacksonville Humane Society, and Best Friends Animal Society. Feral Freedom has saved the lives of thousands of cats by using trap/neuter/return (TNR) to divert community cats from the animal control system.

Much of the credit for the outstanding success of the program belongs to Trabatoski.

“After working with Scott, we now have an excellent relationship and find that Scott has turned Jacksonville into a great partner in our mission to end euthanasia of dogs and cats in Jacksonville,” says Rick DuCharme, founder of First Coast No More Homeless Pets. “Scott is committed to finding innovative ways to save as many lives as possible.”

Trebatoski got into animal control through the backdoor. He was working in human resources in Ft. Myers where the county animal control agency had been without a director for 18 months. He stepped in, temporarily he thought, to work out some personnel issues.

As he says, “Animal control has such a broad scope, it’s infectious when you start working in it. It’s hard to not continue. So when I was done fixing stuff, I continued working there.”

He moved on to Jacksonville when Feral Freedom was in its infancy.

“He was onboard right away with it and has been behind it 100%,” says Danita Thompson, Jacksonville cruelty investigator.

In the Feral Freedom program, community cats who are humanely trapped by animal control are taken to First Coast for spaying and neutering. The cats bypass the animal control facility rather than becoming unfortunate statistics. First Coast then returns the cats to the area they were trapped.

“The staff’s behind the program and it has been a huge boost for morale,” Trebatoski says.

Before Feral Freedom, the shelter was terribly overcrowded, cats were kept two or three in a cage, which lead to sick cats and a high euthanasia rate. Thompson, who started with the agency working with the cats in the kennels, says, “Euthanizing dozens of cats everyday takes an emotional toll on anybody, especially somebody who is doing the job because they love animals.”

Because community cats are no longer being admitted to the shelter, overcrowding is a thing of the past, euthanasia rates for cats are down by 62 percent, owner surrenders are down by 31 percent and cat adoptions are up 40 percent.

There are no city funds involved with the program and Trebatoski estimates savings to the city “may be as much as $150,000 per year from a combination of not housing the cats for three to five days then euthanizing and disposing of them.”

Some components of the program have changed through experience. Trebatoski credits the city for writing the ordinance to allow for experimentation and thinking outside the box.

“We’ve had to make adjustments,” notes Trebatoski. “Things we thought were going to work didn’t work and other things we tried did work.”

In the beginning all the cats were microchipped. The idea was to identify cats repeatedly being trapped. Repeated trappings didn’t occur and so microchipping was dropped for substantial financial savings to First Coast - savings that can be used for more spay/neuter surgeries.

If animal control traps an ear-tipped cat, it is now released without being taken to First Coast. Experience also led those involved to let the results of Feral Freedom speak for themselves, rather than doing an extensive public education campaign. Jacksonville’s partnership with First Coast has evolved as well. Trebatoski feels that his agency is now a full partner in the program.

Trebatoski has fielded numerous phone calls and a dozen personal visits from representatives of other communities thinking of starting a similar program.

“He is somebody other animal control agencies can look to about how to address issues,” says Shelly Kotter, Best Friends’ Focus on Felines campaign specialist.

Rather than trying to copy Jacksonville’s program, Trebatoski believes every community will need to develop their own program to meet their own issues and needs. He suggests taking some ideas from Jacksonville and assembling a unique program that works for them.

One of the markers of the program’s success, Trebatoski believes, is the drop in kittens brought into the animal control system during “kitten season.”

From her days on the frontline Thompson recalls, “Prior to Feral Freedom, I would spend half my day picking up newborn litters of kittens and kittens less than two months old.” Most of those kittens were sick or too young to survive and were euthanized upon intake. Now she says, “We are seeing positive results in the numbers of kittens we are bringing in.” They are also see positive results in an increase in the number of kittens being adopted.

As Thompson says, “Feral Freedom has been a very positive change for the city, not just in terms of operation for animal control but in terms of the humanity involved.” All those who love cats heartily agree with her.

How you can help:

Your donation to the Florida Feral Freedom program will save lives.
Get more information about First Coast No More Homeless Pets.
Join the Best Friends Focus on Felines campaign and find out how you can help community cats in your area.

Photos courtesy of First Coast No More Homeless Pets and Scott Trebatoski

Deep Memories

2010-08-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

FROM BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY:
July 28, 2010 : 2:43 PM ET
By Cathy Scott

A Best Friends “thank you” note, with a dog and cat pictured on the front, has prompted an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease to smile, laugh, and reminisce about her pets for the first time in years.

Moments like that had all but disappeared -- that is, until the card with Jeffrey the dog and Dido the cat arrived. “When she received your card with this adorable puppy/kitty combo, she fell in love,” says her daughter, Judy Lee.

Now, when 87-year-old Sarah Harrell looks at the card with the photo of a “happy, smiling puppy face and tiny kitten draped over its head, she becomes happy, animated, alert and close to being our old Mom again,” Judy says. “Because she so loves the photo, I have it in a frame, and she now keeps it on the table near where she spends much of her day.”

Sarah, who lives on the East Coast, was born and raised on a farm surrounded by animals. Some of her happiest memories -- and her late husband’s too -- were of time spent with the family’s pets. And one of her first pets, as a child, was a small duck named Dewey, and during her marriage, a dog named Wendy. Now, she shares those memories of animals like Dewey and Wendy with her daughters.

Still, it was a surprise when the photo of Dido perched atop Jeffrey’s head brought a smile to Sarah’s face. Then, to the delight of her daughters, Judy and Linda Gerecitano, Sarah began to speak.

The card, Judy says, has jogged her memory.

The family has lived with her Alzheimer’s for a long time, feeling as if their mother was slipping away. But today, Judy says, “There is something about this photograph that makes her instantly smile, laugh and often begin to talk about some of the pets she had over the years.”

Sarah’s reaction to the photo came as a pleasant surprise to another Sarah. As a Best Friends photographer, Sarah Ause, who shot the photo of Dido and Jeffrey, strives to create images that make an impact. “But helping to restore someone’s memory is really beyond anything I could have ever imagined,” she says. “I’m in awe, completely inspired and honored to know that such a small occurrence in my daily life could end up having such a significant effect on someone’s life.”

It is a photo that keeps on giving. “It is extremely difficult to accurately explain how this simple little photo seems to work a miracle time and time again,” Judy says. “It is even more difficult to express how much it means to my sister and me. This picture is doing more to ward off the ravages of this horrible disease than any pills.”

So, Aileen Walden, senior manager of Best Friends’ Donor Relations and Stewardship who first received a note about the card from Judy, had the photo enlarged, matted and sent to Sarah for her room. That too, brought a big smile to Sarah’s face. “Mom,” her daughter Judy says, “must have laughed for several minutes when she saw it.”

Photo by Sarah Ause

Happy photos

2010-08-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

I received this and wanted to share.

These pictures were taken immediately after birth. The mare laid down and the little one trotted around and crawled right up into her lap.

Mom, Dad, Uncle Jim ~~ ~~ ~~ DON'T MOVE YET!!

He's not my brother ~~ ~~ He's just HEAVY!!

I promise I won't do it again, Momma!

Just wait a couple'a years and try that again! YEAH!!

Come on, throw the ball, throw the ball, ~~ ~~ I'm ready ~~ ~~ yeah ~~ throw it!

Hmmmmm. I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I'm not sure that what you heard is what I actually meant!

We gotta get a bigger bed!

Hey, can I have a bite'a that?

HEY!! What's with this 'warm spot' ?

You woke me up to tell me THAT??

HIIIIEEEEEEYAAAAH!!!

Feline Rescue's 2010 Book Fair

2010-08-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

FELINE RESCUE'S 2010 BOOK FAIR

Feline Rescue’s 2010 Book Fair will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 14 and 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Feline Rescue adoption center, 593 Fairview Ave N in St. Paul (just north of University Ave.).

Donate an item!

Have you been spring cleaning? Feline Rescue would love your donations! Please keep Feline Rescue in mind and donate the following items that we can sell at the Book Fair:

Gently used books
Audio books
Music CDs
DVDs
VHS
Video games
We appreciate your donations, but we can't accept textbooks, computer manuals, magazines, or encyclopedias.

We will accept donations Monday, July 12 through Monday, August 9.

Please drop off your donations at the Feline Rescue adoption center during the following hours:

Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Please note that we will be unable to accept donations after August 9 - we won't be able to process the donations in time for the event.

How to prepare your items for donation

Since you know your books best, we kindly ask that you sort and label your donations according to the following categories (you may select more than one category):

Animals
Fiction, including Romance and Mystery
Non-Fiction
Biography and Auto-Biography
History
Sports
Science Fiction
Children and Teen
Self-Help
Religion / Philosophy
Cook Books
Arts, including Art & Writing and Arts & Crafts

This year we will feature Twin Cities author Audrey McClellan and her newly-released book, O’Leary, Kat and Cary Grant ~ Adventures with a Paranormal Cat. Meet Ms. McClellan at the Book Fair and enjoy her new book! Proceeds from the sale of her book will benefit Feline Rescue.

Other authors have donated copies of their books to benefit Feline Rescue!

Twin Cities author and U of M veterinarian Justine Lee’s It’s A Cat’s World … You Just Live In It
Debra Halborn’s Greetings from the Starcat Cluster ~ It’s the Place in Space!

Proceeds from this event will go to Feline Rescue, Inc. for food, shelter, and medical care for stray, abused, and abandoned cats and kittens.

How to make a financial donation

Would you like to make a financial donation? Donations by personal check can be mailed to:

Feline Rescue, Inc.
593 Fairview Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55104
Attn.: Donations

If you would like to donate online using a credit card or use our PayPal account, please find the yellow PayPal Donate button on our website at www.felinerescue.org.

Good news from Animal Ark

2010-07-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

As anyone who has followed animal welfare issues knows, summer is the busiest season for animal shelters. Available funds are generally at their lowest point of the year and demand for services reaches a high as the temperatures climb. As a result, of the business of summer, I have saved up several important and fun announcements for one post. So here it is!

Twin Cities Pet Fix Program Expanding!

After years in operation, Minnesota's largest low-cost spay/neuter program is expanding. Historically, certificates for low-costs and, based on available funding, sometimes no-cost, spay/neuter certificates have been available at the Animal Ark Thrift Store and the Animal Ark Shelter. Within the next month, changes to the program will allow for increased certificate distribution at additional locations, including animal control centers, animal shelters and animal rescue organizations. If a nonprofit animal welfare organization or an animal control center is interested in distributing Pet Fix spay/neuter certificates, all they have to do is contact Animal Ark at (651) 772-8983 Ext. 51.

Wildcat Wednesdays Expanding!

Three years ago, Animal Ark began piloting a program with St. Paul Animal Control to help sterilize, vaccinate and release free-roaming cats in that city. Gradually, over the following years, the program was expanded and refined. In July of 2010, the program is now officially available to anyone seeking services for a free-roaming (i.e. not owned) feline. Each Wednesday, Animal Ark's mobile surgical hospital called "The Neuter Commuter" performs free surgeries, vaccinations and other veterinary services for area feral cats. More information about the program is available by downloading this brochure.

Animal Ark's Endowment Fund Established

More than 30 years ago, Animal Ark was built by a group of compassionate animal lovers in a grass-roots effort to establish Minnesota's first no kill animal shelter. Over the following years, many wonderful achievements have been accomplished. Yet, the long-term financial stability of Animal Ark was always a distant dream. Recently, that began to change with the first sizable donation into Animal Ark's endowment fund. Animal Ark's endowment fund is a capital resource that cannot be used for general operating or program expenses. Its purpose is to provide future income through interest, and, thereby, ensure our long-term financial stability.

According to Animal Ark Founder and President, the current endowment is a great start. However, she also states that ensuring the financial stability of Animal Ark into the future will require a substantial expansion of the endowment.

Animal Ark Cat Center Officially Named

Though relatively small, Animal Ark's cat center has been getting national attention for its creative and innovative design. It features many amenities, like floor to ceiling cat trees, ceramic tile, windows and more. It provides homeless felines with unmatched comfort. Now, it is getting a new name. The Animal Ark cat center is being named in loving memory of Lisa Richcreek Neiland. Lisa is survived by a loving family. Her love of animals - especially cats - will be remembered forever. Animal Ark's cat center will from now on be called the Lisa Richcreek Neiland Cat Center at Animal Ark. An official naming celebration and remembrance day of Lisa's life will be scheduled at Animal Ark, time and date to be announced.

National Speaking Tour Continues

As the national animal welfare movement continues to focus more attention on the programs and services needed to achieve no kill community-wide, Animal Ark is being called upon more frequently to consult with organizations and municipalities outside of Minnesota to help them achieve the no kill goal. We have recently presented in Nashville, TN, and Copperas Cove, TX. We have upcoming speaking engagements scheduled for Austin, TX, Miami, FL, and Washington, DC. Though this work adds to the demands on our time during the busy season, we are proud and privileged to be asked so share our expertise with others.

Animal Ark to Host Monthly National No Kill Webinars

Beginning in the fall of 2010, Animal Ark will be hosting a monthly series of webinars designed to help shelters and animal control centers achieve no kill community wide. The webinars will feature some of the top no kill advocates in the USA, each with proven track records of success. The projected cost per webinar will be under $15 per person. Keep an eye on the Animal Ark web site for additional details to follow.

--
Mike Fry
Executive Director of Animal Ark
Co-Host of Animal Wise Radio
http://www.animalarkshelter.org
http://www.animalwiseradio.com
Animal Ark Main: (651) 772-8983
Mike Fry Direct: (651) 964-3140
Toll Free: (888) 668-0687 Ext 99
FAX: (651) 304-6038

Oscar the cat gets "bionic" feet!

2010-07-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

Cat amputee fitted with 'bionic' feet
By Dana Rosenblatt, CNN
July 8, 2010 9:00 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A British cat has made a full recovery after being fitted with a new pair of artificial feet

The cat, Oscar, had his hind paws accidentally severed by a combine harvester

Vet: Fitting a cat with a prosthesis below its ankle had never been performed

Doctor believes cat's surgery could improve quality of life for human amputees

This cat, whose hind paws were accidentally severed, has been fitted with a new pair of artificial feet.

(CNN) -- If cats have nine lives, they may have just acquired a 10th -- thanks to a groundbreaking surgery that saved the life of a feline double amputee.

A British cat, Oscar, has made a full recovery after being fitted with a pair of prosthetic feet in November. The cat's hind paws were severed by a combine harvester.

The three-hour procedure, performed at an animal hospital in Surrey, England, by neuro-orthopaedic veterinary surgeon Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, could serve as a model for human amputees.

Oscar's custom-made implants, ITAPs (Intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthetics), were modeled after deer antlers, which have a honeycomb structure that bones can grow through and skin can grow over.

By using computer-generated technology, a team of veterinarians and scientists designed a feline foot that mimics the way a cat walks and runs.

Oscar's implants were attached to his bones and then covered by hydroxypatite, which allows bone cells to grow onto the metal. Skin can then grow over the ITAP to form a seal against bacteria and keep infections at bay.

Custom-built paws were attached to the end of Oscar's prostheses, allowing him to run and jump like normal cats. One video of Oscar walking on his artificial feet has attracted more than 346,000 views on YouTube.

Fitting a cat with a prosthesis at the joint below the animal's ankle is a procedure that had never been performed, said Fitzpatrick, who waited seven months to announce news of Oscar's surgery because he wanted to see how the cat would recover.

The ITAPs, made from titanium aluminum, were first developed by a team of scientists at the University College of London, led by Professor Gordon Blunn.

Oscar's masters, Kate and Mike Nolan, were referred to Fitzpatrick by their local veterinarian in Jersey, England, after Oscar's accident last fall. They decided to proceed with the complicated surgery, knowing it could positively affect human medicine.

But first, Oscar's life-threatening injuries had to be treated and a course of antibiotics administered.

"We had to do a lot of soul-searching, and our main concern has always been whether this operation would be in Oscar's best interests and would give him a better quality of life," said Kate Nolan in a statement released by the animal hospital.

"Through our own background reading, we were aware that this sort of procedure is cutting-edge and also has an impact on human medicine," added Mike Nolan in a statement. "So knowledge about the way that Oscar's been treated can be carried over to human treatment going forward, so that's good for everyone."

While the surgery can benefit humans, Fitzpatrick said his decision to treat Oscar was made first and foremost to save the cat's life.

"He is the most remarkable cat. You can see that he desperately wanted to live," he said.

While many animals can live with only three limbs, it would have been impossible for Oscar to survive with only two limbs, Fitzpatrick said.

Although Oscar's life was insured for 4,000 British pounds (approximately $6,070), Fitzpatrick dedicated much of his time and hospital resources at no cost to treat Oscar.

Fitzpatrick believes the cat's prosthetic surgery could lead to similar advancements for human amputees needing artificial limbs.

"As long as it's in the interest of my patient, if everything works well, we can apply this to human victims," he said.

Oscar has adjusted well to his new legs, Fitzpatrick said, although he'll remain an indoor cat.

He may not chase mice like he used to, but he can still scratch up the furniture.

Moose playing in backyard sprinkler

2010-06-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

The simple joys of summer!

http://www.wimp.com/babymoose

Animal Welfare inspection

2010-06-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

FROM: Minnesota Humane Society [info@mnhumane.org]

In response to consumer complaints, media investigations and pressure from animal welfare organizations, the Inspector General conducted an audit of APHIS/USDA inspections of licensed breeding facilities. The audit was performed between 2006 & 2008, and the final report was released just this week.

The conclusions of the audit confirm what animal welfare organizations have long suspected. USDA inspectors are not adequately trained and are not enforcing the Animal Welfare Act. The audit report cites the following findings:

• The enforcement process was ineffective against problematic dealers. Education was the preferred action taken and no enforcement action was taken against violators.

• Violations were not cited or documented properly by inspectors to support enforcement actions.

• The monetary penalties assessed were not adequate to deter violators.

• The internet is a loop hole allowing an increasing number of large scale breeders to avoid inspections and these breeders are not being monitored to ensure the animals are being humanely treated.

APHIS/USDA has acknowledged the various problems raised in the audit report and is working to incorporate the recommendations of the Inspector General. Additionally, these findings could give leverage to the national legislation, Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS), which if passed would require:

• All breeders selling more than 50 puppies per year to the general public be federally licensed and inspected.

• Dogs at commercial breeding facilities must be given the opportunity to exercise for 60 minutes daily.

Help get the PUPS legislation passed. Please call your US Senator and Representative and urge them to vote in favor of PUPS. Below are links to access contact information for your US Senator and Representative.

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.house.gov/

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue

2010-05-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue is an organization near and dear to my heart. I have worked with many animal rescue groups but in my experience this one has the purest motives and greatest need. I write their blog (www.redlakerosie.blogspot.com), help with transports, clinics, and foster cats and kittens for them.

This video was created with photos from a clinic at Red Lake in March 2010 and includes an interview with Karen Good the creator and driving force behind Red Lake Rosie's Rescue.

The Animals at Red Lake Rosie's Rescue from JanetRoper on Vimeo.

Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue is an all volunteer, non-profit organization with a board of directors from the Red Lake Indian reservation, and operates a shelter on Red Lake Tribal land leased to Karen Good. Karen grew up in a large family on the reservation, left to get a college degree and returned to teach at the high school.

On March 21, 2005, a Red Lake 16-year-old killed his grandfather and his grandfather's girlfriend and then drove to the school where he shot and killed seven people on the school campus, including five students, one teacher and an unarmed security guard. Five others were wounded and the shooting spree ended with the boy committing suicide.

The day of the Red Lake massacre, Karen was driving home in a state of shock and horror. She noticed a skinny dog at the dump scrounging for food. On the spot, she decided she had to take some kind of action to make some kind of positive change. She took that dog home and that act ultimately resulted in the rescue which is named for the dog, Rosie.

Now animals are picked up routinely from the reservation dumps where stray animals go to find food or where their owners have abandoned them. Police, social workers and residents have come to know that the rescue will take the animals that may be suffering from malnutrition, injuries and exposure. Before the rescue, the only option was to shoot them.

Animals taken in by the rescue have been transported to nearly 50 different rescues across Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Prevention and education are the other main components of Red Lake Rosie’s mission. The rescue organizes several animal care clinics each year with Animal Ark’s Neuter Commuter, the Animal Humane Society’s mobile clinic, vets from Minnesota and Wisconsin and HSUS/RAVs (the Humane Society of the United States Rural Area Veterinarians). Hundreds of spay/neuter surgeries have been performed and animals receive shots and basic medical treatment.

Education of the animal owners about appropriate pet care is also a big part of the clinics and continues with school children. The very basic information about the need to provide shelter, water and food is the starting point and people are provided with buckets for water and food, as needed. Visits with animals are made to elementary classrooms and the last two years the children have saved their pennies to make a donation to the rescue. Some groups of high school students have been able to visit at the rescue or help at the clinics.

Finally, there is a metro support group for Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue that helps in a wide variety of ways. Some volunteers drive north to help at the rescue or a clinic or they transport supplies up and animals down. But, many volunteers help from home by raising funds, creating informational materials, fostering animals. Learn more at www.redlakerosie.org.

Cockfighting in Lino Lakes, MN

2010-05-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Suspected cockfighting
ring busted in Lino Lakes

LINO LAKES, Minn. -- Nine people were arrested
after authorities discovered a suspected
cockfighting ring in Lino Lakes.

The Lino Lakes Police Department received an
anonymous complaint of a cockfight Sunday night at
a home on the 1400 block of Woodland Drive. When
officers arrived, they found several roosters that
appeared to be in poor physical condition with
several cuts and other evidence of cockfighting.

Animal welfare officers inspected the area Tuesday
and found hundreds of chickens on the property.
They removed 40 live game-cocks and seven dead
birds, as well as paraphernalia and other equipment
from the property.

All of the animals taken will be held in quarantine
pending a disposition hearing.

Authorities arrested a total of nine people. One was
arrested for felony permitting an animal fighting and
the others for attending an organized animal fight.
Some of those arrested admitted to being at the
residence to watch the fights. One suspect stated
that he had a $20 bet on a fight.

Animal Humane Society Senior Investigator Keith
Streff says this is one of the largest and most
sophisticated breeding, training and distribution
facilities he has seen since starting with the Animal
Humane Society in 1987.

Cockfighting is a felony in Minnesota and illegal in
all 50 states.

(Copyright 2010 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

Government report on puppy mills

2010-05-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

USDA fails to crack down on puppy mills, details horrific conditions and lax enforcement
By MARY CLARE JALONICK , Associated Press

Last update: May 25, 2010 - 11:51 AM

WASHINGTON - An internal government report says dogs are dying and living in horrific conditions due to lax government enforcement of large kennels known as puppy mills.

Investigators say the Department of Agriculture often ignores repeat violations, waives penalties and doesn't adequately document inhumane treatment of dogs. In one case cited by the department's inspector general, 27 dogs died at an Oklahoma breeding facility after inspectors had visited the facility several times and cited it for violations.

The review, conducted between 2006 and 2008, found that more than half of those who had already been cited for violations flouted the law again.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that USDA takes the report seriously and will take immediate action.

Looking for love?

2010-05-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal.

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me... Call and ask for Annie, I'll be waiting.....see below:

Over 150 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society.

A soldier's best friend

2010-05-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Stamps to the Rescue

2010-05-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

Starting April 30, 2010 new postage stamps became available at the post office or online at www.usps.com that help to raise awareness of shelter pets for adoption and support a donation of pet food to shelters.

Learn more and order stamps at http://www.stampstotherescue.com/

I ordered enough for my 2010 Christmas cards!

McDuffy puppy mill closes in Morrison County, MN

2010-05-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Controversial dog-breeding business closes in Little Falls
By The Associated Press

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- A dog breeder who opened a 500-dog facility near Little Falls three years ago has apparently gone out of business.

The St. Cloud Times reports Gary McDuffee canceled his U.S. Department of Agriculture license on March 16, according to agency records. A neighbor who fought the kennel in court says she no longer hears dogs on the property, and a Morrison County official says it's no longer being used as a kennel.

There was speculation McDuffee was leaving the dog-breeding business last fall, when hundreds of his dogs were listed in auction ads in Missouri.

McDuffee declined to comment to the newspaper.

McDuffee opened his kennel in 2007 after receiving a permit to have up to 500 dogs. That prompted protests and a lawsuit.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Fundraiser for Red Lake Rosie's Rescue at Galleria, Thursday, May 13

2010-05-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Be alert to changes in pet foods

2010-05-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

***Toxic Levels of Vitamin D found in Nutro Cat Food - specifically the Nutro Chicken Meal and Rice. If you feed any Nutro Cat Food, please read the information at this link: http://bit.ly/aOqK32

***Proctor & Gamble has acquired Natura Pet Food company, which sells products under the following brands: Innova, EVO, California Natural, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma. While no immediate changes in the formulas for these products is anticipated, those in the industry expect a lessening of quality. For those of you feeding these products, you may want to keep a close eye on the ingredients to see if they should change over time.

Other high quality grain free foods to consider: Wellness CORE, Halo, Nature's Variety RAW INSTINCT. Always beware of grains due to past problems with China adding melamine which proved fatally toxic to many pets.

For more information: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0520145720100505

Henry & Tink

2010-04-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

FROM www.FIDOFriendly.com, JUNE 2010:
Meet Henry, the three-legged cat, and his dear friend Tink, the two-legged dog.

Minnesota photographer honored for nature photos

2010-04-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

By BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune

Minnesota wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg has been honored by his colleagues -- in spades.

Four images captured by the Ely resident have been included among the 40 best nature photographs ever made in a ranking by the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Brandenburg, a longtime contributor to National Geographic magazine, had more photos selected than any other photographer. Others singled out for recognition were the legendary photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.

On his website, Brandenburg is quoted as saying, "to have four of my photographs chosen by my peers as part of the top 40 nature photographs of all time is indeed the highlight of my career. I am honored beyond words."

His images include a gray wolf near the Boundary Waters and bison at Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne.

Brandenburg's photos can be seen on his blog.

All 40 photographs can be seen here.

Alaskan dog is a hero

2010-04-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

Dog Leads Alaska State Trooper To Fire (VIDEO)
First Posted: 04-23-10 06:01 AM | Updated: 04-23-10 06:11 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)-- A dashcam video from the Alaska State Troopers shows a dog leading them through winding back roads to a blazing fire at his owners' property.

The video on the troopers' website shows the German shepherd running to meet the trooper's vehicle, then racing to the house on Caswell Lakes on April 4.

Troopers say Buddy and his owner, 23-year-old Ben Heinrichs, were in the family workshop when a heater ignited chemicals. Heinrichs told Buddy: "We need to get help."

The dog eventually found a trooper responding to a call about the fire.

The State Troopers are presenting a special award Friday to the dog. Buddy will receive an engraved silver-plated dog bowl in Anchorage.

Heinrichs suffered minor flash burns on his face. The workshop was destroyed, but only some window trim on the house was damaged.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)-- A dashcam video from the Alaska State Troopers shows a dog leading them through winding back roads to a blazing fire at his owners' property. The video on the troopers' web...

Alaska dog gets his day as troopers honor pup for leading them to fire on owner's property
By RACHEL D'ORO , Associated Press

Last update: April 24, 2010 - 3:06 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Buddy the German shepherd was hailed Friday as a hero for guiding Alaska State Troopers through winding back roads to a fire at his owners' workshop.

"Buddy is an untrained dog who for some reason recognized the severity of the situation and acted valiantly in getting help for his family," Col. Audie Holloway, head of the troopers, said Friday at a ceremony for the 5-year-old dog, who stood quietly before an adoring crowd.

Buddy, whose good deed was caught on a patrol car's dashcam video, received a stainless steel dog bowl engraved with words of appreciation from troopers for his "diligence and assistance."

Buddy also received a big rawhide bone, and his human family got a framed letter documenting his efforts.

"He's my hero," owner Ben Heinrichs said, his voice breaking. "If it wasn't for him, we would have lost our house."

The dashcam video shows Buddy meeting the trooper's vehicle, then dashing to their property about 55 miles north of Anchorage on April 4.

Heinrichs said he was working on parts for his truck when a spark hit some gasoline and ignited, lighting his clothes blaze. The 23-year-old man ran outside to stomp out the flames by rolling in the snow, closing the door to keep the blaze from spreading.

Heinrichs then realized Buddy was still inside the burning building and let the dog out. Heinrichs suffered minor burns on his face and second-degree burns on his left hand, which was still heavily bandaged Friday.

Buddy was not injured.

"I just took off running," Heinrichs said. "I said we need to get help, and he just took off."

Buddy ran into the nearby woods and onto Caswell Loop Road, where the dog encountered the trooper, Terrence Shanigan, whose global positioning device had failed while responding to a call about the fire. He was working with dispatchers to find the property in an area with about 75 miles of back roads.

Shanigan was about to make a wrong turn when he saw a shadow up the road. His vehicle lights caught Buddy at an intersection, and the dog eyed the trooper and began running down a side road.

"He wasn't running from me, but was leading me," he said. "I just felt like I was being led ... it's just one of those things that we're thinking on the same page for that brief moment."

The video shows Buddy occasionally looking back at the patrol car as he raced ahead, galloping around three turns before arriving in front of the blaze, which was very close to the Heinrichs' home.

From there, the trooper guided firefighters to the scene.

The workshop was destroyed and a shed was heavily damaged, but only some window trim on the house was scorched.

The Heinrich family said they knew Buddy was smart ever since they got him six weeks after he was born to a canine-officer mother and that he was brave, twice chasing bears away while Ben Heinrichs was fishing.

But saving their home beat them all.

"Downright amazing, I would say," said Tom Heinrichs, Ben's father. "Maybe there was some divine intervention."

MN House WILL vote on puppy mill regulation

2010-04-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

Minnesota House WILL Vote on Puppy Mill Regulation - Urgent Action Needed
Contact your representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives and ask them to support the Benson Amendment to House File 2678

(Updated 4/26/2010)
After years of stalling, the Minnesota House of Representatives will finally have an opportunity to vote on puppy mill regulation. On Tuesday, April 27, House File 2678 will be heard on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives. When that happens, Representative John Benson will offer an amendment to that bill that will do some very important things, including:
• Close a loop hole currently being exploited by Minnesota puppy mills to avoid paying sales tax on the puppies they are selling;
• Generate at least $1.3 million in additional revenue for the State as a result of increased tax compliance;
• Ensure large-scale, commercial breeders of dogs and cats are in compliance with existing cruelty laws in Minnesota;
• Help to ensure that sick animals, which can pose a risk to public health, are not being sold and shipped nation-wide from Minnesota commercial breeders.

To help ensure this important amendment is accepted, we need you to contact your representative at the Minnesota House of Representatives NOW and urge them to support the Benson amendment to House File 2678. It is long past time for the Minnesota Legislature to deal with this issue. More information can be found at the links on the right side of this page. The Benson Amendment is virtually identical in language to House File 253.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR TAKING ACTION!

In addition to contacting your representative, please share this page with your family and friends!
Related Links

Find Your Representative

The Finances of Regulation

Special Interests and Puppy Mills

An Open Letter to the Minnesota Legislature

MN man who starved dogs gets probation

2010-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Probation for man who
starved dogs to death

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) -- A Mower County judge has
sentenced a man to community service and
probation for letting two dogs die of starvation and
exposure to the cold.

Thirty-two-year-old Jacob Joshua McAlister of Lyle
was earlier found guilty of two felony counts of
animal cruelty.

Mower County sheriff's officials say a black Labrador
retriever and a chocolate lab were found dead in a
kennel on McAlister's property in April 2009. A
veterinarian determined the dogs died of starvation,
dehydration and exposure to the elements suffered
January through March.

The Austin Daily Herald reports Judge Donald
Rysavy ordered McAlister to spent two years on
probation and complete 100 hours of community
service.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights
Reserved.)

Animal cruelty videos

2010-04-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Supreme Court voids law aimed at banning animal cruelty videos
By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 20, 2010; 11:48 AM

The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos depicting graphic violence against animals, saying that it violates the constitutional right to free speech.
Chief Justice John J. Roberts Jr., writing for an eight-member majority, said the law was overly broad and not allowed by the First Amendment. He rejected the government's argument that whether certain categories of speech deserve constitutional protection depends on balancing the value of the speech against its societal costs.
"The First Amendment's guarantee of free speech does not extend only to categories of speech that survive an ad hoc balancing of relative social costs and benefits," Roberts wrote. "The First Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the Government outweigh the costs. Our Constitution forecloses any attempt to revise that judgment simply on the basis that some speech is not worth it."
The law was enacted in 1999 to forbid sales of so-called "crush videos," which appeal to a certain sexual fetish by depicting the torture of animals or showing them being crushed to death by women with stiletto heels or their bare feet. But the government has not prosecuted such a case. Instead, the case before the court, United States v. Stevens, came from Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for videos he made about pit bull fighting.
Animal rights groups and 26 states had joined the Obama administration in support of the 1999 law. They argued that videos showing animal cruelty should be treated like child pornography rather than granted constitutional protection.
But Roberts said the federal law was so broadly written that it could include all depictions of killing animals, even hunting videos. He said the court was not passing judgment about whether "a statute limited to crush videos or other depictions of extreme animal cruelty would be constitutional."
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was the lone dissenter.
"The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but it most certainly does not protect violent criminal conduct, even if engaged in for expressive purposes," Alito wrote.
David Horowitz, executive director of the Media Coalition, said in response to the ruling: "We are gratified that the justices soundly rejected the government's invitation to create a new exception to the First Amendment. As today's ruling demonstrates, if the Court were to rewrite the First Amendment every time an unpopular or distasteful subject was at issue, we wouldn't have any free speech left. We continue to believe that animal cruelty is wrong and should be vigorously prosecuted, but as the Court today found, sending people to prison for making videos is not the answer."
The Media Coalition is an association that defends First Amendment rights and represents U.S. publishers, booksellers and producers and retailers of movies, videos, video games and other recordings.
The Humane Society of the United States said it was disappointed by the ruling but found hope in the majority's statement that it was not deciding whether a narrow statute targeting "crush videos" might be constitutional.
"The Supreme Court's decision gives us a clear pathway to enact a narrower ban on the sale of videos depicting malicious acts of cruelty, including animal crush videos and dogfighting," Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement. "Congress should act swiftly to make sure the First Amendment is not used as a shield for those committing barbaric acts of cruelty, and then peddling their videos on the Internet."

© 2010 The Washington Post Company

Kittens for lunch

2010-04-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Best Friends: Viva Las Vegas!

2010-04-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

April 12, 2010, 7:51AM MT
By Sandy Miller, Best Friends staff writer

Best Friends Operation Casino Cats program proves to be a success in maintaining hotel-casino property feline population

It’s a win-win for both community cats and the Las Vegas hotel-casino property that they call home.

Seven months after Operation Casino Cats was first launched, the Best Friends trap/neuter/return (TNR) program at the hotel-casino is proving to be a huge success.

Best Friends staffers and volunteers have trapped, neutered and spayed, and then returned more than 85 cats to the property, says Shelly Kotter, campaign specialist for Focus on Felines, one of four Best Friends campaigns aimed at reaching the goal of No More Homeless Pets.

“We’re pretty confident we have 99 percent of them,” Kotter says.

Kotter doesn’t want to reveal the name of the hotel-casino because people might abandon their cats there.

There were a few bumps along the way, but the hotel-casino’s management worked with Best Friends to iron out the few problems that arose. For instance, pigeons were frequenting the cats’ feeding stations, so Best Friends covered the feeding stations with large bins with doors cut into them which were covered with a light-weight plastic. The cats could still access the food, but the pigeons had to find other places to dine.

“One of the things that makes me really happy is that we were able to work with hotel management on any issues,” Kotter says. “Management has been really great about coming to us with problems and working with us to solve them.”

Like many other businesses, the hotel-casino has discovered that TNR programs are the best way — and indeed the most humane way — to deal with feral and stray cats, or community cats as we like to call them. With TNR, the cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinary clinic — in Las Vegas it’s the Tropicana Animal Hospital — where they’re spayed or neutered and vaccinated. While under the anesthesia, a small tip of one of their ears is taken off to identify that they’re part of a managed cat colony. Then they’re returned to the area from which they came where caregivers continue to feed and watch over them.

“Best Friends volunteers are instrumental in helping me trap and maintain the colonies as well as reporting to me any issues or needs,” says Tami Simon, Best Friends’ campaign coordinator in Las Vegas. “Hotel employees also keep me informed of the goings-on — if they see any pregnant cats, kittens or newcomers.”

Simon called the program a big success.

“Considering how many kittens we have prevented from being born, it has been wildly successful,” says Simon. “The colonies are all healthy, but not reproducing. The management and employees have been extremely supportive.”

So successful is the program that Best Friends plans to present it to other hotel-casinos and large businesses in Las Vegas.

“The success of this program will help other businesses see that it solves multiple cat issues and is truly the most humane way of dealing with community cats,” Kotter says.

Focus on Felines

If we’re ever going to reach a day of No More Homeless Pets, we must keep cats from entering shelters in the first place. Seventy-two percent of cats who end up in shelters are killed, and only 10 percent to 20 percent of pet cats are adopted from shelters. TNR programs keep cats out of shelters and keep them from producing more cats. TNR programs are also cheaper to implement than trap and kill programs.

To find out how much your community could save by replacing trap and kill with TNR, check out Best Friends’ TNR Cost Savings Calculator.
Read more about TNR in Best Friends’ Focus on Felines campaign.
Read more about the launch of the Operation Casino Cats program and watch the video chronicling the successful process.

Photos by Molly Wald and hotel-casino employee

Dr. Jane Goodall interview

2010-04-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

Interview with Dr. Jane Goodall -- check it out!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/exclusive-interview-with_b_479894.html?ref=email_share

Dinnertime

2010-04-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Need a laugh?

Free-Roaming Felines Fixed for Free

2010-04-05T01:34:00.000-07:00

March 29, 10:24 AM
Minneapolis Pets Examiner
Mike Fry

A feral cat in a trap awaiting surgery at a Wildcat Wednesday event at St. Paul Animal Control.
Photo by Animal Ark

At many shelters or animal control centers feisty felines are simply killed. However, as March comes to a close, an innovative program is ramping up for its busy summer season. The program provides non-lethal control of Minnesota’s unsocialized, free-roaming felines, A.K.A “feral cats”.

Animal Ark’s Feline Feral Friends program operates through the spring, summer and fall and surgically sterilizes and vaccinates between 1,300 and 2,000 cats each year. Surgeries are performed in a large, mobile, surgical hospital called the Neuter Commuter, which is perfectly outfitted for the task.

Though the negative impacts of feral cats are frequently exaggerated, most people agree that leaving large numbers of intact domestic pets to roam wild is not a good thing. They also agree that the traditional “trap and kill” approach employed by most of Minnesota’s humane societies for nearly 100 years has failed to reduce the numbers of cats for several reasons.

Each female can have at least 3 litters of kittens in a year. The kittens themselves are able to reproduce at just 6 months of age. They are like breeding machines. With each breeding cycle, fertile, free-roaming felines breed kittens that usually do not survive due to various environmental factors that limit the population size. Because lethal approaches to managing free-roaming cats can never catch all of the cats, and because killing cats does not change the factors that limit population size, lethal approaches simply do not work. Another cat quickly replaces each cat killed at a humane society.

Instead of killing cats, the Feline Feral Friends program traps, spays or neuters and vaccinates them. The kitties are then returned to their home territory and managed.

Using this approach reproduction in a colony of cats can be halted. At the same time, fertile animals are prevented from moving into the area. The net result is a gradual reduction of the free-roaming cat population. Damage to wildlife is also minimized.

Animal Ark’s Neuter Commuter travels the State, visiting farms and industrial complexes where colonies of felines have become established. The largest of these colonies have been approximately 200 felines.

Additionally, in cooperation with St. Paul Animal Control, Animal Ark offers free services for feral felines found in that city. The first Wednesday of each month, St. Paul Animal Control hosts Wildcat Wednesdays, day-long spay/neuter events that allows St. Paul residents to bring feral cats in for services.

St. Paul Animal Control provides traps and instructions for trapping to residents of St. Paul free of charge for this purpose. The first Wildcat Wednesday of the season will take place Wednesday, April 7, with traps being made available a week in advance.

For more information about Feline Feral Friends or Wildcat Wednesdays, call (651) 772-8983 Ext. 21.

80 dogs & cats rescued from Waseca hoarder

2010-04-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

No Kill Shelter Needs Help with Rescued Pets

March 30, 10:23 PM
Minneapolis Pets Examiner
Mike Fry

One of the rescued dogs when it arrived at Animal Ark.
Photo by Animal Ark

They are dirty, smelly and a little shy, but life for them is taking a turn for the better. Waseca Animal Rescue has saved dozens of animals from a large-scale situation many would typically describe as a “hoarder”. In total, about 20 cats and 60 dogs were on the property. According to local ordinances only 3 pets are allowed.

On Tuesday, March 30 the owner relinquished the animals to Waseca Animal Rescue that has been placing animals with other no kill rescue groups, including Animal Ark.

“We want to make sure that all of the animals are safe and well cared for,” said Marlene Foote, president and Founder of Animal Ark.

The first batch of animals arrived at Animal Ark at about 9:30 PM, met by a team of staff and a veterinarian to assess their condition.

“They are a little skittish,” said Mary Salter of Animal Ark of the first dogs to arrive. “But that will change quickly.”

Their other known issues are likely to change quickly, too.

“A little food, a couple of baths, some friendly play with people… that’s what these dogs really need,” Salter added.

You can help by becoming a foster home for one or more of the rescued pups. Simply fill out a foster application online. If you cannot foster a pet, you can donate to help with the rescue efforts.

Continue to be cute

2010-04-01T01:09:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Duluth!

2010-03-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

Jim Williams from Animal Allies Humane Society was a guest on Animal Wise Radio yesterday. He shared the inspiring story of how the city of Duluth, Minnesota is rapidly becoming one of the safest communities in the nation for homeless pets.

In 2009 the live-release rate for the city was a whopping 88%! During the interview, Jim said, "It was surprisingly easy. It was hard work. We are all a little grayer. But it was surprisingly easy." Learn more and listen to the interview at http://www.animalwiseradio.com.

Shortly after that, Nathan Winograd cited the outstanding success of Duluth in an article he wrote for the Examiner. You can read that article here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-16635-SF-Animal-Shelters-Examiner~y2010m3d28-Nokill-day-a-celebration-of-compassion

Animal Ark and Animal Wise Radio would like to officially send a big, virtual high-five to everyone in Duluth who helped to make this outstanding accomplishment possible.

--
Mike Fry
Executive Director of Animal Ark
Co-Host of Animal Wise Radio

The Owl Box

2010-03-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Owl couple in California hatches a family and a fan club as thousands tune in to watch chicks

Associated Press
Last update: March 29, 2010 - 3:44 PM
SAN MARCOS, Calif. -

A barn owl couple in California has given birth to a family and a fan club.

Two years ago, Carlos and Donna Royal made an owl box, put it on top of a 15-foot pole in their northern San Diego County back yard and hooked up a video camera.

Barn owls Molly and McGee moved into the box in January and started a family.

Since ustream.tv/theowlbox debuted, it's had more than 3 million hits. More than 17,000 people watched as the first owlet hatched on March 21. A fourth baby owl hatched Sunday, with one egg remaining.

The Royals have named the babies Max, Pattison, Austin and Wesley.

MN Senate OKs domestic abuse protection for pets

2010-03-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Minnesota State Capitol
By The Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A bill that would extend domestic abuse protections to pets has cleared the Minnesota Senate with wide support.

The chamber voted 59-7 Monday for the proposal from Democratic Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul.

The bill would let judges include pets in court protective orders and determine who would care for a pet in a domestic abuse case. Minnesota judges already can consider pets in cases of domestic violence, but that authority is not spelled out in state law.

Advocates say many battered women stay in dangerous situations out of fear for their pets. The bill would make Minnesota the 14th state to include pets in domestic abuse protections.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Guardian Angels for Soldiers' Pets

2010-03-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

KARE11.com

Dog-sitting for the deployed

BIG LAKE, Minn. -- When soldiers are sent to war,
the military provides all sorts of help for those left
behind -- mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and
children.

But what about the four-legged family members?

That was the dilemma Staff Sargent Steve Meduna
faced in January 2009 as he prepared to go to Iraq
for the first deployment in his 15 years in the
Minnesota National Guard: What to do about his
100-pound, two year old dog, Dozer -- as in
"bulldozer." Meduna was newly divorced and his
father lived in a town home community that doesn't
allow dogs, his brother had a small yard without a
fence and his friends who had watched Dozer in the
past were all guardsmen going to Iraq, too.

Then he heard about Guardian Angels for Soldier's
Pet, or GASP, a five year old network of volunteers
who take in dogs and cats --and even horses and,
in some cases, snakes and lizards -- left behind
when their owners deploy with the military.

"The pet is not considered or recognized as a family
member," says Linda Spurlin-Dominik, a co-founder
and the president of GASP. She started the group
after hearing of the problems faced by one soldier
from Ohio. A little research turned up reports of
dogs and cats dropped off at shelters just before
deployments or picked up by animal control --
abandoned -- right after troops leave an area.

"It's a warm feeling," she says of her work. "You've
made a difference in someone's life and made their
life just a little bit better when they get to see their
pet again."

Meduna learned of GASP just before he deployed
and happily left Dozer in the care of Mike and Jessie
Siers of Big Lake, Minn. "It was a real weight off my
back," he says.

The Siers kept Meduna up to date on Dozer with
videos and photos posted on Facebook. At
Christmas, they sent Meduna a photo of Dozer in a
Santa hat -- signed with Dozer's inked paw.
They loved having Dozer with them for 13 months,
but knew it had to end. They hated to see him go,
but, as Jessie said, "We're so happy that Steve made
it back safely."

Before going to the Siers' to pick up Dozer, Meduna
worried that his dog wouldn't remember him after
being away for so long. He needn't have worried. As
soon as Dozer caught a glimpse of his master, he
bounded to Meduna's side and jumped -- and
licked --for joy.

After getting reacquainted, Dozer retired to a corner
of the Siers' yard with a nylon chew bone that
Meduna had brought for him as Meduna and Siers
talked. At one point, Meduna turned toward his car
to get something out of it. Yards away, Dozer saw
him turn, dropped his bone and shot across the
yard to Meduna's side.

He wasn't about to let his master get away again.

By John Yang, NBC News correspondent

(Copyright 2010 by NBC. All Rights Reserved.)

Support regulation of Minnesota's puppy mills

2010-03-25T02:57:00.000-07:00

Following is an open, published letter that Mike Fry wrote to the entire Minnesota Legislature.

My name is Mike Fry. I am the executive director of Animal Ark, one of Minnesota’s largest animal welfare organizations, with programs that operate throughout the state and beyond. Our large and growing membership includes citizens in every county in Minnesota. We also have members in 42 other states and 5 other countries. Our membership is politically diverse, including all kinds of perspectives from all political parties. Our members include animal rescuers and dog breeders as well as hog farmers and hunters.

We have been able to maintain this diverse membership because Animal Ark’s philosophy is moderate, centrist and mainstream. We are not fringe animal rights extremists like PETA or HSUS. We are your brothers and sisters and your neighbors. We are your constituents.

I am writing to you today to let you know that, based on the emails I am receiving, as well as comments to our blogs and news stories, our members are not happy with the Legislature’s handling of the puppy mill issue, which has been ongoing for several years. However, the concern of our members reached a critically high level this session.

In 2009 two different bills were offered in the House and Senate to accomplish the goal of regulating commercial breeders. It could be argued that both bills, when compared to bills being passed in other states, were relatively moderate in their approaches. However, because several of the small hobby breeders in Minnesota expressed concern over possible unintended consequences of one bill, Animal Ark worked with them and others to create a viable alternative.

The Legislature’s response to these two bills was clear. We were instructed to get our groups together and bring back compromise language. Not only was that goal accomplished, we brought more stakeholders to the table than was requested and together we drafted an outstanding compromise set of bills. Senate File 7, as amended this year, and House File 253 as amended in the House Ag committee last year, is that compromise language.

In spite of this, the House Ag Committee tabled the bill without voting on it. The Senate Ag Committee voted it down by a 5-7 vote, with some of the same senators who told the groups to get together and create compromise language now saying, in effect, that their compromise is not good enough.

This has left many Minnesotans who worked on or who supported these bills feeling like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. They have just delivered the broomstick of the Wicked Witch only to be told by the man behind the curtain that is not enough. Furthermore, “How dare they question the great and powerful Oz?!”

Adding to the sense that this should be fiction and not real life is the fact that over the interim two important bodies weighed in on the compromise language – the Board of Animal Health and the Department of Revenue. BAH completed a fiscal note, with input from DOR. The report was shocking to many.

The most compelling fact reported was that of 100 randomly selected commercial dog breeders in the state, 74 of them were not in compliance with Minnesota sales tax laws. That is a 74% noncompliance rate. Based on other research, the report projected the total loss of revenue to the state resulting from the tax cheating of commercial dog breeders to be in excess of $2 million annually. Furthermore the report predicted that the compromise bill language offered in SF 7 and HF 253 would help the state collect the majority of those funds - at least $1.3 million per year. But that is not all.

The report also projects the financial impact on regulated parties. Total fees for commercial dog breeders would amount to between $1 and $2 for each puppy sold. Given that these puppies sell for hundreds of dollars each it is easy to see these minimal costs could be easily passed on to the buyers, meaning that, fundamentally, the program would cost the regulated breeders virtually nothing.

These bills, it would seem, would create a win for all law-abiding Minnesotans. Responsible breeders, be they commercial or hobby breeders, would stay in business. Breeders that could not meet the minimal standards of our existing cruelty laws would be out of business, creating more business for responsible breeders. Additionally, the State would benefit financially. Animal Welfare advocates nation-wide would see fewer malnourished, unsocialized dog and cats that suffer from genetic abnormalities resulting from inbreeding. The only losers in the equation are those not paying their taxes and who are abusing animals.

In spite of these basic facts, Animal Ark members who have contacted their legislators are being given a host of excuses. “I’m not on that committee.” “We need 100% consensus in order to pass a bill.” “We need agreement from those that would be regulated in order to pass the bill.”

I read your responses and have to wonder, “are you kidding me?”

The excuses go on and on, and, frankly, do not address the concerns being communicated to you. Whether or not you sit on a committee, your constituents want you to proactively get involved in passing this needed legislation. If you are on a committee hearing the bill, they want you to understand the humane and fiscal implications. They want you to take action to solve these problems.

Expecting that we have 100% consensus is like asking Dorothy to get the Wicked Witch to turn herself in, or asking Minnesotans to become flying monkeys. The commercial breeders to be regulated by these proposed bills amount to about 400 Minnesotans. That is approximately 0.0000075% of your constituency.

Your constituents are speaking. Are you listening?

--
Mike Fry
Executive Director of Animal Ark
Co-Host of Animal Wise Radio
http://www.animalarkshelter.org
http://www.animalwiseradio.com
Animal Ark Main: (651) 772-8983
Mike Fry Direct: (651) 964-3140
Toll Free: (888) 668-0687 Ext 99
FAX: (651) 304-6038

Sign the Petition to regulate MN Puppy Mills

2010-03-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Please help get signatures!

This petition will be delivered to Minnesota legislators early next week, while there is still time in the session to pass meaningful legislation to regulate puppy and kitten mills in our state.

Please help get signatures for this petition. Please email it, share it on Facebook and post it on your web sites.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ask-the-mn-legislature-to-finally-regulate-puppy-mills

petition overview | letter
Ask the MN Legislature to Regulate Puppy Mills
Target:Legislators in Minnesota
Sponsored by: Animal Ark and Animal Wise Radio

For several years, the Minnesota Legislature has been debating bills to regulate large-scale, commercial breeders of dogs and cats. Several viable approaches have been offered. However, due to the influence of special interest groups, including those with severe conflicts of interest, legislators in our great state repeatedly either table or kill any attempts to regulate large-scale breeders.
In 2009 a viable bill was offered in the House, HF 253, that would regulate large-scale breeders in a balanced and responsible way.

We the undersigned ask the Minnesota Legislature to regulate puppy mills now.
For several years you have discussed humane and fiscal issues surrounding large-scale dog and cat breeders in the state. The issues are large and growing, and include severe violations of cruelty and tax laws. Yet, the legislature has done nothing.

News reports relating to Minnesota's puppy mills have been showing up all around the nation. At the same time, the Minnesota Department of Revenue has concluded that the overwhelming majority of these large-scale breeders are not paying required sales tax on the animals sold. This amounts to millions of dollars of lost revenue annually to the State.

Regulating these breeders would, therefore, resolve severe animal welfare issues at the same time it would help generate an additional $1.3 million (according to DOE) in revenue the State badly needs. Rather than doing the responsible thing, which would be to enact responsible regulation, the legislature has been bowing to unrelated special interest groups, like the NRA.

We are tired of the legislator giving special interest groups their way, at the expense of animal welfare and fiscal responsibility. We want you to do your jobs and act NOW to fix these problems.

For more information about the fiscal implications read this link:
http://www.examiner.com/x-39559-Minneapolis-Pets-Examiner~y2010m2d23-Minnesota-Puppy-Mill-Bill-by-the-Numbers

For more information on the involvement of special interests in this issue, read this link:
http://www.examiner.com/x-39559-Minneapolis-Pets-Examiner~y2010m3d12-Senate-Ag-Committee-Lets-Special-Interests-Have-Their-Way-with-Puppies-and-KittensFor several years, the Minnesota Legislature has been debating bills to regulate large-scale, commercial breeders of dogs and cats. Several viable approaches have been offered. However, due to the influence of special interest groups, including those with severe conflicts of interest, legislators in our great state repeatedly either table or kill any attempts to regulate large-scale breeders.
In 2009 a viable bill was offered in the House, HF 253, that would regulate large-scale breeders in a balanced and responsible way.

We the undersigned ask the Minnesota Legislature to regulate puppy mills now.
For several years you have discussed humane and fiscal issues surrounding large-scale dog and cat breeders in the state. The issues are large and growing, and include severe violations of cruelty and tax laws. Yet, the legislature has done nothing.

News reports relating to Minnesota's puppy mills have been showing up all around the nation. At the same time, the Minnesota Department of Revenue has concluded that the overwhelming majority of these large-scale breeders are not paying required sales tax on the animals sold. This amounts to millions of dollars of lost revenue annually to the State.

Regulating these breeders would, therefore, resolve severe animal welfare issues at the same time it would help generate an additional $1.3 million (according to DOE) in revenue the State badly needs. Rather than doing the responsible thing, which would be to enact responsible regulation, the legislature has been bowing to unrelated special interest groups, like the NRA.

We are tired of the legislator giving special interest groups their way, at the expense of animal welfare and fiscal responsibility. We want you to do your jobs and act NOW to fix these problems.

For more information about the fiscal implications read this link:
http://www.examiner.com/x-39559-Minneapolis-Pets-Examiner~y2010m2d23-Minnesota-Puppy-Mill-Bill-by-the-Numbers

For more information on the involvement of special interests in this issue, read this link:
http://www.examiner.com/x-39559-Minneapolis-Pets-Examiner~y2010m3d12-Senate-Ag-Committee-Lets-Special-Interests-Have-Their-Way-with-Puppies-and-Kittens

Puppy Mill bill could be saved for this session

2010-03-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

FROM ANIMAL ARK OUTREACH:

Following the recent vote in the Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee on Senate File 7, a large number of Minnesotans are growing impatient with the legislature, and increasingly concerned about the influence of various special interests in fighting the efforts to pass this urgently needed bill. The bill would:

1) Require large-scale commercial dog and cat breeders to be inspected annually to ensure compliance with existing animal cruelty laws.

2) Fund the inspection program via license fees to be paid by commercial breeders. These fees would amount to, according to a fiscal note created by the Board of Animal Health, about $1 to $2 per puppy sold - costs that would simply be passed on to the buyers of puppies.

3) Help the Department of Revenue collect an additional $1.3 million in sales tax revenue. This is demonstrated through a recent review of commercial dog breeders. 74% of those sampled were not paying the sales tax on the puppies sold as is required by law.

Though the bill was voted down in the Senate Ag Committee, there are still viable options for its passage this year. Your action is needed NOW to help make that happen.

The Minnesota Legislature needs to hear from you immediately.

What to do:

If you live in Minnesota:

Contact your legislators and ask that they work with Senate and House leadership to find a way to pass these bills, and without the undue influence of unrelated special interests. Tell them you are tired of them talking about this bill and failing to pass it. Tell them you are tired of the fiscal irresponsibility. Tell them the reason we are having such financial troubles in the state is because the legislature in general keeps giving the special interests what they want, as is clearly demonstrated in this case.

Contact the Speaker of the House and thank her for her strong leadership on this issue. Ask that she continue to find a way to move this bill this year.

Contact the Senate Majority Leader and ask that he work with the Speaker to do the same.

If you live outside of Minnesota:

Contact Minnesota legislators and tell them you are sick of them letting Minnesota Puppy Mill sell sick, neglected and abused dogs all over the country. Minnesota is one of the top states in the nation for puppy mills. We need all voices heard at the Minnesota Legislature NOW!

Everyone:

Share this story with your family and friends and ask that they do the same!

Visit the Animal Ark Online Community at: http://animalark.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Including Pets in Orders for Protection

2010-03-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

FROM PETHAVEN BLOG:

Action Needed: Including Pets in Orders for Protection
IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT!

On Wednesday, March 10, the Crime Victims/Criminal Records Division Committee voted to approve a bill that would authorize courts to include pets and companion animals in orders for protection. Reps will be asked to vote on this today!

Please take a moment to call YOUR rep listed below and leave a message with his or her aide that you'd like them to support HF1396 Domestic abuse; courts authorized to include pets and companion animals in protective orders!

Read more about this on the MPR website where Lara Peterson (of A Rotta Love) shares first hand how she comes home to the lifeless body of her 5 month old cat in a trash bag. Lara testified before legislators this week to support the bill.

Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection also has additional information on their website.

Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee Members:

Joe Mullery 651-296-4262 rep.joe.mullery@house.mn 58-A (Minneapolis)
Gail Kulick Jackson 651-296-6746 rep.gailkulick.jackson@house.mn 16-A (Princeton, Milaca, etc.)
Steve Drazkowski 651-296-2273 rep.steve.drazkowski@house.mn 28-B (Goodview, St. Charles, etc)
Tony Cornish 651-296-4240 rep.tony.cornish@house.mn 24-B (Lake Crystal, Wells, etc.)
Debra Hilstrom 651-296-3709 rep.debra.hilstrom@house.mn 46-B (Brooklyn Park/Center)
Kory Kath 651-296-5368 rep.kory.kath@house.mn 26-A (Waseca, Owatonna, etc.)
Sheldon Johnson 651-296-4201 rep.sheldon.johnson@house.mn 67-B (St. Paul)
Tim Kelly 651-296-8635 rep.tim.kelly@house.mn 28-A (Red Wing, Lake City, Cannon Falls, etc)
Paul Kohls 651-296-4282 rep.paul.kohls@house.mn 34-A (Chaska, Waconia, Victoria, etc.)
Dave Olin 651-296-9635 rep.dave.olin@house.mn 1-A (NW cities in State)
Michael Paymar- bill author 651-296-4199 rep.michael.paymar@house.mn 64-B (St. Paul)
Sandra Masin 651-296-3533 rep.sandra.masin@house.mn 38-A (Eagan, Burnsville)
Ron Shimanski, R 651-296-1534 rep.ron.shimanski@house.mn 18-A (Hutchinson, Glencoe, etc.)
John Lesch, DFL 651-296-4224 rep.john.lesch@house.mn 66-A (St. Paul)
Bruce Anderson 651-296-5063 rep.bruce.anderson@house.mn 19-A (Monticello, Buffalo, Maple Lake)
Karla Bigham 651-296-4342 rep.karla.bigham@house.mn 57-A (Cottage Grove, S. St. Paul, St. Paul Park, etc.)

Please contact your representative - you can find him/her by going to: http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/

If your rep is listed above please leave a message of support for this piece of legislation being heard in committee. If you know anyone who may live in the areas listed above please encourage them to make a quick 1 minute call in support of HF1396!

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue animal clinic

2010-03-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Vets Perform 200 Spay/Neuter Surgeries in 3 Days During Huge Animal Care Clinic

March 17, 12:35 AM
Minneapolis Pets Examiner
Mike Fry

Three days, two veterinarians, a mobile surgical hospital called "the Neuter Commuter" and a couple of dozen volunteers resulted in about 200 spay/neuter surgeries for animals on the Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota last week. The effort was one of a series of clinics being coordinated in order to help the poverty-stricken community address dire animal welfare concerns.

“When people live in poverty, the people and their animals suffer,” said Mary Salter of Animal Ark, one of the coordinators of the project.

By anyone’s measure, the residents of the Red Lake Reservation are some of the most impoverished in the state of Minnesota. The per capita income there was estimated at just over $8,000 in 1999. All of the conditions that come with poverty are rampant on the reservation including violence, drugs and crime.

In 1863 the Pembina and Red Lake Bands of Ojibwa Native Americans signed the Treaty of Old Crossing. This ensured their sovereignty on their land. It also made them some of the most isolated humans in Minnesota.

“When we first started visiting the reservation a few years ago,” said Salter, “the situation was pretty dire.”

Packs of feral dogs roaming the fields and dead dogs and cats along the road were commonplace. However, after a few years of hard work and several spay/neuter clinics in which hundreds of animals have been sterilized, people are starting to see improvements.

“Things are clearly changing up there,” added Salter.

According to some volunteers, residents of the reservation now look forward to the clinics and begin lining up for services hours before they are open in the morning.

“We open the gates at 8 AM. But, there are usually people lining up starting by 6:30,” Salter said.

The days were long, generally running well into the evening hours. In addition to spay/neuter surgeries, staff and volunteers from Animal Ark and Akin Hills Pet Hospital in Farmington handled a variety of emergency situations - a dog that had been hit by a car - a mother dog with hypothermic puppies. They also provided needed vaccinations, ear cleanings, nail-trimmings and other services.

Dogs and cats that required more medical care than could be provided during the 3 day clinic were taken back to the Twin Cities where Animal Ark and Akin Hill Pet Hospital are providing the care they need. Once they are recovered, they will be available for adoption.

The animals on the reservation live in a very communal environment and tend to be very well socialized to people and other animals.

Three more clinics are scheduled for this year. Volunteers and donations are needed. If you would like to help, visit the Animal Ark web site.

Pet food for food shelves

2010-03-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

First impressions can be deceiving

2010-03-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

More on the MN puppy/kitten mill situation

2010-03-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

Senate Ag Committee Lets Special Interests Have Their Way with Puppies and Kittens
March 12, 8:38 AM
Minneapolis Pets Examiner
Mike Fry

Large-scale, commercial breeders are common in Minnesota and unregulated.

Photo by CAPS

His most recent USDA inspection report reads like something out of a horror movie. “The building known as ‘Kyles building’ had a strong ammonia level during inspection. The inspectors eye were burning from the levels present…”

The report also cites violations for lack of veterinary care, inadequate indoor housing facilities, inadequate primary enclosures, grouping of incompatible animals, issues with the housing facilities in general and other problems.

In one report a Chihuahua suffered from untreated injuries so severe that she could not close her mouth.

In spite of the gross violations reported in his USDA inspection reports, Paul Haag, operator of Valley View Kennel, and member of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, lobbied, with support from the Farm Bureau, to kill Senate File 7 and House File 253, a. k. a. “the puppy mill bill”, adding support to the growing idea that special interests have taken over the Minnesota Legislature.

Haag was not alone in lobbying against the puppy mill bill. His compatriots included other puppy mills, Minnesota pork producers and the NRA. They worked together with members of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee to shoot down the proposed legislation that would require inspections of commercial dog breeders.

Senate File 7 and House File 253 are relatively simple propositions. If passed into law, they would provide the state authority to inspect large-scale, commercial dog and cat breeding operations in order to verify compliance with current state animal cruelty laws. The inspections would be based on an existing inspection process the State already requires of nonprofit animal shelters.

The program would be paid for through licensing fees required of the commercial breeders, which, according to a fiscal note prepared by the Board of Animal Health, would amount to about $1 to $2 for each puppy these breeders sold. Furthermore, according the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the bill would help the State collect about $1.3 million dollars in sales tax that are currently going uncollected. A review of commercial breeders by the Department of Revenue found that the majority of them were not in compliance with Minnesota Sales Tax laws.

Minnesota is one of the top 10 states in the nation for puppy mills, in part because the Legislature has refused to regulate the industry.

“Minnesota is a safe haven for large-scale, abusive breeders,” said Marlene Foote, president and founder of Animal Ark, Minnesota’s largest no kill animal welfare organization. “In Minnesota, even a breeder convicted of animal abuse and torture can continue operating a puppy mill.”

Kathy Bauck, according to animal welfare advocates like Foote, is one such example.

Repeatedly charged and convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty, animal torture and practicing veterinary medicine without a license the USDA finally filed a motion in 2009 to have Bauck’s federal breeding license revoked. In Minnesota, however, in spite of her criminal convictions, Bauck is still allowed by the State of Minnesota to continue breeding and selling dogs. No license is required.

For these and other reasons, Senate File 7 and House File 253 have received strong support from a growing number of small, responsible breeders, many of which believe the failure to regulate the breeding industry is unnecessarily giving all breeders a bad reputation. Representatives from the Minnesota Purebred Dog Breeders Association testified before both the House and Senate Ag Committees in support of the bills.

In spite of these facts, the special interests appear to be getting their way. During a Senate Ag Committee meeting held March 9, 2009, Senate File 7 was voted down by a 5 – 7 vote, with two members absent and one abstaining.

“The irony here is that nonprofit animal shelters are open to the public, and, therefore, operate in a relatively transparent way,” said Foote. “Yet the State of Minnesota and we believe that inspecting and licensing animal shelters is a good idea.”

“Puppy mills generally operate in secret, behind locked gates and fences where no one can really see what is going on. And, in spite of the growing evidence that there are a lot of corrupt commercial breeders, breaking a variety of laws, the Senate Agriculture Committee has decided once again to bow to the special interests and give commercial breeders a free pass.”

I Spy...

2010-03-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

MN Puppy Mill bill did not pass again

2010-03-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

Message from Animal Folks MN

Update March 2010

NEWS: SENATE FILE 7 DID NOT PASS

We have disappointing news to tell.

Yesterday (Tuesday, March 9), the MN Puppy and Kitten Mill Bill (Senate File 7) was heard in the Senate Agriculture Committee; however, it did not pass.

As you know, S.F. 7 and H.F. 253 were laid on the table ("put on hold") in their respective Agriculture Committees during the 2009 session. In order to move each bill along, we needed a majority vote in each Agriculture Committee to take the bill off the table and continue discussions.

We also needed to meet committee deadlines. (The first policy committee deadline in the Minnesota Legislature is this Friday, March 12. Bills must pass through all policy committees in either the House or Senate by this date.)

Because S.F. 7 did not pass the Senate Agriculture Committee, the committee deadlines cannot be met.

Time was running out

The lobbying team has worked hard meeting and talking with Agriculture Committee members in both the House and Senate trying to get hearings and secure the votes. Thousands of constituents (you) from all over Minnesota have also been calling, emailing and writing legislators and signing petitions of support.

The Chair of the House Agriculture Committee (Rep. Otremba) would not grant H.F. 253 a hearing until there was movement in the Senate. But the Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee (Senator Vickerman) would not grant S.F. 7 a hearing.

So the lobbying team took different action, bypassing the normal way a bill is scheduled and given a hearing.

Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes, who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee and was supportive of the bill, was approached and she agreed to make a motion yesterday (March 9) to move S.F. 7 off the table for a hearing. This motion passed, which then allowed the bill to be debated in Committee.

As the Committee Chair would not grant the bill a hearing, this motion allowed the bill to be heard.

The hearing

Senator Don Betzold, the author of S.F. 7, gave an overview of the bill. He did an excellent job, as too did Keith Streff (humane agent for the Animal Humane Society) who responded to questions from Committee members. The Chair did not allow for any public testimony.

One legislator was very supportive and expressed his reasons. Another legislator was in strong opposition and insisted "the system works as is." One legislator committed to voting yes prior to the meeting but then changed her vote. The Chair was not supportive.

When there were no more questions on the bill, a motion was made to vote yes or no on the bill. The Committee vote was 7 to 5 - opposed. The bill failed.

Following the vote, two legislators (who voted yes) expressed a clear desire that something needs to be done.

NOTE: For video coverage of the meeting, go to: Senate Agriculture Committee
(Senate File 7 is the last item discussed.)

Senate Agriculture Committee

There are 15 members on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Below are the member names (with emails and phone numbers) and how each voted.

Senator Jim Vickerman (Chair, District 22) 651-296-5650 - NO

Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes (Vice Chair, District 31) 651-296-5649 - YES

Senator Steve Dille (Ranking Minority Member, District 18) 651-296-4131 - NO

Senator Lisa A. Fobbe (District 16) 651-296-8075 - NO

Senator Joe Gimse (District 13) 651-296-3826 - NO

Senator David W. Hann (District 42) 651-296-1749 - PASS (didn't vote)

Senator Bill E. Ingebrigtsen (District 11) 651-297-8063 - NO

Senator Paul E. Koering (District 12) 651-296-4875 - NOT PRESENT

Senator Gary W. Kubly (District 20) 651-296-5094 - YES

Senator Keith Langseth (District 9) 651-296-3205 - YES

Senator Tony Lourey (District 8) 651-296-0293 - YES

Senator Steve Murphy (District 28) 651-296-4264 - YES

Senator Rod Skoe (District 2) 651-296-4196 - NOT PRESENT

Senator Dan Skogen (District 10) 651-296-5655 - NO

Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary (District 50) 651-296-4334 - NO

Every legislator who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee was lobbied - multiple times. Each member was (and is) fully aware of the details of the bill and has seen or heard about animal cruelty, consumer fraud, tax evasion, and other issues defining the problem.

As for the opposition, lobbyists for agricultural interests and for the larger breeders also showed up at the committee meeting, as did the NRA lobbyists. They worked hard lobbying committee members. Some small breeders, too, many of whom were apparently ignorant of the details of the bill, worked hard against it.

We will offer further details and explanations about the vote in the coming weeks through emails and posts on the Animal Folks MN website.

TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK

It's time to hold legislators accountable for their votes:
• For legislators who voted yes, please contact them and say thank you. They gave us support; we need to show them ours.

• For legislators who voted no, consider contacting them and voicing your disappointment (nicely, please) about their choice to vote no.

• Most importantly, please remember how these members voted when you vote during the next election. (Senator Vickerman, Senator Dille and Senator Murphy have announced they will not be running for re-election in 2010.)

YOUR VOICE WAS HEARD

Please know how incredibly important your efforts have been, and please don't stop. We won't.

The Minnesota Legislature, not just the Agriculture Committee, heard us. They know about the problem of inhumane dog and cat breeding and the need for regulation.

Petitions, emails, letters and calls in support of S.F. 7/ H.F. 253 have been submitted to Minnesota legislators by thousands of people throughout Minnesota.

The 10,000 goal for petitions was met. The response after our last email was overwhelming; the response at the Pet Expo was also extraordinary. With the help of Stop The Suffering, the Minnesota Humane Society, Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection and individual citizens from all over the State, over 10,000 names of supporters were collected and submitted to legislators, representing every House and Senate district.

This list is still valuable and useful. It gives us all a strong database and voice to use for future efforts. We will continue to build a well-informed, well-connected advocacy network that represents all areas of Minnesota. Please still continue to direct people to Animal Folks MN to learn more and build support.

THANK YOU to everyone for your commitment and hard work. You are all amazing.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP. This is the beginning of a movement, not the end. In the coming weeks and months, we'll notify you (through emails and on the Animal Folks MN website) about what you can do to help change the "system" for animal protection in Minnesota and help change attitudes about how animals are viewed and treated.

View video of one of the many puppy mills here in rural Minnesota.

Navy outsourcing leads to neglect and deaths of dogs

2010-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

3 Navy dogs died after being neglected by contractors training them to detect explosives
By ANNE FLAHERTY , Associated Press

Last update: March 9, 2010 - 3:14 PM

WASHINGTON - The Navy says that three dogs died and dozens more were in poor health after being neglected by a private security contractor in Chicago that had been hired to train the dogs to detect explosives.

A team of military handlers discovered the dogs last October at a facility run by Securitas Security Services USA after the Navy terminated a $7.5 million contract.

Navy spokesman Capt. William Fenick said that of the 49 dogs discovered, two were dead and the rest were in poor health. Another dog died soon after being recovered.

Securitas Security Services did not immediately provide comment.

The incident was first reported by The Virginian-Pilot, which says it obtained a picture of one of the rescued dogs, whose rib cage and hip bones were protruding.

The discovery is the latest in a string of contracting woes for the Defense Department. Lawmakers and government watchdog groups say they are concerned that the military is relying too heavily on outside vendors to do many of the jobs that should be handled internally.

In December 2008, the Navy signed a $350 million contract with Lockheed Martin Corp. to help guard its installations. The five-year contract included $7.5 million for 49 highly specialized K-9 units to sniff out explosives. To meet the K-9 requirement, Lockheed in turn hired Securitas Security Services, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J.

But after the dogs failed to demonstrate they could perform as promised, the Navy canceled the contract in July, Fenick said. The team of handlers were sent three months later to pick up the dogs from the Securitas' dog-training facility near Chicago.

Fenick declined to say how much the Navy had already paid Lockheed under the agreement, saying that the contract details are under review.

The state of Illinois is conducting a separate investigation into the allegations.

Fenick said that of the 46 dogs that survived, eight were adopted privately and the rest were deployed at various Navy installations after having completed training.

Iowa passes puppy mill bill!!

2010-03-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

Governor signs puppy mill bill as first dog looks on
by O. Kay Henderson on March 9, 2010

Governor Culver signs puppy mill bill as Buck watches.

Governor Chet Culver has signed a bill into law that immediately allows for state inspections of commercial dog kennels that draw public complaints.

Breeders who are raising four or more dogs would have to pay a new licensing fee and register with the state. Culver calls that a “seal of approval” which reputable breeders can present to families hoping to adopt a pet.

“Providing assurance to families that the pets they adopt are healthy, clean and have been raised humanely,” Culver said. According to Culver, the “overwhelming majority” of dog breeders, pet stores and animal shelters have “absolutely nothing to fear” from this legislation.

“But to any facility currently operating as a puppy mill or to those who raise companion animals in unhygienic and inhumane settings, now is the time for you to change course or pay the consequences,” Culver said.

Culver’s wife, Mari and his two children brought the family’s dog, Buck, to the bill signing. The family got Buck from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, which hosted today’s bill signing event. As the governor sat at a table to formally sign the so-called “puppy mill” bill into law, Buck put his paws up on the table and someone in the crowd suggested that the dog put his paw print on the bill alongside the governor’s handwritten signature.

Tom Colvin, executive director of the Animal Rescue League and president of the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies, called today’s bill signing a “fantastic” event for two-legged and four-legged Iowans. “What this bill is basically allowing us to do is to have Iowans employed by Iowa through the Iowa Department of Agriculture, upon complaint, get into the facilities of USDA federally-licensed facilities and ensure that they are not suffering because of inadequate food, water, shelter, veterinary care or grooming,” Colvin said.

Mary LaHay of Iowa Voters for Companion Animals called today’s bill signing ground-breaking. “A fabulous, fabulous thing to see happen to help these many, many dogs that are suffering so seriously,” LaHay said. Critics of the bill had argued the legislation would lead to efforts that restrict hunting and impose new requirements on agricultural operations.

Time is critical for MN Puppy & Kitten Mill Bill

2010-03-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

Reposted from the Pet Haven blog and Animal Humane Society Website:

Friday, March 5, 2010

The Dog and Cat Breeder Bill (S.F. 7/H.F. 253), also known as the Puppy and Kitten Mill Bill is before the Minnesota Legislature. The bill will put in place licensing and inspection of dog and cat breeder facilities in Minnesota, bringing an end to inhumane breeding practices.

Currently, the bill is still “on the table” in the respective agriculture and veterans committees in both the Minnesota Senate and the House of Representatives. We need your continued support to help members of the committees understand the importance of the bill and to “call it off the table” for discussion.

Time is critical. The first policy committee deadline is next Friday, March 12. If we are not granted a hearing by that time, the bill will not pass this year.

You can make a difference with one phone call. Please call all of the following members on the committees (listed below) before noon on Monday and let him or her know you support S.F. 7/H.F. 253. If you live in one of these districts, please make certain your legislator knows that fact. To find your district and State legislators, go to: Minnesota District Finder.

MN Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee Members
State the bill number and the Senate author's name: S.F. 7 authored by Senator Don Betzold

Tony Lourey 651.296.0293
Lisa A. Fobbe 651.296.8075
David W. Hann 651.296.1749
Rod Skoe 651.296.4196
Dan Skogen 651.296.5655
House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Committee
State the bill number and the House author’s name: H.F. 253 authored by Representative Tom Tillberry

Mary Ellen Otremba 651.296.3201
Kent Eken 651.296.9918
Terry Morrow 651.296-8634
Dean Urdahl 651.296.4344
Now is the time to be a voice for animals.

Explain the importance of the bill and that it is a highly collaborative effort among many animal groups and volunteers, and the bill has a long list of supporting organizations and individuals—including you.

Talking points for your call

Educate them on what goes on in puppy and kitten mills

If you call this weekend, chances are you'll reach the legislator's voicemail. Please leave a message with your name and support of S.F. 7 (Betzold) or H.F. 253 (Tillberry).

Legislators are also hearing from breeders and others who oppose the bill. Your voice will make a difference. Don’t wait—call today!

Wildcat Sanctuary on Animal Planet March 21

2010-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Minnesota tigers get TV time

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

The Wildcat Sanctuary and two Bengal tigers that reside there will be featured in an upcoming episode of Animal Planet. The tigers, Titan and Lily, were taken from the property of Cynthia Gamble, who was killed four years ago by a third tiger, Tango.

Animal Planet miniseries showcases the deadly risks of keeping exotic pets.

By KEVIN GILES, Star Tribune

Last update: March 5, 2010 - 9:25 PM

Titan and Lilly live behind two tall fences off a gravel road in the woods of Pine County, forgotten for the news they made four years ago.

Soon they'll appear on national television -- on Animal Planet on March 21 -- as symbols of what can go wrong with private ownership of wild animals.

A tiger named Tango killed his owner, Cynthia Gamble, at her Pine County farm in April 2006. Titan and Lilly, who were kept there in separate enclosures, took no part in the attack. But they hit the headlines as icons of tragedy, portrayed as starving and emaciated.

The miniseries examines why people risk their lives to own so-called "exotic" pets that can turn on them in an instant. The three-part airing will show venomous reptiles first, deadly big cats second and chimpanzees third.

"Why are people attracted to something so dangerous?" asked Tammy Thies, director of the Wildcat Sanctuary, the tigers' new home. "We all see the majesty in a wild animal and I think some people take that too far in a personal relationship thinking they're going to get something out of it."

The sanctuary is a private refuge where a black leopard, a jaguar, tigers, lions, cougars, bobcats, lynx and servals live out their years. All of the cats had private owners once. Many of them had become threats to public safety before they arrived at the sanctuary, which is funded with private donations.

A film team came to the Wildcat Sanctuary to document Titan and Lilly in their new habitat. Titan weighs 515 pounds and Lilly, less than 300. Both tigers, at 14, could live many more years.

The sanctuary, which was built in Pine County about the time that Gamble was attacked, now has 115 animals. Employees take great care to prevent escapes and guard against attacks, Thies said.

Animal Planet wanted to do "reenactments," Thies said, including having her pet Titan and Lilly. "I said we don't go in with the tigers," she said. They are powerful enough that a single swat could kill a human being.

"They said it was the first happy filming they did because they had seen all the places that people died."

Animal Planet promotes the miniseries as a window into the kinship people feel with dangerous animals that sometimes kill and maim their owners.

Both of the people featured in the reptile episode are dead -- a man presumed eaten alive by one of his many monitor lizards, and a woman who didn't survive her pet viper's bite.

"Exotic pet ownership is not as rare as one might think, or as wildlife experts would wish," Animal Planet said in promotional literature. "Millions of exotic animals are brought to the United States in any given year. A significant number of these pets have the potential to severely injure or kill their owners, neighbors or family."

Thies said her sanctuary has seen less business lately -- a good development, she said -- because a new law in Minnesota requires registration of exotic animals and has discouraged ownership somewhat.

"The bad news is that we're still allowing people from other states to come here and exhibit their animals," Thies said, warning parents they should guard their children around exotic animals at malls, fairs and other places where they're displayed.

Kevin Giles • 612-673-4432

THE WILDCAT SANCTUARY
The private refuge, which depends on donations to operate, has launched its largest-ever fundraising campaign, seeking to raise at least $50,000 by April 30. A foundation has pledged to match that amount, said Tammy Thies, the sanctuary's director. Additional information is available at: www.wildcatsanctuary.org/Programs/match.html

WHEN TO WATCH
March 14: Venomous reptiles

March 21: Big cats

March 28: Chimpanzees

All shows air at 9 p.m.

For further information, go to animal.discovery.com

Rescuers of dogs (or cats) will relate to this

2010-03-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

A RESCUERS ANSWERING MACHINE:

Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the
high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to
the following options and choose the one that best describes you or
your situation:

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has
suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home
right away.

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your
150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of
your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a
baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having
problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and
cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY
and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the
last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your
dog.

Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money
for your vacation.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not
active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for
their elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up
before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way
to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know
you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is
in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to
take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is
not our responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog
to be euthanized because I won't take it.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the
audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted
volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid
and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight
aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your
neighbor's cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take
personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this
time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to
board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge,
of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to
deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before
your kids wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby
bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had
ten litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and
it is against your religion.

Press 26 if you're lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel
bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because
it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility
that the cat's behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house
but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling
because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and
have had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it
is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening
phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are
also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because
today is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you
need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too
stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next
month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'options' and didn't hear
enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being
shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog
while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his
family.

> ~Author Unknown, but much appreciated

Letter to the editor

2010-02-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

This is the letter I sent to the editor of my home paper regarding the previous post:

Do NOT support Corley’s Exotic Animal exhibit at the Hutchinson Mall. The event is described as a fundraiser to support the animals and raise awareness of unwanted exotic animals. Stop right there – these ARE tomorrow’s unwanted animals.

These baby animals must be constantly replaced as they grow into dangerous wild animals, so back at the park, adult exotics are caged up giving birth to the next. This is not an animal rescue, this is animal abuse! What rescue would put their baby animals in a truck and haul them all over the country for display in shopping malls?

I had never heard of Corley’s Exotic Animals before today, but when I saw the notice in the Leader, I immediately contacted a legitimate rescue organization based here in Minnesota, the Wildcat Sanctuary, to see if they knew more about this situation. I received an incredible amount of information accumulated from across the country.

Perhaps most telling to me was the following “Joe Schreibvogel is the president of the infamous G. W. Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, OK. He has been slapped with violations and even fined $25,000 which, in the world of USDA animal violation fines, is a huge amount. At any one time, he has housed more than 170 big cats and 1,400 animals on 16 acres.”

Read that again and imagine 170 big cats and 1400 animals on 16 acres. There is nothing humane about that; it is not a rescue. Please do not support this travesty and complain to the Hutchinson Mall that they brought these people to our town.

Protest Corley's Exotic Animal "Rescue"

2010-02-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

I was horrified to find this article in my hometown newspaper, the Hutchinson Leader, Hutchinson, MN:

Corley’s Exotic Animal Rescue is coming to the Hutchinson Mall

Submitted by Kay Johnson on February 23, 2010 - 9:20am.

A special fundraiser will take place Wednesday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Hutchinson Mall, featuring Corley’s Exotic Animal Rescue, run by Beth Corley of G.W. Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Okla. Corley is in Hutchinson to raise awareness for the need to help unwanted exotic animals within the United States. Donations are the only way they care for the animals.

While at the Hutchinson Mall, the foundation will host an all-day exhibit featuring tigers, lions and other exotic animals. For a small donation the public may have their picture taken with the babies or even get the opportunity to interact with the babies. What makes this exhibit unique is that children may play with the cubs under the supervision of one of Corley’s trainers. Kids have a chance to have contact with a baby tiger. The experience is fun and educational as well.

For more information, call Amy Forcier, Hutchinson Mall office at 320-587-5956.

I immediately wrote to Tammy Thies at the Wildcat Sanctuary to find out if she knew anything about the organization and I instantly got a ton of bad news from her:

We’ve been writing malls all over the country about this place, but they keep hiring him.

Tammy Thies
Director
http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/
PO Box 314
Sandstone, MN 55072
(320) 245-6871

________________________________________
From: J.H.
Subject: My letter to GGP - corporate owner of 200 regional malls

Would you please join me in writing to GGP – corporate owner of 200 regional malls throughout the country? They are based in Chicago and they own Southland Mall, the latest venue for G.W. Exotic’s newest traveling magic show billed under the name “Awakening Production.”

If we don’t strike at the root – the corporate owner of all of these malls – we’ll never be able to stop this man’s abuse. By the time the local malls find out about him, he’s moved on and even the resulting bad publicity is yesterday’s news for them. They don’t care since he’s long gone.

Won’t you take a minute today to politely ask them to refrain from allowing these exhibits in any of their malls? The facts are listed below for you in my letter.

You can simply cut and paste all the GGP corporate officers and newspapers from my list below:

john@bucksbaum.net;adam.metz@ggp.com;ed.hoyt@ggp.com;robert.michaels@GGP.COM;sharon.polonia@ggp.com;wally.brewster@ggp.com;ronald.gern@ggp.com;joel.bayer@ggp.com;
editor@thenewsherald.com;contribute@tribune.com;zfinken@suntimes.com

GGP Chairman of the Board:

John Bucksbaum Phone: 312-604-2029 (direct line)
191 N. Wacker Dr. Suite 1500 312-621-0590 (main office number) Extension 244
Chicago, IL 60606 Fax: 312-621-0984 (not private)
________________________________________
Subject: What is your stand on corporate responsibility?

This week, G.W. Exotics was able to convince another large corporation – GGP - that their traveling animal show was just an innocent display of wild animals. Your Southland Mall played host to this charade, this time G. W. Exotics billing itself as “Awakening Production.”

First, let me say that I am not a member of PETA. I am just a mother/grandmother who happens to be a senior keeper at an accredited rescue facility caring for big cats - just like those at your mall - who have been abandoned, abused, orphaned, bred nearly to death in order to supply these “displays.” The govt. doesn’t step in to save them, we as ordinary citizens are called upon to do it. These animals are ultimately dumped when they are too large to handle and too expensive to care for. Legislation and regulations are scant and enforcement is rare since this falls very low in priority. Budget cuts have resulted in too few inspectors to begin to make a dent in curtailing abuse like this.

If you take the time to investigate and delve deeper, you will learn that this isn’t an innocent, family fun exhibit GGP is hiring. There is a dangerous, abusive, and well-documented past to this exhibitor, Joe Schreibvogel. In fact, he has become a pariah in the animal protection world. Why? Because he is a major supplier to the illegal trade of exotic animals in this country.

At your Southland Mall, he showed up with 7 baby exotic lions, tigers, and kangaroos. What do you think will happen to these animals once they are too large for his mall “human encounters?” Their shelf life is very short. More and more are bred constantly to fuel his business while those that grow too big are disposed of. Since his shows are only a couple of days, by the time the public, or the malls who have hired him, find out about his notorious past (under many different business names), he has moved on. Quite like the old-time snake oil salesmen.

But these are not the old days. This is a new world of corporate responsibility. Recently, when the Price Chopper chain of stores found out a display like this was taking place at an event they were sponsoring, they yanked their sponsorship. They stepped up and did the right thing. Will GGP do what is right and humane and help stop this abuse, too? Is it really worth having your image tarnished by this man’s sordid reputation? Wherever he goes, controversy and bad press follows (see articles below).

Your corporation has booked this man in the future at many of your malls. Attached and below, are the facts, legal proceedings, and numerous articles written about Joe Schreibvogel to prove his reputation as an animal abuser. GGP has qualified for the “Companies That Care Honor Roll” for 3 years. Will you be a good corporate citizen and “walk the talk?” Please show that you truly care by cancelling any future shows by this exhibitor at any of your malls. How can you not?

Sincerely,
J.H.
Lutz, FL

Cc: CBS – Chicago
NBC – Chicago
ABC – Chicago
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sun Times

Exotic Joe is actually Joe Schreibvogel, President of the infamous G. W. Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, OK. His USDA license is License 73-C-0139 and his USDA violation file is attached (please take the time to read it since it lists many of his animal cruelty violations). He has been slapped with violations and even fined $25,000 which, in the world of USDA animal violation fines, is a huge amount. At any one time, he has housed more than 170 big cats and 1,400 animals on 16 acres. I am a senior keeper at an accredited big cat rescue sanctuary. We currently provide a home for about 125 rescued wildcats on 42 acres and feel we are maxed out, given the space we have. With 1,570 animals crammed onto 16 acres at G. W. Exotic, you can imagine the poor quality of life and lack of care these animals must endure.

If you check out Joe Schreibvogel’s website at http://www.gwpark.org/ you will see a website filled with people holding, handling, posing with baby exotic animals. This begs the question, “Where do all these animals wind up when they are adults?” Though he’ll claim he doesn’t breed or sell, the evidence below is quite the contrary. In addition, what quality of life do these animals suffer when they are trucked all over the country for these “magic” shows?

What is commonly referred to as “puppy mills” is what Schredibvogel runs, the difference being he churns out dangerous carnivores. He is a major supplier fueling the exotic animal trade. It’s very easy for him to book gigs and travel with these babies since he ties his act to “protecting endangered species” - or whatever the buzzword of the day is. But, make no mistake, this is a modern day snake oil salesman making money off the backs of these innocent animals with more and more being churned through his “park.” All the while, he is exposing the public to a tremendous amount of danger.

Isn’t it time our state and national representatives enact legislation to protect the general public from this type of deceptive practice and eliminate the public safety risk and the animal abuse it encourages? The maulings and killings become more and more prevalent. Haley Hilderbrand, a high school senior was killed when she posed with a tiger for a photo only a couple of years ago and yet the namesake bill sponsored after her death still lingers in Congress…..Julie Hanan, Big Cat Rescue, Tampa, FL

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON JOE SCHREIBVOGEL, G.W. EXOTIC ANIMAL PARK:

The following quotes are from G.W. Exotic Animal Park:

• “… I do not in any way breed, sell, ship out, lease, or loan out any of my animals …”
—[J1], letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, December 6, 2002
• “[A]ll of our cats are fixed or split up so they can’t breed, … we do not buy, sell, or trade any animal….”
—[J1], e-mail message to PETA, August 30, 2003
• “I never sell or donate to anyone.”
—[J1], letter to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Renewal of Commercial Wildlife Breeders License, November 21, 2001

Contradictory incidents since 2001:
• GW sold one male and two female lion cubs for $1,500 each to the Amarillo Zoo in Texas. All three were born at GW in September 2005 and were declawed before they were 1 month old. Parents of the cubs were all GW residents who were allowed to breed.
• TV news reported an astounding 18 new tiger cubs and one very pregnant tiger at GW. The pregnant tiger, Sasha, was GW’s first rescued, and never spayed, tiger.
• A female cougar, born at GW on March 14, 2000, was shipped to the Seoul Grand Park Zoo in the Republic of Korea.
• A cougar, born at GW, was shipped to the Sofia Municipal Zoo in Bulgaria.
• Two cougars born at GW were shipped to the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand.
• GW reportedly tried to sell an infant baboon named Savannah, born April 24, 2003, to an undercover activist who visited the facility.
• GW sent a lion cub to Capital of Texas Zoo (Cedar Creek, Texas). The cub was then loaned to Bobbie Colorado, who appears weekly on an Austin TV station. While in the custody of Bobbie Colorado, the lion cub was killed by a dog.
• GW transferred a tiger named Blondy to the Hillcrest Zoo, a roadside zoo in Clovis, New Mexico, that has been repeatedly cited for a multitude of violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including failing to provide sufficient food to three zebras who all died within a two-day period.
• In 2003, GW obtained four snakes, four flying squirrels, two sugar gliders, and 10 alligators from Strictly Reptiles, a Florida wholesale distributor of reptiles.
• GW has purchased animals including a bear cub, a tiger cub, miniature horses, and birds from exotic animal auctions, such as Lolli Bros., which states on its Web site: “From Apes to Zebra—We sell it all!! In addition to ‘live’ animal sales, we also offer a phenomenal selection of excellent of Taxidermy [sic] at each sale.”

EXOTIC ANIMAL DISPLAY: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Despite vociferous criticism from animal rights groups, traveling showman says he offers a once-in-a-life experience. Video shows tigers being hit with the butt of a rifle, a goat with a horn ripped off exposing its brain, USDA lawsuit with 14 infractions
By _TRENT JACOBS_
(http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/04/24/mailto:tjacob\s@coxnews.com)
The Daily Sentinel
Friday, April 24, 2009

Lions, tigers and bears took over the University Mall earlier this week, and tonight residents are promised a free anti-drug and alcohol magic show at 6 p.m. in the middle of the mall concourse, courtesy of none other than Joe "Exotic" Schreibvogel.

Schreibvogel is the ring leader of a traveling zoo and magic show that has performed for audiences young and old across the country for several years. Schreibvogel was to perform several magic shows earlier this week, but his tour bus broke down, leaving him stranded at his animal park in Wynnewood, Okla, After chartering a bus and starting an emergency fund-raising effort to fix the bus, Schreibvogel was scheduled to arrive in Nacogdoches sometime Friday afternoon. He said he will take the stage tonight before heading back out of town Sunday.

Preceding Schreibvogel's arrival was an 18-wheeler trailer carrying baby lions, bears and tigers that have been on exhibit at the mall all week. For a $25 donation, mall patrons can take pictures and visit with the animals for eight minutes. Schreibvogel owns and operates a non-profit animal ranch in Oklahoma called the G.W. Exotic Animal Park. The park was founded in 1997 and named in honor of his brother, Garold, who was killed by a drunk driver in Corsicana, Texas. Schreibvogel says his brother was passionate about wildlife, and he now uses his traveling magic act to build awareness among young people about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and bullying. He will open and close tonight's show with songs he wrote about his father's inability to express love to his dying son and how he was forced to take his brother, who spent a week in a coma due to his injuries, off life support.

Schreibvogel says he is on a constant hunt for donor money to help keep his park, which also houses various volunteers, afloat. He says he takes no salary, and the only people on his payroll are the commercial truck drivers he uses for the traveling baby animal show and to pick up meat for the animals. He also mentions that he used his inheritance from his grandfather to keep the park running and it's 1,400 animals fed, which he says takes about $60,000 a month.

It's because of that large sum of money that Schreibvogel says he is "forced" to breed young lions and tigers and take them out on the road. Despite his claim that he gives the baby lions and tigers to zoos and other accredited preserves, it is an action that animal rights groups like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals oppose vehemently.

According to Lisa Wathne, who is a captive exotic animal specialist with PETA, said, "Joe Schreibvogel is directly contributing to the exotic-animal trade that he says he is against. But the truth of the matter is, he is putting a lot of animals into that trade. It's despicable."

But Schreibvogel claims that patrons to his wildlife park cannot sustain the costs of operation, and Internet scams have dissuaded people from donation through his Web site. On the site, he talks about a crusade to save "dying malls across America" and describes his traveling act as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the over 2 million people he meets a year. "We help the malls, and they help us by letting us use the space for free.

I meet 2-year-old people and 95-year-old people that have a life dream of being able to go see a tiger in real life. So, here they have the option to sit in a cage, get educated, fall in love with and get a personal aspect of a baby tiger that otherwise they would have never seen in their life," Schreibvogel says.

But it's that chance encounter that James Bias, spokesperson for the SPCA of Texas, said is a misrepresentation of true wildlife advocacy. "You know you're taking wild animals, regardless of how they've been raised, and they are still wild and not domesticated, and putting them on wheels and trucking them around. That's just not what these animals were geared to do, and, of course, you're increasing their stress levels and the potential for abuse," Bias said. "For somebody to claim that this is an opportunity for the community to see wild animals up close, this usually doesn't represent what their normal environment is. You're not going to see someone who's holding a tiger in a shopping mall realize that these animals deserve dignity. I mean this is the least dignified way for animals to be cared for."

In fact, Schreibvogel, his animal park and his traveling animal show have all been fined and cited for numerous infractions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for enforcing federal animal welfare laws. In January 2006, the USDA filed a lawsuit against Schreibvogel, and he along with his park were put on 18 months of probation for 14 infractions, including poor living conditions for the animals, unsanitary conditions and a general lack of proper care for the animals by untrained staff, the suit said. Schreibvogel was also ordered to pay $5,000 in fines and has since been taken off probation. Schreibvogel says the USDA "targeted" him after he was cited for not having "a readily identifiable employee" within proximity to some rescued baby deer. In a moment of passion, Schreibvogel says he threw the USDA inspector who issued the citation out of the park a move he now says he regrets. Schreibvogel says he is now in compliance with the USDA and provided The Daily Sentinel with copies of 11 inspection reports dated from November 2006 to January 2009 reflecting his claim, with only one infraction concerning proper recording keeping.

Schreibvogel also claims that a YouTube video made during his probation period in 2006 by the PETA group was a "frame job," and the undercover PETA agent used sympathetic friends to incriminate the park. The video depicts park volunteers debating whether or not to properly euthanize a lame horse. They argue that using chemicals on the animal would prevent them from feeding the meat to some of the other animals, and that a gunshot to the head was more appropriate. The video also shows an animal handler hitting tigers with the butt of a rifle and a goat with a horn ripped off exposing its brain. The video says the goat was left injured for days before being shot and fed to the big cats at the park. Another portion of the video has an audio recording of one park volunteer explaining how easy it is doctor the "feed report," because inspectors cannot prove you did not feed the animals on any given day. The park volunteer goes on to acknowledge the park was in violation of the law when the park ran out of meat and did not feed the animals for three or four days. The volunteer also says they are only allowed to fast the animals for a single day, according to U.S Department of Agriculture regulations. "They can't go back, unless they've got video cameras out here, and prove that we didn't feed them that day. There's no way they can go back and prove we didn't feed them," the volunteer says to the undercover PETA agent. Other parts of the video show park staff kicking and swatting animals and shows the erratic behavior of some of the captive tigers and bears, describing them as having gone "cage crazy" from lack of psychological stimulus in their tight confinements.

Schreibvogel says that all but one of the employees in the video had been fired for other infractions and that the USDA had cleared him of any wrongdoing after an investigation into the claims made in the video.

Schreibvogel says that the animals he rescues come from private owners, and due to newly imposed restrictions in cities across the nation on exotic-animal ownership in the past decade, he has taken in dozens of animals like tigers and chimpanzees.

Summing up his long-lived feud with PETA, Schreibvogel says, "They believe the animals are better off being put to sleep rather than being put in a cage. Unfortunately, I don't think that's fair."

In response, Wathne maintains PETA just wants Schreibvogel to change his business plan, saying, "We don't want to euthanize his animals. What we would like to see Joe do is stop breeding animals ... stop bringing them into an already overcrowded world and into a situation where he has to dump the animals after he's done using them, and provide the animals he has with appropriate space, food and shelter. If he were operating as a true sanctuary, we would have no concerns with him. And, in fact, we would support him just as we support numerous other sanctuaries across the country." Vote for this story!

_http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/04/24/exotic_jo
e.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=10_
(http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/04/24/exotic_joe.ht\
ml?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=10)

Friday, June 29, 2007 12:36 AM CDT

BY JEAN STARR
Times Correspondent

MICHIGAN CITY - An exhibition of exotic baby animals and magic acts opened this week at Marquette Mall, despite objections from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Mystical Magic of the Endangered arrived Wednesday at the mall. Presented by G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation, the show will continue through Sunday.

PETA said it conducted a covert investigation after learning of complaints filed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The formal complaints against G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation in Wynnewood, Okla., were for violations including failure to provide adequate care and failure to minimize
safety risk to the public while handling the animals.

According to the USDA Consent Decision and Order docket, foundation owner Joe Schreibvogel was fined $25,000 and told to cease and desist from 14 violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Schreibvogel told Marquette Mall manager Laura Tubbs that he has paid the fine and presented her with recent inspection reports.

"We certainly do background checks on any of the acts," Tubbs said. "Their whole organization is a positive message geared toward the children, including anti-drug and not drinking and driving."

Michigan City Planner John Pugh said the city approves of special exhibits at Marquette Mall.

"We're not involved in it because it is considered a permitted use as part of Marquette Mall's permanent shopping zoning," he said about the animal exhibit. "It's permissible, and they're considered accessory uses such as car shows (and other) special events."

On the Web
G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation: www.gwpark.org.

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/06/29/news/porter_county/docbba09f511851b13086257309000a977f.txt

Minnesota Puppy Mill Bill by the Numbers

2010-02-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Minnesota Puppy Mill Bill by the Numbers
Fiscal Note Gives State Financial Rationale for Regulating Commercial Breeders

by Mike Fry

We have all seen the graphic pictures of the cruelty taking place in Minnesota puppy and kitten mills. The images should provide enough rationale for the State to being regulating commercial breeders. However, a new report prepared by the Board of Animal Health with input from the Department of Revenue suggests it would also good business for Minnesota to do so.

After years animal welfare advocates lobbying the State to begin regulating large-scale, commercial breeders of dogs and cat, a new fiscal note relating to House File 253 (the "puppy mill bill"), was recently released. The conclusion of the report is that the State is losing money because it has not regulated this industry. At least $1.3 million per year in uncollected sales tax revenue to be exact.

Though the bill does not directly address tax issues, it is believed that it provides tools that could be used by the Department of Revenue to bring more dog and cat breeders into compliance with Minnesota sales tax laws.

Furthermore, the report, which was drafted at the request of the bill's author Representative Tillberry(DFL), states clearly that if the bill becomes law it will create a new program at the Board of Animal Health which will itself be budget-neutral and fully self-funding. Additionally, by doing a little simple math using the numbers in the fiscal note, it is easy to see that the fees charged to commercial breeders to pay for the program will have virtually no impact on their businesses.

By computing the typical fee for commercial breeders at different sizes and dividing it by the numbers of puppies produced each year, it is easy to see that the fees to pay for this program amount to between $1 and $2 per puppy or kitten sold, costs that will easily be passed on to the purchasers of those animals.

This new report clearly demonstrates the following points:
o The bill is budget-neutral, in that it is fully self-funding and requires no revenue from the State.
o The bill will help the State to generate an additional $1.3 million in tax revenue that is currently going uncollected.
o The inspection and licensing program put forward in the bill would result in no net cost to the breeders because the minimal $1 - $2 fee per puppy or kitten sold can easily be passed on to buyers.

Bill Status

In 2009, House File 253 and its companion bill, Senate File 7, were introduced in their respective houses. House File 253 was passed in the Public Safety and Civil Justice committees. It was then tabled (stalled) in the House Ag Committee. Senate File 7 was tabled in the Senate Ag Committee.

Take Action

Contact the members of these committees and ask that they pass House File 253 and Senate File 7. Because they have already had public hearings on these bills, additional hearings should not be necessary. Ask that they read the new fiscal note, and then do the right thing by passing the bills out of their committees.

Related Links

General MN Puppy Mill Info

House File 253

Fiscal Note

Representative Tillberry

Senator Betzold

House Ag Committee

Senate Ag Committee

Minnesota Puppy/Kitten Mill Bill

2010-02-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Public Forum on Puppy/Kitten Mill Bill

Senator Don Betzold and Representative Tom Tillberry to discuss Puppy & Kitten Mill Bill at public forum

Where: AHS Auditorium 845 Meadow Lane North, Golden Valley (map)
When: Sat, Feb 27th, 2010, 11am - 12pm

Are you interested in learning more about the effort to regulate dog and cat breeders in Minnesota to stop inhumane practices in the industry? Join us on Saturday, February 27, 2010, for a public information session on the Dog and Cat Breeder Bill (S.F. 7/H.F. 253), also known as the Puppy and Kitten Mill Bill, with Minnesota Senator Don Betzold and Minnesota Representative Tom Tillberry who authored and introduced the bill in the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives respectively.

Learn firsthand about the bill and its importance to the welfare of thousands of neglected animals in the State of Minnesota.

Understand how requiring licensing and inspections of breeding facilities in the state will protect animals from breeders engaging in inhumane breeding practices. Arm yourself with information on how you can be a voice for animals and let others know what they can do.

Reservations are not required, but seating is limited. For more information, please visit Animal Folks MN or email animaladvocates@animalhumanesociety.org .

Indoor exercise for dogs

2010-02-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

Fixit: Indoor parks for pooches offer wintertime exercise

By KAREN YOUSO, Star Tribune
Last update: February 2, 2010 - 11:24 AM

Q My dog can't take the cold, and I can't take the icy sidewalks. Is there a place where I can walk my dog indoors?

A Yes, said Ali Jarvis, founder of sidewalkdog.com, a website for dog-related doings in the Twin cities. Here are Jarvis' suggestions.

For on-leash or off-leash:

• Dog City Dog Park, a new membership-based indoor/outdoor dog park in New Hope. Indoor area is 27,000 square feet and includes areas for big and small dogs, with tunnels, balls and ropes. It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and includes a lap area for on-leash walking; 10 laps equal 1 mile.

For off-leash:

• Dog Day at the Metrodome. The final two events of the season are Thursday and March 4, with off-leash play in the concourse from 5 to 9 p.m. The cost is $1 per dog, but you can park free (enter at Gate B). Dogs must be licensed and tagged. Minneapolis Animal Care & Control sells licenses on-site. For more information, contact Adam Kocinski at adam@podiumsports marketing.com or call 651-238-2651.

• Indoor play groups. They have various dates, times and locations. Each has a unique spin, so check out a few before taking your pick: Just Paws Puppy Training's Mini Paws (justpawstraining.com/playgroups.html), the Canine Coach's Playtime (thek9coach.com), Pampered Pooch Playground's Tiny Tails (pamperedpoochplay ground.com) and Fresh Air Training's Pint-Sized Play (freshairtraining.com).

Christmas with cats

2010-01-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

Prisoners train dogs to serve community

2010-01-14T01:04:00.000-08:00

The offenders at the Shakopee women's prison who train future service dogs hope their work will give back to the community.

By PAT PHEIFER, Star Tribune

Last update: January 13, 2010 - 8:29 AM

Jen'ea Weinand's eyes sparkle as she puts Scout, a 3-year-old golden Lab, through his paces in the visiting room at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee.

Weinand, a petite 28-year-old from St. Paul, is serving a 31 1/2-year sentence for murder and assault in the shooting deaths of two roofers at an Austin, Minn., motel in 2000.

Scout has been at the prison on and off since he was about 6 months old. He is one of three Labs currently being trained by eight offenders at Shakopee for Sunshine Service Dogs Inc., a nonprofit organization in Luck, Wis.

"I really enjoy this," Weinand said as she walked Scout in a wide circle, practicing sit, down and stay and dispensing treats from her fistful of kibble. "It gives me a chance to show what I can do. It gives me a chance to show I can give back and can make a change in other people's lives."

The dogs ultimately will be adopted out to help people with mobility issues or hearing loss, to do seizure-detection or become therapy dogs at schools, hospitals or nursing homes.

There's no cost to the prison. Lori Peper-Rucks, executive director of Sunshine Service Dogs provides the food, veterinary care and other supplies that the dogs need.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) also has a dog training program at the Faribault prison, which houses male offenders, although it is not affiliated with Sunshine Service Dogs. At least 16 other states also have prison dog programs.

At Shakopee, the only women's prison in the state, each of the three dog has two handlers. Two other assistants help out where needed.

The dogs come to the prison when they're about 6 months old and stay anywhere from a year to a year and a half, sometimes longer. They live with the offenders 24/7 and accompany them to meals, to work and even to the bathroom. The offenders teach the dogs everything from house training and basic obedience to tasks such as helping clients take off their shoes, pick up fallen items, turn on lights and answer the phone.

The offenders know from the start that the dogs aren't pets; they're being trained to do a job. Still, there are "big-time tears" when it's time to let a dog go, Peper-Rucks said.

K-9 teachers

The dogs teach their humans a lot, too.

"Being in prison and being able to give something so honorable, it's an amazing gift, said Heather Ecklund as she worked with Koudos, an 11-month-old chocolate Lab. Ecklund, 30, is serving a 36-year sentence for second-degree murder. "To have somebody take that chance on you is an amazing gift also."

"I came in here at 18 and it taught me a lot about responsibility," said Amanda Anderson, 24, who is serving time for second-degree unintentional murder. "Taking care of a dog, I never realized how much work it was until I was actually doing it. When you're having a bad day, you still have to have a good attitude. It helped me keep going, to grow up in lots of different ways."

Peper-Rucks approached the Shakopee prison about training future service dogs in 2004 and in September of that year brought the first dogs to the facility. She placed six dogs last year and is always on the hunt for more funding so she can do more.

Cindy Lee Galvan, 54, is a transfer from an Alaska prison, serving a 60-year sentence for murder. She's been involved in the dog-training program since it started and has trained seven dogs. She currently has a rambunctious 11-month-old chocolate Lab named Kit, who last week came bursting into the visiting room barking and straining on his leash.

"He is totally a handful," Galvan said. "He's got a couple of issues, as you can see. But being a challenge makes it a little more of a challenge for me.

"I guess the story is the same for a lot of us," she said. "You do things that you know are really bad and you don't know how to fix them. And at the time, you don't really care because that's who you are then.

"Then you grow up and you mature ... and then you have the opportunity to maybe, maybe, help somebody else out a little bit. We know that one dog and one program isn't going to do that but that's what we can do right now. That's what we can do today, so that's what we do."

Galvan helped train Max, a 129-pound black Lab who lives with Steve Drewek in Green Bay, Wis. Drewek, 26, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

Max helps Drewek stay active, pulling his chair through the snow or along hiking trails that might not otherwise be accessible, fetching items in their apartment and providing unconditional love and friendship. Last month, Max saved Drewek from death or serious injury when he braced himself in front of Drewek's wheelchair when he saw it sliding into the path of a car that ran a red light.

"I can't see living without him," Drewek said.

K-9 therapy

Maddie, a 3-year-old golden retriever therapy dog, also was trained by the women at Shakopee. She now goes to work everyday with Christy Johnson, recreation/therapy director at Parmly LifePointes in Chisago City, Minn.

"If a resident is having an off day, she just goes and sits with them," Johnson said. "We've seen dementia patients remember her name. It's not supposed to happen, those types of things. They don't remember our names, but dementia patients call out her name."

Sandy Hand, transition coordinator at the Shakopee prison, said the dog training program fits well with the DOC's philosophy of restorative justice.

"One woman went to Lori [Peper-Rucks], and said I've taken almost every group there is to take here at Shakopee, anger management, resiliency, victim impact, but it wasn't until I was in the program that I got to utilize some of these skills.

"They're contributing to the community even while being here," she said.

See video.

Pat Pheifer • 612-741-4992

Senior dog saves neighbor

2010-01-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

A Pine County hunting dog led her owner to a 94-year-old neighbor who was lying unconscious on his driveway.

By ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune

Last update: January 12, 2010 - 10:06 PM

Brett Grinde and his German shorthair, Effie, hadn't made it far on their typical late-afternoon walk on Monday when the old hunting dog suddenly began pulling to the right.

Grinde, a Pine County sheriff's investigator, let Effie lead the way as she strained with her nose to the ground along the road along Pokegama Lake. He let her off the leash and she tore away and turned into a driveway 40 yards away, stopping at the body of Grinde's 94-year-old neighbor, William Lepsch. He was unconscious and frozen to the ground.

"I ran after her and when I turned into the driveway I couldn't believe it," Grinde later wrote in an e-mail to Lepsch's family.

"He had some serious exposure and blood underneath him. I have seen plenty of deceased people and thought he was dead."

So did Lepsch's wife, Marjorie, who said she peeked outside several minutes after her husband of 67 years disappeared at about 2 p.m. to retrieve the mail without telling her. She saw him lying in the driveway bleeding "from head to toe." She couldn't go outside and struggled to dial 911, but repeatedly misdialed out of panic. Marjorie, 88, who uses a wheelchair and walker, was unable to help him. Several more minutes passed until she was able to dial a niece who promised to get help and head over. In the meantime, Effie approached.

"Nobody's around and I'm out there hollering 'Somebody please help me!' but there was no one," she said. "In the meantime this dog ran up and began licking his face."

Grinde kept Lepsch's airway open and called 911 while the dog nuzzled his arms and shoulders as he worked on Lepsch. The dog then ran to the house where medics and deputies heard Marjorie Lepsch yelling from inside.

William Lepsch survived, thanks to Effie's instincts and the training and quick thinking of her master. Lepsch is in serious condition at North Memorial Medical Center with broken ribs and other ailments, said Chief Deputy Steve Ovick of the Pine County Sheriff's Office, who said Grinde declined to speak to reporters in favor of letting his dog take the credit. Ovick was quick to praise both.

"Effie's a happy-go-lucky hunting dog," Ovick said of the 16-year-old dog named after the tiny Minnesota town where Grinde has a hunting cabin. "She's out and about, chasing and running, and just to be remarkably calm like that. At the time, how did that dog know, and whose will was it that Brett decided to take the dog out at that time?"

Marjorie Lepsch, still shaken by the incident, chastised the "best husband in the world" who she said continues to insist on fetching the mail. She was near tears as she remembered the sight of the brown dog who seemed came out of nowhere.

"I've seen this man walk his dog every day on our road," she said. "I am so grateful to them, I am. Because I couldn't get out there. I was stuck."

Abby Simons • 612-673-4921

Dog leads master -- a Pine County investigator -- straight to unconscious man
Updated: 1/13/2010 12:16:53 AM

Pine City, Minn. -- A Pine City dog may not have the energy of a puppy anymore, but she mustered up enough of her skills to lead her master straight to an unconscious man. Police believe the act saved the man's life.

On Monday evening, Brett Grinde took his 15-year-old dog, Effie, out for their usual walk. But within a couple minutes, Effie started pulling on the leash -- she was insisting on a different route.

"She basically started pulling to the right and 99 percent we go left," Grinde said from his Pine City home on Tuesday.

Effie then took off running -- causing Grinde to follow behind. Eventually, the 15-year-old German shorthair dog came to an abrupt stop in the driveway of a neighbor.

"So I'm running, and I cut the corner of the driveway and I look, and she's standing by an older gentleman that's laying face down," Grinde said.

Effie started licking the man's face and then turned to her master -- who just happens to be a long-time investigator with the Pine County Sheriff's Department.

"Twenty-eight years as a police officer, you know how to do the first response, the CPR, the abcs," Grinde said.

Grinde was able to clear the 94-year-old man's airway. Within seconds, that man started to groan and regain consciousness. All the while, Effie the dog just watched.

"She laid down on his other side and then came and knudged me on the elbows and just kind of stood over him," Grinde said.

On Tuesday night, the man remained in serious condition at North Memorial Medical Center. Police believe he went out for the mail or to take out the garbage, slipped on the ice and may have been outside for hours. His family asked we not release his name.

But relatives did call Brett to thank him for what he did. Brett's response? Thank my dog.

"I never thought in a million years something like this would happen, but it was meant to be. It was in God's hands and somebody turned her that way," he said.

Effie, by the way, also got a few bonus treats on Monday. Brett said she's also likely due for a porkchop or plate of spaghetti -- which she loves.

(Copyright 2010 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
All Material Copyright 2010 KARE-11. All Rights Reserved.

Reward in glued cat case up to $10K

2010-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Reward in glued cat case swells to $10K

PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

A reward fund has grown substantially in the effort to find out who left a seven-month-old cat glued to the side of a southern Minnesota highway, leading to the animal's death.

The cat was discovered Dec. 18 near Mankato by a woman traveling to Sioux Falls, according to the city's Second Chance Rescue Center, where the orange and white male tabby was brought by the traveler and died five days later.

At first, a man from Yankton, S.D., offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the person or people responsible, the rescue center said. The reward total has since grown to $10,000, the center said Wednesday, with pledges of money coming from around the country.

TIMOTHYTimothy, as the cat would be named while at the center, was spotted by a Sioux Falls woman as she drove on Hwy. 60, about 30 minutes west of Mankato.

The motorist brought the cat to the rescue center the next day. Glue was found on several parts of the animal's body.

--Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Reward grows in case of cat glued to road
Updated: 1/13/2010 9:28:28 AM

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The reward fund in the case of a cat found glued to Interstate 90 in southwestern Minnesota has grown to about $10,000.

The reward is for information leading to a conviction in the case, which ended with the cat's death.

Travelers found the cat on Dec. 18 and brought it to the Second Chance Rescue Center across the South Dakota border in Sioux Falls. The 7-month-old orange tabby had been glued to the road by its feet and nose, and it died five days later.

The reward fund started with a $1,000 donation by an anonymous Yankton man. Rescue Center Director Rosey Quinn says donations have been coming in since from "all over." She says she even received a call from Florida.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All Material Copyright 2010 KARE-11. All Rights Reserved.

Reward offered to find animal abuser

2010-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Cat dies after being left glued to Minnesota highway
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: January 11, 2010 - 10:58 AM

A reward is being offered in the hopes of finding whoever glued a seven-month-old cat to the side of a southern Minnesota highway.

The cat was discovered Dec. 18 by a woman traveling to Sioux Falls, said Rosey Quinn of the city's Second Chance Rescue Center, where the orange and white male tabby was brought by the traveler and died five days later.

A man from Yankton, S.D., has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the person or people responsible, Quinn said.

Timothy, as the cat would be named while at the center, was spotted by Joyce Borgen as she drove on Hwy. 60, about 30 minutes west of Mankato. Borgen, 62, was on her way back to Sioux Falls after visiting relatives.

Borgen, with her two dogs and a bird already in tow, said that as she drove by, "the cat lifted up its head and looked at me" from the white line along the highway's edge.

After a quarter-mile to think about the cat's fate on that cold and blustery afternoon, Borgen said she decided, "I have to go back and get it. I couldn't let it stay there."

Borgen pulled over, picked up the cat and placed him on the floor on the front-passenger side, covering him with a blanket and turning "the heater on full blast," she said. "He was just like a little ice cube."

After a night in a plastic basket and wrapped in blankets in Sioux Falls, the cat "looked up, meowed and ate dog food. He seemed to be recovering." Borgen then turned over the cat to Second Chance.

Quinn, who opened the animal rescue center nearly four years ago, said that the remote location of where the cat -- without tags or identification chip -- was found has her convinced that he was purposely glued to the road. "I think some kids did this," she said.

She said Timothy's nose was glued to the surface and he lost "layers of skin" from elsewhere on his body when removed.

The "extremely stressed-out" cat was treated by a veterinarian, only to die the next week, Quinn said.

--Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Reward offered in case of cat glued to road
Updated: 1/11/2010 10:50:21 AM

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- An animal rescue center in Sioux Falls, S.D., says an anonymous Yankton man is offering a $1,000 reward in the case of a cat found glued to Interstate 90 just across the border in Minnesota.

Second Chance Rescue Center Director Rosey Quinn says travelers found the cat on Dec. 18 and brought it to the center. She says the orange tabby had injuries to its feet and nose and was thin, and it died five days later despite the efforts of veterinarians to save it.

Quinn says in her 13 years she's never seen such a horrific case of animal abuse.

The reward is for information leading to a conviction in the case.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All Material Copyright 2010 KARE-11. All Rights Reserved.

Some cats like Christmas more than others

2010-01-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

Reminds me of my cat, Gilligan ;-)

Owners are responsible for welfare of dogs

2010-01-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

MY COMMENT: If you have a dog, you are responsible for its well-being. In fiercely cold weather like we have been having, like it or not, you need to supervise your dog's trips outside. Perhaps these two dogs need better homes.

Minnesota dogs survive bitter cold, returned to owners
Updated: 1/5/2010 2:33:17 PM

DULUTH, Minn. -- Two family pets who disappeared in the freezing Minnesota weather survived the elements and have been reunited with their grateful owners.

A Twin Cities couple, Kevin and Meegan Holubar, were visiting family in Duluth when they lost their bulldog, Ham, in a Christmas Eve blizzard. After an extensive search and 11 days, Ham showed up on the doorsteps of a Duluth resident, frostbitten, 30 pounds lighter, but alive.

CINNAMONAnd in Rochester, Rue and Rob Wiegand's dog, Cinnamon, wandered away Nov. 29. The Wiegands posted hundreds of fliers and took out newspaper ads, but were doubtful their 16-year-old pet would survive the freezing weather. Then they got a call Christmas night.

Cinnamon was found in a neighbor's window well, half-buried in mud and snow. The dog was taken to a local veterinary hospital and survived.

Information from: Duluth News Tribune

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All Material Copyright 2010 KARE-11. All Rights Reserved.

Cats will be euthanized this week

2009-12-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

PUPS (Pets Under Police Security)has scheduled a euthanization date for the cats in the attached photos. They need to get out by Wednesday (12/30/2009) of this week! PUPS does not do public adoptions, so the only way out is through rescue groups. Please help if you can!

I am happy to assist with pulling and transporting!
If you can help, please contact Danielle at:

Danielle Conway　　
dconway@ci.maple-grove.mn.us

Animal Containment Coordinator
Pets Under Police Security
11350 89th Ave. N.
Maple Grove, MN 55369
763-424-5257

Cat 1=intact maleCat 2=intact maleCat 3=neutered male, front declawedCat 4=intact maleCat 5=neutered male
Cat 6=intact male
Cat 7=Female
Cat 8=intact male

Animal Wise Radio receives award

2009-12-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

Animal Ark's Animal Wise Radio Receives Henry Bergh Leadership Award

In recognition for their unwavering committement to helping animals, Animal Ark's Mike Fry and Beth Nelson received one of the top animal welfare achievements of the year. They were recognized as leaders in the no kill movement, and for giving a national voice to many others working to save animals. Mike and Beth were included with five others who were presented with this presigious award by the nations top animal advocacy agency, the No Kill Advocacy Center.

"It is with pride and humility that we stand side-by-side with our own heros as we recieve this award," said Fry.

Other recipients of the Henry Bergh Leadership Award included Bonney Brown, Executive Director of the Nevada Humane Society, Susanne Kogut, Executive Director of the Charlottesville SPCA, Ryan Clinton from FixAustin, Joan Shaffner, Director of the Animal Law Program at George Washington University Law School and Claire Davis, President of the Coalition for a No Kill King County.

About Henry Bergh
Henry Bergh was a 19th Century animal advocate who launched the humane movement in North America. He gave the first speach on animal protection in the U.S., founded the nation's first humane society, and succeeded in passing the nation's first anti-cruelty law. Every night, Bergh would patrol the streets of his native New York City looking for animals in need of protection. Upon his death, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of him:
Among the nobelest of the land; Though he may count himself the least; That man I honor and revere; Who, without favor, without fear; In the great city dares to stand; The friend of every friendless beast

Henry Bergh, we remember you with passion and light. It is in good company that Animal Ark and Animal Wise Radio stand this holiday season! Read More.

New law needed to control MN puppy mills

2009-12-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Breaking News: Federal Judge Terminates Kathy Bauck’s USDA License

Animal Welfare Advocates Express Concern for Several Hundred Dogs Remaining in Her Care

Kathy Bauck, a Minnesota-based dog breeder, is arguably one of the nation's most notorious puppy mill operators. For years, Bauck has been making headlines all around the United States. She has been accused of selling sick puppies, of misrepresenting her animals, and of practicing veterinary medicine without a licence. She has also been convicted multiple times of animal cruelty and animal torture.

Bauck’s most recent conviction included 4 counts of animal cruelty and torture – a verdict that was handed down in March of 2009. At that time, most Minnesotans believed that would be the end of Bauck’s operation. They were wrong. Bauck has continued to operate two businesses, “Pick of the Litter” and “Puppies on Wheels” ever since.

“Most people are shocked to find out that a puppy mill operator in Minnesota can be convicted of cruelty and torture of animals, and continue operating,” said Mike Fry, Executive Director of Animal Ark, Minnesota’s largest no kill animal welfare organization, and a nationally recognized expert on puppy mills.

“People think that a cruelty conviction would automatically put an operation like this out of business. That is simply not the case, because the State of Minnesota has no means whatsoever available to regulate puppy mills,” Fry said.

This week, a federal judge responded to a request for summary judgment to revoke Bauck’s USDA license. The USDA itself made that request. In its request to have Bauck’s license terminated, the USDA stated that Bauck and her family were “unfit” to operate a breeding operation. On December 2, the judge announced their decision, in favor of the USDA’s request, and allowing Bauck 10 days for appeal.

“The irony is that if the revocation of Bauck’s USDA license stands, she will still be able to keep her dogs,” said Dr. Linda Wolf a veterinarian who served as one of the key expert witnesses in the most recent animal cruelty case against Bauck.

“The USDA only regulates the sale of dogs to commercial sources, like pet shops, brokers and wholesalers. They have no say as to whether or not Bauck gets to keep her dogs,” Wolf added.

A strange, disconnected patchwork of laws allows Bauck to keep hundreds of breeding dogs without a USDA license and after having been convicted of animal cruelty and torture and of practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

“A key piece of legislation is missing from the regulatory and enforcement scheme in Minnesota,” said Fry. “There is no State law allowing intervention or enforcement at all.”

Fry adds that the judge could have ordered the confiscation of her dogs when she was convicted of animal cruelty and torture. However, because she – like most other large-scale puppy mills – lives in a very small rural county, taking this action would have been nearly impossible.

“During her career, Bauck has held up to 1,200 breeding dogs at one time, plus puppies,” said Fry. “State law requires that animals confiscated due to cruelty charges be impounded for a minimum of 10 days. If the puppy mill operator appeals, the impoundment period could drag on for months and cost the county millions of dollars.”

In other words, Fry says, the State of Minnesota, due to its failure to regulate the large-scale, commercial dog breeding industry, has allowed businesses to grow to a size where the counties simply cannot regulate them. Some counties have fixed this problem by enacting local ordinances that limit the number of breeding animals an operator may own. However, according to Fry, and a growing number of breeders, veterinarians and animal welfare advocates, that is simply not enough.

“We need a State-level law that provides for regulation and enforcement of this industry,” said Dr. Wolf.

Fry, Wolf and many others have been working for several years to draft and pass legislation that would close this gaping loophole in the animal welfare statutes. As a result, two companion bills were introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate last year. Senate File 7 and House File 253 would help the State to enforce existing animal welfare statutes, and would prevent people who have been convicted of animal cruelty and animal torture from operating puppy mills, something that seems pretty common-sense to most Minnesotans.

Last year, Senate File 7 and House File 253 made good progress moving through the legislature. After passing several committees, both bills landed in the Agriculture Committees in the House and Senate, where they are expected to receive hearings early in 2010.

“The little opposition to these bills that has been seen at the legislature has almost all come from the people in the Ag Industry,” said Fry. “So, while there is widespread support for this urgently needed legislation, we need supporters to show up and let their voices be heard at the legislature in 2010.”

In the meantime, animal welfare advocates are concerned with the plight of the dogs remaining on Bauck’s property.

“The termination of Bauck’s USDA license prevents her from selling dogs to her normal sales channels,” added Wolf. “Without the ability to sell the dogs, and to make money, her ability to care for several hundred dogs is seriously in question.”

According to estimates, there are several hundred dogs remaining on the property. If closed, it could be one of the largest puppy mill closures in US history. She has been in operation for approximately 20 years.

Shelter for pets in domestic violence

2009-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Mpls. to shelter other victims of domestic violence: Pets

Minneapolis police will let people who fear for their pets board them at Animal Control.

By DAVID CHANEN, Star Tribune
Last update: December 7, 2009 - 11:24 PM

As a Minneapolis woman planned to leave her abusive boyfriend a few months ago, she made a desperate call to the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley.

She feared she wasn't the only one in danger.

"She's my sweetheart -- I love that cat," she cried into the phone, according to a recording investigators saved. "He said he will kill it and put it in a bag. I'm taking this very seriously."

Senior investigator Keith Streff of the Humane Society said the woman was one of many who have delayed leaving an abusive situation out of fear for their beloved pet's safety.

As part of its continuing domestic violence prevention initiative, the Minneapolis Police Department will start a program next month to allow people to board pets at the city's Animal Control facility for five days at no charge while the owners find a new home.

Only a handful of law enforcement agencies in the United States offer such a service, even though several studies now show that up to 75 percent of victims reported that their abusers threatened, hurt or killed family pets.

Carol Arthur, executive director of the Minneapolis based Domestic Abuse Project, said the research has "finally caught up to what we've been hearing anecdotally for years." A pet is often the sole emotional support for a person in an abusive relationship, she said, giving the victim unconditional love.

Link in chain of violence

"This is why the abuser will threaten to harm the animal to get compliance," she said. "This is one big barrier preventing a person from leaving."

Only a couple of domestic violence organizations in Minnesota, including a woman's shelter in Brainerd, have a program to help victims with pets. Cornerstone, a domestic violence agency in Bloomington, partners with a veterinarian to house pets. They average about a dozen each year, including gerbils and snakes.

Under the new Minneapolis program, police officers who respond to domestics can immediately bring a victim's pet to Animal Control.

Several animal rescue groups have volunteered to foster the pets if the owner needs more than five days. Only the person who placed the pet will be allowed to visit, but they have to sign a form establishing ownership.

"This program is ahead of the curve and definitely should be a model for police departments, to recognize the link between animal and domestic abuse," said Allie Phillips, vice president of public policy for the American Humane Association in Denver.

She estimated that about 700 groups in the United States have some kind of pet kenneling option for domestic violence victims.

Minneapolis doesn't expect to be overwhelmed with kennel requests, so costs for the program are expected to be minimal, said Dan Niziolek, manager of Animal Care And Control. The program will be available 24 hours a day.

"We look at violence in the community, and it starts at home," he said. "We can curb some of it through this program."

The Police Department's domestic violence prevention pilot initiative started in the Fifth Precinct in 2008. The department investigated 18,500 domestic calls in 2007, but many didn't result in arrests. To build better cases, officers began putting suspects in squad cars, reading them their rights and asking questions with the squad camera rolling.

Officers also began doing extensive interviews with alleged victims at the scene and asking them to write a report.

In a year, convictions rose 25 percent. The program, developed by a coalition of social workers and law enforcement and animal humane officials, is now used in all five precincts.

"Cops are pretty astute about what's going on in a home and [while] talking to the victim can pick up fears," said First Precinct Inspector Kris Arneson, who headed up the initiative. "That includes concerns about animals and children."

The Green Bay, Wis., police department has helped assure the safety of more than 50 pets since it started a kenneling program four years ago, said officer Sharon Hensen.

She said she's heard horrific stories, including one involving a man who threw a cat against a wall, breaking all four legs. In a survey of the victims in that city, 80 percent said the abuser hurt or threatened to hurt their pets.

The Minneapolis City Council approved the kennel program last month, with several members praising Niziolek, Arneson and others for their proactive approach to domestic violence. Arthur said Minnesota continues to be a leader in violence intervention since state residents built the first women's shelter in the United States.

Streff, of the Humane Society, shook his head as he listened again last week to the telephone call from the woman pleading on behalf of her cat. He said it was the most chilling domestic abuse-related call he's heard in 22 years as an investigator. But two weeks ago he received an e-mail from a woman whose abuser had kicked her miniature pinscher, breaking its back.

"When they reach out for help about their pets, they are usually right at the brink," he said. "But who knows what might happen after that?"

David Chanen • 612-673-4465

Need a smile?

2009-12-03T09:51:00.001-08:00

Police dog euthanized at pound

2009-12-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Howard Lake mourns mistaken death of police dog

Felony, a valued member of the Howard Lake Police Department and a friend to its officers, was nearly 11 years old when he escaped his kennel, ended up at the Animal Humane Society and was destroyed.

By KATIE HUMPHREY, Star Tribune

Last update: November 27, 2009 - 11:42 PM

Most nights, Felony the black Lab rode in the back of a squad car.

As the canine member of the Howard Lake Police Department, he tracked criminals and sniffed for drugs in the lakeside town in rural Wright County. Since 2002, his nose had helped the department uncover narcotics valued at $25,000.

But Felony's career, already slowing as he approached 11 years of age, came to an abrupt end this month.

In a case of mistaken identity and miscommunication, Felony was destroyed by the Animal Humane Society in Buffalo after escaping from his kennel at the city water treatment plant.

"He was nearing the end of his service career with his age getting up there," Police Chief Tracy Vetruba said. "We just didn't expect it to end quite like this."

On Oct. 30, an officer noticed that Felony had broken out of his kennel. Vetruba said police searched but didn't find a trace of the elderly black lab with graying muzzle and paws.

That day, Tammy Bren, of Howard Lake, found a scrawny, spiritless black Lab in her back yard.

"I thought it was an old farm dog that had wandered to town and had been walking for days," Bren said. He was wearing a plain collar without any tags or other identification.

Bren gave him some dog treats, then dumped out a birdbath and filled it with food. "It was eating like crazy," Bren said. "But still, it never wagged its tail or acted happy."

Bren said she turned Felony over to the city dogcatcher, who also didn't recognize the police dog.

Vetruba said police called the dogcatcher and the Animal Humane Society the day Felony disappeared. He said the dogcatcher reported picking up a mixed breed dog, and the Humane Society said it didn't have Felony, either. Humane Society officials said they did not have a record of receiving that call from the police on Oct. 30.

Felony did arrive at the Animal Humane Society in Buffalo on Oct. 31, and his picture was posted online.

Ray Aboyan, the chief operating officer of the society, said its veterinary staff rated Felony's body as a three on a scale of one to nine and described him as bony.

"We concur with the Howard Lake woman who found him and described the dog's description as 'thin and in poor condition,'" he said.

Felony went unclaimed. He was also aggressive, snapping and growling, and was therefore deemed unfit for adoption.

After a five-day hold, he was destroyed Nov. 6.

"Had we any way to know this was a police dog, the outcome would have been quite different," Aboyan said.

'A working dog'

Vetruba disagrees with claims that Felony might have been underfed or neglected.

Felony lived in an outdoor kennel with two doghouses at the water treatment plant, and officers fed him daily and took him on patrol almost every evening, Vetruba said.

"He was a working dog, so he didn't have a lot of extra fat on him," Vetruba said. "He was losing body mass mainly because of his age."

Felony was also growing cranky as he aged.

In one incident in May, he got sick in the back of a squad car and bit an officer. "We were a little bit concerned about his behavior," Vetruba said. "I can't say I'm terribly surprised he showed some aggression."

But officers had not witnessed any more aggressive behavior since that incident.

Vetruba said officers still don't know what happened to the identification tags Felony always wore.

The Police Department learned of Felony's demise when Bren called the department after seeing the dog's picture in a local newspaper around mid-November.

The department had arranged for the picture to appear in the paper, hoping someone had seen the dog.

"We couldn't believe it," Vetruba said.

The department hasn't decided if it will replace Felony.

"Our evening officers loved having him along," Vetruba said. "He was kind of like a mascot for our department."

Katie Humphrey • 952-882-9056

Lots of comments on this story. What can I say? I am saddened, but not shocked. This poor dog deserved so much better from the humans on whom he depended and that includes not only his police department owners, but also the woman who found him and the shelter people who euthanized him.

November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month

2009-11-20T07:33:00.001-08:00

PetsMatter: Nov/Dec 09 - Volume 4 Issue 6
From the American Animal Hospital Association

Older Pets May Be a Better Fit

A bouncy, clear-eyed puppy would have been the easy choice for Darryl and Katie Jockers of Northglenn, Colo.

Instead, the couple is drawn to the misfits and the unwanted. Their house is already home to a yellow Labrador mix found in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a black Lab retired from his job as a guide dog, a golden tabby cat and a 10-year-old Siamese.

In October 2008 they took in 16-year-old Stewart, a cocker spaniel with a long list of health problems, the worst of which was renal (kidney) failure.

The Jockers felt that they owed something to a dog like Stewart, who has already lived a long life and needs a comfortable, loving home to enjoy for the rest of his days.

“The way I see it, none of our animals get to choose us, and when we get to choose them, we owe it to them to give them the life they would have picked if they were able to choose,” says Katie, who adopted Stewart through the adoption organization The Max Fund.

Stewart needed almost constant care from the moment he walked through the Jockers’ door. Besides his kidney problems, he is also deaf and suffers from arthritis and a weak heart.

The Jockers feed Stewart nutrients and keep him constantly hydrated. Their reward has been a renewed older dog that is lively and gets along well with his new roommates.

“He’s great; he’s ornery and loves to be the center of attention,” Katie says.

A puppy, she adds, would have been fine. But she prefers a dog like Stewart because he provides an education just by living.

“They teach you to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life,” explains Katie. “Besides, they are quirky and funny.”

Other pet owners and organizations hope that prospective owners will take a more serious look at taking home an older dog or cat during November, which is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Older pets have a huge advantage over puppies and kittens, simply because of their maturity level, states the ASPCA.

“I simply could not live through another puppyhood,” says Gayle Buchwald, senior vice president who oversees the ASPCA’s adoption center in New York City.

“Kittens are rambunctious and are always zooming here and there and tearing off the covers of your bed in the middle of the night,” Buchwald explains. “Older pets are like people — they’ve been around the block and their energy level is a lot more stable.”

Today’s busy lifestyles are also more conducive to older pets, Buchwald believes. An older pet is less high-maintenance than a puppy or kitten and can be left alone for longer periods of time. She adds, “Their personalities are already formed, and what you see is what you get; you can plan around that. Puppies and kittens are still forming their personalities.”

To help those who want to adopt an older pet make an informed decision, the ASPCA developed the Meet Your Match Program, which helps match an animal’s behavior and interests with potential pet owners.

Dogs are tested on their friendliness, playfulness, energy level, motivation, and drive and are placed in one of nine color-coded “canine-alities.”

Depending on their color code, some dogs are classified as laid-back couch potatoes, while others are more curious busy bees.

Cats are similarly categorized. Green cats (which are relatively new on the scene) are savvy and adventurous, while orange cats make amiable companions.

Adopting an older pet can also have drawbacks, and owners need to be aware of those potential complications.

Many older pets have health problems and often need special diets or medications. Older pets also may need modifications to get around, such as stepladders to get into cars or wider dog and cat doors.

At the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA in San Mateo, Calif., medical staff members spend a lot of time with an older pet to check for physical problems, while other staffers concentrate on any problems in behavior, comments Scott Delucchi, vice president and spokesman for the shelter.

“If a dog or cat is older than five or six we do a lot of work with them before we allow them to be adopted,” Delucchi says.

Still, the shelter does not do blood work or X-rays on most of the animals. Therefore, it is often the prospective owners who must take responsibility for making sure that an animal is a good match, he explains.

To get a better idea of why older pets would make good housemates and some tips on what to look for in an older pet, here are some helpful links:
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/meet-your-match
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adoption-tips/adopting-the-perfect-family-pet.html
http://peninsulaspca.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-adopt-senior-pet.html

Sometimes small children are not good matches for an older dog or cat, says Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk Program for the Humane Society of the United States.

“Some animals are not fond of children and all the grabbing they do,” Goldfarb says.

Still, a mature pet probably has been around a toddler and knows what to expect, he adds. “They’ve seen the world, and they know what to expect when it comes to a child. Younger dogs and cats may not see it that way and won’t get along with a child.”

Older dogs need their exercise, too. But like an older person, their days of running a marathon or chasing squirrels are, thankfully, long gone, Goldfarb says. “A nice walk in a park on a sunny day suits many older dogs just fine. That’s the beauty of older dogs — they have their own rhythm of life.”

Monte Whaley is a writer from Denver, Colo. He writes for the Denver Post.

© 2009 American Animal Hospital Association. All rights reserved.

Dog and Cat food rating

2009-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here is some helpful info about choosing dog & cat food.
The original is in on-line at http://www.paws.org/cas/resources/fact_sheets_general/foodrating.php

Dog and Cat Food Rating

The following guide is provided by Dr. Michael Lemmon of Highlands Veterinary Hospital in Renton, Washington.

Foods are rated from 10 (the most nutritious) to 0 (the least nutritious)

10-9 For wild animals in nature: wild food
Source: hunting, foraging.
Characteristics: study wild animals to learn best diet for domesticated species.

8 The best you can do: balanced, fresh food made by you
Source: Dogs – ⅓ meat, eggs, diary; 2/3 grains, vegetables. Cats – ½ meat, eggs, dairy; ½ grains, vegetables.
Characteristics: ecological, inexpensive, easy, healthy (includes healthy leftovers)

7-6 Not a bad compromise: “health food” brands
Source: Precise, Wysong, Nature’s Recipe, Dynamite, Flint River, ABADY, Avo-Derm, Sensible Choice, Solid Gold, Pinnacle, Pet Guard, Nature’s Variety.
Characteristics: few or no preservatives, few or no by-products, dates on the bags, more nutrients retained, disease prevention design.

5-4 Getting the idea: “upscale” brands
Source: Science Diet, ANF, Tamiami, Cornucopia, Lick Your Chops, Nutro, Waynes, Old Mother Hubbard.
Characteristics: digestible, very concentrated, easily available, actually less costly, could be improved.

3 Just mucking along: all grocery store brands
Source: IAMS, Ol’Roy, Purina (all), Gaines, Friskies, Alpo, Ken’l Ration, Kal-Kan, Tuffys, Tyrells, Attaboy, Pedigree.
Characteristics: Not very digestible, additives, preservatives, chemicals, no date on bags, addictive flavorings added.

2 You get what you pay for: generic brands
Source: Holiday, Super-America, Houles, Fromms.
Characteristics: Ultra-cheap ingredients, irregular batch cooking, products are not tested, no reputation to lose.

1 Let them eat cake: soft –moist, gourmet cans, “treat” foods
Source: Tender Vittles, Gaines Burgers, Kibbles and Chunks, Pounce, Crave, Snausages, Jerky Sticks, Happy Cat, Mighty Dog.
Characteristics: Fake, plastic, junk food, addictive and deadly, rots teeth and intestines, expensive.

0 We warned you: poorly balanced, randomly-offered, people food
Source: Excess meat, fat, ice cream, candy, sugar, white flour products, tuna, steak, bones, anything microwaved.
Characteristics: Cause of obesity, picky-eaters, behavior problems, diabetes, allergies, shedding and dandruff.

© Progressive Animal Welfare Society
Reprinted with permission
http://www.paws.org