pet connection

I guess I’m pretty happy to see so many media outlets suggesting that people think before getting pets as gifts, reminding them that pets are for life, not just for some silly Christmas Day moment when the kids scream their delight, maul and terrify the overwhelmed puppy-mill survivor and then move on to the new Tickle Me What-the-Heck.

But I’d be happier if more people actually took the expert’s advice to avoid pet store puppies, consider what kind of pet is best for their family (if indeed any pet at all) and (if a dog is chosen) patiently wait for the right dog or puppy from a shelter or reputable breeder. And then put the time or effort into raising a good family dog, of course, to avoid what I’m now calling “Ernie Syndrome.”

Ah well, as Dorothy Parker once said, “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.”

Off to the rest of the news …

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune looks as pacemakers for pets. … the South Koreans are still busy making more Afghan Hounds through cloning, while here in the States we are working on cloned cats … a killer pet boa constrictor gets a death sentence overturned by the victim’s mother. … the ashes thought to be Joan of Arc’s may in fact have been a cat. … in Philly the Inky looks as how Katrina is changing how animals are treated during disasters. … at the San Francisco Zoo, Patricia the giraffe dies at age 25. … and the case of the 6-week-old puppy being blamed for chewing off a baby’s toes continues to stir up strong emotions.

Oh, and poinsettias are not, not, NOT poisonous. Except when media outlets don’t check their facts.