pet connection

Cats and dogs are taking over the world. Don’t believe me? Just ask Neil Genzlinger, television critic of The New York Times.

I don’t mean the world as in the physical planet; no cataclysmic explosion is imminent. I mean the world as in the ecosystem that features humans as the dominant creatures. Without realizing it, we have been ceding ground for some years now to cats and dogs. They were fine when they were merely our pets, but lately they have been slowly hypnotizing us by taking over the things we humans love most of all: our screens. And, as history has taught us repeatedly, those who control the screens control the masses.

Neil sees the recent increase in animal-centric movies, cable tv shows and Internets sensations like this and this as proof positive that They’re Taking Over. And he’s come to two conclusions…

• One: this is no accident or fad. Cats and dogs are doing this on purpose: behaving cutely whenever they sense that a camera is running. Anyone who has owned either type of animal knows that these beasts are not stupid; they are evil masters of manipulation — cats with their haughty indifference, dogs with their unrestrained enthusiasm.[...]
• Two: these dog and cat videos are sapping the United States, and civilization in general, of its greatness. Notice how we can’t seem to get anything done anymore? The Second Avenue subway is unbuilt; the World Trade Center site is a wasteland; the century-old water and sewer systems under our cities are unreplaced. Look back through history and you realize that the great eras of human accomplishment — the Roman Empire; the Renaissance; the Industrial Revolution — had one thing in common: no videos of cats playing pianos or dogs going down sliding boards.

He’s right. You know something, that’s it. I’m done here. I quit. See you later…….relax, I’m just kidding. Jokey jokey.

Delaware protecting animals in landmark law: Congratulations to the First State for signing into law the Delaware Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA). Nathan Winograd tells us what it means:

A shelter cannot kill an animal if a rescue group is willing to save that animal’s life. But that is just the beginning. It also makes convenience killing illegal—shelters can no longer kill an animal when there are available cages or the animals can share a cage or kennel with another one….The law also requires posting “all stray animals on the Internet with sufficient detail to allow them to be recognized and claimed by their owners,” requires shelters to maintain registries of rescue groups willing to save lives, and requires shelters to post statistics (intake, adoption, reclaim, transfer and killing rate).

In other words, killing is the absolute last resort throughout the entire statewide system. This is one of the most significant animal protection bills to be signed into law in recent years, and a road map to show how it’s done. Ironically, as YesBiscuit points out, once the law was signed there was a deafening silence from the very organizations you’d think would be trumpeting the news for all to hear.

Last week I talked about the increased use of advanced veterinary care.  Two medical updates highlight the trend:

Pacemakers in use for animals: Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is one of the best in the country if your little buddy needs heart surgery, and in this Coloradoan article, pacemakers for pets are spotlighted.

Keep an eye on the blood sugar: Ongoing research at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine is creating a device that can monitor a diabetic pet’s blood sugar profile continuously. From Science Daily:

“Our research has found that continuous glucose monitoring devices can be used in dogs, cats, cows and horses,” said Charles Wiedmeyer, assistant professor of clinical pathology in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. “Use of this system alleviated the need for multiple blood samples. It also reduces the stress associated with obtaining those samples. This system may provide greater monitoring capabilities in animals with diabetes and promote the diagnostic and research potential of glucose monitoring in veterinary patients.”

The device is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades (exactly where you would apply topical flea and tick medication) and records data every five minutes. For owners of diabetic pets, this represents a big step forward.

Photos from Full Cry: I love to mosey around the blogroll, checking in with our wide community of friends.  When I do, I end up finding gem like this post from Glenye and Lilla at Full Cry.  If only for this one picture, go check it out.

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credits: Suprised Kitty, youtube. Paper, HoundWelfare.