pet connection

Should we have a contest to find out what the “E” in “PETA” really stands for, since “ethical” is off the table? How about “extermination”?

Yes, it’s time for PETA’s annual filing of the statistics from their death factory, as required by Virginia law, which for reasons pretty much passing all understanding thinks it’s a “humane society,” even though they kill virtually every animal who comes in their doors, every year, year after year.

Their 2010 statistics are here (PDF), but to give you an idea, they took in 1,553 cats and killed 1,507 of them, and 792 dogs and killed 693 of them.

In other words, out of 2,345 dogs and cats they took in under Virginia law as being for purposes of adoption — virtually all as owner-surrenders — they saved exactly 145 of them. Sixty-three of those were transferred to another Virginia facility (although their fates there are unknown) and 7 were reclaimed by owner, meaning they did a whopping 44 adoptions in the entire year.

No wonder they don’t believe in “no-kill”; they’ve never gotten a glimpse of what it means to be in favor of saving animals’ lives.

But by all means, fellow journalists, keep running to these pet-killers for quotes and commentary on animal welfare.

Sing it with me, Pet Connection readers: Why is anyone still listening to PETA?

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Please join our own Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori on Wednesday evening, March 16, at 9 PM Eastern Time, when they interview fire captain and search dog handler Jim Boggeri from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, which right now has six dog/human teams searching for survivors in Japan. He’ll be bringing listeners up to date on what’s happening with the teams, and sharing his experiences as a search dog handler.

Boggeri is a captain with the Marin County Fire Department in the San Francisco Bay Area, a Type I advanced FEMA certified canine search specialist and a member of FEMA ASAR Task Force 4.

He joined forces with Recon, a yellow Lab, in 2001. Since then, they have responded to numerous disasters, including Hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005 as well as Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. Jim recently added a second canine to the team, another yellow Lab named Nino, with whom he is currently working toward certification.

Our friends at PetHobbyist.com (now ConnectedByPets.com) have offered their Thirteenth Annual Chat Month venue to host the 30-minute radio interview, which will be streamed over the Animal Wise Radio Network.

If you’d like to ask Jim questions during the interview, which he will be able to respond to on the air, join other listeners in the Auditorum chat room.

You can find more information on listening, including how to tune in on your mobile device, here.

Photo: Jim Boggeri with Recon, courtesy of SDF.

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Find out how animal lovers can help quake, tsunami victims here.

The dog/human search teams of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation have been deployed to Japan to assist in the search for survivors of the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated so much of the country and killed at least a thousand people.

I send my prayers with SDF search teams Gary Durian and Baxter (L.A. County Fire), Eric Gray and Riley (Santa Barbara County Fire), Ron Horetski and Pearl (L.A. County Fire), Bill Monahan and Hunter (L.A. County Fire), Jasmine Segura and Cadillac (L.A. County Fire) and Linda Tacconelli and Joe (civilian team).

May God bless you and keep you safe in your good work, and give you courage!

Donate to the SDF here.

Photo: Jasmine and Cadillac, SDF

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Petfinder turns 15 years old on Tuesday, and all they want for their birthday is for homeless pets to take over the Internet.

In the decade and a half since Petfinder first assembled its pixels and bites and turned adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue pet into something you could do from your chair while wearing fuzzy slippers, the face of pet adoption in this country been revolutionized. Petfinder has been a big part of that change, with around 350,000 animals from around 13,000 shelters and rescue groups available for adoption on the site today.

In celebration of their 15 years of pet-person matchmaking, Petfinder is asking that its supporters help spread the world about adoptable pets by talking about them on Facebook and Twitter, blogging about them, decorating your blog or website with their widget, and several other fun ideas for spreading the Petfinder adoption message.

The date is next Tuesday, March 15, and the place to get more information is here.

Happy Birthday, Petfinder!

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Last week I told you about the new cat at 10 Downing Street. Today, much bigger news.

Along with a new/old governor, the Golden State has a new First Dog. Welcome to Sutter (you gotta love the name), a Pembroke Welsh corgi. Governor Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown are happy to have 7-year-old Sutter in Sacramento after losing their previous dog, Dharma, last year. The Los Angeles Times reports that Sutter is already on the job.

“He finds all the extra food lying on the floor in the office,” Gust Brown told the Sacramento Bee of Sutter’s job duties. “He barks at anyone, he gives snuggles, he warms up the Republicans.” Beyond Republican-warming, his hobbies include herding and accompanying the Browns on jogs.

Corgi fanciers know the breed, famous for their appetite and their herding talent, is a longtime favorite of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty has owned and bred Corgis since she was a teenager. If you are active on Twitter, you can follow Sutter @SutterBrown.

A mess in Memphis: There is no other way to say it – the Memphis Animal Shelter is broken. Shirley at YesBiscuit will give you the latest. The shelter’s director is definitely a piece of work.

Tell eBay to do the right thing: Technically, live animals cannot be sold on eBay. Unfortunately, all bets are off when it comes to their classifieds. That means that puppy milling scum have an unfettered avenue to do, and sell, whatever they want. You can support Change.org‘s petition to shut down this blatant loophole.

A true hero: James Campbell leases a kennel housing greyhounds. The kennel sits adjacent to the Derby Lane track in St. Petersburg, Fla. Last week, in the middle of the night, he was alerted by security that the kennel was on fire. A total of 46 greyhounds were trapped inside. Mr. Campbell rushed to the kennel and rescued the dogs — all of them. Meanwhile, the place was quickly burning to the ground. From the Tampa Tribune:

“It didn’t matter to me how much flames, how much smoke,” said Campbell, a father of three. “I was going in. I was getting my dogs.”

“I put them right below my kids,” he said. “Without thinking, I went in.”

There were 46 greyhounds in 46 crates stacked two high, with names such as JR’s Boy and Backwood Omar. As the fire crackled to life in the back of the kennel, with flames he described as 20 feet high, Campbell started quickly, but methodically, rescuing the dogs.

He unlatched the crate on top, helped the dog out, unlatched the crate underneath it, let that dog out. Then he went to the next stack, working down a row. Some of the dogs appeared to be oblivious to the peril, wagging their tails and staying close to Campbell rather than escaping through a side door into a penned area outside, he said.

“They still wanted to play,” he said. “They didn’t act any different. I’m not sure they were even aware of what was going on.”

Others were more easily led – or went on their own – to the penned area outside.

The fire department’s preliminary investigation points to the kennel’s HVAC system as the fire’s probable cause. (Tip of the cap to Cathy A.)

ASPCA-PetSmart partnership: In an ongoing effort to expand services across the country, ASPCA is putting clinics in place to assist with supplying ID tags and collars in selected communities. The project is underwritten by a just-announced $115,000 grant from PetSmart Charities.

Annandale’s gone to the dogs: Annandale, Virginia, just inside the Beltway, is a lovely place to raise a family. Ms. Beatha Lee relocated to Annandale from her previous home in Maine, and was nominated for the presidency of Annandale’s Hillbrook-Tall Oaks Civic Association.  Ms. Lee was elected easily. However, as the Washington Post tells the story, Ms. Lee will have some difficulty chairing meetings. It isn’t that she’s particularly old, it’s just that Beatha Lee is a Wheaten terrier. (Thanks, Susan)

Two unforgettable photo essays: In light of the Whistler massacre, how about a look at some sled dogs (thanks, Ericka). Next, as we wrap up coverage of Westminster, a final look at the doings in Manhattan, courtesy of the Boston Globe‘s Big Picture. Oh, and by the way, PawNation would like you to know positive reinforcement training is the norm at Westminster.

Remember the Ramones? They got the lyrics wrong. If this tune gets stuck in your head the rest of today, you’ll be in good company. Happened to me, too. Blame Animal Friends.

Turtle vs. kitteh: Ericka sent me this one, too. Tough little turtle, there. Liz, are you sure this one isn’t yours?

Engineer’s guide to cats: I neglected to ask Patti S. if she was an engineer when she forwarded this video, but now I feel much more enlightened.

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 credit: Sutter, Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times. James Campbell, Chip Osowski/TBO.

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