This woman has my dream life...

Cat House on the Kings link to You Tube Video

And it's bad enough that she has it, but she doesn't even have the decency to be located far, far away. She's only a car ride away.

What an amazing facility. What an amazing woman. Stories like this are the reason my husband doesn't play the lottery. Not because he believes we'd never win, but for fear that we might and he'd be sentenced to live a life like this one :o)

If you have a couple of dollars to spare, you could do worse than sending them here.

Cat House on the Kings

The last link of the chain

A press release on Bakersfield.com noted that a three year old child was attacked by a Pit Bull. I sighed as I read the headline, since there's nothing more the media seems to like than to sound the pit bull alarm as often as possible, to the continuing detriment of a breed that is wholly undeserving of the unyielding assault on its being.

I might not have bothered to mention the story at all had a second item not been posted an hour or so later detailing the incident.

It turns out that the dog in question was chained. Chained to a tree in the backyard. How long had the dog been chained? Who knows. Apparently the family who owned the dog missed the memo that chaining a dog for longer than three hours is now against the law in California. And they surely didn't take the time to read that chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to bite than are dogs that are unrestrained.

Perhaps if the owner of this dog taken the smallest amount of time to think about the long term needs --- social, emotional and physical --- of another species they chose to bring into their home, this whole incident could have been avoided.

It's simple, folks. Dogs deserve more than to spend their lives at the end of a chain. They deserve more than to be cast out into the backyard, separated from their pack and from the comfort of a warm, safe environment. They deserve, before being brought into a home, for someone to spend more than ten minutes thinking about the long-term needs a social creature has. They deserve not just to be thought about, but to be thought of.

The injuries to the child, according to the post, do not appear to be life-threatening, and for that I'm glad. Don't think that caring about one side of the equation means that there is no concern for the other.

But perhaps a little clarity of writing was due in the composition of the piece. The injuries were not life-threatening for the child. The dog in question, a dog who in all probability had spent far more time on a chain than off one, is most surely dead as I type, having been taken away by Animal Control at the owner's request.

To find out more about why chaining a dog is never a good option, look into these resources:

Dogs Deserve Better
Unchain Your Dog
Humane Society of the United States

Progress...

It looks like the lives of animals got a tiny bit better on Election Day. In California Prop. 2 was passed, bringing a teeny-tiny bit of compassion to the world of factory farming. Granted, the egg farms here in the valley aren't all that thrilled, because they may actually have to hire another person or two (under 100 people caring for nearly 2 million chickens ---seriously?), but I am thrilled!

I really didn't think that the measure would pass on the first try, but maybe that's just a reflection of having spent so much time in Bakersfield. Anyway, yea California!

The other item I think worthy of mention is the abolition of dog racing in Massachusetts. Another move towards compassion. Way to go!

Prop. 2 - for the benefit of all

As election day (finally) arrives, I'd just like to mention one more time the importance of voting yes on California's Prop. 2 - The Humane Farm Animal Act.

I've heard the arguments against the measure. Naturally, the majority of them coming from the pro-factory farming crowd and those who believe the best business is big business. But there are times when people really need to look beyond the hype and think about an issue on the basis of its merits. No matter how you couch it, animals living in the conditions that currently exist in factory farming, particularly on egg ranches, are living a pitiful existence. We have it in our power to change that if we don't allow ourselves to be driven by fear.

Opponents argue that it will make our food less safe. Let me tell you, I subscribe to the FDA's list of product recalls and most people have no idea how many products are recalled every week of safety concerns. Since most of the recalls are regional, and not national, unless you're in the affected region you may never hear about them at all.

Allowing farm animals to have one small concession in exchange for our use of them is the only compassionate thing to do. Now is your chance. Vote for compassion by voting yes on Prop. 2.

On grief and growing up

Just as my husband and I were getting ready to go on vacation, our first one in several years (you animal people know what it’s like trying to break away from the menagerie), our oldest son called from his home, some 300 miles away. His cat, Big Al, had taken a turn for the worse, necessitating a visit to the vet the night before, and the news wasn’t good. Al was developing renal (kidney) failure and our son wanted a little “feedback” on the situation.

Patrick is 26, Big Al is 19, so it isn’t hard to see that their relationship has easily been one of the longest Patrick has known. Longer, even, than his relationship with me, his stepmother. And now, for really the first time in his adult life, he was facing one of the most adult moments a pet owner has to face. It was time for “the talk”.

It was, for the most part, a gentle conversation, albeit a little one-sided. I spoke of how very, very fortunate Big Al was to have been able to spend his whole life with one family, and that by any stretch of the imagination it had been a long life, indeed. I reminded Patrick of the love and care he gave to Al, always making sure he had quality food and proper veterinary care when it was needed. Big Al was one of the lucky ones who lived his whole life loving one family and being loved in return.

Now it was time for our son to face the last, most painful obligation a pet owner has to their fur-bound friend. It’s a deal we make with the universe when we choose to bring a companion animal into our lives, knowing that we will almost certainly outlive them. In exchange for their love and devotion, we have to be willing to accept the pain of their loss, and to be strong enough to make that decision on their behalf when it is necessary to do so.

My heart broke for Patrick as I reminded him what a wonderful pet owner he was, and how proud I was of him and the dedication he had shown in caring for Al. As we talked, though I heard the voice of an adult, in my mind’s eye I saw the child I had known for so many years, groping for the fortitude one needs to handle adult issues.

The veterinarian provided fluids so that Al could be comfortable a little while longer. Patrick called his brother and invited him to come home from college so that he might also be able to say goodbye. The appointment at the veterinarian’s office was scheduled, and Big Al was peacefully seen into the night, surrounded by those who loved him. In this, his last act of selflessness on behalf of his pet, Patrick stepped over the threshold separating a childhood friendship from the adult guardianship of a lifelong friend. Would that all childhood pets should be so honored.