See you there!

Do not bring your dog to fireworks displays. Do not leave your dog out in the yard this weekend, especially at night.

Your dog doesn’t need to come with you to stand on hot pavement and watch chaotic parades or be terrified by noisy pyrotechnics. As far as the average dog is concerned, America’s independence is a terrifying affair.

This weekend, animal shelters across the country will be filled with dogs who ran off during 4th of July celebrations. Don’t let one of them be yours. It’s just not worth it.

If you really want to include your dog, bring him a doggie bag from the cookout, but leave him home, safely tucked away indoors.

One more thing … With summer here, I feel the need to add the obligatory hot car warning.

This is seriously the most preventable cause of death in dogs: Don’t leave your dog in the car. Not even “for a few minutes.” This time of year, your car is an oven on wheels, and I’ve already started to see way too many articles about dogs dying in cars. And if you see a dog roasting in a parking lot, don’t hesitate to alert the store management and/or the police.

Have a safe weekend!

Photo credit: Tony the Misfit

Sometimes, when I read my news feed, I have to double-check to make sure I didn’t accidentally click over to Publisher’s Marketplace; that I’m reading actual headlines and not loglines for upcoming novels. Because really, humanity? Are we serious?

Here’s a sampling of what I mean:

In the genre of Paranormal Cruelty …

Monkey Accused of Being a Witch Killed in South Africa (via This Dish Is Veg)

A monkey that wandered into a settlement west of Johannesburg was pelted with stones, shot at by police and then set on fire while people chanted “kill that witch!” Apparently the witchcraft accusations grew from claims that the monkey could talk … too bad he wasn’t given a chance to speak up in his own defense. Nor did the mob listen to the voice of reason (and compassion) from their fellow humans who tried to stop the witchhunt.

Jerusalem Court Stones Lawyer Reincarnated as Dog … Or Not (via Dog Files)

International news outlets and dog blogs were abuzz last week with the shocking news that an orthodox rabbinical court in Jerusalem sentenced a dog to death by stoning because they believed the dog was the reincarnation of a lawyer who had been cursed by the court a couple decades ago. Luckily, the dog escaped.

Even more fortunate is that this story (as exciting as it is, what with the curses, reincarnation, stoning and more!) isn’t true. The real story? “A dog walked into a courtroom, and someone called the dogcatcher.” Lost in translation or slow news day?

And in the category of Worst. Dog Owner. Ever.

Man Dies Playing Russian Roulette With Dog (via Dogster)

Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. Man gets drunk on moonshine, challenges his dog to Russian Roulette. It’s safe to assume the dog didn’t agree, but he got a revolver to the head nonetheless. The dog got the empty chamber, the man did not. Sounds like a Darwin Award to me.

(Note: The original story adds that the man suffered from depression. Tragic, but not an excuse for animal abuse. I think it’s safe to say that animal abusers, in general, suffer from mental illness and need to get help. Also important to note that not everyone with mental illness goes around trying to kill their animals.)

Okay, I’m keeping an eye out for less depressing news for the next roundup.

Photo credit: tullis

For the record, the last option is correct, but if you guessed “c” or “d,” then you probably saw the Wall Street Journal piece: Darkness Too Visible: Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea?

There have been many great responses to that absurd article. You can find a lot of them linked on this School Library Journal blog. You should also check out the inspiring #YAsaves hashtag on Twitter.

There’s plenty that I could write and rant about this, but it’s been pretty well covered by many other wise authors, librarians and readers. I’ll at least briefly explain the original question of what YA books and pit bulls have in common.

The Wall Street Journal piece struck me with the same force of dangerous ignorance as the articles I fight every day as a pit bull advocate. Both the allegedly “depraved” books and the dogs are blamed for problems that are caused by people. Reading about sex, drugs and violence doesn’t determine whether teens will experience those things. If anything, books often help teens through these tough experiences. And, like the pit bull debate, banning will only cause more problems than it solves.

On the flipside, there are a lot of positive parallels here, too (and not just my love for both). YA books and pit bulls have been known to frequently change people’s lives and their world views for the better. They help people learn to deal with discrimination and responsibility. They help people love and laugh.

Their fans connect with them fiercely and loyally, because they find traits in them that they haven’t found in others (people or other books/dogs). And the more that people like WSJ’s Meghan Cox Gurdon and all the other sensationalist journalists out there try to demonize them, the more people like me will stand by them.

No one has to read a book (or allow their kids to read a book) that they aren’t comfortable with. Not every book, or every dog, is the right fit for everyone. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t exist.

And it’s a good thing, because you never know when a stuffed animal might attack an innocent bystander.

That’s right, it was a plush tiger. Hampshire’s Finest figured this out when the draft from the police helicopter caused the toy to roll over. (No! Don’t fall for it! The vicious beast just wants you to believe that all it wants is a belly rub and then … yeah.)

Don’t get complacent just because you live in the U.S. The threat is on our side of the pond, too.

The AP reports that an alligator was spotted in suburban Kansas City, Missouri, where it “lurked menacingly in the weeds leading down to a pond.” Local cops were on the case. After consulting a conservation expert, they “took quick action to dispatch of the beast” by shooting it twice in the head.

When the second shot bounced off the alligator’s head, they “realized they had mortally wounded a concrete lawn ornament.”

Maybe next time, they’ll bring a pack of tough gator-hunting dogs, like these guys:

I shared my room with hundreds of stuffed animals and model critters when I was a kid. Maybe my parents should’ve been slapped with child endangerment. I’m lucky to have survived!

At the top of the stack (literally and figuratively) is THE NIGHT CIRCUS, by Erin Morgenstern.

I’m not just excited about this debut novel because the line was insanely/impressively long. Or because they gave out chocolate with the signed books (although that’s always a plus). Here’s the teaser from the website:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Sounds incredible, right?

I’ve always had a thing for circus novels (see GEEK LOVE and WATER FOR ELEPHANTS). The funny thing is that I was never very interested in attending the circus as a kid. Abused animals, clowns, and claustrophobic vinyl tents just didn’t appeal to me. (The animal-free Cirque du Soleil, however, is a completely different story.) But as a story setting, the circus is the ultimate entertainment; it’s a place where reality is fantastical and characters are unique. And from what I’ve heard so far, THE NIGHT CIRCUS promises to live up to its big top predecessors.

One book I did not score was Michelle Hodkin’s THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER. Although I spent the week hanging out with her, her author events reminded me of my visit to Japan several years ago, when I witnessed the mob scene that is a Tokyo department store sale. The line was around the block, and when the doors were unlocked, people stampeded to these tables piled with mystery bags. There was shoving. There was wrestling. There may have been clawing and hair-pulling. They weren’t sure exactly what was inside, but they WANTED it.

I know enough about MARA DYER to know that the people who left BEA with a copy got a deal they’ll love. And at least I got to catch up with my soon-to-be-famous friend.

Now excuse me, I have some reading to do.

No, not this Turtle:

(She’d like it to be all about her but, let’s face it, every day is Turtle Day in her world.)

We’re talking about this kind of turtle:

Turtles have been around for about 200 million years, but thanks to habitat loss, pollution (I’m looking at you, BP), the pet trade, and the exotic food industry, turtles are disappearing from the wild. Sadly, a shell isn’t enough to protect these guys, so American Tortoise Rescue created World Turtle Day over a decade ago.

How can you help? American Tortoise Rescue offers these tips:

• Never buy a turtle or tortoise from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild.
• Never remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured.
• If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going – if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again.
• Write letters to legislators asking them to keep sensitive habitat preserved or closed to off road vehicles, and to prevent off shore drilling that can lead to more endangered sea turtle deaths.
• Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control shelter.
• Report the sale of any turtle or tortoise of any kind less than four inches. This is illegal everywhere in the U.S.

The Humane Society of the United States is emphasizing the threat of the pet trade this year. Not only is it bad for wild populations when turtles are captured, but it’s bad news for the turtles themselves: “Children often lose interest in pet animals obtained on impulse, and parents may not be prepared to care for a turtle who can live for decades and grow to be a foot long. Turtles need proper lighting and temperature, a water filtration system, and room to grow. Countless pet turtles die from being kept in inadequate conditions.”

Check out World Turtle Day on Facebook for events and other info. This is also a good time to take action at Change.org to ask California to reinstate the ban on importing frogs and turtles for food.

A final word from Turtle: She says extra treats and tummy rubs are acceptable forms of turtle activism this weekend. A worthy cause, no doubt, but I think she’s missing the point of World Turtle Day.

On a related note: This week is World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week. No, I’m not advocating that you all organize a mass break-in to free animals from labs, as tempting as that may be. But I am advocating for everyone to take a minute to speak up for animals in labs.

Congress was kind enough to reintroduce the Great Ape Protection Act just in time for liberation week (though I’m guessing they didn’t plan it that way). This bill would ban the use of chimpanzees in invasive experiments, bringing the U.S. up to speed with every other developed nation in the world. Seriously, we’re the only ones left who still think it’s okay to torture our closest primate relatives in labs, even though the test results rarely do humans any good. That’s not okay.

(And we need this bill to stop the Planet of the Apes from becoming a reality! Didn’t you see the trailer?)

Take action to support the Great Ape Protection Act.

From ABC News 10: “A drunk Sacramento man tried attacking his pet pit bull with a hammer Saturday, but smashed his friend’s face instead … The pit bull was found in better shape than Saunders’ friend, sustaining only a minor cut.”

Okay, Saunders obviously deserves the “mayhem, felony assualt, and animal cruelty” charges that were thrown at him. But I’m going to give the friend this week’s Dogs Who Are Smarter Than Their Owners award. If you think it’s amusing to sit around and watch as your drunk friend pummels his dog and then goes to get a hammer for a better beating, you deserve to be on the receiving end of the blow.

Yesterday, something awesome happened. Over 150 blogs banded together for Paws for Japan and raised more than $30,000 for World Vets, a US-based organization that’s already on the ground in Japan, working with local animal welfare groups to pick up the pieces, reunite people and their pets, and save lives in the wake of the tsunami.

The Be the Change for Pets crew pulled this virtual fundraiser together in just three days. Pet bloggers rock. (Join them … Donate Now)

Unless you’ve had your head shoved in quicksand for the past seven years or so, then you know that disasters don’t just hit humans, but animals, too. And there are a number of reasons why animal rescue is so important after a disaster.

Let’s start with basic compassion. We all know animals can suffer. And they don’t have the benefit of cell phones or Facebook or CNN to explain to them why the hell their world just fell apart. They need our help.

Then there’s the fact that our lives are woven together. When people have lost everything, the last thing they need is to lose their pets, too. Pets are part of the family, and they provide comfort and stability. But pets get separated from their humans, or injured, and food can be hard to come by. Helping pets is key to helping people get back on their feet.

There’s more, like public health concerns and rebuilding the community. But you get the point.

This isn’t a question of animals vs. people. Both need us now, and here’s some info on human-focused charities and tips for donating during disasters. Whatever charity you choose, please give.

Donations to Japan are lagging behind donations that were giving after the Haiti earthquake or Hurricane Katrina. There seems to be a perception that because Japan is a wealthy country, they don’t need the money. Lives have been lost. Entire towns have been wiped out. Emergency response teams are flying in from around the world. There’s a serious threat from nuclear plant radiation leaks. Make no mistake: Help is needed.

Here’s where you can donate to World Vets Japan Animal Aid.

(In other things I missed this past week, March 15th was Adopt the Internet Day in honor of Petfinder’s 15th birthday. Don’t forget that millions of animals in your own backyard are in need, too … specifically, in need of a home. Choose adoption.)