I love this. I’m pretty sure Ophelia and Enigma would, too.

It’s ingenious. I hope Ikea is paying attention:

I seem to have lost February. Seriously, where did this month go? While I go look for it, here are some of my favorite links from the past few weeks…

Cat Guy Week:

Guys who shamelessly love their animals are adorable. Earlier this month, Much Love Animal Rescue ran Cat Guy Week to celebrate guys who defy the man’s best friend canine stereotype with their unabashed love of felines. And this may not be quite what you expect when you think of cat guys:

Cockfighting Darwin Award of the Month:

If you’re not familiar with cockfighting, it’s a brutal bloodsport where people set roosters on each other and gamble on the outcome of the fight. To spice things up a little (as in a sprinkle of sadistic-pepper, not seasoning of the sugar-n-spice-and-everything-nice variety), little razors are strapped onto the birds’ legs. As you might imagine, neither the fights nor the conditions where they’re kept are a pleasant experience for the animals.

Earlier this month, a guy at a cockfight in California was stabbed in his leg by one of the roosters. The wound proved to be fatal. Apparently another guy in India had his throat slit by his fighting rooster. Ah, Karma.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stacey Champion went to the post office to mail a birthday present. The package said: “This is for your 11th birthday. It’s what you wanted.” She warned the postal worker that it was delicate. Oh, and they shouldn’t worry if they heard strange noises coming from the package … it’s, um, a toy robot. Yeah, that’s it.

But then the “robot” started moving. And panting. Turns out it was a 4-month-old puppy.

First of all, if the puppy didn’t chew his way out of the package, he would have arrived dead. And covered in his own waste. I’m guessing that’s not what this 11-year-old wanted.
Read the rest of this entry »

I love Betty White. Last week, just after turning 89, she was on The View. Barbara Walters commented, “You said to me in our interview that the truth is that you like animals more than people.” Betty’s response: “That’s true. I don’t make it a secret … You know when they tell you something, they mean it.”

Because being 89 (and, I suppose, being Betty White) means you can say it like it is.

Later that night, she hung out with Letterman. He asked what she did in her spare time, and Betty said, “Play with animals mostly. And vodka’s kind of a hobby.”

She’s fun. I think we’d get along.

Campaign of the Week:

I’m not sure if Betty’s seen this, but I’m sure she’d approve. Via Roxanne Hawn at the Champion of My Heart blog (who is also the spark behind the awesome Never Shock a Puppy campaign): the Humane Society of Boulder Valley unveiled the poster for their No-Choke Challenge, where they’ll be promoting dog-friendly training and swapping choke chains, prong collars and shock collars for humane training tools.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will 2011 be the year that animals fight back? Just to be clear, I’m no fan of those When Animals Attack! TV shows — they pretty much exist to play off people’s irrational fears of large animals. But there’s a big difference between those hyped-up scenarios … and Justice.

So far, January has already seen two notable stories hit the news:

Animal Justice #1 — Monkey Means Business: The UK Daily Mail reported that a guy in China’s Jiangxi Province was working the streets with his monkeys, who he’d whip if they didn’t perform. But this time, Curious George wasn’t taking it. First, he leapt up and pulled the guy’s hair. When the apparently-now-crying man threatened him with the whip, “the monkey grabbed hold of a stick and squared up to him.” Then the pissed off primate took a flying leap (a la Monkey in Kung Fu Panda) and started stick fighting with the guy. Read the rest of this entry »

Since I come across a lot of odd news on a daily basis, I thought it’s time that I share more of it. Here’s a random roundup of a few recent stories, all thrown together in a link soup. (Yes, this is as close to cooking as I get.)

Will this become a regular feature of this irregular blog? Maybe. Will it always be the same categories? Probably not. Will it be entertaining (and by “entertaining,” I mean it makes you marvel at the insanity of our species, spit coffee all over your keyboard, or cock your head like a confused dog)? Sure hope so.

Things That Make You Go … Ewww:

Move over, Locavores (people who eat local foods), there’s a new lifestyle in town. And, Insectivores (people who eat insects), you have competition for the strangest diet. Here come the Invasivores.

As someone who hasn’t eaten meat in a long time, there’s really not much appeal to chowing down on invasive species*. From an environmental point of view, I get the arguments that an invasivore diet beats factory farmed meat and helps manage invasive populations to restore ecosystems. From a palatability point of view, I have a hard time getting behind a menu that includes roadkill and fried python. (And, personally, I don’t think rebranding Asian carp as Kentucky tuna really does anything for its image.)

*An invasivore diet also includes invasive plants, like kudzu, so it’s not really mutually exclusive with vegetarianism. Still, I don’t think I’ll be hopping on this trendwagon anytime soon.

Epic Win of the Week:

Okay, this isn’t actually from this week, but I missed sharing it before the holidays, which is probably why I didn’t get any of these in my Hanukkah stocking. A German guy has created the Psychiatric Institute for Abused Cuddly Toys. That’s right: Stuffed animals with issues. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a CSA failure.

It’s not that I’m one of those veggie-hating vegetarians. I love vegetables, I just hate having to cook them — or anything else. I really wasn’t kidding. After those first couple weeks, the excitement fizzled out of the relationship. Week after week of kale and beets were more commitment than my limited culinary patience could handle.

But I found someone else. We were introduced by Laura (who also had commitment issues with the traditional CSA relationship).

Friends, meet Harvest Kitchen. This is Community Supported Agriculture for lazy people, busy people and those who hate to cook. (I might be all of the above.) You buy the farm share, they cook it up with other locally-sourced ingredients.  Read the rest of this entry »

November 1st was National Mutt Day, a day to celebrate the mixed breed dog.

November 2nd is Election Day.

What do these two things have to do with one another? A lot.

You know those laws that say what type of dog you’re allowed to own, or that create special rules if your dog looks a certain pit-bull-ish way? Or those city councils who refuse to fund animal shelters, to give them the resources they need to save lives? Or the toothless legal codes that allow animal abusers to get away with barely a slap on the wrist?

Guess who creates those policies — and has the power to undo them? The people who are put in office on Election Day.

It goes far beyond your mixed breed dog, too. From your local government to the state and national legislatures, laws are created that stop animal cruelty, protect wildlife, give animals a voice over special interests … or not. Tomorrow is your chance to not only cast your ballot, but vote on behalf of your dog, cat, and all the other non-humans who aren’t allowed in the voting booth. They need you.

So, among all the other great reasons to vote on Tuesday, go give animals a voice.

Want to know where your federal officials stand, or what some of those ballot measures mean for animal welfare? Check out the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

Photo credit: Florian

This past week has been Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, a time to draw attention to the animals who, through no fault of their own, have a harder time getting adopted. According to a Petfinder survey, the top dogs and cats that get passed over are: senior pets, pets with medical problems, victims of breed prejudice, shy pets and those who need to be the only pet. Except for that last category, I’ve adopted or fostered all the rest and I can tell you that the “less adoptables” make the best companions.

Here are the Top 3 ways you can be a part of it:

1) This should be obvious: Adopt a less adoptable pet.

That was my celebration of choice — Wilbur is no longer listed for adoption. (Why, yes, that is him in the photo getting a hug from Moby.) The fact that he’s been around for over a year is a pretty good indication that he falls into that harder-to-place category. But it was never a surprise that he would qualify — older pit bulls prone to separation anxiety usually don’t land near the top of many people’s adoption wish lists. Their loss, because he’s an awesome dog.

Since Wilbur is here to stay, that means you can’t have him. But there are plenty of others who need homes. Check out Petfinder’s gallery of “less adoptable” pets.

2) Okay, let’s say you’re not in the market for a Wilbur of your own. There’s no need to let this awareness week pass by without becoming more aware.
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I feel like I’m getting away with something; it’s just too easy. Here’s what’s happening: I write this post (yes, this post) mentioning the Pedigree Adoption Drive, and Pedigree donates a bag of food to some hungry shelter dogs.

There. Dogs fed. How’s that for a giant WIN?

I learned about this awesomeness from my BlogPaws buddies, but anyone with a blog can do it. Even you. Just publish your Pedigree Adoption Drive post before September 19, and a lucky shelter gets 20 pounds of food.

I’m closing in on 125 words (you can write as much as you want, but if you want more from me on adoption and other animal issues, you know where to find me.)

While you’re here, Pedigree does make some fantastic commercials: