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.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
This is not the most original topic to blog about today, but it’s important.
Nine years ago, the U.S. got a terrorism wake-up call. A lot of things came out of the 9/11 attacks, but I’ll let other blogs handle the good, the bad, and the ugly of the political and social responses. I’m just going to put two kibbles for thought out there today:
1) Remember the Canine Heroes — for the job they did and the job dogs do every day. More than 350 dogs were called to service in the wake of the attacks. On the Change.org blog, I write about a service dog who led her human companion to safety. Over on Zoe, there’s a great compilation of stories from K9 and search and rescue teams, as well as tributes and disaster preparation tips.
Dogs made a difference on 9/11. And here’s the thing: Dogs make a difference every day. Search and rescue teams, K9s, service dogs and therapy dogs do their jobs every single day. Your dog does his job every day, too, of being your best friend and loyal companion. September 11, 2001 wasn’t the day that dogs suddenly became possessed with a hero complex; it was the day that dogs showed just how unconditionally they’re there for us — in good, bad and tragic times.
2) There’s a famous quote: “My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am.” The canine heroes of 9/11 embodied the dedication and compassion of their species. Dogs have a tendency to assume we’re just as compassionate as they are (think about how often dogs continue to approach their abusers, hoping next time it will be different). Ever since 9/11, there’s been a lot of new fear, aggression and racism. There’s enough real terror happening in the world without adding to it with irrationality, negativity and prejudice.
So, while you’re remembering the events of that day, pledge to take a page from your dog’s playbook and try approaching the world — people and animals — with compassion, tolerance and maybe even a dose of benefit-of-the-doubt.
I’m going to be honest, this post is part lazy blogging (because I really need to spill my thoughts here more than once a month) and part shameless self-promotion (just in case you’re somehow reading this blog and unaware that I’m now the Editor of Change.org’s animal welfare and wildlife community). But mostly, I hope, it’s informative about some of the issues animals have faced over the past month.
So, in the spirit of last week’s announcement of the latest Webby Award winners (Congratulations, ASPCA!) and to celebrate my awesome new job, here are some recent highlights from the last month on the Change.org Animals blog:
Best Animal Story: Where There’s a Protest, There’s Riot Dog - It’s said that this stray dog in Athens, Greece, hasn’t missed a major political protest in two years. And he’s not just a mascot; he barks at the police, dodges tear gas, runs from the scene … it’s almost as if this guy believes in the cause. He may be a stray, but I think he’s living the life that many spirited dogs I’ve known would have loved.
Most Fun to Write: Zynga Removes Pit Bulls From Mafia Wars - When Mafia Wars announced the addition of a pit bull weapon to the game, more than 500 Change.org community members signed a petition and contacted Zynga, asking them to protect the pit bull image. Zynga contacted Change.org, letting us know they were removing the pit bull. During the email exchange, I found out that they’re a pretty cool dog-friendly, pit-friendly company. Campaign victory + positive image for pit bulls = Win!
Best Overdue Idea: Animal Shelters Go Green - Even though I’m leaving you, Ecology Center, I’ll always have a soft, green spot in my heart (that’s environmentalism, folks, not Michigan State or some strange disease). It was only a matter of time before the green building movement hit animal shelters, and some sweet upgrades are being incorporated into new shelters that help animals and the environment.
Most Disappointing: Will Obama Sell Out Whales on Earth Day? After a series of sketchy back-room talks, including an Earth Day meeting, Obama seems to be backing the legalization of commercial whaling. Even George W. Bush upheld the moratorium on whaling. ‘Nuff said.
I’ve decided to nix the Twitter auto-updates for now, because I can’t seem to get the format right. Instead, here’s a review of where you can find me (I’m not abandoning this poor little blog, but in case you want more…):
Martin Matheny, one of my fellow bloggers over at Change.org, posted about a new gizmo from Mattel that will tweet for your dog. “Puppy Tweets” attaches to your dog’s collar and when she is within range of your computer, it will generate and upload one of 500 pre-programmed Twitter messages.
Here’s why this waste of $29.99 misses the point, whether you’re tweeting for your dog, your writing career, or any other reason:
1) Pre-programmed messages are great … if you want to have a really lame account. Twitter is about interesting soundbytes: sharing bits of who you are, what you’re interested in, and how you see the world. Not only do Mattel’s messages not fit any of those criteria, but 500 options are likely to get old really fast (especially when they’re sure to be scintillating quotes like “OMG, I love squirrels!”)
2) Dogs don’t care about Twitter. They don’t care about sharing their thoughts online. They don’t want to talk about the squirrel, they want you to take them outside so they can chase it. The moral of the story: Don’t forget the real world. As you get caught up in social media, don’t sacrifice your relationship with your dog, or your writing, or the world outside of your office.
3) What’s the point? It can be connecting with friends or fans, or building a character’s online presence, or being an activist, but it has to be more than sharing your own thoughts for your own amusement. No one likes a narcissist, human or canine. The people who do a decent job tweeting as their dog are sharing information and insight into a dog’s world, versus attempting to actually give their dog a voice on Twitter. And, again, what makes all of this interesting is your unique perspective, not the canned response from some gadget.
4) Social networking is about being social and building a network. One-sided, pre-programmed messages don’t do the trick. You (or your dog) need to be available to respond and react to what’s happening in the Twitterverse.
If you can’t dedicate a few seconds to post a tweet, as your dog or yourself, it’s not worth being on Twitter. So be interesting, be unique, be interactive, and save the $29.99. Or, better yet, donate the money to your local animal shelter to help the dogs still looking for a home where they can set up a Twitter account.
Anyone who does animal rescue needs to see the documentary Mine, about people trying to reunite with their pets in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Even if you don’t have animals, it’s a powerful statement on perseverance, how humans treat each other, and the meaning of home. For rescuers, it’s a powerful magnifying glass about the ways people are affected by animal rescue.
Before I saw the film, I wrote about the premise for the documentary over on the Change.org blog. I thought it could tell an important story about the connection between people and their pets, particularly in crisis situations, and the complications of custody battles. It did. But it also told the story of how people are treated when it comes to animal rescue. And it’s not always pretty.
People in rescue don’t have a ton of resources and usually don’t have much information on the animals we’re rescuing. We get in, we help the animal, we get out. Then we move on to trying to find the animal a good home so we can help more because the pool of animals in need is bottomless. As a group, we’re doing the best we can with what we have.
On the whole, we are a very judgmental group. Even those of us who try to keep an open mind tend to read between the lines of an animal’s situation and assume we know the type of people who caused it. We’ve seen enough abuse and abandonment to have good reason to be cynical. Our fellow humans rarely get the benefit of the doubt.
Mine highlights a group of people who suffered from these judgments. Hurricane Katrina was a unique situation in many ways, but the way people were treated was not. Read the rest of this entry »
Change.org, that is. This socially conscious social network just launched a shiny new Animal Welfare blog…and I’m lucky enough to get to write for it.
If you’re not already on Change.org, you should be (and if you are, why aren’t you my friend?). Every day, I’ll be blogging about animal stuff – the latest news, primers on the issues, updates, amazing/tragic/fillintheblank stories, or whatever happens to be on my mind. Got something on your mind that you’d like to see a post about? Let me know!
Check out the new blog, join the cause, and help me spread the word!
Ever read a national news story and think that some organization really should get the word out for people to write their representatives, or know of a local animal cruelty case where the judge needs to hear from people on why the abuser needs the strongest sentence possible? Now you can do something about it.
Change.org has opened up their online petition tool to everyone. That means that any organization, no matter how small, or any individual (that means you), can start a campaign of their own. Your campaign – on your issue – can get national media attention and change policies.
This is ridiculously cool. Seriously, this is what social media and the power of the internet is all about. Modern-day grassroots at its best. You don’t need to be a big national organization to make a difference. And these things work. Just a few weeks ago, there was a blog post on Scholastic’s decision to exclude a book with two mommies from their book fairs. A petition was created, it was recommended and retweeted (all part of the petition tool), and two days later, Scholastic changed its mind and the book was back on the table.
If you’re passionate about something happening in the world, you can find it on Change.org. Check it out, then spread the word to everyone else you know who cares.
For those of you with the occasional twinge of guilt that you spend more money on books than groceries, and for those of you who are free from buyer’s remorse but like to make a difference whenever you can, check out Better World Books.
When you buy a book from them, you help fund global literacy programs and support programs that provide books to literacy organizations around the world. They’re also environmentally conscious – they rescue used books from a landfill fate and all of their shipping is offset through Carbonfund.org.
If you’re looking for educational or children’s books, you can also check out First Book, which helps overcome the literacy obstacle of access to books by providing new books to kids across the U.S. and Canada.
So, you hereby have permission – almost a duty, really – to go forth and indulge your book addiction for a good cause!
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