Update, 11/1/09: Shiny news! The Gentle Barn reported today (via Facebook) that a rescue group is set to take #A260656.

All is right with the world…or at least in Cage 25, Cell Block A at the Pasadena Humane Society.

Like the Gentle Barn, I don’t normally pass along notices of individual animals in need of rescue, but #A260656 really yanked at my heartstrings. The unnamed purebred Labrador is 11 years old, black, large – and has a tumor on her stomach. In case anyone’s counting, that’s four strikes; you do the math. If you live in or near Pasadena, and/or have any connections in the animal rescue community, please help this old girl out. She’s currently staying at the Pasadena Humane Society (Animal Shelter? one and the same?).

Feel free to crosspost or link to this alert; Gentle Barn also posted this to its Facebook album, here.

There are no such things as miracles – just kind, compassionate, caring people.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: The Gentle Barn – info [at] gentlebarn.org
Date: Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 7:11 PM
Subject: Sweet Labrador Needs Your Love

Sweet Labrador Needs Your Love

Normally, The Gentle Barn doesn’t send out pleas to help place dogs or other animals. However, from time to time, one will slip through and pull at our heart strings. Below is just such a dog.

This senior purebred lab needs a home now! She is eleven years young and is the sweetest, most loving beauty. Just look at that face! I can’t believe the look in her eyes. She deserves a loving home and a family to love her, but because she has a tumor on her tummy, she is at risk for immediate euthanasia by strangers in a cold, scary room at the Pasadena Animal shelter.

She is great with other animals and kids. She has more life to live and more love to give. If you are interested in giving this angel a dignified retirement and giving yourself a sweet, black bundle of unstoppable love and cuteness, please ACT NOW! She may not be allowed to live through the weekend. Since The Gentle Barn offices are closed during the weekend, please contact the Pasadena Animal Shelter directly to save her life. Their phone number is 626-792-7151 and her shelter ID# is A260656.

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There are several “actionable items” – not quite action alerts, but rather opportunities for participation, if that makes sense – I’ve been meaning to share, but just haven’t had the time to blog about in depth. Rather than neglect these projects altogether, here’s a handy-dandy roundup. Please scan through each item and help out where you can; these virtual volunteer opportunities are perfect for activists who have more extra time than they do money!

1. Science

It really chaps my rotund hide when speciesists claim that animal advocates are “anti-science.” Being all diverse and stuff, I’m sure the animal rights and welfare movements are home to a fair share of science-averse humans, but for the most part, we’re hardly anti-science. On the contrary: many of us harness the power of scientific research to demonstrate that veganism is a healthier alternative to “meat” and dairy consumption; that nonhuman animals can experience complex thoughts and emotions; that our exploitation of nonhumans animals is both unnecessary and harmful; etc., etc., etc. (you get the idea). On the whole, I don’t think we’re any more anti-science than our omni counterparts.

Personally, I love science; once upon a time, I wanted to be a clinical psychologist, specializing in anthrozoology and world vegan (then vegetarian, but wev) domination. I still peruse research articles and scientific journals (of a social nature) on occasion, just for the fun of it. No, it’s not science per se that I take issue with. Rather, I object to the imprisonment, torture, killing and exploitation of sentient, non-consenting animals, usually for redundant and frivolous research.

So I’ve become increasingly interested in “vegan” science, particularly in supporting such endeavors whenever possible. For example, I would love to donate my body to science when I die. The thought of spending my “afterlife” rotting away on a body farm somewhere brings a smile to my face; doubly so if my remains can save a nonhuman animal from being birthed, tortured and killed in the name of science. Oooh, Dr. Brennan, pick me, pick me!

Anyhow, when I saw an ad for research volunteers in the latest issue of Best Friends magazine, I immediately fired off an email to Dr. Frank McMillan to see how I might help. He pointed me to five open surveys, all of which are related to studies he’s conducting at Best Friends (as described here):

Dr. Franklin McMillan has been the director of well-being studies at Best Friends since October 2007. As director of well-being studies, Dr. Frank assesses and studies the mental health and emotional well-being of animals who have endured hardship, adversity and psychological trauma. Through these studies, he hopes to learn what the effects of trauma are – the psychological injuries and scars – and how best to treat them in order to restore to these animals a life of enjoyment rather than one of fear and emotional distress.

He is currently conducting such studies on cats from the Great Kitty Rescue in Pahrump, Nevada – an institutionalized hoarding situation – and the fighting dogs taken from the estate of former NFL quarterback Michael Vick.

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Astute readers may notice that I linked to this particular Kinship Circle alert several weeks ago as part of my weekly link roundup. Even so, since this shooting occurred in Raymore, Missouri – i.e., in my neck of the woods – I formatted and posted the alert in full on the KC Freecycle blog, and figured I may as well repost it here as well.

This is just one of several animal cruelty cases highlighted by Kinship Circle in the past month; see also:

10/20/09: Two Dogs Shot At Point Blank Range In New York

10/13/09: Get Serial Cat Killer Off New York Streets

If you choose to contact officials in any of these cases, feel free to append this animal abuse reference list to your correspondence.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 4:36 PM
Subject: Act/ Cop Shoots Deaf, 19-Year-Old Family Cat

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST
10/10/09: Cop Shoots Deaf, 19-Year-Old Family Cat

Tobey the cat who was shot and killed by Raymore, MO police. (source)

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 3:48 PM
Subject: Act/ Pass Calif Declaw Bans, So Other Cities Follow

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

10/8/09: Pass California Declaw Bans, So Other Cities Follow
**SEND COMMENTS BEFORE 10/27/09, WHEN SANTA MONICA MAY VOTE ON A BAN**

EVERYONE SHOULD SEND COMMENTS to Santa Monica and Malibu city officials.
Opposing lobbies such as the CVMA and SCVMA certainly will. Let’s be louder. Declawing hurts. It’s a “surgery of convenience” for people with no benefit for cats. Every city that bans it sets an example for the next city…

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In cleaning out my inbox, I found the following action alerts from SHARK; I’m including them all here for simplicity’s sake (and because I cannot find them to link to on SHARK’s website). These are all from the group’s most recent enewsletter, dated October 14, 2009.

Rodeos Send Their Horses to Slaughter

Love is a Slaughter Line???!!!

Rodeos claim to care about their animals, so why do many of their worn-out bucking horses suffer the horror of a slaughterhouse? SHARK’s 141st YouTube video is one of the most graphic we have released, making the connection between rodeo and horse slaughter. We didn’t do it to sicken people. We did it to let people know just how cruel rodeo is, and how much rodeo animal victims are suffering. It brings into focus even more sharply the role of corporate sponsors such as Coca-Cola.
　
I hope you will watch this video, and then call Coke (800-438-2653/800-Get-Coke) and let the company know just what you think. It is because of big money from corporate sponsors like Coke that rodeo stock contractors are breaking their horses down, as well as overbreeding, and then casting the foals who don’t make the cut into the clutches of the horrific slaughter industry.
　
Foreign companies are killing America’s horses — many of them rodeo horses — to be sent abroad for human consumption.

Call your legislators and ask them to vote Yes on HR503 and S727 – Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009. For more information on what you can do, go to: HorseKillers.com

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Action Alerts: Animal & Environmental Advocacy

Born Free USA: Help Stop Trapping on National Wildlife Refuges

CARE: Senate Addresses Climate Change: Voice Your Support Today

Center for Biological Diversity: Help Protect the Grand Canyon From Uranium Mining

Center for Biological Diversity: Protect Polar Bear Critical Habitat

CREDO Action: Tell Senator Kerry: Protect the EPA in the climate bill.

Defenders of Wildlife: Tell the EPA to Protect Imperiled Wildlife from Poisons!

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Obama Administration Proposal Is BAD For Wild Horses

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Tell TLC To Cancel “My Monkey Baby”

Kinship Circle: 10/22/09: Don’t Let EPA Kill More Prairie Dogs; Comments must be received on or before October 23, 2009

Kinship Circle: 10/20/09: Two Dogs Shot At Point Blank Range In New York

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Action Alerts: Animal & Environmental Advocacy

Animal Rights @ Change .org: How You Can Help the “Why Honey Is Not Vegan” Site

Center for Biological Diversity: Stop Pizarchik From Becoming Dirty Coal Czar

CREDO Action: Tell CEOs: Ditch the Chamber of Commerce

DawnWatch corrected: Larry King Live meat debate on line 10/13/09

DawnWatch: “The debate over meat” on CNN’s Larry King Live –11/12/09

DawnWatch: Jonathan Safran Foer NY Times essay, “Against Meat.” 10/11/09

Defenders of Wildlife: Crucial Crossroads for Greater Yellowstone Wolves

Environmental Defense Fund: Help Restore Coastal Louisiana

Environmental Defense Fund: Help Strengthen America’s Toxic Chemicals Standards

In Defense of Animals – IDA Elephant Task Force Updates & Alerts: The latest news on Queenie & IDA files complaint against Ringling Brothers in New York

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With just over one hour to spare (U.S. CDT), I give you this week’s link roundup! Read, share, enjoy – and please excuse any mistakes or typos. It’s been a long weekend – or rather, not nearly long enough!

Action Alerts: Animal & Environmental Advocacy

Animal Rights @ Change .org: Get Your Favorite Nonprofit Featured on YouTube

Campaign for America’s Wilderness: Thank President Obama for proclaiming National Wilderness Month

Center for Biological Diversity: End Aerial Gunning of Montana-Idaho Wolves

DawnWatch: Jonathan Safran Foer NY Times essay, “Against Meat.” 10/11/09

Dawnwatch: NY Times front page on e-coli laden meat 10/4/09

Defenders of Wildlife: Tell Your Senators to Act Against Global Warming

Earthjustice: Taking the Wrong Path on Protecting Right Whales

Environment New Mexico: Repower America. Restore American leadership.

Environmental Defense Action Fund: Cap Global Warming Pollution Now

Sarah Kramer @ Go Vegan: The BC-SPCA responds to my open letter (See also: An open letter to the BC-SPCA)

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 8:52 PM
Subject: Lives Shattered In Tsunami, Earthquakes

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER AID NETWORK

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/

10/3/09: Lives Shattered In Tsunami, Earthquakes – Asia-Pacific Area

IN THIS ALERT:

1. Six Countries Hit, Millions Displaced In Asia-Pacific
2. PAWS Races To Save Animals In Philippine Floods
3. Animal Welfare Coalition And IFAW Team Up On Land And Water
4. Best Friends’ Rich Crook With IFAW In Hard-Hit Philippines
5. WSPA Sends 3 Veterinarian-Led Response Teams
6. KC Directory: Rescue Groups To Help In Asia-Pacific

Dr. Nielsen Donato reaches Julia. PHOTO: Best Friends Rapid Response, courtesy of Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), www.paws.org

network.bestfriends.org/groups/rapidresponse/news/post.aspx?ID=13314

This report reflects information Kinship Circle has as of 10/3/09 — and how to support animal response teams in the Philippines, Indonesia and Samoa.

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Action Alerts: Animal & Environmental Advocacy

AAVS: Speak Out For Great Apes!

Animal Aid: Act now to help animals in laboratories

Animal Aid: [Pheasant] Shooting petition

Animal Rights @ Change .org: Captive Tigers Languishing in Deplorable Conditions in Cancun

Center for Biological Diversity: Senate Climate Bill: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

DawnWatch: NY Times front page on dairy industry includes info on slaughter 9/29/09

Defenders of Wildlife: Help Save Wild America!; We need your help to ensure America’s last truly wild lands are protected — in every state.

Earthjustice: Coal Ash is Hazardous to Our Health

Farm Sanctuary: Tell the USDA That Factory Farming Isn’t “Natural”

Friends of Kinship Circle, 9/20/09: 11th Hour For California’s Wild Burros And Horses & Little No-Name Mattered. Demand Justice.

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