Henry was famous here at work last Friday on Take Your Dog to Work Day. He lived the life of a Copywriter for the day and loved it. We had a fun-filled day of getting lots of pets, eating lots of treats, perusing around the silent auction, entering the cutest pet photo contest, taking a big group photo, and oh yeah - actually working.

Here are some of the pictures I got of him. In this one he is sitting in the hallway with me:

In this one he is laying under my desk, all worn out from running around outside with other dogs…

And after a long day of fun and being spoiled, he lied down under my desk to take a nap. (This picture really shows his extra wide Bassett body. Yes, we are aware that he needs to go on a diet.)

And here he is by his water bowl, patiently waiting for another dog to walk down the hallway so he can sniff him up and down…

Here he is making some new friends outside:

Tomorrow, Friday, June 20 is National Take Your Dog to Work Day! Hooray! Can’t wait to participate in this one.

I’m bringing along Henry (aka Peanut) the sassy Bassett Hound I have referred to in previous posts. Hopefully he will refrain from his vocal antics for the day. He loves to moan, whine, bay and howl at things - especially other dogs. We’ll see how it goes…

For those of you taking part in the festivities (or not I guess), send this cute pet eCard to other revelers:

The ASPCA recently put up some helpful information on their site. Click to read Top 10 Office Etiquette Tips for Dogs.

Here is a picture of Henry - I entered him in a pet photo contest for my work so I hope he wins! All day tomorrow Henry will see what its like to be a professional Interactive Copywriter for the day!

Did you know that this month is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal’s Adopt a Shelter Cat Month?

The group has all sorts of cool activities on its website and they’re all about kitties. All month. There is a photo contest, a fun cat quiz (well it’s actually a survey but it’s still fun), a Cat Care Guide, and all kinds of other neat stuff.

Do you know someone who is interested in getting a little furball for themselves? Send them to an ASPCA shelter in their area for a rescue pet! Whatever you do, DON’T let them go to a breeder!

Thanks to the United States Humane Society and Mary O’Connor Shaver from Columbus Top Dogs for this information. 

The U.S. Senate at the end of last week followed the lead of the House of Representatives and overrode President Bush’s veto of the Farm Bill, ushering in key new protections for animals.

The final bill (which is now considered law) - except for one section excluded due to a technical glitch - bans the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills for commercial sale in the U.S. The law spares young, unweaned and unvaccinated pups from harsh, long-distance transport during which they are exposted to extreme temperatures and often die in cargo holds — and will keep foreigh breeders from the tragic overpopulation of pets in this country.

The Farm Bill also adds a provision to federal law to make almost any form of animal fighting a federal felody. It’s also now a federal crime to knowingly possess or train animals for fighting, and the maximum prison time for a single violation of any section of the law varies from 3 to 5 years.

It’s hard to overstate what a blow this is to dogfighters and cockfighters and it brings us one step closer to eradicating these criminal industries!

The law also authorizes an increase in potential fines - quadrupuled from $2,500 to $10,000 - for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, fines that haven’t been increased in more than 20 years. Such penalties will more effectively deter abuses at puppy mills, laboratories, circuses and other facilities that use animals.

This is a HUGE victory for animals!

According to BlueMountain.com, its Hug Your Cat Day! I don’t need a special reason to hug my cats - they get tons of love every day of the week, but how cool is this eCard? Send the Hug Your Cat Day eCard to all your fellow cat-lovers!

This week, May 4-10 is the American Humane Association’s Be Kind to Animals Week! The group created this celebratory week in 1915 to celebrate the unique bond between humans and animals.

Though we all love our fur-babies, there are some special things we can do this week to work towards a better future for all animals, everywhere.

So how can you be kind to animals this week? The AHA recommends the following:

Speak out for animals. Get active in local animal welfare policies and legislation.

Report animal abuse. While acts of violence against animals are tragic in their own right, they are also a red flag for other violent behavior, including domestic abuse and violent crime.

Appreciate wildlife. Create an inviting space in your yard or garden for butterflies and birds. Feed the local birds, ducks, bunnies, deer, etc. (Some people might disagree with this one, but oh well. This is my feeling on the subject of starving wild animals).

Make a donation to a local animal shelter. A donation can be monetary, but you can also volunteer or offer up some other service in-kind like contributing to the shelter’s marketing efforts, etc.

Adopt a pet from a shelter or a breed-specific rescue. Approximately 8 to 12 million animals enter our nation’s shelters every year, and more than half of these pets will have to be euthanized because of a lack of homes. Local shelters are the best place to find companion animals, even purebreds — 1 of every 4 dogs in a shelter is a purebred.

Educate others. Share information about animal welfare issues with friends, family and co-workers. Research an issue close to heart, i.e. puppy mills, factory farming, breed-specific legislation, and do something about it! Write letters, call legislators, and get involved with animal welfare advocacy groups!

Spay and neuter. Help solve the problem of euthanasia of adoptable animals by not contributing to it. Make sure your cats and dogs are spayed and neutered.

Did you know that April is designated Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)? The month is designated to increasing awareness and prevention of cruelty to all types of animals.

Last week we celebrated ASPCA Day (April 10) by wearing orange. This week, I’m announcing some ideas of things you can do all year round in support of the prevention of animal cruelty.

Make a donation

Donations to the ASPCA will help to alleviate the needless fear, pain and suffering in animals’ lives. There are a variety of giving options available on the ASPCA website. If you don’t donate to the organization, why not donate to a local shelter? You don’t even need to offer financial assistance. Most shelters welcome donations of pet food, cat litter, dog toys, towels and other supplies.

Volunteer at a shelter

Volunteer at any shelter, in any town across the country. Whether it be a local no-kill shelter or a county Humane Society, give in-kind by offering your time or any other assistance the shelter may need.

Foster animals

If you have the space and the time, fostering animals is a great way to help out. Contact your local animal shelter or a local chapter of a specific breed rescue to see if you can help.

Contact Your Legislators

Write letters to your Congressman and local officials to urge them to vote for harsher penalties for animal abusers. Research your state’s laws in the House and/or Senate at this time. Laws range from regulations to punishments for issues like puppy mills, horse slaughter, breed-specific legislation and dog fighting.

PLEASE CROSS POST!

This is perhaps one of the most important petitions we can all sign. It calls for a boycott of all Amish products until they stop their inhumane and disturbing practices of running puppy mills.

Thanks so much to Dogster’s For the Love of Dog Blog for this information.

Here’s more information from the Boycott Amish products until puppy mills are discontinued petition.

“To: Amish & Mennonite puppy mills
I will boycott all Amish products until puppy mills are stopped. This is greed in its worst form and this is how consumers make their demands known. I simply will not buy Amish products while this practice continues.”

And before you start saying that boycotting Amish products will affect people who aren’t participating in puppy mills, think again. Amish communities are very closed to and extremely disinterested in what they call the “English.” That’s all of us, btw. Unless their leadership declares puppy mills are off limits, the Amish puppy millers will keep up their dirty work. The only way to convince these puppy millers to quit is to make the whole practice very expensive to the WHOLE community.

Everyone gather your orange gear together for ASPCA Day today!  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals encourages everyone to wear its signature color, orange, to celebrate its 142nd anniversary.

From the ASPCA Groups website:

On Thursday, April 10, cities all over the country will be going orange to celebrate the ASPCA’s victories on behalf of animals and the joy they bring to pet parents everywhere. Lend us your voice on April 10 by dressing yourself, your kids, your pet–even your school or company!–in ASPCA orange, and show the world you support the ASPCA and the pets we protect.”

For other ideas on how to go orange today, visit the ASPCA website. Also, if you order ASPCA gear from the online store today you get 10% off!

I posted in March about the horrible cat cullings taking place in Beijing to “clean up” the city before the Olympics this summer. If you don’t recall, China is inhumanely killing the city’s cats (whom they allege have SARS) by rounding them up and putting them in death camps to die slow, miserable deaths from starvation, dehydration, filth, and poor medical conditions.

My original post, Boycott Beijing Olympics, promised an update when I found a way for people to take action. At that time, only the Humane Society was doing anything (Humane Society International sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee condemning the culls. They also contacted Chinese animal welfare organizations on the ground).

The World Society for the Protection of Animals has joined the fight. From their site:

Taking action: first steps

As media reports do not always accurately reflect the situation on the ground, WSPA examines allegations of animal cruelty. This enables us to understand the underlying motivations and to ensure we can respond effectively.

Peter Williams, WSPA Regional Director of Asia, is currently investigating the most effective way to collaborate on this issue and urge the Chinese authorities to adopt humane methods of stray cat population control.

He says “We are making positive and progressive headway to hold meetings with officials to resolve this issue.

“Next week WSPA China plans to facilitate and obtain authorisation for two of its veterinarians to visit the cat holding facility in order to discuss alternative and humane methods in controlling the cat population of Beijing.”

Peter is also working with local and international animal welfare groups and the authorities to resolve the underlying problems. By understanding why authorities are concerned about populations of cats in Beijing, and where these cats are coming from, we can design humane interventions to manage their numbers. “

For their full take on the killings go to the article on their site.

In the mean time, WSPA recommends that we all contact our local Chinese embassy with a letter expressing our concern.

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong,

Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn;

Phone: 202.328.2500;

Address: Embassay of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America, 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 20008