Buddy: These two adorable Pomeranians are finally safe at the county animal shelter! It has been a harrowing two weeks as Jan has waited patiently for due process of law to permit our Animal Control Officer to trap them before they were injured or killed.
Cyndi: They are bonded, so it was exciting that they were trapped within about 1/2 hour of each other and they were able to go to the shelter together. If they are not claimed within three days, they will go up for adoption or Miss Peggy will find a rescue to take such a handsome pair. Hopefully, they will be adopted together.
Buddy: It's a complicated abandonment story and probably not one we should tell. Suffice it to say that Jan slept well last night, knowing they are okay. Thank you, Miss Kat (ACO) for being so kind and patient with them. They were having too much fun - and "catered" meals - and did not want to give up their freedom!
Micah: I guess I get to introduce our Mousebreath interview of this week. As you can probably guess, his name is Biscuit. Stop by Mousebreath for The Story of Biscuit. I think you will enjoy it.
*** Come on, don’t be shy. All kitties have a story to tell and we’d
like to share yours. Leave a comment with contact information or use the comment form in our left sidebar. We would love to feature you! ***
We are pleased to introduce the kitties of the Mutton Hollow Critters blog - Ruby, Hootie, Zeek, Moosie, Scuby & Sylvester - as our interview subjects this week. If you haven't met them yet, stop by Mousebreath to read their story, Cat Critters of Mutton Hollow.. If you've already met them, you might get to know them better.
This week we interview the handsome Bhu from the Pattyskypants & Bhu blog. He was not originally intended to be a part of the blog, but he's just so darn cute, he quickly became the S-T-A-R. You can read the in-depth interview exclusively at Mousebreath, Bhu, V..P. for Empire Opurrations.
As many of you know, Princess left for the bridge very unexpectedly last Saturday, so this - her last interview - is dedicated to her.
Prancer will be visiting the vet Monday and his mom is very nervous after losing Princess last Saturday when she took her to the vet, so purrs would be welcomed.
Today, March 15, is a very special day for the Dynamic Duo of Puddles and Pip. They have brought so much joy (and mayhem) to our lives that Blogville's Mayoress Madi has declared this Pip and Puddles Appreciation day. And they are being awarded the following Blogville honors- Pip will be bestowed the title "Blogville King of Cheeseburgers" and Puddle with the title "Blogville Queen of Merriment and Mayhem."
We are so happy for both of them, knowing full well they deserve this honor - and more. For example, Puddles should have her driving privileges restored in North or South Carolina (or both?) and anywhere else she's currently only licensed to walk, not drive.
Pip and Puddles, we will never forget the day you came to visit and we had so much fun (and only caused two accidents). Riding the rails at Six Flags Over Georgia, speed-boating down the Flint River with the wind blowing Buddy's ears, pigging out at an all you can eat catfish buffet, and sharing Cheetos with the feline Funny Farmers (who had enough sense to not ride in a sports car with Puddles driving). Sometimes we go back and read 6 Flags and 5 Fruitcakes again. We don't ever want to forget that perfect day. And we only received 3 letters of complaint after you left. That's probably a record for you two.
Mr. Pip and Nurse Puddles, thank you for being our friends. We will always treasure your friendship.
Enjoy your special day. Tomorrow Madi will send you a bill for the party damages to Blogville. :)
Today is another special event at the Tabby Cat Club - Beware the KittIDES of March!!! Hosted by Sparky. Stop by and check it out.
Some of you have already met Da Tabbies O Trout Towne. Those who haven't are in for a special treat. We suggest you grab a cup of nip tea and head over to Mousebreath to read Trout Talkin Tabbies ... Boomer, Dai$y, Sauce & Tuna. We think you'll enjoy it.
And then you can stop by to visit Trout Towne for some mackerel hot off the grill. We're still laughing over their blog post on the interview.
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Happy Hanukkah (or Festival of Lights) to all our friends who are celebrating it
The computer hog has been at it again, so we're even more behind than usual. Our Christmas card will be posted soon.
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We received an email from Toby Franks this morning and decided to share it with our readers, in case any of you are from or know someone from Barberton, Ohio.
While most communties are moving away from arcane animal control
practices and embracing non-lethal methods, Barberton City Council plans
to fast-track a vote on a feeding ban on Monday, Dec.17, at 7:30 p.m.
in the Barberton City Council Chambers - 576 W. Park Ave., Barberton,
Ohio 44203
Barberton residents who feed an outside pet when it is dark can be
charged with a misdemeanor and fined $50 a day by one of four
enforcement agencies. One of the enforcers according to the ordinance is
Summit County Animal Control.
This feeding ban was passed in an open meeting of the subcommittee.
Carol Frey, chair of the subcommittee, said that there would be no
further discussion. Law Director Lisa O. Miller, wants one
reading rather than the normal three readings. Concerned Barberton
residents will not be able obtain clarifications or explanations.
Barberton residents should be able to provide care for their pets, feral
cats, or the occasional lost or stray pet. There should be three
readings so that citizens can be informed about the ordinance.
Please attend the City Council meeting on Monday Dec 17th. You can
speak for five minutes. If you cannot attend, please call Barberton City
Officials, send emails & faxes to express concerns, ask
questions and ask for more time to obtain clarifications and
explanations and to remove the punitive aspect of this ordinance.
A public record request showed that there were only 13 complaints
in all of Barberton in an entire year -- not all of them were about
feeding and not all of them were found to be valid. A complaint is
counted numerically even if it is called in anonymously and even if no
problem is found. An earlier version of this ordinance was unanimously
withdrawn by Barberton City Council in 2007 and by the Barberton Safety
Committee in 2010.
The President of Barberton City Council is Fred Maurer, and his email address is fmaurer@cityofbarberton.com
Here is the contact info for all Barberton City Officials:
Jan, this is awkward! Stop taking my picture while I'm preparing to introduce a post. Wait till I finish my bath!
I'm sorry. Please give me a moment to regain my composure. One day I'm going to get even with her for embarrassing me again. Hmmmm, maybe she's taking it out on me because we posted the photo of her without a head last week? We gave her back her head yesterday. Okay, I'm composed and ready to start our post. But I'm still going to get even!
UPDATE: This just posted but we want to add one important items. Remember Dan Palmer, the man beaten to death for intervening in abuse against 3 dogs? The charges against the first man were upgraded to second-degree murder in late October. The second man has now been charged with second - degree murder too.
Recently we watched a neat interspecies video and we'd like to share it with you. Imagine if you can these friends - a pit bull named Sharky, a cat, a rabbit and a guinea pit. But wait! You don't need to imagine. You can view the video.
First, we would like to ask you to take a moment to vote for our friend Bob from Peggy's Place. Voting is easy. Just click here, fill in email address, and prove you're a person and not a robot by typing the letters you see. Go ahead. We'll won't introduce the main feature until you get back.
Raven Woods Animal Sanctuary in Roseland, LA has been ordered to reduce their number by 15 dogs per month or Animal Control will confiscate and kill 15 dogs per month. They are desperate to find adopters, fosters and no-kill shelters that can help. Because the reality is that 15 dogs a month will not be adopted or fostered unless some nice humans step forward and help these animals.
None of us Funny Farmers want to stand alone to introduce today's sad post. So we stand united.
On Wednesday, August 11, we posted a story about JoJo, originally called "Old Yeller by the Coweta County Animal Control in Georgia, USA. The story is a sad one and it makes us angry to be reminded of it. But as this is a distressing update to that story, we need to suggest that if you missed it or have forgotten the details, you take a moment to read the original post so you can understand what is happening in Coweta County in retaliation for the publicity and responses generated by articles such as the one we linked to, which you can read here.
This is just the first paragraph of today's article -
"Last night, the Coweta County Commission approved amendments to their animal control ordinances, including one which requires rescue groups to obtain business licenses, and to submit to inspections from Coweta County Animal Control. This new rule comes just over a week after the uproar over the way Coweta County Animal Control treated a dog known first as Old Yeller, then renamed JoJo by his rescuers, the Georgia Humane Society. Many find the timing of this new rule highly suspect and openly wonder what business they think they have inspecting groups who save animals from the shelter when they can't maintain acceptable standards of care in the shelter itself. Rescues are already licensed and inspected by the state, but Coweta County Animal Control wants a piece of the regulatory action too and the Coweta County Commission gave it to them. Will they use it in a retaliatory fashion against rescuers who speak out about the killing and inhumane conditions at CCAC? We're going to find out."
The really insane part of all this is that humans who are supposedly incapable of taking care of their own shelter animals have now been given the legal right to oversee (we figure that means harass) rescue shelters already licensed and periodically inspected by the Georgia Dept of Agriculture. This can potentiallycause any number of problems for the rescue shelters. But in the end it will be the animals that really suffer because of what appears to be retaliation for publicity over a poor no-longer-suffering dog named JoJo.
RIP, JoJo. You deserved much better than what you received.
We have been a little distracted the past 3 weeks, after reading a news story about something that happened to a pet owner whose life has been devastated by what appears to be Animal Control abuse. We are not going to tell you who or where, just that it happened in Georgia.
A woman returned from work one day and all her animals were gone. According to one newspaper report, a census worker called animal control because "grass was high around the house" and there were animals outside. So this census worker walked around the house peering in windows. (She was seen by a neighbor doing this.) No one ever contacted the homeowner about there being any questions or "problem." There was no emergency and no reason to suspect a dead body -- human or animal -- in the house. No reason to enter the house or search it.
But a few days later, animal control went to the house, called the sheriff's office for backup, and went through the house with the deputy, at least one other person from animal control, the county manager, and 2 (TWO) newspaper reporters, each with a camera. We can't help but wonder why animal control called in so many outsiders and took an entourage inside with him. Well, there is the publicity factor. And could there possibly be a self-protection factor because he was overstepping his authority?
Nothing has been mentioned of a search warrant. They searched the house, took photos inside the house, seized all the animals for reasons unclear but supposedly because the house smelled bad and was messy. Now, a messy house is not the same as a filthy, overcrowded one ankle-deep in feces. They took 9 or 10 dogs and 3 (?) cats. They quickly put down an outdoor dog that needed an insulin shot twice a day and a cat with a minor age-related problem that the vet said was still healthy.
All animals were up to date on their shots and well-fed. There was no abuse, no hoarding or running an unlicensed rescue, as AC claimed in the article. The owner was single, working double shifts, exhausted and her home/yard had gotten a bit messy. She was threatened with losing her job and was "bullied" into signing over her animals. (Sign them over now or I'll file charges and take you to court.) We can only imagine how embarrassed and frightened she was.
As far as we know, two of her dogs were adopted out, but knowing the reputation of that shelter, we imagine the rest of the animals have already been put down. We don't know all the facts because we haven't spoken to the party personally, but Jan has spoken to someone who knows the woman involved. The thought of a bunch of strangers ever invading our home and carting us off to prison to be executed like animal criminals is frightening. And for Jan, the thought of ever coming home to find us gone and to learn a bunch of strangers were traipsing through taking photographs is terrifying.
Don't think it can't happen to you or someone you know. Humans are not like us. They don't just want to be the alpha of the household, they want to be alpha of the office, city, county, state .... A little authority can easily short-circuit the common sense part of the human brain.
We are glad humans are passing laws to help protect us. But what kind of protection is it when those in authority go after the responsible pet owners (the animals were vetted, well-fed and the one dog was receiving twice daily injections for diabetes) instead of the abusive ones? Were those cats and dogs really being protected when they were snatched from their home and executed for no reason except the grass was tall and the house was messy? Every human gets a bit overwhelmed at one time or another.
So today we're going to honor and mourn all woofies and kitties that have been executed after being snatched away from their homes by overzealous, lacking common sense, power-hungry animal control officers, who need a heavy dose of their own abuse.
For those of you who missed our earlier post on Animal Owner Abuse, we are re-posting the 2 videos.
Jan took some new photos yesterday of the emaciated Lab mix that was found shot with the arrow February 25th. He had a second wound in a rear leg. Both were at least a week old at that time.
Gangrene had already set in, and he might need another operation, but the dog is expected to make a good recovery. Right now his shoulder is draining and he is on antibiotics.
Jan is with the Upson Humane Society (NOT the shelter), which took responsibility for all of the dog's medical expenses. Surgery and extended medical care are not cheap! So the Humane Society was going to have to do some fundraising. But Tuesday, the vet let them know he is donating the dog's medical. What a wonderfully generous thing for him to do.
He's not particularly fond of the camera, but Jan says he is a very sweet-natured dog.
Jan had a disturbing call this morning. County Animal Control picked up a dog. Nothing unusual in that. But someone has shot an arrow into this dog's eye and despite the arrow sticking out, the dog was friendly and happy. ACO wanted to know if the local Humane Society wanted to help this dog. Fortunately, the HS agreed and the dog was to be transported to a local vet for evaluation. She's anxious to hear how he makes out.
We ran across this cute video. Another dancing bird. We're exhausted just from watching it. So, while you watch, we're going to go nap. Excuse us.
There are some new readers of our journal, so we thought we would mention that we aren't named Jan's Funny Farm because we're funny, although we often think we are. But because Jan used to go around muttering that she felt like she was living in a nuthouse. We have no idea how she could equate us to nuts. We three canines do eat nuts, but we're not squirrels.
So why didn't she name this journal Jan's Nuthouse? We have no idea!
Why are we bringing this up now? To remind everyone that life is not always funny, and thus some of our entries will be funny, some will be sad, some informative, and some might make you teary.
Do you remember the story of the woman who dumped a large number of house cats and kittens in a park in winter and the judge sentenced her to spend a night in the same park to learn a lesson. Despite that, she would never be able understand the totality of what those cats, unused to being on their own or hunting for their own food, went through.
In this vein, we heard Jan telling a story yesterday. It's a true one but we won't tell who told her because we haven't asked his permission. We could call and ask him ourselves, but we don't think he has any dogs or cats as articulate as we are, so he wouldn't understand us.
Recently, when a man was judged guilty of animal abuse, the judge asked the Animal Control officer what he thought would be an appropriate community service sentence.
Our Texan friend Mark says some local judges sentence "perps to work at PALS." This is a good idea. Make them work with animals and, hopefully, they will learn to respect living creatures.
But this ACO said he thought the abuser should work at the shelter and have to hold the animals while they were being put down. The "perp" lasted one day and never returned.
Hopefully, he learned something about the value of life in that one day. We think this is a fitting punishment for the circumstances and it would be nice to hear of more judges implementing this style of sentencing. Kudos for the ACO suggesting it and to the judge for granting it.
