Pancake Breakfast

Click on picture to enlarge.

Cyndi:  Thankful Thursday is the perfect time to post a collage of pictures from last Saturday's fundraiser for the local Humane Society.  You might have guessed from all the flags in the picture that it was the day after Veteran's Day.  The two-hour pancake breakfast fundraiser was hosted at Chili's by Miss Pat, a manager there.  Jan said that Miss Pat was as nice as could be.

Percy:  Jan was both looking forward to it and dreading it, as the Humane Society folks were going to play both hostess and waitress. Jan hasn't served tables since before the Stone Age and she was a bit concerned she'd either fall down on shaky legs or spill coffee on a donor.  

Cyndi:  But instead of having to run around the restaurant, all she had to do was to stand at the door and help collect tickets and cash.  The local high school Beta Club -  a pre-creaky, still energetic group of young people - came and did the running around.  They did a great job and everyone survived.  Even Jan.

Percy: And Coco's Cupboard brought two kittens and a tail-thumping dog to greet everyone entering the restaurant.  There will be another fundraiser held in a few months and the plan is to have more adoptable animals present.

Cyndi:  Jan has been with the Humane Society for many years.  It isn't as active as it used to be because the members are aging, but they do what they can.  They provide help for people where they can  - emergency pet food, help with spay/neuter cost, etc. - and try to encourage adoptions at the county-run animal shelter.  During the entire month of October, the Humane Society paid half the adoption fee for all dogs and cats adopted there.

Percy:  Have you noticed a pattern here, Cyndi?  Jan said she had a pancake breakfast while she was there, but she didn't even bring a crumb home.  She never brings a crumb home when she eats elsewhere.

Cyndi:  Can you imagine the pandemonium if she did bring home a crumb?  How would she split a crumb eight ways?

Percy:  With a sharp knife!


We are joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home. 

Pet Door for Lonely Pony

RUSTY:  We don't have cable TV, so we only get one major channel, one oldies station, and GA PBS (Public Broadcasting Station).

MICAH:  Jan does catch some TV programs online, but -

CYNDI:  Catch?  What does she do, chase them?

MICAH:  Virtually, yes.  She has to chase them before they disappear.  Now I've lost my train of thought.

MERCI:  I would guess you were going to say we don't see the same commercials online as viewers do on cable.

PERCY:  For instance, it was brought to our attention that we missed the new Amazon Prime TV commercial.  Have you seen it, the one with the miniature horse ignored by the bigger horses in the pasture?  It's short.  And cute.  Take a peek at the lonely pony with his own pet door.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

MICAH:  If Amazon has everything and Amazon Prime has one day shipping, can we order a miniature horse for the Funny Farm?

RUSTY:  I hope you're joking.  Jan keeps losing the poop bags, remember?

MARCUS:  The pet door Amazon Prime chose to use in the commercial was a Petsafe Freedom Aluminum Pet Door. I want one.  I could go in and out to my heart's content.  I could bring my muddy soccer ball inside and Jan couldn't stop me!  Oh, the freedom.

BUDDY:   It says on the box the door should install on an interior or exterior wood, metal, storm, or PVC door. It comes in four sizes and it's supposed to be easy to install.

CYNDI:  You know nothing is easy to install when Jan is doing the installation!  I think she reads instructions upside down. 

BUDDY:  To continue, it has a flexible soft flap with UV sun protection and a solid aluminum frame with a closing panel intended for heavy use in a multiple pet home.

TAYLOR:  We're a multiple pet home and Marcus would sure give a pet door a workout.  

MERCI:  Unfortunately, Taylor, Marcus is merely dreaming.  We can't install a pet door; we don't own this house. 

TAYLOR:  Oh, so that's why the package was addressed to the Upson Humane Society.  It isn't for us.

RUSTY:  No, since we can't use it and Jan is a member of the UHS, we requested a Petsafe Freedom Aluminum pet door be donated to them.  They can give it to someone with a need or Operation Straw might come across a home for it. 

PERCY:  That's great.  Some lucky furry will get a pet door.  Don't tell Marcus, though.

Petsafe can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.


A pet door was donated to the local Humane Society, but we were not compensated for this review, and any opinions expressed are solely ours. 

Humane Watchdog

Hi, it's my turn to post today. I'm Percy, the typist, the accused treat thief, the ... Well, let's just say, I'm the feline version of Buddy -- he's the first dog to get the what-did-you-do-now look from Jan and all the siblings. But I'm innocent of all charges.  Except the ones I'm guilty of.


I want to tell you about a new blog we found interesting. All us Funny Farmers used to think the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was a group dedicated to helping make the world better for our pets. But eventually we came to consider otherwise, as we received their fundraising newsletters and read more about how their money is spent and their reportedly "hidden" agenda to legislate this country into a vegan nation.  Hey, I ask you, what cat or dog wants to be vegan? We're meat eaters!

While we all believe every animal, whether living as a pet, on a farm or as a feral deserves to be treated with kindness and without abuse, we do not agree with what we have come to believe to be some of the aims of the HSUS. That is our opinion and we know some of you will disagree. We're not trying to bad mouth them or turn you against them if your opinion differs from ours. The HSUS is a very popular organization, as evident by their donations.But if Jan gave us an allowance, we would donate some of it to a small rescue that does hands on rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of the animals rather than to such a huge wealthy organization. 

What we would like to do, for those who are interested, is to tell you about HumaneWatch.org. It's just what it sounds like, a blog that has its eye on the HSUS. The post "Why Humane Watch?" explains the aim, every large group needs a watchdog, including the HSUS. It might not be your cup of catnip tea or beef broth but we might at least learn something from it now and then.

We were over at the Bumpass Hounds yesterday where we learned a beautiful Border Collie named Dagwood left for the bridge on his 14th birthday. We hadn't met Dagwood but we know the pain of losing a furry friend, so we stopped by to leave a note for his family. We hope you will too.

Well, it's colder and dreary today, so we're all going to go snuggle under the covers.  Have a purring and tail wagging day.  And whatever happens, I am not responsible! I am innocent!

(s) Percy

Our Human Angels

Two months ago we posted this photo of our new 10'x10'x6' dog pen provided by Matthew, project manager of the mill restoration project. (You can read that post here.) At first we weren't sure what to do in it since we hadn't been off leash in over 3 years.

As some of you know, Jan hurt her toe last month -- it wasn't our fault, no matter what she says! -- and she has been wearing huge slippers on our walks, yelling at us not to come near her the whole time. Geeze, you'd think we were going to leap on her feet or something. The worst walks were when it was cold and rainy. Her feet got wet if she didn't wear regular shoes which made her harder for us to walk and she'd complain even more.

So Monday she decided she would open up the front panel of the pen and move it toward the house so she could just open the back door and we could fend for ourselves. Only she figured if she did, it would fall down and she'd have to hike the city looking for us. So she emailed Matthew to ask what to do to anchor it. Evidently Matthew has heard of Jan's prowess with tools. He immediately responded, "No! Wait, and we'll take care of it for you Friday." Jan didn't mention any of this to us, so we were unaware of what was coming.

This week a donated 10'x10'x6'pen became available through our friend Kay at the Humane Society. So all week Jan has waited expectantly for Friday (that's today, as we write this) when the two pens would be joined together. And then last night's weather report: our first SNOW of the winter! Possibly beginning overnight. Jan was nervous but hopeful. If the second pen couldn't be picked up today, the large pen couldn't be set up. We would have to walk her in the snow and she is rambunctious. Oh, wait, that's us. She's the dawdler who manages to fall without any help.

But this morning Matthew, Drew and Audoro went to work combining the fences, while Kay and Jan watched, then headed to Home Depot to buy metal poles. It was snowing when they returned with 2 more poles for added stability. Jan says she wasn't sure who was the most excited about this project. Well, duh, that's an easy one.

WE WERE!

Wow, were we surprised when Jan finally opened the door and let us outside on our own for the very first time here. We ran, we barked, we wrestled, we dug, we tugged on our toy.

Here are the guys moving the original dog pen.

Every dog needs a good tug of war friend.

Checking out the larger space.

Before long it looked like this in our pen. And guess what? We then refused to go outside without Jan. Does she think we're stupid? It's cold and wet out here. Jan refused to go outside at all.

This is from the front porch before sundown. It's still snowing A lot of you are already piled with snow and expecting more, but this is our first snowfall of the winter and we're not accustomed to it. And more snow is expected. Brrrrr.

Here are our hardworking human angels -- Kay is not pictured -- Drew, Matthew & Audoro.

Many thanks to all of them, including the donor of the second dog pen. It's really an answer to Jan's prayer for us to have a place to exercise and have fun. And Brick Butt (that's Sam, in case you've never been knocked down by him flying backwards into you) needs a lot of stretching room when he starts running in circles.

But, Jan, in case you think you're going to get to laze about now, our human training books say humans must be exercised daily. So heal that toe and lose those slippers because after the snow melts you will be back to hoofing it before you forget everything we've taught you.

And just for the record, we did finally go outside a couple of times tonight to run and sniff and .... well, you know.

(s) Buddy, Merci & Sam

Microchips and Veterans

No, we are not advocating microchipping veterans. Those two words just describe our two separate subjects of the day.

Animals get lost for a variety of reasons and many folks whose pet is microchipped assume that if the animal is lost or stolen it will be returned. Well, some are, sometimes even years after they disappeared. But many aren't. And as Jan keeps telling local folks, the chip is worthless if the shelter doesn't scan or doesn't scan properly. It's also worthless if the owner does not register the chip or does not keep the information updated. Many a microchipped pet has been euthanized because either the owner or the shelter was derelict in protecting the animal.

In the interest of time, we stole ... er, borrowed this from Jan's September Paws column for the local Humane Society (not the shelter). It's posted on UpsonPets.com. We don't think she'll mind and if she does, you'll all protect us, won't you? Anyway ....

Last month I reminded you to not rely solely on a microchip for the return of a lost pet. If the shelter or vet does not scan animals, the microchip will not be found. If the animal is improperly scanned, the microchip will be missed. Chips can and do migrate to other areas of the body from where implanted and in rare cases are implanted improperly and fall out.

Let’s suppose your lost pet is scanned at the shelter, the microchip is found and read, the shelter checks the database for your information so they can contact you and … Oops. The database is blank. Many either don’t bother to register or forget to. You are not automatically entered into a database. You must register the chip number and your contact information. If your information changes for any reason, it is your responsibility to update it. So be sure to keep the information current. Some pets have been returned many years after they were lost.

You can’t remember if you registered the chip? Or you have lost the paperwork? There are six U. S. databases. To find out which one you are registered with, take your pet to a vet or shelter to have your pet scanned to get the microchip number. Go online to CheckTheChip.com and enter that number. It will search and tell you which database to contact. Go to that website and check your information, making any necessary changes. If it isn’t there, register the microchip number before you forget.

Be sure to print the information and put it in your pet’s file with all his vet information. You will need this if your pet is lost, and a shelter might require you bring paperwork to verify this chip number belongs to your cat or dog.

We read two articles today that reminded us of this subject, so we thought this might be a good time to remind your humans. One was a warning from a shelter. If we remember correctly, something like 40% forget or don't bother to register and a very large percent don't update their information. Many shelters will not or can not invest the time to try to track down an owner who has been negligent or forgotten to register new information.

The other reminder was a positive article from Arizona: New Tool to help Valley sheriff's posse locate lost pets.. Many of you undoubtedly know Phoenix, AZ and the surrounding Valley area have a large number of annual winter "snowbird" visitors and many of them bring their pets.

Hope you all have a good day. Today and tomorrow Jan will spend a few hours outside the local Wal-mart distributing Buddy Poppies for the Veteran's of Foreign Wars. Veteran's Day is the 11th, next Wednesday. So if you happen to see her (or anyone else distributing poppies for a veteran's group), we hope you will take a moment to say hello and donate a green paper or more for a poppy. The VFW poppies are made by disabled veterans and the proceeds are used to help veterans in the local community.

Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

The Clydesdale Donkey

We're short of time today, so we're going to post a video we really enjoy of the Clydesdale Donkey. We hope you enjoy it too.



If it doesn't play for you, this is the direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD6ghskNKa8&feature=player_embedded

Don't forget to vote for Merci as cutest dog. This is the last week of the contest.

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

We received this email and can't find any more info on it, but it might be of interest to others in Georgia.

Please cross post and send to media:

Georgia Call to Action: Senator Robert Brown will call a hearing on November 5, 2009 at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on the implementation and impact of the Animal Protection Act of 2000 that made some acts of animal cruelty a felony.

Who: Concerned Citizens

What: Hearing on the implementation and impact of the Animal Protection Act of 2000 that made some acts of animal cruelty a felony.

When: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 10:00 AM

Where: Room 125 Georgia State Capitol,
206 Washington Street, SW Atlanta GA 30334

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?name=Georgia+State+Capitol&city=Atlanta&state=GA&address=206+Washington+St+Sw&zipcode=30334&country=US&latitude=33.749044&longitude=-84.38922&geocode=ADDRESS

Sent by: Humane Association of Georgia, Inc. A statewide coalition of humane societies, animal control and rescue groups and individuals. Visit our website: http://www.HumaneAssociationofGeorgia.

UPDATE: Oct 29: --
Hearing is cancelled.

Romeo, one of our heroes

Many of you know Romeo the rescued cat who holds monthly fundraisers on his blog, Romeothecat.com. He's also on Twitter. And raising money for cats in need like crazy.

We were looking for cat and dog news since we've been offline for over a week, and we came across a story on Romeo. He has become quite famous for his successful fundraising efforts. If you haven't already read the article, check it out here.

We think what he does is wonderful. He has done quite a lot to help cat charities.

Keep up the good work, Romeo! Oh, yeah, and we mustn't forget his brother Pugsley or his human Caroline. They lend a hand or paw too.

Pee Puppy, Votes & Vick

We could not believe our eyes when we saw this upside down pee artist. This little guy's bladder holds more than our Sam's!



If this video doesn't play for you, click here.

We hope you will visit the next sites in a new tab or window so you don't forget to come back. :)

Vote for Merci for Cutest Dog Contest. She needs your daily vote. We thought she lost last week by a few hundred votes, but it turns out it was more like several thousand votes. Some of these dogs evidently have a fan club. Click on this direct link to her voting page.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

And don't forget to vote for our friend Miss Peach in the rubber stamp contest. She is #113 and also #131.

Coats for Cubs: Donate Your Old Furs to Wildlife. We were not aware of this part of HSUS until Evelyn sent us a link. It sure would be a wonderful thing for anyone to do who has inherited a fur coat. We say "inherited" because we know furry lovers would not purchase a fur coat of their own. http://www.hsus.org/furfree/campaigns/c4c/index.html

Michael Vick opinions abound. We recommend one written by veterinarian Dolittler, "To Vick After 60 Minutes."

And if you missed our story on the Lakewood cats, click here. Perhaps you can help.

Darren the Waving Goat,and SB250

Children visiting White Post Farm in Farnsfield near Nottingham often wave good-bye, so a friendly Anglo-Nubian goat named Darren learned to stand on his hind legs and wave back. He was featured on "Animals Do The Funniest Things" and he's fast becoming an internet superstar. Here's a short video.






And while you're smiling, we'd like to comment on a controversial subject -- Senate Bill 250, an attempt to pass a law requiring mandatory spay/neuter of cats and dogs in California. We don't live in California, but we do have an opinion on the subject.

Just today we read two blog posts with opposing views. Surprisingly, the one rooting for the bill to pass moderates comments. We left a polite comment that we disagree, with a very short explanation, and although the blog has been updated and another comment added, our comment has disappeared. So we're going to touch on the subject. It's okay to disagree. We won't delete polite comments.

We strongly believe spay/neuter should be voluntary. Jan volunteered all of us, and she would like to see more folks spay/neuter their pets. It isn't that we don't understand the millions of animals being killed (euthanized is too kind a word) in shelters each year. Jan used to photograph some shelter dogs and cats, knowing most every one would leave the shelter in a body bag. She knows how hard it is to convince humans to change their perspective toward animals, but she volunteers with the local Humane Society (not the shelter) to help educate and promote voluntary spay/neuter. And like Jan, we do not believe that mandatory spay/neuter will solve the shelter euthanasia population.

In the last months, we have read a number of articles stating mandatory spay/neuter does not work, but unfortunately, we don't remember who wrote them and we don't have time to search for them at the moment.

(Buddy, Mercy & Sam: Jan injured her ankle last night while we were walking her. No, we are not responsible. We got caught in a storm and Jan wanted to hurry back. She stepped up on a curb that was broken but appeared solid. It wasn't -- well, it wasn't in the one spot she picked. Broken concrete shifted and with all her weight on it, rolled her ankle. She nearly took us all down but we kept her upright long enough to get thoroughly drenched. And then it was a long, sloooooooooow walk home. She can't sit at the computer long today, so while she rests, we're typing before we get kicked off again.)

To quote from the ASPCA statement: "To the knowledge of the ASPCA, the only method of population control that has demonstrated long-term efficacy in significantly reducing the number of animals entering animal shelters is the voluntary sterilization of owned pets. .... There is also evidence that sterilizing very specific, at-risk sub-populations of companion animals such as feral cats and animals in shelters can also contribute to reductions in overpopulation. .... In contrast, the ASPCA is not aware of any credible evidence demonstrating a statistically significant enhancement in the reduction of shelter intake or euthanasia as a result of the implementation of a mandatory spay/neuter law."

So we're just going to refer you to this one article by the ASPCA, "Position Statement on Mandatory Spay/Neuter Laws."

Now, we have to run. Jan is grumpy and we need to go sit on her foot so she'll really have something to yell about.

Benefit Car Show and Updates

Remember the dog shot in the shoulder with an arrow? (If you don't remember him, you can click on the label "dog with arrow" below this post.) He had his surgery and is now named Bo and he is "the shelter dog." We feel sorry for the poor guy. That shelter is no place for any animal to have to live. We think he should have gone to a loving home where he would be loved and walked and ..... Anyway, he was at the car show to benefit the local Humane Society Saturday. His shoulder is still draining and he limps on that leg but he is still a sweet, handsome dog!

It looks like we need to emphasize the fact that Bo is not up for adoption and won't be! He is officially the shelter dog and will live there. We are against this. No animal should have to live in a "house" of death, which is what the shelter basically is, since most of the animals that go in do not come out alive. But he is not there temporarily, or until his wound heals, or until someone opts to adopt him. There were a lot who offered but the shelter wanted him to live at the shelter and we can't do anything about it.


If you want to read about it, there is a link in that post to the Humane Society's Paws column about it. Jan says it was a terrific day, except for the standing on her feet part, since she was/is still trying to recuperate from mowing the lawn.

And as an update on the shelter and Our Friend, Our Friend and the group decided it was time to stop taking the photos at the shelter. She's kind of sad about it but believes it to be the right decision. She hopes she will be able to help animals in some other way, somewhere her help will be wanted and she will be respected.

Happy Easter 2009

We received these lovely Easter Eggs containing the famous sisters Zoey & Maggy from Zoolatry. Oh, how we wish we could do beautiful graphics such as this one. But we can't, so we'll share theirs with you. If you haven't already, we hope you will visit Zoolatry to enjoy the great diversity of graphics, ideas and humor.



Again, we intended to do something for Easter, but Jan spent the day on her feet at a benefit for the local Humane Society and then walked us woofies when she returned. Boy, did we have to go!

She is so exhausted she can't even tolerate the sound of Percy typing for us. So we're going to post this very quickly and then tiptoe around the house for the evening.

Happy Easter, from all of us. We hope it will be a day of great joy for all of you!

And now, shhhhhhhhhhhh. No running or yelling around JFF for a day or two.

Update Dog with Arrow

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.

Update Dog with Arrow

The dog with the arrow in his shoulder was operated on this morning. He also has an injury to a back leg. Since he was shot twice, we assume someone really meant to kill him. The wounds are about a week old.

We finally posted this story on UpsonPets.com and we're glad we waited. We only learned the following a couple of hours ago.

ACO/shelter manager Web is offering a $500 reward out of his own pocket for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this dog's injuries.



And we hope the perpetrator is caught and convicted!


We received a Star on the Hollywood Catwalk of Fame this morning -- from Anonymous. "Each of you is receiving an award. Because we thoroughly enjoy your blog... we enjoy you, your stories, your pictures." What a wonderful surprise. And we do mean surprise. We do post some grim stories and/or photos on occasion. (As the above dog with the arrow in his shoulder.)



We've been thinking and pondering and .... well, arguing .... over where we should send it. We finally agreed to pick just one one cat and one dog blog.

We would like to give this to JB's Small World. We always enjoy reading their posts. Sadly, they recently lost both PooPoo and Misty. Today they feature Bear and Dumplin' playing on (in?) the scratching post, but this will be our cat blog. Besides, Bear thinks he's a cat anyway.

With her khwick wit and khrazy spelling, Khyra's Korner always makes us laugh, so we're going to give this to Khyra as our dog choice.

Dog with Arrow

We have an update on the dog mentioned in today's earlier post. We are all relieved to learn that in the confusion of the moment Jan misunderstood. All day we have had horrible visions of an arrow sticking out of this poor dog's eye. How she got eye out of shoulder is beyond us -- and her.

After several hours and a number of phone calls, Jan went to the vet's office to take photographs of the dog for UpsonPets.com -- and hopefully for the local newspapers. What she found is a sweet, scared, bony, Yellow Labrador Retriever mix with ice blue eyes.

To save time on updating you, this is what she'll post on UpsonPets:

The Upson Humane Society received a call from Animal Control Officer Smart Web Wednesday morning regarding a yellow Labrador Retriever mix with an arrow in its shoulder. "Despite the arrow sticking out, the dog is friendly, " Web stated. Then he asked if the Humane Society would be willing to help. The dog was taken to the Thomaston Animal Hospital for evaluation and will undergo surgery Thursday morning to remove the arrow. Anyone who recognizes this dog or knows who shot it, please contact the animal shelter at 706-647-5586. He will be available for adoption at the shelter after he recovers from surgery. Any donations toward veterinary expenses should be sent to .........

You can click on the photos to enlarge a little, but not much. Jan says we have to be tactful.




We don't have any other details at the moment. As AC said, it could be someone decided to use the dog for target practice or someone took the dog out there to kill it or ..... We hope someone saw something and reports it.

We received the Proximidade award again, this time from Sunny's Mommy. Thank you so much!



To lighten the moment, a friend sent this---

If you're like us, you're wondering what planet the writer is from.


Scroll down for the earlier post and the bird dancing video.
..
..
..

Feather Dancing

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.

Zzzzzzzzzzz. Snort, snuff. Zzzzzzzzzz.

Photos, Photos, Aieeeee Photos

The local Humane Society and county animal shelter sponsored a special Saturday adoption day on June 21st. Jan said it was a terrific day, except for the sunburn she wore home. We wouldn't know since we weren't invited.

Buddy: She's been exhausted this week, but no wonder. She just had a birthday and turned ancient. Would you believe she's ....OUCH! She hit me. I don't care what you say, Jan. You were NOT swatting a fly. You swatted me. Do I look like a fly to anyone? Just for that, she's mmvmvvm --

Cotton: Sorry. Buddy is having a little trouble speaking at the moment. I think the rest of us will pass on giving away Jan's age.

Anyway, before Buddy got us sidetracked, we were saying Jan has been working on the photos all week. Well, not all week, just off and on when she could keep her eyes open and her brain in gear. She captioned 10 for the newspaper. Then she had to stop to take the weekly shelter photos and .....

And finally, just a short while ago she got the adopted animals and a few extra pictures posted. We'd congratulate her for finally accomplishing this but she's busy snoring at the moment.

We know you don't live in this area but if you would like to see the happy adopters and adoptees, drop by www.upsonpets.com.

Now, if you will excuse us, as long as Jan has fallen asleep in a chair, we're going to go take a snooze in her bed.

Night.
Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Samaritan & Rusty

Puppy Mills on Oprah

We don't usually watch TV but for those who haven't yet heard, this Friday's hour-long Oprah show - April 4th - is scheduled to be devoted to puppy mills, and related topics, such as adoptions, euthanasia, and spay and neuter. Check your local TV listings for the time and channel.

Yes, Oprah Winfrey will do a tear-jerker, so have a box of tissues handy.

If you are interested in reading more on this subject, we refer you to the April 2 post on Wayne Pacelle's blog, A Humane Nation.

Since Oprah Winfrey is so popular and viewed by millions, perhaps this subject will get enough exposure to prompt more people to incite legislation to stop or at least stunt the proliferation and horrors of puppy mills.

USMC Responds to Video

Jan has been hogging the computer all day, working on updating the animal shelter files and photos, so we have only now been able to read this response from the US Marine Corps regarding the investigation of the video of the puppy being tossed off a cliff. We decided to post it here for those who haven't seen it yet. At the end is an email address where your humans can send any comments you would care to make. (Emails were being returned when we posted on this subject earlier.)

This is from the ASPCA newsletter:
On Friday, March 7, the ASPCA issued a press release urging the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to release the findings of its investigation of a video clip that appeared last week on several popular Internet sites. The grainy video shows a member of the military—seemingly a Marine—flinging a puppy across a rocky landscape. The video caused public outcry, and was featured on television news programs and covered by major news agencies, including the Associated Press. Although audio irregularities have caused some question about the video’s authenticity, the USMC has gone on record, deeming its content "deplorable" in a March 5 statement.

“The ASPCA understands and shares the outrage generated by this video,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “With 66 percent of American households owning pets, we are clearly a country and a society that values the human-animal bond. It is horrifying that a member of the United States military—a body of people tasked with upholding the honor of our country—would perform such a cruel and deliberate act against a defenseless animal.”

The ASPCA also urged concerned citizens to contact the USMC to voice their outrage. Response to our release by humanitarians nationwide was enormous—and prompted communication from BGen Robert E. Milstead, Jr., Director, Marine Corps Public Affairs. “I have a dog and a cat, both rescued, so I can understand the disgust and outrage felt by those who have viewed the deplorable video of a Marine throwing a small puppy off a cliff,” writes BGen Milstead. “I can tell you that an official investigation is underway. The results of this investigation will establish the facts. Facts, not emotion, will be the basis used by these Marines' commanders in their determinations to include appropriate punishment. The actions of these Marines are clearly not consistent with that of the overwhelming majority of Marines who serve our nation with both courage and honor. Again, I understand everyone's outrage and demand for swift justice, but due process is a right afforded to all.”

If you have not already done so and wish to comment on the incident, the USMC encourages you to contact the Public Affairs Office of Marine Corps Base Hawaii (where the Marine believed to be in the video is stationed) at

mcbh.pao.fct@nmci.usmc.mil.

Military Animal Abuse

Most of you are undoubtedly already aware of the furor over the video of the Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff. (We are not including a link to the video.) The response to this, according to one source, has overwhelmed the email systems of several Marine offices. We're not sure whether their systems are overwhelmed or merely shut down so they don't have to deal with the mass of angry emails.

We say this because our Jan obtained four email addresses and sent out four messages. Immediately - we repeat, immediately -she received this automated response from a Brigadier General Robert E. Milstead, Jr.: I will be out of the office for the remainder of the week but will continue to monitor email on my Blackberry. For those emailing me concerning the video of a Marine mistreating a puppy, I can tell you that this video is both shocking and deplorable - these actions are contrary to the high standards we expect from our Marines. The Marine Corps has initiated an investigation; we do not tolerate this type of behavior and will take appropriate action.

Now, this didn't make a big impression because immediately - again repeat, immediately - on its heels was an undeliverable message for all four addresses, including the BGen, a General, a Colonel and the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Public Affairs Office. Kind of hard to monitor email that's been returned to sender, we would think. But then, we're just "dumb" animals.

On the blog of Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO, of the Humane Society United States, we learned Pacelle sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates requesting support in including an "explicit prohibition" against cruelty to all animals in the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice).

"In his letter today, Pacelle urged Gates to take agency-wide steps to raise awareness of the relationship between cruelty to animals and socially maladapted behavior.

"Such instances of cruelty are objectionable in their own right, but take on special urgency as we welcome American military personnel home from the war zone,” Pacelle wrote. “While only a few incidents of this kind have come to light, we worry about the psychological stability of those who could perpetrate such vicious acts against the most vulnerable of creatures."

If your humans are interested in actively helping in this campaign, they can click on the link in the blog story (or click here to go directly to the letter page) and send a message to Judge Effron, Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and ask him to to include cruelty to all animals in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

There is a section where you can edit the letter and write your own comments.

Jan wrote this: I have viewed the video of the Marine deliberately throwing the puppy off a cliff - and laughing about it. I have viewed the video of two servicemen torturing a dog with 2 broken rear legs - and laughing about it. I have viewed the video of military hooligans tossing some type of explosive devices into - I believe it was a group of sheep at the side of the road - and laughing about it. There are undoubtedly other such videos circulating the web, as well as many acts that are not documented on a cell phone. Any act of cruelty to animals is abhorrent and should be punished.

And we agree. If you agree, ask your human to click on the link and send a letter to Judge Effron.

PS - We have been asked whether any who live outside the US can send a letter. We checked and there is a drop down menu for you to choose your country, so the answer would be yes. And it might help the animals for the judge to hear from other countries. So, to anyone from another country who signs - thanks from your furry friends at JFF and elsewhere in the United States.