Five Species + 15 Minutes = Crazy News

I don’t know what’s going on this week, but it seems like every time I turn on the TV there’s another animal story. Maybe this is par for the course. Maybe there’s always this much coverage of animals and for some reason it’s just catching my eye this week. Who knows? All I know is there are five species who all got their 15 minutes of fame this week whether they wanted it or not. Peregrine Falcons Yesterday I heard on Today that the San Jose City Hall celebrated Earth Day in a big way when three baby peregrine falcons … Continue reading

Be Kind to Animals Week 2007: How to Participate

This week (May 6-12) is Be Kind to Animals Week. The American Humane Association started this national awareness week 92 years ago, in 1915. Their mission was the same then as it is today: to raise awareness about the importance of being kind to animals, and to educate people about the importance and impact animals have on our lives. Be a Part of It! Aimee and I are both big time animal lovers. (Naturally. You’d hope to have such people assigned to the Pets Blog, wouldn’t you? The managers at Families.com excel at placing bloggers in appropriate subjects, but I … Continue reading

How to Put Your Shopping Dollars to Work Helping Animals

‘Tis the season for spending, yes, but ‘tis also the season for giving. (And not just gifts to loved ones.) If you’d like to help a worthy cause of the animal variety, but dread putting even more of a pinch on your pocketbook, fear not! Here’s how to put those dollars you’re spending anyway towards both gifts and a worthy cause: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Chase Credit Cards: Platinum Visa Cards are available in four designs (Kitty Kard, Best Friends, ASPCA, and HLE). These are also Flexible Rewards cards, so you can earn points … Continue reading

Five Non-Cash Ways to Help Animals/Shelters this Holiday Season

This is the time of year when giving and helping is foremost on everyone’s minds. It’s natural to feel a little more generous and charitable right now, and many with pets want to help animals less fortunate than their own. However, sometimes the desire to give outweighs the means. If cash is tight there are still other ways you can contribute: 1) Time: Commit to spending an hour every week (or every other) at a shelter. Shelters are always looking for volunteers for a variety of jobs. (Not just for cleaning up, but for extra help during fundraising events, rescue … Continue reading

Pet Pardons

Are you a sucker for animal rescue stories? You all know I am. I post them here all of the time. However, I can’t keep up with the constant flood of good news, and even if I could that would mean I’d never post anything else on the Pets blog. As tempting as that sounds, it’s important that I keep my articles diverse. So today I’m going to profile a new website, Pet Pardons, that provides animal rescue stories 24/7. Now, you’re not likely to find many tales of hero dogs alerting their owners to midnight fires on Pet Pardons. … Continue reading

Helping Kids Earn Money

With Christmas looming, my 7-year-old daughter’s gift wish list seems to grow by the day. She’s been combing through toy catalogs since October and has dog-eared so many pages I’m afraid that Santa won’t be able to deliver all the goods. In fact, I know Santa won’t be bringing half of the things on her mile-long list. Without blowing her belief in the big guy, I have been gently reminding her that if (more like, when) Santa doesn’t grant all of her wishes, she still has the opportunity to get them by paying for them herself. Currently, she earns a … Continue reading

Shelter Cats are Healthier than Pet Store Cats

Research done by PetPlan shows that the cats that are adopted from a shelter are just as healthy, if not healthier, than purebred cats that come from a pet store. The pet insurance company wants to encourage people to give loving homes to the cats who are in shelters, waiting for a new home. Are you thinking about adding a pet to your home? You probably spent some time thinking about what type of pet would be a good fit for your home, and what kind you wanted. Would you prefer a cat, or a dog? Do you think your … Continue reading

Irwin the Kangaroo Requires Insurance

What’s the most exotic pet that you have ever had? The answer to that question, for most people, might be a ferret, or a snake, or perhaps a parrot of one kind or another. Those that are even more adventurous might have once owned a tarantula, or a small scorpion. A woman in Oklahoma has been keeping a pet kangaroo. This has lead to problems involving insurance for her very exotic pet. The story of Irwin, the red kangaroo, and Christie Carr, his now owner, started in Safari’s Interactive Animal Sanctuary. Christie Carr was volunteering there when Irwin had a … Continue reading

Disney Watches Recall; Dapper Day at Disneyland

Today’s article, like my pets blog post yesterday, is going to be a bit of a mixed bag. I’m doing this because an important news item broke yesterday morning that I need to share. Because the story isn’t very long, however, I’ll then go over the details of an unrelated event at Disneyland. First things first: The Disney Blog reports that yesterday the Walt Disney Corporation issued a recall on hundreds of watches that were sold at the park. The children’s watches, which light up when a button is pressed, could potentially burn the skin of the wearer. All of … Continue reading

How to Adopt a Pet without Adopting the Responsibility

Some people want to adopt a pet or help animals but they don’t want to adopt the responsibility that comes with it. Or maybe it’s not so much they don’t want the responsibility as it is circumstances prevent them from taking it on. (Such as they work too much, don’t have the room to keep a pet, or live in a place where pets aren’t allowed.) Yet, they’re still able to adopt a pet. How? Through pet adoption programs like the ones I’ve listed below. If you want to adopt a pet, but can’t, or, if you’re like me and … Continue reading