This week Team BTC welcomes Jenny Threet, the human behind Rumpydog.com.  You can read more about Jenny, her pets and her blog on the Team BTC page.

Dog racing may be considered an exciting sport to some, but for the dogs it’s a miserable existence. They live in cages and confined quarters with little human contact, and often have to eat dead, dying, and diseased animals. Their veterinary care is often neglected and they may even be drugged to make them run faster.  Dog racing is cruel and it’s absolutely unnecessary. Let’s work together to make dog racing a thing of the past.

Act Now!

• If you live in a state where racing is allowed (to find out, click here), write your elected officials and ask them to support legislation that makes dog racing illegal.
• Don’t support the industry! In Florida, for example, gambling in gaming rooms at race tracks supports dog racing.
• Educate others about the reality of dog racing. By changing public perception of racing, we can help stop this cruel activity.
• Consider adopting a retired greyhound. There are many rescue groups across the US that help these dogs find homes.

Why It Matters

No dog should be forced to live in unhealthy conditions just for the amusement of people. Racing dogs spend much of their career in a cage measuring 34 inches high, 30 inches wide and 43 inches deep. The cages are not even large enough for most of the dogs to stand up inside.

Racing dogs may also suffer injuries. There are no statistics kept on the dogs used for racing unless the state specifically requires it, so we don’t know how many dogs are injured as a result of racing. Recently the state of Texas passed legislation requiring statistics be kept; the public then learned that in four years, there were over 1500 injuries at one racetrack.

According to GREY2K USA, approximately 12,000 dogs were registered as racers in 2011. Only the best dogs are chosen to race. The ones that aren’t considered good enough to become racers are often killed or sold to research laboratories.

But aren’t all racers adopted out once their career ends? Sadly, we don’t know what percentage of dogs are adopted out. The industry wants us to believe it’s 90%, however some estimates indicate as few as 1 in 4 actually make it into a loving home.

Greyhounds deserve better.

Be the Change for Animals

This horrible reality may be difficult to believe–lab tests recently confirmed that horse meat was found in packages labeled as beef products in some European grocery stores. When horses are slaughtered, or even sold off due to injury, illness, or old age, unscrupulous “kill buyers” sell them as meat for profit.  As long as the cruel, inhumane industry of horse slaughter is legal, we may be contributing to the sale of horse meat for human consumption.

Add your voice to animal welfare organizations who are urging the U.S. Congress to pass the SAFE Act, which would ban horse slaughter in all 50 states as well as the export of horses to other countries for slaughter.

Act Now!

• Petition to all Congressional Representatives to ban horse slaughter now
• Urge your representatives to protect horses and keep our food safe
• Call your legislators and ask them to support the SAFE Act
• Petition IKEA, Taco Bell, and Burger King; ask them to keep horse meat out of our food

Why It Matters

The Safeguard American Food Exports Act (H.R. 1094 and Senate 541) is a bipartisan proposal to prevent horse slaughter in the U.S, ban exports of American horses to other countries, and protect U.S. consumers from the inclusion of horse meat in our food supply.

It is imperative that the SAFE Act is passed by Congress and signed into law. Congress recently allowed the ban on horse slaughter in the U.S. to expire. Oklahoma has already made horse slaughter legal and other states may follow if this federal legislation is not enacted.

The Animal Welfare Institute, Humane Society of the United States, and American Society for the Protection of Animals support the SAFE Act – as do the White House administration and President Obama, who deleted funding for horse meat inspections in his proposed 2014 budget as the first step toward eliminating the inhumane slaughtering of horses in the U.S. Because of the previous ban there are currently no horse slaughter operations to inspect. There will be no need to finance such inspections if the U.S. reinstates a ban.

Horses are pets, companions, sporting partners, therapy miracle workers and more to most people. The last place they belong is on our dinner plate. There is no excuse for the barbaric slaughtering of these majestic, gentle creatures, or for turning a blind eye while they are sold to be used as food products.

Video: New York State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco and Senator Kathleen A. Marchione call for legislation to protect NYS horses from being slaughtered and shipped overseas for consumption. Press conference at Old Friends at Cabin Creek in Greenfield, NY.

Be the Change for Animals

April is National Volunteer Month – a time to celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things to improve communities.  April 15^th is also the next Blog the Change Day, and we as bloggers can use that day to spread the word about National Volunteer Month and highlight some of the wonderful volunteers who help animal shelters, rescue groups and other animal-related charities Be the Change for Animals!

To Blog the Change on April 15^th:

1.) Grab the badge.

Paste the code from BtC4animals.com’s sidebar to your blog’s sidebar. This lets folks know you’re taking part and how they can too.

2.) Tell others too!

Post this on Facebook and Twitter:

April 15th: BE, BLOG AND READ THE CHANGE FOR ANIMALS – Get the badge & spread the word! http://btc4animals.com/blog-the-change #BtC4A

3.) Post your blog entry on the 15th.

Write about your favorite volunteer, rescue group, shelter or other cause.

Need more ideas? Revisit previous posts on BtC4animals.com.

4.) Add your link on BtC4animals.com.

On April 15th at 12:01 AM EST, a link list will appear below. Add your blog’s name and post URL – not your main domain – so others can find and support your cause.

5.) Share the goodwill.

Read listings throughout the day and offer help or encouragement where you can. Share your favorite posts on your social networks (Twitter hashtag #BtC4A).

Extra credit:

Click “Get the Code” at the end of the list and paste it at the bottom of your blog post. While not required, this places the list on your site too, generating traffic to and from your page for the sake of the animals your post supports.

Join Team BtC on April 15^th to Blog the Change and help spread the word about National Volunteer Month!

Be the Change for Animals

via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. State Department’s third review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline fails to address the pipeline’s serious threat to wildlife, including the highly endangered woodland caribou. As the 45 day period for public comment progresses we need to fight to protect the caribou, and the many other species at risk, from this potentially disastrous project.

Act Now!

• Send a message urging the Obama administration to address the Keystone XL pipeline’s irreversible impacts on wildlife habitat.
• Share this post with your social network (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) and ask your friends to do the same.

Why It Matters

In March, the U.S. State Department issued a Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement on TransCanada’s proposed controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Unfortunately, this review failed to include the project’s serious effects on wildlife, habitat, and climate change. The proposed pipeline would cut through America’s heartland and put wildlife at risk from toxic oil spills, polluted water, and other related threats. Furthermore, the pipeline would drive the expansion of tar sands oil in Canada, which would destroy more and more of the woodland caribou’s already reduced forest habitat.

The woodland caribou is one of the most critically endangered mammals in the United States with only a handful found south of the Canadian border. Woodland caribou are migratory and despite periodic sightings the caribou range has receded greatly each decade.

These animals are facing dangers on all sides. They have long been victims of poaching and logging. In addition, the construction of roads has not only damaged caribou habitat, but also brought the danger of motorized vehicles. Climate change is now causing a large decrease in lichen, the caribou’s central food supply. If built, the pipeline will pose of all the above threats and it may be what pushes the species into extinction.

According to Jim Lyon, vice president for conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation, the analysis released by the Obama Administration “fails in its review of climate impacts, threats to endangered wildlife like whooping cranes and woodland caribou, and the concerns of tribal communities.” Lyon believes that “President Obama should put his commitment to confront climate change above Canada’s desire to cash in on polluting tar sands.”

The National Wildlife Federation wants to ensure all impacts are included in the final review before TransCanada is given permission to build the Keystone XL pipeline. We need to encourage government to consider all of the lives currently at stake before this catastrophic project forces the woodland caribou into extinction.

There is still time to speak up for caribou. During the 45 day public comment period that commenced on March 8, you can make your voice heard.

Be the Change for Animals

via Flickr user Stig Nygaard

The illegal ivory trade is big business, and it hurts wild elephants in a big way. Every day, wild elephants are being slaughtered to meet the enormous demand for ivory. You can help now by urging Thailand to ban the trade of ivory, reducing the demand and taking an important step forward in the fight against wildlife crime.

Act Now!

• Sign this petition telling Thailand to ban the illegal ivory trade.
• Share this post with your social network (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) to help spread the word.

Why It Matters:

Every day, elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory tusks. Poachers prey upon these animals to meet the high demand for ivory. This demand is driven in part by the illegal trade of ivory trinkets and carvings in Asia. Thailand has a thriving ivory trade. Poachers and others make significant amounts of money in what the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) describes as the largest unregulated ivory market in the world.

Recently, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, spoke at a international wildlife trade meeting and declared that her country will end the trade of ivory in Thailand. If this ban is put into place, it will help reduce the demand for ivory in Thailand and be an important step forward in protecting these beautiful creatures.

According to Carlos Drews, head of the WWF’s delegation to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), “The fight to stop wildlife crime and shut down Thailand’s ivory markets is not over. Prime Minister Shinawatra now needs to provide a timeline for this ban and ensure that it takes place as a matter of urgency, because the slaughter of elephants continues.”

The World Wildlife fund has created this petition to keep the pressure on Thailand and its Prime Minister to follow through on this promise. By signing, you can add your voice to those hoping to save elephants from being slaughtered to create more illegal ivory products.

Be the Change for Animals

Keep our children, pets and wildlife safe from poison.

Did you know that anyone can walk into a store and pick up deadly rat poison right off the shelf? And that these poisons often end up accidentally sickening or killing wildlife, pets and even children? The Center for Biological Diversity is asking retailers to pull deadly d-CON products from their shelves. You can help now by taking a step to decrease the likelihood of accidental poisoning of animals and children.

Act Now!

• Take a moment to fill out this quick and easy form asking retailers to save countless lives by pulling deadly d-CON poisons from their stores.
• Share this post with your social network (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) to help spread the word.

Why It Matters:
Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides — or “super-toxic” rat poisons — are responsible for more than 10,000 accidental exposures to children and cause unintentional deaths to pets as well as endangered wildlife.  They work by interfering with normal blood clotting and induce a slow, agonizing death by internal bleeding. Endangered San Joaquin kit foxes, golden eagles and Pacific fishers are bleeding to death because of them.

The risks of selling rodenticides to the public outweigh the benefits of using rodenticides in homes, where they can potentially sicken children and kill pets. These poisons travel up the food chain from rodents to larger predators like eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, bobcats, mountain lions, and endangered Pacific fishers and San Joaquin kit foxes. When wildlife feed on poisoned rodents, they themselves become poisoned and often die excruciatingly painful deaths.

A recent excellent article Rat Poisons Threaten Health Of Wildlife, Pets and Kids (Lynne Peeples, Huffington Post) notes that these poisons often end up killing the wild animals that would be doing the rodent control for us, such as birds of prey and coyotes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is trying to address the problem of accidental poisoning by banning super-toxic poisons and by placing common-sense restrictions on certain dangerous products. The makers of d-CON — one brand of those products — are opposing the agency’s decision in order to continue selling hazardous poisons.

A package of rat poison on the store shelf may seem like a small thing, but its negative impact can be far-reaching.

Be the Change for Animals

The heartbreaking truth: Too many wonderful dogs and cats are abandoned or surrendered, reproducing and needlessly creating more homeless animals.

February is designated Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, with World Spay Day recognized on February 26. On that day, and throughout the month, organizations and individuals worldwide are promoting spay/neuter as a way to save lives.

Act Now!

1) Write a blog post sharing the news about World Spay Day and Spay/Neuter Awareness Month.

2) Link your post to BTC4animal’s World Spay Day blog hop (see below). The link list will remain open through February 28.

3) Read, comment and share other posts. Help spread the word about the importance of spay/neuter!

Why It Matters

World Spay Day is a day to shine a spotlight on spay/neuter as a proven means of saving the lives of companion animals, feral cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street.

World Spay Day provides a unique opportunity for everyone who cares about animals to join together toward a common goal —a comprehensive global, united effort to end the euthanasia and suffering of companion animals.

Every year, millions of companion animals suffer and die in the United States and around the world.

Nationwide, an estimated 6-8 million homeless kittens, puppies, cats and dogs enter animal shelters every year. About half of these animals are adopted. Tragically, the other half are put down. The majority of animals euthanized are healthy pets who would have made great companions.

The number of homeless animals varies by state—in some states as many as 300,000 cats and dogs are euthanized every year. These are not the offspring of homeless street animals; these are the puppies and kittens of pets who were accidentally or intentionally allowed to breed.

Globally, roaming pets and community animals contribute to the problem of street animal overpopulation. Often local authorities and individuals electrocute, shoot, poison or use other brutal methods to kill unwanted animals. In addition to being inhumane, these methods are not an effective long-term solution to street animal overpopulation. They may also accidentally harm the environment or kill other animals in the community.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Spay/neuter is a permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control. When we spay or neuter pets, feral cats and other street animals, we ensure those animals will not add to the millions of already suffering animals.

The message of World Spay Day is that by spaying or neutering your pet, by supporting spay/neuter efforts in the United States and abroad, and by informing others of the importance of spay/neuter, you become an important part of the solution.

We can make the world a better place for us all. Be a part of the solution—promote spay/neuter!

Be the Change for Animals

Do you know some creative kids? American Pet Products Association (APPA) is accepting poems for its 5th Annual Pets Add Life Children’s Poetry Contest.  Students in third through eighth grades are invited to write a unique poem about the joys and benefits of having pets.

ACT NOW!

Students are invited to write a unique poem about the joys and benefits of having pets.

Poems can be submitted online at www.petsaddlife.org or by mail (along with a printed submission form) to: Pets Add Life, 661 Sierra Rose Dr., Reno, NV 89511.

Deadline for submissions is February 22, 2013 at 5:00pm EST.

Why It Matters

Eighth grade winner Savannah of Newton, NC

Not only will this contest get kids’ creative juices flowing, but one student from each grade level nationwide will win a $250 gift certificate for pet products, and a “by-line” in a nationally circulated publication. In addition, the six winning students’ classrooms will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to spend on pet-related education or to support a pet in their own classrooms.

“It’s so fun to read all the poems every year and really see how much of an impact pets have on these young kids,” said APPA President Bob Vetere. “With more than 1,000 poems submitted for the last contest, we look forward to continuing the momentum in our fifth year and encourage even more students to participate. It truly is a great opportunity for kids to creatively express their love of hermit crabs, fish, rabbits, dogs, cats, horses, and everything in between, while competing for some really great prizes.”

To learn more about the Pets Add Life Children’s Poetry Contest, read previous winning poems, upload your submission, or download a printed submission form, visit www.petsaddlife.org.

Do you have a mission to improve the lives of animals with a specific call to action? Submit your cause! If selected, we will be your sounding box, your greatest cheerleader, and we will report your successes back to the community throughout your campaign.

Be the Change for Animals

Photo by Orry Martin, Texas Snake Hunter

Rattlesnake Round-Ups feature wild-caught rattlesnakes hunted, displayed and killed in often cruel and inhumane ways that also harm other animals and degrade the environment.  Rattlesnakes hold a valuable place in our ecosystem and provide life saving medicine for humans. They may not be cute like puppies, but the deserve respect and we can’t afford to diminish their numbers.

Ask Round-Up sponsors to require that organizers teach rattlesnake conservation. Rather than exaggerate fear for profit, real facts should be shared in a way that garners respect, not sensationalism. Sign the petition today!

Act NOW!

• Sign the Center for Biological Diversity petition. Urge Rattlesnake Round-Up sponsors to convert the remaining roundups into wildlife-friendly and educational festivals.

Why It Matters

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake courtesy Wikimedia Commons – Tad Arensmeier

In preparation for a Rattlesnake Rodeo, rattlers are either gassed out of their holes (with fumes harming turtles, small mammals and the environment) or pulled out by a metal hook – which sometimes punctures the snake’s body or head. They are then thrown into a display pit, sometimes injured but still alive, and kicked around for the sake of entertainment. But wait. There’s more.

• After being frozen to slow the snake’s reflexes, teeth are pulled out and their mouths sewn shut so that people can pose with a live Diamondback for a picture, until it dies and another is tortured in its place.
• When the snakes are beheaded, their tongues still flick as their killers parade around with their heads on a stick. Why? The nerves can be responsive for hours, which means pain sensors are still active and attached to their brains.
• Snake hearts are cut out to show how they still beat independent of the snake’s body.
• Adding insult to deadly injury, the blood of thousands of snakes is drained into a bucket. Adults and children alike reach in with both hands to mark a white wall with bloody hand prints.
• Venom collection in the name of a good cause is rendered unusable because the collection process is not sterile.
• And then there is the species endangerment, as the “Position of The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Concerning Rattlesnake Conservation and Roundups” reads:

Such roundups promote overexploitation of natural populations of wildlife, unnecessary killing and inhumane treatment of individual animals, degradation of habitat, and promotion of outdated attitudes toward important elements of America’s natural heritage. Found nowhere but in the Americas, and especially diverse in the United States, the more than thirty species of rattlesnakes comprise a distinctive component of North America’s biodiversity, and one that is increasingly imperiled.

Big Fear Brings Big Money

The largest Rattlesnake Round-Up event in the United States is held in Sweetwater, Texas, complete with cash prizes and trophies. Attendance is based on slaying a fearsome dragon and, according to Wikipedia, “The events often attract thousands of tourists, which can bring hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue into small towns; the Sweetwater Round-Up’s economic impact was estimated to exceed US$5 million in 2006.”

How do we beat that?

Keep the Festival. Change the Focus!

Rattlesnakes are highly important to human health. Controlling the rodent population with the highest efficiency, rattlesnakes are responsible for keeping human contracted disease at bay. Instances of hantavirus and plague rise in direct proportion to the absence of snakes. And, without the rattlesnakes, we will no longer have the venom used to make medications that treat diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and blood clots. Let’s celebrate that.

Meet Orry Martin, The Texas Snake Hunter:

Orry has hunted snakes most of his life - with a camera. High school Biology teacher by day, Orry tours reptile expos and beyond to educate about rattlesnake round-up cruelty. He also just kick-started fundraising for the Leander Rattlesnake Roundup, the first-of-its kind alternative to the currently inhumane, un-educational, Rattlesnake Round- Ups.  Orry’s mission is to dispel judgment rooted in the Round-Up’s quick-cash sensationalism that deems rattlers, as Animal Planet does, “the most dangerous creatures on the planet.”

Watch how rattlers in the wild really react to human presence.

Need a second opinion? National Geographic says,

Feared as deadly and aggressive, diamondbacks are actually highly averse to human contact and only attack in defense. Most bites occur when humans taunt or try to capture or kill a rattlesnake.

Be the Change for Rattlesnakes!

Let’s follow Orry’s advice. “Educate. Not Eradicate.” There are no-kill Round-Ups in existence. They impose catch size restrictions and require the release of captured snakes back into the wild. We need the rest to be like them, offering education that isn’t based in fear.

Even if snakes unnerve you, smile and sign the petition anyway. The rattlesnake deserves a life of dignity, something that all beings deserve no matter how misunderstood we are.

Be the Change for Animals

BtC4animals highlights one cause per week. Calls to action must not require more than 15 minutes to complete and typically involve simple actions such as signing an online petition or participating in a letter-writing campaign. Monetary contributions will not be solicited.

Please answer our six simple submission questions. If your submission is chosen, you will be notified of the planned posting date. Please note that we cannot contact those who are not chosen.

Six Simple Submission Questions

1. What is the name of your cause?

2. How does this benefit animals in need?

Highlight the specific and immediate task of your cause, not necessarily your organization’s overall mission. Include links to supporting literature if necessary.

3. Clearly lay out your call to action.

Actions we support may be in the form of (but not limited to) signing a petition, writing a letter to a legislator, clicking “like” on Facebook or retweeting to benefit a rescue in some way, sharing an educational video or ebook, etc. Please link to the page for this call to action. We are here to help you communicate with a larger audience but we cannot help set up a petition or any other mechanics of your campaign.

4. What goal would you like to achieve?

Designate the number of signatures, postcards, letters, etc. needed.

5. Why is this cause important to you?

Tell our readers why this cause is important to you and why it should be important to them. Frame it in a global sense using statistics and listing their sources.

6. How may you be reached for questions regarding your campaign?

Email your answers to submissions@BtC4Animals.com. Please include a logo, image and/or video link that helps to support your cause. (You must have full rights and permissions to use these materials.)

Wishing You Continued Success!

If your cause is featured here, please share your progress! We’ll alert supporters to your milestones and celebrate your success. If, beyond your featured week, further action can be taken, we’ll help there too. Send a link to your continuing campaign and we’ll keep watch in our news updates.

Please note: As we experiment with how best to serve your needs, this submission process may change at any time. We reserve right to edit and format posts as well as verify media permissions.

Be the Change for Animals