By a vote of 416-3, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 5566 which would make it a federal crime to sell or distribute, or offer to sell or distribute, animal crush videos for commercial gain in interstate or foreign commerce.

I just don't understand how anyone can bring harm to animals.

The 3 representatives who opposed the bill are Paul Broun and Tom Graves, both from Georgia and Ron Paul from Texas.

An animal crush video is defined as “any obscene photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, or electronic image that depicts actual conduct in which one or more living animals is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, or impaled in a manner that would violate a criminal prohibition on cruelty to animals under Federal law or the law of the State in which the depiction is created, sold, distributed, or offered for sale or distribution.”

The bill specifically excludes depictions of “customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices” and “hunting, trapping, or fishing”.

A violation can mean fines and up to 5 years in prison.

U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (D-CA) introduced the legislation to address the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down 18 U.S.C. Sec. 48 which prohibited the creation, sale and possession for commercial gain of illegal animal cruelty.

What You Can Do
The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate. Find your 2 U.S. Senators here, and write (faxes or letters are best) or call and urge them to support this important legislation! Also, sign Animal Law Coalition’s petition to Congress to pass legislation overturning the Supreme Court decision.

More Good News
A new Delaware law requires shelters to take steps to find owners of lost animals and consider every reasonable alternative in finding homes or rescues, including making space at the shelter to give them more time.

The new law also requires shelters to provide appropriate veterinary care to animals and also makes them accountable to the state and the public for the animals they take in and what happens to them. This is a big step towards reducing intake and euthanasia rates.

I’m Running A Contest
Please check out Pet News and Views’ Contest for prizes and contest rules. The contest runs now through August 3. I’m giving away an assortment of cat and dog toys and supplies to subscribers.

And A Reminder
Pet News and Views is going to 2x a week for the month of August. I will post on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I hope you will continue to comment, read, and enjoy your summer.

Lanore with a happy piglet named Kim.

Lanore and Derek guessed that the piglet must have fallen off a transport truck. They stopped and Lanore picked up the six-week old piglet, named Kim Gordon in honor of the legendary Sonic Youth vocalist and bass player.

A Love for All Animals–Especially Pigs
Lanore and Derek love animals. They are especially fond of pigs. The signature image for Derek Pritzl’s band, which Lanore designed, is a pig. It appears on his CDs, posters, and shirts.

Safe inside their van, the piglet slept for 10 hours, while Lanore and Derek attempted to locate the origins of the exhausted animal. They spoke with people from three different farms farther down the highway, all of whom informed them that there were no pig facilities in the area and they didn’t know where the piglet could have come from. Perplexed even further at this point, Lanore phoned the local animal control authority which sent an officer to speak with her.

Given the condition of the piglet, who had severe sunburn over many of the exposed parts of her body and painful road rash on her belly, chin, and back, the animal control officer was the first to surmise that she had fallen off the back of a transport truck. The officer informed Lanore if she handed the baby pig over to authorities they would most likely shoot the animal. At that moment, Lanore knew she had no other choice but to bring the piglet back with her to Wisconsin.

On the Road to Recovery
Back at home, Lanore did everything she could for her new friend—gradually introducing her to more solid foods, treating her wounds with antiseptic lotion daily, and giving her some much-needed T.L.C. She eventually found a home for her piglet at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glenn, NY.

“Unlike the factory farming industry which treated this sweet piglet with callous disregard, our sanctuary staff, volunteers, and visitors value her already for the courageous girl that she is,” says Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary National Shelter Director. “Her future looks bright. She is well on her way to recovery and will become an ambassador for other factory farm pigs who suffer every day in hot, overcrowded transport trucks on their way to finishing facilities and slaughterhouses across the country. Her life on the road is over, but here, she will always be a rock star.”

About Derek Pritzl
I wasn’t familiar with Derek’s music until now. He has a wonderful voice, and I want to share a music video with you.

I’m Running A Contest
Please check out Pet News and Views’ Contest for prizes and contest rules. The contest runs now through August 3. I’m giving away an assortment of cat and dog toys and supplies to subscribers.

If you already subscribe, your name is in the pot. If you aren’t getting Pet News and Views in your e-mail or RSS feed, I hope you will subscribe. I have 8 prizes to give away to 8 subscribers of Pet News and Views. Here is a list of the goodies:

For the Dogs
Bamboo Care Pet Shower Massager easily connects to a shower head, spigot, or hose. I remember bathing my dogs when I was a kid. It was tough going at times. Since this is handheld, it makes bathing your dog quite manageable. It retails for about $25. My neighbor uses one on her dog, and she finds it easy to use, and more importantly, her dog loves it.

Toys for Dogs
The company is called Fat Cat, and I know them from their catnip stuffed toys. I was sent two Squeak-A-Zoids stuffing-free dog toys. One is in the shape of a rabbit and the other is a beaver. Both are nerdy looking—hey it, says “nerd” on each of them. They retail about $12.95 each. (There are 2, which means two different winners.)

For Cats and Dogs
I got my hands on two FURminators. I love this de-shedding tool, and Earl Gray, my cat loves it too. He purrs when I brush him with it. Both FURminators are from the Deluxe collection. One is for cats and the other is for medium sized dogs and cats. Each retails for $44.99.

For Cats
Are your cat’s claws sharp? Bamboo Care has come out with Perfect Paws Cat Nail Trimmer. It’s easy and safe to use on your kitty. It also comes with batteries and an extra filing stone. It retails for $20.

Earl loves his Scratch ‘n Shapes scratching post from Imperial Cat. I love the shape. It’s like a sleigh bed. I place it next to the sofa, sprinkle on the organic catnip that it comes with, and he avoids scratching the sofa. Sofas are big ticket items, and I’ve had to replace a few thanks to the cats in my life. They all have attacked the arms of my sofas. My husband, Steven, is an expert at reupholstering them. Now, we just place the Scratch ‘n Shapes next to the sofa, and voila, he uses it—not the sofa! We are happy! I saw this on sale at Target for $16.

For your Traveling Pets
To Go Bowl, is perfect for families that travel by car with their pets. Made by Furry Travelers, Inc., To Go Bowl fits perfectly in your car’s cup holder. The bowl comes with a splash guard, bowl lid, base, base lid, and flexible sleeve. It holds a good amount of food, and is easy to clean. It retails for $19.99.

Contest Rules
1. The contest starts July 26, 2010 (yes, today!) and ends on August 3, 2010 at 11:59 EST. There are 8 prizes and 8 winners. All you have to do is subscribe to Pet News and Views via e-mail or RSS feed. Just click on the subscribe app near the top right hand side of the screen.

2. All contest entries will be assigned a number, and the winning number will be picked by www.randomizer.org.

3. The winners have 3 days to claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed by the winner within 3 days, an alternate winner will be chosen from the pool of entries.

Earl Grey is named after the tea. I'm a tea drinker, and he has a pink nose. Isn't he cute.

Earl is such a great cat. We found him 13 years ago after coming home from a wedding. It was 1 a.m. on a Saturday, and he was sitting on our front porch. He smelled bad and his left front leg was broken—no blood, just an internal break.

When Steven, my husband, and I opened the door. Earl walked in like he owned the place. He actually limped.

A week prior to that, we had lost our cat, Belle. She was 20 years old. She was my cat—meaning that while she was kind to everyone, when I was around she was my shadow. I found her and her brother, Gigs, at a newspaper office that I worked in.

Belle and Gigs

A female cat came in and had her litter of 4 kittens under a desk that had streams and streams of newspaper. It seemed soft. If you lifted up several sheets of paper, there were more underneath. The first cat that crawled out was Gigs, an all black kitty. Everyone loved him. He even helped me break into my apartment.

I lived in a house in southern Louisiana that was converted into 4 apartments. The landlord had locks on the front door knobs. If I forgot to turn the knob, which I almost always did, I got locked out. One day, after getting locked out again, I decided to see if I could break into my apartment. I just didn’t want to call the police again. They couldn’t believe that I would do this at least once a week.

In my defense, 2 of my other neighbors, Mary, a librarian and Darby, a teacher, also would occasionally forget to turn that damn knob in their front door handle. The police came one time when we all got locked out. I remember he said, “Uh, you’re a journalist, a librarian, and a teacher? Huh?”

Breaking and Entering
So, when I locked myself out after that, I tried to open the bedroom window. There was a table in front of the window, and Gigs slept there. I went to borrow a wire hanger from Mary. I straightened it out and added a loop at one end. I put it between the windows near the lock. I couldn’t get the loop on the window. I thought if Gigs could just place it on top of the lock, I could pull it to turn and open the window. It seemed logical to me.

So, when I got the wire with the loop in between the top and bottom windows, Gigs started batting at it. After 3 tries he got it right on the lock. I pulled and opened the window.

Gigs was with us for 15 years. Everyone loved him.

So back to Earl… After he hobbled into our house, we waited a few hours for our veterinarian’s office to open. He said he only sees breaks this bad once in a blue moon. So, he sent us to a vet about 45 minutes away. The vet was great. He put a cast on Earl’s leg that made it longer than the other 3. Steven placed a 5-foot barrier up so Earl couldn’t go up the stairs. We have 3 floors in our house and didn’t want Earl to tumble down. With the cast on, he would clear the barrier and sit perched on the top of the stairs with a smug look on his face.

Well, it is 13 years later. Earl is 16—we estimate. When we found him, the vet said he was 3 or 4 years old.

I’ve found other cats over the years. Some have lived with us, and others have been placed in good homes.

Please Share
How do you go out of your way to accommodate your fur friend? Please share your story with us.

New Schedule
Pet News and Views will post twice a week in August. I will return to the three times a week schedule in September. I would also love your feedback on Pet News and Views. And I expect to host a contest next week. I have two big boxes of cat and dog supplies and toys to give away.

It was there that I got to handle a boa constrictor. The Friends of the Zoo program back then held free classes for anyone interested in learning about animals. It was pure joy for me. I had studied hard and got to meet a broad array of wild animals.

Central Park Zoo

In the summer, I transferred to the Central Park Zoo. (For a kid growing up in the Bronx, being in Manhattan was cool.) Volunteers in the program specialized in a few animals and got to handle them and talk about them to summer camps and others who visited the Zoo. Handling a snake helped me get over being shy.

I loved being at the Zoo, and would spend every Tuesday and Thursday there throughout the summer. The boa constrictor I handled had beautiful patterns. He used to wrap himself around my arm. Thanks to meeting Beau, that was his nickname, I wasn’t afraid of snakes. I have a healthy respect for them.

Meet Gracie the Burmese Python

So when Doug Bocaz-Larson sent me this video of Gracie the Burmese Python who was rescued and is now living at Out of Africa Wildlife Park, a sanctuary for rescued wild animals, I jumped at the chance to share it with you. Doug is the filmmaker who sent me the video of Boom Boom, the rescued rhino, which I posted last week.

Hope you enjoy this video created by Doug Bocaz-Larson, Poco Loco Productions and NMSU-Grants.

More on Wild Horses
One of my readers sent me an e-mail stating that while she liked the wild horse stories I posted a few days ago, she would have preferred an e-mail address instead of a phone number.  She said that a lot of you probably would send an e-mail rather than call the White House. Here is the online site to tell President Obama to stop the wild horse round up.

The first story I posted, by Laura Allen of Animal Law Coalition, is an in depth read about the wild horses and burros that are being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management.  The second is a video of wild horses running free. It is quite beautiful.

Horses have always been special to me. I took horseback riding lessons in my 20s, and ride every once in a while. My best ride was following the Pony Express trail in Wyoming. I had the good fortune of coming across a handful of wild horses.  I truly cried tears of joy seeing such beauty.

I’m bringing up horses again because I posted a story on Friday about the Bureau of Land Management and the wild horse and burro round up. I’ve heard from a number of you here, on Facebook, and on Care2.  If you haven’t done this already, please read the post. It was written by my friend Laura Allen of Animal Law Coalition.  And please, please, please (yes, I’m begging) call the White House. Ask President Obama to order a moratorium on wild horse roundups. The numbers is 202-456-1111. I also asked the representative on the phone to let the President know that I and many of my friends want to see Ken Salazar ousted.

Following is a video of wild horses running free.

Nevada federal District Court Judge Larry Hicks has issued an injunction prohibiting the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from proceeding with the Tuscarora roundup. BLM halted the roundup after public outcry over the deaths of horses now said to number 12 including 3 foals.

Judge Hicks set a hearing on July 14 on a motion for a restraining order filed by plaintiff Laura Leigh, a journalist, author, artist, and wild horse advocate, to delay the roundup until August and compel BLM to allow access to the roundup by the media and the public. The judge explained that he was then informed that BLM Director Bob Abbey had issued an order for an “emergency” roundup of the horses prior to the hearing.

“Based on this change in the BLM’s position, the court finds it necessary to grant an immediate injunction preventing the Tuscarora gathering of wild horses until further order by the court,” ordered Judge Hicks.

In proceeding with the roundup on July 10, BLM basically ignored thousands of citizens who submitted letters and emails in protest during a period of public comment on the planned roundup. An appeal of BLM’s decision to round up wild horses has been filed with the Interior Board of Land Appeals by In Defense of Animals and Craig Downer, a wildlife ecologist. BLM, however, can resume the roundup while the appeal is pending.

Dehydration, Death, and Cruelty

Once again, BLM hired Dave Cattoors to round up wild horses. Cattoors has a federal conviction for aiding and abetting the theft and sale of wild horses for slaughter. He has made millions as a BLM contractor rounding up wild horses and burros.

As summer temperatures soared on the first day of the roundup, Cattoors ran down approximately 228 horses in a matter of a few hours with a helicopter. Most of the horses were forced to run for miles. Many of the mares had just given birth or were about to do so. It was a tragedy in the making, and 7 horses died during the first day of the roundup while another was euthanized in the holding pen after breaking a leg.

BLM’s Rationale for the Roundup

Buried in its Environmental Assessment, BLM says that to “leave …. wild horses on the range, could lead to negative impacts on livestock grazing management.” Agri-business does not want wild horses and burros on public lands it uses for livestock grazing. And neither does BLM.

Long time rancher, now Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has said wild horses do not belong on public lands. BLM is an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI).

Follow the Money

Fees charged for cattle or sheep grazing are $1.35 per animal under 18,000 grazing permits and leases on 258 million acres.  Grazing livestock on public lands is a $132 million loss to the American taxpayer each year and independent economists have estimated the true cost at between $500 million and $1 billion a year.

BP’s Involvement

Investigative reporter George Knapp revealed that plans to build the Ruby oil and natural gas pipeline likely facilitated the mass removals of wild horses. The pipeline will extend across northern Nevada. It is no surprise to find BP involved.  BP and another DOI agency, Minerals Management Service, have operated as one and the same under DOI Secretary Ken Salazar.

Leigh Lawsuit

Leigh filed her lawsuit in Nevada federal District Court to delay the Tuscarora roundup until after foaling season and a period of rest for birthing mares. Leigh also seeks an order requiring BLM to allow the public and media access to the horses during the roundup and after they are placed in a holding facility.

Leigh says BLM violated its own policy that prohibits helicopter roundups until at least six weeks after peak foaling season ends on or about June 30. According to her Complaint and affidavits, observers confirm a number of mares have given birth in recent days or are about to do so. Leigh says the roundup during the summer virtually during foaling season violates the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act’s requirements for humane treatment of the horses.

Leigh’s other claim is that BLM’s closure of 27,000 acres of public lands in the area of the roundup constitutes a violation of the First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of the press. Leigh says the BLM is censoring information and denies the media the ability to observe and report on a government action.

You Can Help

Join Animal Law Coalition and thousands of organizations and citizens and call on President Obama to order a moratorium on wild horse roundups. The numbers is 202-456-1111.

For more information, read Laura’s full story.

From Me–Michele of Pet News and Views

Just in case you don’t know me, I write this blog. I called the White House, and it just took 2 minutes.  The line can be busy. I hope you will be patient and call.

There’s no sense in throwing a life away.  When Zane and Val Henning of Wasilla, Alaska, see their Cocker Spaniel, Cody, trail-blazing through the snow, this thought resonates. Cody entered the couple’s lives in the fall of 2005. “He was in terrible shape with half a left ear, a huge scar over his head and part of his left eyelid missing,” says Zane Henning. “We adopted him, had his health problems addressed, cleaned him up, and he was a completely different dog.”

With an uphill battle behind, the future looked bright. And then Cody ate. “Cody was so starved,” says Zane. “He ate the same amount as our other two Cockers, but due to his emaciated condition, the onset of weight was rapid. Cody did more than tip the scales; the sudden accumulation of weight to his small proportion created an usual inward curving of his back and resulted in a herniated disk.

The couple received news every Fido-guardian dreads: that Cody’s condition made it best to put him down. With a 10 percent chance that Cody would ever walk again, the Hennings refused and sought options. “Although Cody spent a week in therapy, his back end was paralyzed,” says Zane.  “All we have to do is express his bladder for him. How would an environmental coordinator and a stay-at-home cocker mom manage trudging through the Alaskan snows with two able-bodied dogs and one with a physical limitation? Although wheelchairs facilitate dry ground mobility, the heavy snows of Alaska present challenges.

Cody the Skiing Dog

In the fall of 2009 while out on a walk, Zane noticed a skier pass by. He explains, “In the deep snow, ski poles create potholes, so Cody’s wheelchair got stuck. I purchased a set of used skis at a local thrift store for five dollars. I cut the tips off, made small wooden blocks so the wheels could sit into them, screwed the skis on and nailed everything together.  I used bungee cords to set the wheels in and pinch them between.  Everything stays in place.”

The only downhill in Cody’s life are the trails he takes on every day. Cody is a natural in his affectionately termed ”ski-el-chair.”  Zane beams, “The first time he started tearing around corners with no resistance, he was free to run.” Val reports the only downside is trying to keep up with Cody. They do a walk/run three miles a day, so sometimes she leashes him.

From pound puppy to powderhound, Cody houses an Olympic-style spirit in a Cocker-size body. No sense in throwing a life away, not when Cody has miles to go and slopes to conquer.

Carol Bryant writes for the print and online versions of FIDO Friendly. You can read more FIDO Friendly articles here.

Editor’s Note: A skiing story in the middle of summer, yes! Hopefully it will keep us all cool.—Michele of Pet News and Views

Cody is a Pit Bull therapy dog. See story below.

I’m focusing on Pit Bulls again because they need ambassadors since they are often discriminated against. A Pit Bull owner named Melissa has experienced different forms of discrimination against her dog, Sam. Whenever she’s out with Sam, people shrink back and ask her if he’s a Pit Bull.

Melissa wasn’t sure exactly of his makeup. Sam is a rescue dog.  So she decided to get a DNA test for Sam; she found out that he is 45 percent American Staffordshire terrier, 45 percent Basset hound, and 10 percent Chesapeake Bay retriever.

Having people walk away or cross the street when they see you coming is one thing. Recently though the negativity got worse. She was in the park with her dog, Sam. Someone came up to her and said, “I don’t want my dog playing with a pit bull. Get that dog out of here.” Other people joined in, saying they didn’t ever want to see Sam in the park again.

Melissa took Sam home and then burst into tears. I’m appalled and disgusted by  this and by dog discrimination laws that are still being passed in cities around the country. In some cities, Sam wouldn’t just be hounded out of the park; he could literally be dragged from a home and killed.

The same day I heard about this story, I also learned about another Pit Bull. This one works as a therapy dog.

Rescued Pit Bull Helps Community

It’s hard not to believe in fate when you hear Cody’s story—a deformed puppy that was abandoned at a shelter and is now a certified therapy dog.  Due to prejudice, even healthy pit bulls can have a hard time finding a home. But Cody landed in a shelter with a deformed foot, and his chances weren’t looking good until San Diego-based Even Chance Pit Bull Advocacy stopped by the shelter to see another dog and noticed the limping puppy.

Soon Cody was on his way to the rescue’s vet, where he was diagnosed with a congenital deformity called ectrodactyly or “lobster claw.”  Through donations, Even Chance paid to have an orthopedic surgeon correct the problem. Cody underwent a successful procedure to fuse his two toes together and to connect the surrounding skin, transforming his “lobster claw” to a “mitten.”

Fate stepped in again when one of the surgical interns introduced Cody to her parents, who were looking to adopt. In his new home, Cody continued to rehabilitate with water therapy. He also began training and showed a natural inclination toward therapy work. His adopter, Barbara Sulier, describes him as a “sweet little loving boy with a charisma that pulls people over to talk to him. He loves all people and wants to make them happy.”

Cody is a working Pit Bull.

At age one, Cody is the first Pit Bull to be certified as a therapy dog through New Leash On Life’s Lend a Paw program in Los Angeles.

“During the wheelchair client test, he gently put his paws on the lap and kissed the client who was thrilled,” describes Sulier. And while Cody still has a slight limp due to missing bones and muscles in his right foreleg, he doesn’t let it slow him down. Sulier believes it will also help physically challenged children relate to him. Cody illustrates just what is possible when prejudice is set aside. Once discarded as damaged goods, he is now changing lives as a therapy dog.

Art For Pitties

Art For Pitties, a fundraising initiative, is showcasing the works of 30-plus artists.  Each artist donates a piece of original art that will be auctioned online during the month of August. Proceeds will benefit San Diego-based Pit Bull rescue and advocacy group Even Chance.

The Term Pit Bull

For you purists out there, I’m using the term Pit Bull loosely. The recognized pure breed is the American Pit Bull Terrier. According to the site, The Real Pit Bull “The  media, legislators, and others use this same term incorrectly to describe a certain group of dogs that actually includes several breeds and types. Included in this group are: American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers, sometimes Bull Terriers and American Bulldogs, mixes with percentage of blood of any one of these breeds and dogs that simply look like these breeds. Understandably, many people are confused about what a “Pit Bull” actually is, since the popular public definition is so wide and the breeds above actually share similar history and physical characteristics.”

Whether a dog is 100 percent Pit Bull or mixed, it doesn’t matter to me. What does matter is the way it is treated.

Do You Have A Pit Bull Story?

If you have a Pit Bull story, please share it here.  If you want to send a photo of your Pit Bull, please do.

Birth Control for Cats and Dogs

I love cats and dogs. Spaying and neutering is a much kinder alternative to over population.

Ralph Meyer, assistant professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, received a grant to continue his research to develop a non-surgical sterilant for use in both male and female cats and dogs.

“It is well known that over-population in our shelters is a problem that often ends with euthanizing dogs and cats that need homes,” says Dr. Meyer. “It is my hope to find a non-surgical, safe, and effective sterilization method for animals that is cost-effective and widely available to help put a stop to our pet over-population problem.”

The grant comes from Found Animals Foundation,  a nonprofit that works with the animal welfare community to improve animal shelter processes, fund pet sterilization research, promote effective animal welfare policy, and provide funding to area shelters and spay/neuter clinics.

Ban Ohio Dog Auctions
The Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions is spearheading a citizens-backed, ballot initiative called the Ohio Dog Auctions Act to help improve the lives of dogs in commercial breeding operations in Ohio. The measure would make it illegal for anyone to auction or raffle a dog in Ohio. It also would prohibit bringing dogs into the state for sale or trade that were acquired by auction or raffle elsewhere.

The Coalition needs your help. As of July 1, they have collected 19,538 signatures. They need a minimum of 120,700 signatures by December 1, 2010. If you live in Ohio or have family, friends, or colleagues there, click here to help.

Good News for Greyhounds

This is how greyhounds should be treated.

Best barks go to my friends at GREY2K USA. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed into law House Bill 630, a humane proposal to prohibit greyhound racing in his state. This is an historic victory and another milestone in GREY2K USA’s national effort to end the cruelty of greyhound racing.

This victory comes on the heels of news that the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission has just revoked the licenses of all dog tracks in the state. And more good news—in Guam a bill to make dog racing illegal has passed unanimously and is on its way to the Governor for signature.