Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I Apologize...

I've been so immersed in this ebook business that I've woefully neglected this blog. And I'm sorry. Another thing I need to apologize for is not checking my comments (I swear, every time I come here, something new has been added and I had no idea reader comments were awaiting my "approval"). So to those who I haven't responded to, please forgive me. I'm just getting around to reading your responses now...:-((

Hopefully, I'll get more animal posts up before too long but I'm also thinking about starting another blog about the trials and tribulations of electronic publishing. I'm not sure yet...

In any case, I appreciate all who have followed The Animal Advocate; though my "book" writing is veering off in other directions (Devil's Moon, a suspense novel, will be published on Amazon probably tomorrow), my passion is - and always will be - our beloved animal kingdom (and, fwiw, Devil is a dog!).

Be back as soon as I can...thank you for bearing with me while I navigate all these learning curves.

Monday, November 29, 2010

'Twas the Month after Christmas...

This is a repeat but, in my opinion, it can never be repeated enough:

Just as a horde of half-grown bunnies are plopped down on the doorsteps of animal shelters not long after Easter, so do piles of puppies and caboodles of kittens show up shortly after December 25th.

Obviously, this influx of hapless infants is due to poor planning, impulse buying, or simply that the 'thrill is gone.' Or worse, all of the above.

Unfortunately, these youngsters (and some oldsters) who are being relinquished will pay a much higher price than market value…and an extremely unacceptable one, at that.

Therefore, I'm writing this for those who might be so caught up in the spirit that 'surprising' someone with a living, breathing, and dependent creature on Christmas morning sounds like a really nifty idea. Well, trust me, it's not.

As we all know, the holidays are filled with much excitement, disrupted routines, and - as a rule - more visitors than usual.

So just imagine the effects these conditions can have on an animal that hasn't even had enough time to get to know you, not to mention learn its boundaries and territory, then settle into a daily regimen in its new home. That's a lot to deal with, period, let alone during the stressful days or weeks that encompass any special season.

Yet, far too often, I hear about people crating their 'Christmas' puppy or kitten, dog or cat for continuous hours on end simply to keep them out of the way of company, while cooking or entertaining, wrapping presents, etc. About delaying housetraining until after the holidays. No, people, no.

If you really, truly want a pet, just hold your horses and wait until your household has returned to its normal routine. Please don't selfishly cause a bewildered baby animal (or confused older one) to be set up for failure from the get-go when all it takes is a little patience and timing.

I realize full well that there is something magical about the decorated tree, the twinkling lights, the multi-colored packages that elicit childhood memories (or wishes) of puppies or kittens peeking their adorable faces out from under those pine-scented branches.

But, in these days of overwhelming pet abandonment, such fanciful pictures in our heads need to be tempered with a mega-dose of realism.

For never forget - ever, for an instant - that pets are forever needy. They need us for their care, their sustenance, their medical assistance, their training. They need us for our constant physical presence, attention and for our love.

In a nutshell, they need to be full-fledged members of the family for their entire lives and not relegated to a sugar-plum moment induced by the spirit of the season, one to be abruptly ended when the glitz and glitter is gone.

I pray this message is taken to heart…..all year long.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thanksgiving Dinner: Food for Thought

I recently received a comment from a reader who labeled me a hypocrite because I avow to be an ardent animal lover, yet I consume meat.

For the record, I don’t eat much animal flesh; however, in the grand scheme of things, a little goes a long way…..as in, it doesn’t really matter if I have a hamburger once a year or steak every day. The bottom line is that an animal died for my dinner.

However, this column is not going to be an effort to convert the world to vegetarianism. That’s an impossibility and we know it. Whether I became a vegan this instant, the slaughterhouses would still continue to echo with the screams of terrified creatures. And that’s the point I’m going to address.

Not many decades ago, dogs and cats at county pounds were unceremoniously tossed into gas chambers, crammed together so tightly that a few even survived this traumatic horror. Animal-lovers were outraged and, as a result, today most shelters are operated by humane organizations with individual lethal injection being the normal mode of euthanasia. Still too sad, as still too many abandoned pets are being put to sleep, but at least - for the most part - they are not afraid or suffering before or during their final moments on this earth.

The same cannot be said for the cows, calves, chickens, pigs, and lambs that are killed every day for human consumption. So this begs the question: Instead of bombarding the world with grisly pictures that momentarily elicit tears and gasps of guilt, wouldn’t it be better if animal rights groups focused every bit of their considerable power into promoting strong enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act, the Animal Welfare Act and any other acts the government has in so-called force?

Death is a given for each and every one of us. So, bottom line, dead is dead. Yet what matters most here is not so much about when an animal dies, but how it dies.

Believe me, I am not being trite as this is a heavy-duty moral and ethical issue for those of us who love animals. But it seems to me that - first and foremost - preventing fear and suffering in any living creature should be the ultimate goal, one pursued with a vengeance.

Again, I could quit eating chicken, then smugly tell myself I am not contributing to the rampant cruelty that food animals endure. Yet, while I eat my salad, that cruelty rages on and the animals continue to suffer horrendously. So, unless and until we all fight to change the system and forever stop these inhumane practices, eating meat really becomes a moot point.

For while we loudly scream bloody murder about the squalid conditions of puppy mills, we should be ashamed that we’re not fighting just as vehemently to silence the unheard screams of animals suffering on factory farms and in slaughterhouses…and that includes your Thanksgiving turkey.

Friday, October 8, 2010

My Kindle Book: I did it!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Animal-Advocate-ebook/dp/B0045OUK9S

Well, here is the link to my labor of love (probably more like childbirth as it was such a pain). But, other than a couple of minor formatting errors I found in the preview, I think it turned out damned well for someone who learned it all from the ground up.

Anyway, I have no clue if you own a Kindle or any other e-reader but I do know you can download Kindle to PC (free), then I assume order the book (not free; it's a whopping $3.49). But, whatever, PLEASE DO pass this link along to any and all you know who might be interested in reading my pet columns. Or paste in on Facebook. Or Tweet it. Or stand on the street corner and shout, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

Seriously, I'm starting my "marketing" campaign with family, close friends, and those who have followed the column for years.....after that, it's going to be a crapshoot of linking, posting on forums, submitting to local papers, etc.

I appreciate anything you can do because if just one person along the way buys the book and learns something to help our precious animals - or is simply entertained by it - then it will indeed have been a labor of love.

Monday, September 20, 2010

I. Am. "This Close." to. Kindle...

I have been driving myself nuts lately learning basic HTML code so that I can format "The Animal Advocate" properly for uploading onto Amazon's website. Meaning: I have not written one damn thing in the past few months and that's also driving me nuts as I have so many things I want/need to say, issues to cover, etc.

Anyway, as soon as I get this sucker done, I'll let you know. Then - hopefully - I can get back to the business of this blog: writing about our amazing animal kingdom. Please bear with me...

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Dragging My Tail

It's been six months - SIX MONTHS - since I last posted.....where does that precious time go? Anyway, as I'm still in the mind-boggling throes of compiling columns for a book, I do admit I've been sidetracked quite a lot. Always, always an animal issue to address and - now - my local humane society has graciously agreed to host The Animal Advocate on its website.

So, until I get back to this venue (whenever the hell that will be), if you'd like to read my most recent work, please visit http://www.crittersavers.com/ (scroll down to third logo on right & you'll see the column's link).

Hope to be back here sooner rather than later.....

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Year, New Direction

It's been awhile, I know.....I haven't abandoned the blog, so to speak. I've just been gathering my columns, gathering my thoughts as I'm in the process of creating a book containing my work. And let me be the first to tell you, it's a mental pain in the ass.....

Editing, formatting, researching. More editing, more researching. Copious notes of who to contact, who not to; what to do, what not to; what to say, what not to.....my brain is bleeding, not to mention my myopic eyes.

BUT, hopefully, it won't be for naught as I feel this is the best way to get my message across. The best way to reach thousands upon thousands of animal lovers in one fell swoop as between writing the newspaper column and dealing with Mom's death, I fear the blog - and its message - suffered. So now I'm going to try & rectify that.....I will keep you posted.