Repeat
- We're on hiatus this week. We
return next week with Dave Foley and Joan Van Ark.Aug 19 2006
Repeat
- We're on hiatus this week. We
return next week with Dave Foley and Joan Van Ark.
Dave Foley
Animal Protection Laws
Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D.,
Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good
Dr.
Balcombe discusses the difficulty/ease of enacting laws and legislation
in the US as it concerns our animal citizens. With countries
like Italy enacting animal protection laws that affect their citizens
and their animal companions such as the mandate that you
must walk a dog at least once a day and making it illegal to confine
a goldfish to a (goldfish) bowl where does that leave the
rest of the world in terms of animal rights and animal protection,
especially the United States? How do we stack up in terms of
animal testing, the care of domestic animals, the protection of
wild or endangered animals and the use of animals in the schoolroom
and university labs?
Jonathan Balcombe is a research scientist
and animal behavior specialist. He's written some of the definitive
papers on how schools can enable scientific testing without the
use of animals. He is also the former associate director of the
Humane Society of the United States.
http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/associations/awc/2005/Balcombe.html
Summer Sun Shines for the Animals
Rae Ann Kumelos,
Voice of the Animal
Discover how, during the brightest and lightest week of the year,
a fashion designer, a grocer and a president all made decisions
that will have a positive affect on animals for years to come.
http://www.VoiceOfTheAnimal.org
One Man's Joke May Not be Funny to
Another
Britt Savage
James R. Mell from Farmington Hills, Michigan, thought it might
be funny to put his 6-foot boa constrictor in his mailbox to frighten
the mail carrier. But when the mail carrier, Nakeema Anderson,
opened the box, she was not amused. She then found Mr. Mell
observing her and laughing.
Mr. Mell has been charged with obstructing the delivery of the U.S. mail. The charge carries a penalty of up to six months in prison.
Mr. Mell sated that the snake is not poisonous, and even though he has tiny teeth, he does not bite. Mr. Mell has since written a letter of apology to Ms. Anderson hoping to settle the matter.
Talk With Your Animals
Joy Turner
Joy talks to Maggie a dog, who's guardian would like her to go
potty in one area of their small backyard.
http://www.TalkWithYourAnimals.com
A Little Monkey Business
Brenda Royce - Monkey
LoveBrenda Royce is currently
the director of publications at the Los Angeles Zoo. In her first
novel, which includes as many critters as humans, with names such
as Grouch the Cat, Rocky the Boa and Tallulah the monkey-plus
a freezer full of rats from FrozenRodent.com, the heroine Holly
is keeping herself afloat until her comedy showcase hits big,
Holly juggles typing duties, animal husbandry, tax preparation
and hair styling while getting dumped by her neglected boyfriend
and inadvertently alienating friends and family. But that's all
you are going to hear here you have to go out and get the
book yourself to find out what monkey business Holly and Tallulah
find themselves in.
http://www.BrendaScottRoyce.com
Disaster Preparedness Plans with Dr.
Cindy Lovern
John Butler, RadioNewz.com
About 15-thousand animals, mostly cats and dogs, were rescued
after Hurricane Katrina. Even if you're not in a hurricane zone,
you should have a plan for your pets in case of disasters such
as wildfires, earthquakes or tornadoes."
http://www.AVMA.org
Eulogy for a Lizard
David Alan, News
Director, Kowl-Am/Krlt-Fm Radio
Like a lot of us who has lost a close loved one,
I was going to keep my sadness inside, not mentioning my loss
to anyone; especially to my wife and adopted daughter.
I know now for the very first time in my life, just how it feels
and how it is so hard to convey this sadness to someone who has
not yet fortunately experienced the loss of someone close to them.
Besides, I wasn't going to tell anyone because I fell deeply
in love with my lost loved one.
Obviously, at an age in the latter 50's, I was not going through a mid-life crisis, being well past that age and married. But when my adopted daughter, Corvette, gave me a young one-year-old Savannah Monitor Lizard, it was love at first sight!
He was beautiful to look at, being mostly tan in color with a light brown spot design, and with a tan-yellow background to his lizard skin. His skin was soft and smooth to the touch. My daughter named him "Hissy" because Savannah Monitors hiss loudly when they are disturbed. I simply called him, My Buddy.
My Buddy died recently of unknown causes
at the young age of only two and half years. Mr. Lizard, as I
sometimes called him, still had a lot of growing up to do. When
he departed this world for lizard heaven, he weighed in at 9 pounds,
and was 31 inches long. My Buddy, if he had been given the chance,
would have lived a lot longer and grown quite a bit more in size.
In fact, Monitors can live to 20 years-of-age, grow to a length
of four or five feet, and weigh in at 20 pounds.
My wife and I had grown rather close to My Buddy in the past year
and a half that he was with us. He spent a lot of his time on
weekends lying in bed with me, napping, and watching TV. He often
could be found on the big couch in the living room, next to or
under my wife, covered up, all snuggled and warm. He also loved
to bask in the sun in the dining room, and could be seen at times
wandering around outside in the front and backyard clover or sunning
himself on our back deck.
Mr. Lizard always looked forward to his daily warm bath. He could float and lounge in a warm tub for hours. I imagine, during quite a few of those warm baths, he was even sleeping. Hmmm, I wonder what he dreamed about. Speaking of sleeping lizards, when he slept, which was a lot, he slept on a heating pad, wrapping himself up in his Blankey. That's right, like most juveniles, My Buddy had his very own Blankey. He never traveled anywhere without it.
A traveling lizard? Yep, Mr. Lizard made
the rounds to various locations in the South Shore area of Lake
Tahoe and Carson City. While traveling, he stayed wrapped in
his blankey, nice and warm, inside a small dog carrier. When
he arrived at his destination, he would waddle out of the carrier,
a leash put on him and he was good to go.
Everywhere My Buddy visited, all loved him, especially children.
He never bit anyone and hardly gave anyone even a loud hissss!
Feeding Mr. Lizard was a joy! First of all, Savannah Monitor lizards are meat eaters. No greens for this lizard! My Buddy was fed every two to three days. When he was still a little guy, he was fed crickets and small live mice. It was fun watching him going after the crickets. He would be lunging at them; all the while crickets would be jumping all around and on him. As he got older and bigger, he was given his own food bowl, and just like a dog, would come to eat whenever I whistled! Upon hearing my whistle, he would waddle over to his bowl to find chicken, hamburger, steak, pork, and hot dogs. In fact, that lizard could swallow a whole hot dog in one gulp! He was also still eating live mice that were fed to him by hand. From time to time, My Buddy was also known to scrounge in the cat food bowls for an extra meal.
Unfortunately, after awhile My Buddy just wasn't himself. He began to sleep more and then he just would not eat. Now this was strange for Mr. Lizard, who was always looking for a meal. After he stopped eating, I immediately took him over to a Lizard Vet in Carson City, Nevada to have him checked out. The Vet said he was sick but did not know from what. And then, a short time later, and no matter what the Vet tried, My Buddy decided to give up his body and travel to a higher level. Now, if you had asked me if I believed in that reincarnation stuff, I would probably say "Maybe, who knows." But when it comes to Hissy, I know My Buddy will be back with us soon, probably as a cat. He always liked our three cats.
Tales From a Formerly Reluctant Dog
Owner
Emily Yoffe - What the Dog
Did
Journalist Yoffe recalls her entry into urban
dog ownership-a life experience this former "cat person"
thought she could avoid-in this witty memoir. Yielding to immense
pressure from her husband and young daughter, Yoffe finds herself
the main caretaker of a rather high-maintenance, rescued beagle,
Sasha. Yoffe relates amusing tales of bodily functions gone awry
and house-training incidents (beagles are notorious for having
difficulty in this area), as well as vivid recollections of Sasha's
behavioral training. She also includes tidbits from people she's
met at dog classes and competitions. "Almost everyone I knew
with a dog had a story. Maybe companionship and someone to lick
your feet isn't what really motivates people to have dogs. Maybe
being able to tell dog stories is.
http://www.WhatTheDogDid.com
Nancy Janes, Romania Animal Rescue,
Inc.
Our
mission is to help the animals in Romania to live a full and content
life. Presently we are working exclusively with ROLDA in Galatzi
to help them to spay/neuter and shelter street dogs. We are committed
to educating the public as to the value of animals (dogs) and
setting up safe adoptable homes for those who are capable and
no kill shelters for life care of those who are not adoptable.
In one and a half years, we have helped establish one of the
best shelters in Eastern Europe, and have helped countless dogs
and cats (last count of spay/neuter dogs was 1000). We have a
trusted vet that we work with exclusively, and ROLDA hires Romanians
to work at fare and decent wages, along with buying Romanian products
when available, to promote the fact that animal well-being enhances
human well-being. Founded in January of 2003, the Romania Animal
Rescue, Inc. has had but one agenda saving animals in Romania
through values, education, and kindness. Nancy tells how you
can help this cause also.
http://www.RomaniaAnimalRescue.com
Cesar
Millan - Dog Psychology Center of Los Angeles
In the wild, a dog's survival
depends on a strong, stable, and organized pack where every member
knows its place and follows the rules established by the pack
leader. The pack instinct is perhaps the strongest natural motivator
for a dog. Cesar Millan teaches that to be an effective owner,
you need to become your canine's calm, assertive pack leader.
Cesar Millan is one of the most sought-after experts in the field
of dog rehabilitation. From bullying Chihuahuas to timid Great
Danes, Cesar has an uncanny gift of communicating with dogs and
seeing the world through their eyes. His celebrity roster of clients
includes Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Vin Diesel, Nicolas Cage,
Ridley Scott, Michael Bay, Hillary Duff and, of course, their
dogs. Tune in as Cesar divulges some of his secrets to dog training.
http://www.DogPsychologyCenter.com
Avian Flu
Dr. Jim Humphries,
Veterinary News Network
While the fear of avian flu is spreading, the disease has yet
to claim a single U.S. victim, human or avian. But all of that
might change with a single cat. Springtime usually brings joy
to Alaska after a long winter. This year, however, it's also
likely to bring the avian flu virus carried by infected birds
migrating from Asia. At that point, the population that worries
experts most is not the human population. The virus has yet to
evolve into a form that easily affects humans. It's not even
the domestic poultry population, since in the U.S. most commercial
bird flocks are sealed away in covered buildings. What keeps
scientists up at night are the 75 million household cats plus
the 40-60 million feral cats roaming the countryside. Some of
which are sure to eat infected birds.
http://www.VetNewsNet.com
Animals and Other Nations
Darlene Arden
Darlene comes to us live from the International Association of
Animal Behavior Consultants, Inc., in Columbia, Maryland. The
conference includes behaviorists and trainers from around the
world sharing their knowledge.
http://www.IAABC.org
http://www.DarleneArden.com
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