Walking the Dog (Part 3): Making dogs in our own image
Tosca, our now 7 or 8 year old (age at adoption not known)
rat-terrier/beagle mix companion has
visited us on this page on two earlier occasions (Walking the Dog; [1]
Walking the Dog: Part 2: A new
leash on life) and here prompts yet another blog...
Audrey the Star
Please forgive me the indulgent nature of today's blog.
This morning I said goodbye to Audrey. She didn't say goodbye to me,
though, because she was already dead.
Today, and for a very long time to come, I will mourn her death.
People who know me ...
So What is it about Presidential Candidates and Animals?
This year we'll be living and breathing the presidential election, so
I thought I'd start off 2012 by jumping on that bandwagon.
We've already seen at least one example of that perennial (or I
should say quadrennial) activity: hunting animals ...
Ohio's Tragedy
Sad, but unsurprising, news today.
It was announced today that a spotted leopard was euthanized at the
Columbus Zoo today. The leopard was one of 56 wild animals that Terry
Thompson, a Zanesville man, was keeping at his home, and which he
relea...
Redefining "Animal Lovers"
Americans are often described as great "animal lovers," and many of
the Valentines being exchanged this week will feature kittens, puppies
and other images of furry fondness as an example of how we associate
them with affection.
But what does being ...
Ginger, Sep. 1, 2001 to Feb. 5, 2012
This morning I'm experiencing that special grief, sadness and
emptiness that many of you know and have lived through. Our cat,
Ginger, died last night about 11:30. My husband and I were with her.
We expected her to pass during the night, as she lay o...
Zoos Going Forward
Like many other issues involving animals, the ethical and policy
considerations involved in keeping animals in zoos increase in
complexity and ambiguity upon closer examination. Recently, through my
involvement on the Advisory Committee of the De...
47,000 Dead: Does Anyone Care?
Just this week, 47,000 creatures lost their lives and almost no one
noticed.
A according to doctors who have witnessed starvation and dehydration
among children in Africa, it results in dizziness, weakness, cramping,
nausea, and dry heaves. It is a...
The Yin and Yang of Using Legislation to Promote Animal Welfare
Several weeks ago, I spoke at an animal law conference. I talked about
the cycle between animal abuse and other violent behavior, which had
been bolstered by studies over the past few decades that established
"the Link." I also talked about a number ...
No Valor in Victimization
What does it say about a society's collective conscience when people
can find valor in victimization?
That's what I wondered after seeing some media reports laud a
bullfighter in Spain who was severely gored (in the face no less) last
October but re...
"E" is for Elephant, "E" is for Extinction
"Essentially, you're seeing a culture under siege," began Gay
Bradshaw. She is executive director of The Kerulos Center [1], and a
psychologist and ecologist who is an expert on PTSD in elephants.
Speaking in a recent interview [2] broadcast on NPR's...
Finding Justice in the Ashes
Every day, every week, the Animals and Society Institute monitors
individual animal cruelty cases for our Rapid Response program. We
screen news reports to determine which incidents might be most
appropriate for AniCare mental health assessment and t...
Taking a Look on the Bright Side
George Orwell, in Animal Farm, wrote:
Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not
give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he
cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the
ani...
In the Company of Animals
I'm in New York City this weekend, and it gave me the opportunity to
visit "In the Company of
Animals: Art, Literature, and Music at the Morgan." The Morgan Library
">This exhibition examines the ways in which the artists, writers, and
composers rep...
