STRAIGHT FROM PETS ALIVE WEBSITE here's what was posted when Red & Moonie needed to be adopted:

We estimate Red, a petite Redbone Coonhound mix, to be 8 yrs old and approx. 55lbs. Red is completely dependent upon Moonie as her seeing eye dog so they must stay together for her sake. Owning a blind dog is a very rewarding experience, having her companion & guardian would be double the blessing!

Moonie and Red (pictured above) have been at the shelter almost a year. Red is blind and Moonie was her "seeing-eye" dog. He took very good care of her, and she depended on him a great deal. He would walk next to her on unfamiliar paths, so that their shoulders touched and she would know the way. He would nudge her to her food bowl, before going to eat his own food. He wo uld help her into her dog igloo when it was chilly, and see her settled, before he settled himself. They had both been abandoned in a parking lot.

 Moonie is an extremely friendly and silly guy! When you sit down on the floor, he approaches you and playfully tries to knock you over so he can lie next to you and demand a tummy rub! Red is constantly exploring, so eager to learn every area of every environment she is in. She walks with such pride and confidence that you cant help but find her personality inspiring.

Red hasn't let her blindness take her spirit; she loves the sound of a friendly voice and relishes a good back scratching! Moonie & Red are so HAPPY all of the time! They have GREAT manners, walking on leash like a couple of pros. Volunteers and staff have a good feeling that this duo is housetrained as well! We also feel they would do just fine with cats. Moonie & Red have been together their entire lives. As Red developed blindness, Moonie stayed at her side. Her vision continued to deteriorate & she looked to her companion to guide her.

We did have Red tested to see if surgery could restore her site, but sadly, pre-operative testing showed that even with cataract surgery, her retinas were too damaged to allow her to see again. She is still as happy as could be with her best buddy, Moonie! He continues to be her beacon of light even though she now exists in complete darkness. Where there is one, the other is right there, exploring the world together.

Our hope for them is a long & happy life with a family who will cherish them, as much as they cherish each other. Please open your mind, heart, and home to this duo, they deserve it, more than we will ever know! To fill out an adoption application for Moonie & Red, please fill out an adoption application and we will get you right in to meet them! (Note: somany people love these two that their entire adoption fee is coveredby sponsors).

 
 It took a long time but they finally found their perfect home this week, and even have kids with which to play! We are so happy for them both, and grateful to the family that saw their worth!

IFAW is truly grateful to The Animal Rescue Site, which enables us to help animals in crisis around the world. - I. Robinson

PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor Parnell,

As a supporter of Defenders of Wildlife and someone who cares about sound wildlife management, I strongly urge you to withdraw your support for the use of aircraft to hunt and kill Alaska's wolves and bears.

Alaska is well known for its amazing wildlife and stunning natural beauty. It is appalling that your office and others in the state government continue to sanction the brutal aerial hunting of the state's majestic wolves and bears in nearly 60,000 square miles of the state.

As I am sure you are aware, aerial hunting was outlawed by the federal government in 1972. Yet Alaska officials continue to skirt the law and permit aerial hunting, claiming that this terrible practice is necessary for wildlife management -- an assertion that is not supported by available data on wildlife population numbers.

This unwarranted program often leads to inhumane deaths, with hunters in low-flying aircraft shooting down wolves from the air, or chasing them to the point of exhaustion, landing, and killing the animal at close range.

This was an email CHANGE.ORG sent to me this morning:

Dear Betsy,

"Puppy mills" are large-scale commercial operations where dozens of dogs are kept in small cages for their entire lives, forced to give birth to litter after litter until they're no longer fertile, at which point they're usually killed. Puppy mills are unsafe, inhumane, and produce thousands of puppies with serious health problems every year.

Now, puppy mills have found a national vendor: eBay.

A few years ago, eBay had plans to sell animals via online auction. Responsible breeders would never sell dogs via online auction, so this would have resulted in the site becoming a haven for puppy mills. eBay users and anti-cruelty activists spearheaded -- and won -- the fight to prevent eBay from selling live animals.

But now all that's changed. 

Despite eBay's claims that it "do[es] not condone unethical treatment of animals," eBay now allows puppy mills to sell dogs in its classified section.

This practice enables flagrant cruelty to dogs, and it has to stop. Tell eBay to shut down its sales of cruelly treated puppies and all live animals.

Puppy mill dogs spend their entire lives in small wire cages, without companionship, and often without vet care, exercise or shelter from the elements. As far as puppy mill owners are concerned, the dogs have one purpose: to supply the pet trade.

The USDA recently admitted that they’ve failed to effectively monitor commercial breeders and puppy mills. When it comes to sites like eBay Classifieds, it’s even worse: Breeders who sell directly to customers online aren’t subject to any USDA regulations.

The best chance we have to shut down puppy mills is to hold vendors accountable.

Click here to tell eBay to shut down all live animal sales immediately:

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org Team

by Jasper's guest writer, Betsy Seeton

Xylitol is an ingredient you need to know about. It makes things tasty but it's deadly toxic to your dog. This news has been around since 2006 or 2007, but it can't be repeated too much if it saves even one dog.

Here's the scoop:

Xylitol a natural extract from the birch tree. According to www.pedmed, "It takes only a little bit of this stuff to sweeten a whole lot. It's therefore less expensive than other sugar substitutes. And it happens to taste better than most of them." 

Xylitol is a common sugar substitute (called sugar alcohol) found in sugar free chewing gum, breath mints, tooth paste, mouth wash, certain candy products and it's used in baking. 

Pharmaceutical companies use it in chewable vitamins and throat lozenges. I even saw a recently launched energy drink with Xylitol. While Xylitol has been deemed safe for humans it can be lethal to dogs -- quickly lethal. 

If a dog accidentally eats a product with just 3 grams Xylitol it can rapidly cause a radical drop in the dog's blood sugar level causing the dog to exhibit symptoms including weakness, lethargy, and a loss of coordination.  More severe signs are total collapse and/or seizures. It has been linked to apparently causing liver damage within 24 hours. 

To a 65 pound dog getting hold of a pack of gum with 10 pieces could easily kill him. For a smaller pooch, it might only take a couple of pieces to end his life. 

Pass this on to your friends and post where the message will reach as many dog owners and dog sitters as possible. I haven't read anything about whether it affects other animals or not.

I thought this was an interesting article. Makes sense to me.  
Click on the pups to read.

By Betsy Seeton

Reconvilier is town in Switzerland with a population of  2,245.  It has a 1904 law still on the books that allows local government officials to demand a $25 dog tax be paid or the dog will be killed. This story is making the rounds in 2011 not because the law existed in the first place, but because when town officials discovered the law they decided to resurrect it in order to pressure citizens who owe thousands in back taxes. In other words,  pay up or your dog dies!
Town clerk Pierre-Alain Nemitz has reportedly (comes from the Associated Press) received death threats over the new approach to tax collection. Nemitz is quoted: "This isn't about a mass execution of dogs, it's meant to put pressure on people who don't cooperate." 

This tax collecting scheme of holding a dog ransom is more than just another example of government gone mad. The absurdity is at a level so high it seems like sensationalism type reporting, which I loathe. But it's speaks to the whole idea that I see being embraced by the resistance to laws like Oreo's Law and other animal regulation. This resistance is deeply rooted in the antiquated view that animals are property. Property can be bought and sold, used for entertainment and profit or merely disposed. Until this very flawed, even barbaric, attitude toward animals, not just cats and dogs, but all animals, fundamentally shifts to embrace the concept that all life matters and all animals have rights, we will struggle to bring about much change.

 It behooves the NO KILL movement to remember success will come when more humans embrace a new paradigm towards all animals around the globe. It's the concept that all animals matter and all animals have rights. More to come on this ....

Click on Jasper (below) to read the Bill of Rights & sign it!

Photos by Anthony Camera. Text by Maher.

Challenging Denver's Pit Bull Ban
Posted by Megan A. Senatori, ALDF Volunteer Attorney on June 10th, 2009

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently released an important decision allowing a case challenging the City of Denver, Colorado’s pit bull breed ban to move forward. The Animal Legal Defense Fund was part of the successful effort.

The history of the Denver pit bull breed ban is long and complicated. The ban was originally enacted by the City of Denver in 1989. Shortly after its enactment, a group of dog owners and humane associations challenged the constitutionality of the ban. The case ultimately was heard by the Colorado Supreme Court, which rejected the challenges and upheld the ban. Colorado Dog Fanciers, Inc. v. City & County of Denver, 820 P.2d 644 (Colo. 1991). Since then, numerous other legal challenges to the ban have been mounted. However, to date, those challenges have been unsuccessful. READ FULL ARTICLE

The photo-taker, who asked to remain anonymous, tells Westword the pictures were taken in 2006 on the grounds of the city animal shelter. According to officials, animals euthanized by the shelter are removed by a contractor for disposal.

Portion of pit bull ban is overturned

AURORA, Colorado - Allen Grider Sr. spent a year of his life fighting for his country in the jungles of Vietnam. He's spent the last year of his life fighting against the City of Aurora to keep his service dog. That's because Grider's service dog has been identified by Aurora as a pit bull, a breed banned by legislation passed in 2005.
He has worked with Precious as his service dog for seven years. About a year ago the City of Aurora ordered Grider to remove the dog from the city in order to comply with its pit bull ban. Grider had a friend, who lived outside the City of Aurora, care for Precious while he sought legal help to fight the ruling.

That fight may be over as the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a clarification of ADA regulations as they relate to restricted breeds of dogs. That clarification states that municipalities will no longer be able to prohibit a disabled person from using a restricted breed as a service dog. The Department of Justice has given municipalities with breed restrictions until March 15, 2011 to comply with the ruling.

The City and County of Denver have already taken steps to do so. On December 6 city council will consider a bill that would modify their current pit bull ban to allow the breed to be used as service dogs. Pit bulls not used as service dogs would still be banned under the law. READ FULL ARTICLE at 9 NEWS.

Casey Anderson grew up in Montana with a mountain man father where nature was his playground and wild animals were his buddies. He raised a brown bear from the time he was a tiny fur ball and aptly named him Brutus who weighs in at 800 pounds. Casey says what he calls a 'salmon and avocado salad' is his Brutus' favorite sandwich.'  It’s about 10 pounds of lettuce, carrots, grapes and oranges, 10 pounds of salmon, and 10 pounds of avocado. " He goes nuts for it!" 

From the same interview bv April MacIntyre, in May of 2009, Casey explained that Brutus was dog-like in that he like companionship and loved to be petted. He said,  "Dogs are afraid of him, but he’s very curious about them.  He was raised around a black lab, but he got too big to play with the lab safely."

                        Watch this amazing footage of his close relationship with this magnificent creature. 

By DEBRA KILLALEA
 Casey  insists the creatures (grizzly bears) are similar to humans in that they are intelligent, have personality, and according to him can even shed tears.

It is his passion for the creatures that sparked Anderson to set out on a year-long mission to chronicle the lives of Yellowstone National Park bears.

Together with National Geographic, Expedition Grizzly aims to dispel the negative stereotypes surrounding the bears and chart the impact humans have had on their environment.

In the documentary, which is due to air on National Geographic on May 3, Anderson lives among the bears, often in extreme conditions as he observes their behaviour. Read more

Below watch Casey filming and observing two young bears out on their own for the first time when they encounter a large grizzly....

Read a full length interview with the Huffington Post. 
Riding the Fence: Embracing the Wolf Population in and Around the Yellowstone Park
WATCH Casey get up close and personal with grey wolves of Yellowstone:

Scientists say black bears are very smart and when food is the reward, they learn quicker than chimps. Click to watch the short video.

Black Bear Sitting: courtesy of pdphoto.org that was posted on:  http://www.weforanimals.com/free-pictures/wild-animals/black-bears/black-bear-1.htm

Short Bio from Kathy Stevens website:

Giving up a thriving eleven-year teaching career, Kathy Stevens bought a disastrously rundown farm on a vast number of acres, and with sheer determination, boundless compassion, and limited funds, turned it into an acclaimed haven for abused livestock, the Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Her books, Where the Blind Horse Sings and Animal Camp, present heartening stories of the difficult work that has gone into saving more than 2,000 lives since the sanctuary's 2001 founding. Stevens lives in Saugerties, New York.

Overview of the book:

She had a small animal carrier in her hand as she entered the barn. Her face was partially hidden behind long, dark hair and an oversized hat, but I could see enough to know that she was nervous. As I approached her, I reminded myself of the early morning’s conversation about feral cats. Absolutely no more, Lorraine had said.

“Are you Kathy?” she asked.
“Sure am...hi,” I responded.
“Hi, Kathy! I’m Pam!!” she exclaimed. “Here he is!!” I had no idea who Pam was. No earthly idea who “he” was, either.
“Isn’t he beautiful!!” she cooed as she lifted the carrier until I was eye to eye with a scrawny brown duck. 
“Hey, little fart,” I said, smiling at the wary animal as I took the carrier from the woman’s hands. “I’m sorry,” I said, “but are we expecting you?”

Pam claimed to have spoken with someone here, and to have left several messages. 
“Someone told me you could take him. Oh, please, I’m desperate!!” Pam began to cry. “He doesn’t stand a chance out there: someone just dumped him. He’s all alone!! The coyotes will tear him up!”

I placed the carrier on the barn floor, opened the door, and reached in gently for the little bird. All fluff and feather, he weighed no more than three pounds. And he only had one leg. 

I wanted to lecture the woman about how manipulative it was to show up unannounced on a frigid winter morning, to claim to have talked to “someone” who agreed to take a one-legged duck. But I had neither the time nor the will. 170 animals were waiting for breakfast, and this little duck had one leg.
All right,” I answered. “We’ll take him.” And so began another day at Catskill Animal Sanctuary.

More than anything else, Where the Blind Horse Sings is a book about love. Written by the founder of Catskill Animal Sanctuary, a haven for abused farm animals, the book depicts a world in which distinctions between “human” and “animal” are meaningless, a world where care and affection trump years of neglect and abuse.  Readers will meet animals like Dino, an old toothless pony who survived an arson that killed 23 horses; Rambo, the sheep who informs the staff when an animal needs assistance; Paulie, the former cockfighting rooster who eats lunch with the humans and accompanies the director around town on her errands; and dozens of other critters, all larger than life.  Side by side with them is a staff of hilarious, irreverent, but always loving humans, for whom every animal life—even that of an injured frog rushed to the vet for emergency surgery—has merit. These tales will profoundly—and joyously—change your life.

Read Biography Kathy Stevens

Here's a collection of Jasper's friends, his brothers and sisters and his mom and dad! Photos are sold as greeting cards, postcards and framed prints. Click here to go to online Art Gallery with hundreds of photos.