☆ Canada's Annual Seal Hunt (Infographic) ☆

Stopping Canada's Annual Seal Hunt is such a pressing subject that needs more awareness brought to it. I myself only heard about it a few years ago yet it's been going on forever.
Here is a helpful infographic for you to share and bring awareness to it. 

Thanks to the Humane Society for the infographic and all their hard work. 

Also check out ReLove's Article on the Seal Hunt: 

☆ Canada's Annual Seal Hunt ☆ 

And the fur industry:

 ☆ Fur: Mean and Not Green! ☆  

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☆ Pit Bulls: Dispelling the Myths! What they are Really Bred to Do ☆

I get so sick of hearing all the bad talk about pit bulls. It's truly such a sad thing that these gentle loving dogs have been doomed to this bad reputation, all thanks to terrible dog fighting. Even dog-lovers are weary of pit bulls. It's just sad. 

Anyway, I came upon this article the other day on the awesome Care2 website and thought it was absolutely worth sharing. Time to debunk those myths and get these poor pups adopted! 

And as always, choose to adopt and never buy from breeders! 

Here’s What Pit Bulls are Really Bred to Do

This article originally posted at Care2: http://www.care2.com/causes/heres-what-pit-bulls-are-really-bred-to-do.html#ixzz2P2rHlJMM

The SPCA Serving Erie County in New York hopes to dispel common myths about pit bull terriers and show the world what they’re really born to do with its new Bred to Love campaign.

“Pit bull terriers are a severely misunderstood breed. The SPCA Serving Erie County’s goal is to educate and bring awareness to this issue in our community. The Bred To Love program’s main purpose is to put an end to the myths surrounding this amazing and loving breed. Pit bull terriers are loyal happy go lucky dogs that just adore people and will make a wonderful addition to a family looking for their new pal,” said Lindsay Guiher, a volunteer at the shelter.

According to Guiher, most of the dogs coming into the shelter are pit bulls who take longer to adopt than other breeds, which they suspect has to do with common myths surrounding the breed.

Some of these myths include the beliefs that pit bulls have locking jaws and are more likely to bite than other breeds. To clear that first one up once and for all, pit bulls do not have any anatomical mechanism that would cause or allow their jaws to lock. No dog does. And while pit bulls still get a lot of bad press, they’re no more likely to bite someone than any other breed.

The American Temperament Testing Society (ATTS), an organization that promotes uniform temperament testing, has found that the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Terrier all had a higher than average passing score, which is 83 percent, and did better than many other breeds, including Golden Retrievers, when it comes to stability, aggression and friendliness, among other traits.

Even the AVMA has stated that despite the stigma, when it comes to pit bull type dogs “controlled studies have not identified this breed group as disproportionately dangerous.”

In fact, pit bulls used to be referred to as the perfect “nanny dogs” for children because of their fantastic temperaments and were used to represent America on WWI posters because of their loyalty, bravery and determination. Even Helen Keller had one.

“As any responsible owner knows, it’s not these sweet and loyal animals that are the problem, but rather a handful of self-serving and unethical breeders. Raised in the right environment, pit bull terriers are naturally inclined to be wonderful pets, sure to steal your heart!” according to the shelter.

Along with urging people to consider adding one to the family, the SPCA Serving Erie County wants everyone who loves pit bulls to join the campaign by submitting a photo showing the world what their dogs were born to do. So far, they’ve got people showing off pit bulls who were bred to give kisses, be loved, be best friends, protect, be loyal, brighten lives and be family, along with a few who were born to cuddle.

If you want to join the campaign and help spread the truth about pit bulls, visit their website, download and print a sign and fill in the blank: Bred to _____, and take some pictures. You can then submit your images via their website, which will be shared in an album on their Facebook page.

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☆ What's Going On: Pets; making Responsible Choices! ☆

We all woo and aww over cute puppies and kittens and pets, so much in fact that some of us don't always make the best choices. People impulsively buy from pet stores without thinking about whether or not they are ready for a pet in their home. Others think we love our little furbabies so much that we won't get them neutered or spayed because it seems cruel and, especially with guys,  there is a demasculating complex. But in the big picture it is both necessary and important.

Just a note, I prefer to use any other tern other than "pet owner" I believe this wording contributes to a bad mentality. I don't believe we really "own" pets, they are companions, children, members of the family. They are not possessions. K, on with the blog...

As pet guardians we have a responsibility to prevent unwanted animals from being euthanized. Every single day unwanted pets are left abandonned or left to animal shelters because they become unwanted. It is estimated that 6-8 MILLION animals enter animal shelters each year in the United States alone, roughly 3-4 million (half!!) of those will be euthanized because they will be unable to find a new home. Why? Because there is a huge over-population problem due to people not neutering or spaying their pets and due to people supporting puppy and kitty mills and breeders.  

Because of these numbers, no form of breeding can be concidered as responsible. 

Having a pet entails a certain responsibilty to prevent such circumstances:

★ Choosing a rescue pet from a shelter instead of breeders and stores.

and

★ Getting your pet spayed or neutered. 

There should be no exceptions. 

Adopt a Rescue Pet:

So many animals are in shelters because adoption rates are low. Every time someone buys a pet from a pet store or from breeders, the life of an animal at a shelter is lost.

Most pet stores get their animals from puppy mills or kitty mills where the animals have a lack of proper veterinary care and socialization, and are forced into unsanitary crammed living conditions. They end up with various health issues and can develop intense behavioral problems as a result. An estimated 6-8 millions puppies are killed each month at puppy mills because of food or behavioral problems.

The puppies and kittens are taken away from their mothers at too early an age to be transported in crates to various pet stores where they will spend their time in small spaces without human love or exercise, and where the public is free to tap on their glass windows and harrass them on a daily basis. And even if a pet store claims that they don't purchase their animals from puppy mills, nothing is to say that their supplier doesn't or that the breeder they are purchasing from has healthy ethics or does not inbreed.

At puppy mills, the animals are bred for quantity not quality where genetic defects are common and inbreeding occurs. People will often end up having to pay ridiculous veterinary bills due to the numerous health problems associated with pet-store animals. This is why many pet stores will give you a certain amount of money towards veterinary care when you purchase the animal. 

Many people make the exception because they want a "purebred" dog or cat, but the problem with this is, not only are you leaving an animal to die at a shelter, but there are also other problems associated with so-called "purebred" animals. The vast majority of purebred dogs and cats face inbreeding and therefor result in severe health problems as a result.  Whether the purebred animal is from a local breeder or a petstore, the standards are low for breeding and condition requirements and most are unmonitored at that.  An estimated 25% of dogs that end up in shelters are pure-breeds. And even if you are sure that the breeder is a good one, choosing that animal still leaves another to die in a shelter. 

Pet stores are also the biggest place for that impulsive buy because people are either sucked in by cuteness or think that they are doing the animal a favour by removing them from their small space and giving them a loving home. People often have not thought through the responsibilies of having a pet in their homes or the long-term commitment and are among the highest to end up giving their pet away, usually ending up in a shelter or abandonned on the streets. Buying from a pet store is also showing your support for them and means that they will stay in existence, breeding and contributing to the over-population problem. Remember, your dollars are your voice. Don't get your pet from a pet store. Without these stores, the incentive for puppy mills disappears as well. If you want to end the suffering of these animals at the hands of breeders and puppy mills then don't buy from a pet store. 

We'd also like to think that all shelters are humane and run by loving caring people, but this is not always the case. Euthanization is often humane, done by a needle in a dog's arm or a cat's stomach, but this is not always the case either. Though humane, it is an expensive method and when shelters can't afford to euthanize they turn to gas-chambers instead where it can take up to twenty minutes for the animal to die, crammed in a chamber together for the last frightened moments of their life to suffer. 

The best thing you can do is to prevent this population problem so that animals don't end up in shelters to begin with. 

Spaying or Neutering your Pet:

Spaying and neutering is the surgical sterilization of an animal so that they no longer can reproduce. 

The spaying or neutering of your pet can be the single most important thing you can do to save these animals from suffering and neglect and the over-population problem. 

A single unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67, 000 puppies in just six years. A single female cat and her offspring can produce 420, 000 kittens in just seven years!

You may think there's no harm when your pet has a litter and you are able to find homes for them all, but that is too far from the truth. Each of those pets takes a potential home away from a shelter animal waiting behind bars. You are taking away their chance to live. And you also can never be certain that the home you have given that litter to will be permanent or if they will end up being part of that large percentage of pets that end up in a shelter or abandonned on the streets. You also don't know that they won't neuter or spay the animal and then also go on to contribute to more and more unneeded offspring. 

Benefits of Sterilizing your Pet:

On a health stand-point, sterilized animals also live longer, happier lives. Spaying eliminates the stress that females endure during heat periods, eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, and greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer. Neutering reduces the likelihood of males roaming and fighting, prevents testicular cancer, and reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Sterilized animals are also less likely to contract deadly and contagious diseases. 

Some people justify their decision to not get their pet sterilized because they are an indoor pet. But who's to say that the animal won't accidentally get out one day? Also, not sterilizing your pet and then keeping them away from the opposite sex is essentially mean. Pets have destructive and restless behaviours sometimes because they are trying to get out to seek out a mate. Getting your pet spayed or neutered, especially in males, eliminates sexual frustration, discomfort, and distress, making them happier and more content. It also eliminates their need to get out and roam, so your pet is less likely to run away. 

And if you are worried about your pet's personality changing then I am happy to tell you that you have nothing to worry about. The only changes that may occur are in the habits that you don't want your pet to have in the first place, such as urine-marking, fighting, roaming, and aggression. They are also more likely to be more affectionate and pay more attention to you because they will be less interested in finding a mate. 

There is no excuse for letting your pet reproduce. It is unnecessary and it is selfish. If you truly love animals then you will get your pet spayed or neutered. Period. 

So make the right Choice! 

Most people say they don't want to visit animal shelters because they are too depressing. It doesn't make them not exist. It doesn't take away the fact that those animals suffer. It doesn't take away the fact that half of those animals will be euthanized because you won't give them a home. Give them a chance. Get your new companion from a shelter, and get them spayed or neutered.

Before you get a pet also consider whether you are ready for it, whether you can afford it, whether you are able to keep that pet for the next 7-14 years of your life, whether you are ready to commit to it. Treat them like a member of your family, don't just give them away, make it work. Love them. Treat them with love and respect. Always. 

As long as people treat animals as toys, possessions, or commodities rather than as individuals with feelings, families, and friendships, widespread neglect and abuse is inevitable. 

Be a Responsible Pet-Carer. Make the right choices!

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca  

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☆ What's Going On: Zoos; Not for the Animal Lover ☆

I know, omg, I am soooo not fun! Everything is "bad" :p Well it's not, but some things are. Zoos are one of those things. I care about animals so I am going to get your brains thinking because there are plenty of things that we do in our lives that we don't really think about. 

I'm not innocent, I've been to zoos without thinking. I'm here to share information with you, to get you thinking and questioning so you can make choices with animal welfare in mind. If you love animals then you will be open to listening and thinking. 

Most of us go to the zoo because we do love animals and we want to see those animals. However, most of us don't think about the fact that zoos aren't all they are cracked up to be. 

We think of Zoos as these opportunistic places where children and adults can explore and learn about wild animals. The reality is, however, that zoos hardly teach you anything about how animals actually live and behave in the wild. I would even go so far as to say it teaches us falsely. There is nothing "natural" or "real" about viewing animals behind bars. Their behaviours are anything but natural, happy, or healthy.

Shall I elaborate?

Habitat: 

The small enclosures that zoo animals call "home" will never match up to life in the wild. Zoos simply cannot provide the amount of space animals need to live their lives in a natural manner, especially for those species that roam huge distances in their natural habitats. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild and Polar bears have one million times less space. Aquatic animals do not have enough water. Birds are prevented from flying away by having their wings clipped and being in aviaries. 

These animals spend their entire lives in these small inadequate spaces making their lives a monotonous bore.

Unhappy Animals:

That persistent roaming you watch animals do about their cages, that over-sleeping, that hiding, that motionless sitting, all those repetitive movements are not natural, they are signs of stress, depression, boredom, and psychoses. Some zoos actually give their animals anti-depressants and tranquilizers to control such behaviour problems. 

What causes these behaviours? 

Some zoos have mixed exhibits in which some species of animals will distress another species. Then there are many social animals that are kept alone and suffer boredom when they should be kept in groups where they can interact and live a bit more "naturally." 

But the bottom line is this... In nature, animals consume their energy by running, walking, jumping, climbing, hunting, hiding, playing, cleaning, and so on. They do not get to experience anything that is natural to them in zoo life. They have a complete lack of mental stimulation, physical exercise, and a complete lack of privacy. Animals do not get used to life in captivity either, not even those born in captivity generations down the line. Animals never lose their natural instincts. 

Poor Living Conditions:

On top of their habitat and depression, many zoo animals face disease and sickness as a result of this new unnatural habitat. Some zoos don't even have trained vets, so the staff allow their sick animals to die. 

Other zoos have health and safety problems such as spikes on railings or hidden ditches where the animals can get hurt. 

Many zoo animals are not fed properly and some zoos still allow people to feed their animals with all kinds of unsuitable food. 

Zoo animals hardly ever return to the wild because the reintroduction process never works, the animal transport process fails, and the animals are exposed to disease and chemicals because of the confinement.

Many visitors also do not respect the animals and complain if their favourite animal is resting or can't be seen. There are zoos where the keepers will drag out a resting animal to show the public for their satisfaction. 

Transport:

Transport is another issue. Many animals are moved around a lot from one zoo to another, either because they are bought, they are sick where they are, or for breeding. This transportation process is far from stressless and painless and is simply not good for the animals. Transportation standards are low and the animals often face weather extremes. 

Conservation: 

Many animals are taken from the wild, captured, and transported miles and miles away to your local zoo. Some of these animals are injured, orphaned, their habitats are destroyed, or do not have enough food. And yet, almost all of these are human-caused. 

Some Zoos will claim to breed animals as part of Endangered Species protection programs or Conservation for eventual release to the wild. But these animals will almost Never return to the wild. 

There are thousands of endangered species, but zoos have only been able to return about 16 species to the wild with varying levels of success. These Reintroduction programs rarely work because captive animals no longer possess the skills for survival. The zoo animals are essentially, set up for failure. They would need to live in habitats that actually resemble their natural ones, especially for climate and geological regions. They would also need to be raised with minimal human contact, clearly not the case at zoos, and they would need to be in populations large enough to provide a natural social balance. 

Sanctuaries exist and these endangered animals are often not sent to such Sanctuaries when they should be. Why? Because we live in a world where money is everything, and Zoos Make Money.

Zoos spend tons of money on their breeding programs when it is at least 50 times more expensive to maintain these animals in zoos than to protect the equivalent number of animals in the wild. Care about conservation? Put your money to better use. Using the money for conservation programs in the wild, such as by creating more protected reserves, will not only allow the animals to live in their natural habitat, but it also helps balance whole eco-systems.

Breeding Programs:

Breeding programmes are said to be in place for conservation, even though breeding animals in captivity and artificially inseminating them is hardly the best way to help conservation as mentioned above. These programs are really there primarily to ensure a captive population, not for reintroduction. Why? Well, behind the appearance of saving endangered species, the blatant fact remains; zoos are there to make money. They need to keep those cages full and just look at how many visitors Baby animals attract! Baby animals become powerful marketing tools.  

It is not uncommon for zoo babies to be rejected by their mothers. In some situations zoo keepers will step in and take care of the rejected babies, in other situations they choose to simply leave the babies to die.

Zoo keepers also choose to remove babies sometimes, even when their mothers have not rejected them. They do this to make the babies "better exhibit animals" meaning they are safer to work with and more at ease around people.

Surplus Animals:

Surplus animals are the unwanted animals left over when there is no more space. This is usually when zoos have bred yet another cute little baby to attract visitors. Sometimes these surplus animals are even the babies themselves when they've stopped being cute at the end of the season. 

Zoos have a systematic "overproduction" of animals. These surplus animals are either killed are are either fed to their fellow zoo habitants, or sold to other zoos or dealers.

Selling animals is a profitable way for zoos to dispose of them. Dealers will sell them to hunting ranches, pet shops, circuses, the exotic meat industry and research facilities. Surplus animals are also found for sale on the internet.

Conclusion... 

Every zoo is different and the information above may not apply to all zoos. I'm not saying all zoos are necessarily bad. Are most of them? Probably. But I'm not saying never go to a zoo, that will be your choice to make at your own discretion. Maybe you will choose to find out which Zoos actually care and are actually part of animal conservation, not just zoo breeders. 

Animal Sanctuaries are another good option. You may have to travel farther but it is definitely worth it. 

Think about what you are supporting when you visit zoos that mistreat their animals. If you truly love and care about animals, you will think about where you are going to see those favorite species before you jump to your nearest zoo.  

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

Want more?

http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/zfact1.htm

http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_cruelty/zoos.htm

http://www.bornfreeusa.org/a1b_zoocheck.php

http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/index.htm

http://www.zoocheck.com/

http://www.peta.org/issues/Animals-In-Entertainment/Animals-Used-for-Entertainment-Factsheets.aspx

"Wild Animals in Captivity" by Rob Laidlaw

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