❀ The Good News ❀

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Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

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U.S. Steps Up to Help White Rhinos Rebound From the Brink of Extinction

In response to the poaching crisis that continues to threaten rhinos, the U.S. has announced the southern white rhino will now be getting protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Four of the five rhino species still living in the wild–including the black, Sumatran, Indian and Javan rhinos–are already fully protected as endangered under the ESA.

Unfortunately for white rhinos, who live mainly in South Africa and have been left without protection and destructive genetic testing, it’s difficult or impossible to tell the difference between their horns and horn products with those that come from protected species. This loophole has allowed traffickers to get away with mislabeling products to avoid restrictions on sales and transport, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

Thanks to this move, white rhinos will be immediately protected under the “similarity of appearance” provision of the ESA, which is intended to “aid international law enforcement efforts to fight poaching and crack down on trafficking in rhino horn.” There will now be a total ban on importing products made from rhinos into the U.S., in addition to a ban on the sale or offer for sale in interstate commerce of white rhinos.

(Read more) 

A female elephant calf has been born to the elephant Flying Squad in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park.

The calf’s mother is part of an elite team of critically endangered Sumatran elephants that help protect communities from conflict with wild elephants. Four births have been recorded since the squad was established by WWF and the Indonesia Ministry of Forests in 2004. 

This Flying Squad consists of four trained adult elephants and eight elephant handlers called mahouts, which are deployed to drive wild elephants back into the forest when they stray into nearby villages or farms. As elephant habitat shrinks, the animals become more likely to raid crops for food. 

Read the full story to learn more about the Flying Squad as a highly successful model for reducing conflict between people and elephants in a way that is safe for everyone

Victory! CA Governor Signs Law To Protect Mountain Lions

As a result of the public outcry that ensued after the unjustified and tragic shootings by wardens of an adult mountain lion and then later of two four-months old, merely 13-pound bobcat kittens, this landmark legislation is now in place to protect mountain lions in California.

This much-needed law prevents California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens from killing lions that venture into populated areas unless they pose an urgent public safety threat. It also authorizes the department to work with rescue and other nongovernmental groups in capturing, tranquilizing or relocating the animals. This teamwork between the agency and local experts is exactly what IDA advocated after the tragic shooting of a young male mountain lion in Santa Monica CA, in May of last year.

IDA sends a heartfelt thanks to their friends at the Mountain Lion Foundation, who guided these efforts, to Senator Jerry Hill, who introduced this important legislation, and equally importantly, to all the CA supporters, who signed IDA's alert and helped make this legislation to protect mountain lions a reality!

Good News: Help for the Greater sage-grouse is on the way‏

It took nearly two years of legal wrangling, but it looks like the federal government is finally prepared to introduce emergency protections for Canada’s endangered Greater sage-grouse.

The announcement is a welcome breath of fresh air to a case that’s been mired in secrecy, delays and procedural roadblocks. In fact, our efforts may well have helped set another important legal precedent. To our knowledge, this is the first time Ottawa has explicitly stated its intention to introduce emergency protections for an endangered species.

(Read more and how you can help) 

IDA's Hope Animal Sanctuary Rescues Baking Dogs

On Thursday, August 29th, IDA-HAS received an urgent plea from the Coffeeville, MS Police Department asking for assistance for dogs confined in metal sheds in 101 degree weather. IDA-HAS Director Doll Stanley responded to the call.

Earlier in the day, Coffeeville PD officers had responded to a "dogs at large" report. Two young adult dogs had escaped from the yard where the other dogs were imperiled. The officers made the discovery when they attempted to meet with the property residents, who had been in court earlier in the year for non-compliance with an animal ordinance.

When Stanley arrived, officers had obtained a seizure order and the dogs were freed from the deplorable conditions they'd been kept in. Stanley will file cruelty charges and the Mississippi Animal Rescue League is aiding with the care of the dogs, one of whom had to be sedated for transport. 

IDA India - Success With Dog and Cat Adoptions

The IDA India team has developed strategies for ensuring good adoptions of local stray dogs and cats, slowly learning over the years that foster care really works to keep small animals healthy and growing well under individual care. Most of the little ones thrive under foster care while receiving timely medical treatment and good nutrition, and they also adjust well to a home environment.

The team then goes all out for adoption. Charming pictures are posted, advertisements are published, helpful other non-governmental organizations and friends are contacted to try and get good homes for each dog or cat who is ready for his or her new guardian. Adoptions of our local dogs and cats show a definite upward trend, and this is what the IDA India team works for all the time.

Victory! New Rule Brings Internet Puppy Breeders under Federal Oversight

Every year, thousands of puppies are sold over the Internet and shipped to consumers like any other product. Websites advertising happy, healthy puppies commonly conceal a grim reality: They’re often fronts for puppy mills—large-scale, commercial breeding operations that rear dogs in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions with complete disregard for the animals’ wellbeing.

All of this happens hidden from public view because outdated laws haven’t applied to Internet breeders. Until now.

Now, the USDA has stepped into the Internet age by issuing a rule that brings breeders selling animals to consumers sight-unseen under the regulatory umbrella of the Animal Welfare Act. That means for the first time, USDA inspectors will be laying eyes on animals who have been ignored for too long.

For more information about puppy mills and to see the conditions captured by USDA inspectors, please visit NoPetStorePuppies.com.   

Goods News about Toxic Chemicals!

Earlier this month, industry giant Procter & Gamble promised to phase out triclosan and DEP (a phthalate) from products worldwide. Following that announcement, just last week Walmart U.S., the largest retailer in the United States, launched a “Policy on Sustainable Chemistry in Consumables” , laying out their plans to phase out key toxics and to improve ingredient disclosure. 

In its announcement, Walmart U.S. committed to reducing or eliminating 10 chemicals in the products it sells and also for its suppliers to disclose the ingredients in their products. Suppliers will be required to provide online public ingredient disclosure by January 2015. 

Both of these announcements happened because of the efforts of people like you. This is a sign that companies are listening.

(Read more and check out how You can get involved!) 

Free the CBC Ad Campaign making waves!

The FRIENDS' Free the CBC campaign to deter Stephen Harper from abusing his new power in Bill C-60 (to take control of CBC journalists' working conditions) is working! 

Paul Allen Research has demonstrated that the first volley of TV ads aired in August have been highly effective. One-in-five Canadian adults have already seen The Man Behind the Desk ad – and they get the message.

And Nanos Research has found that 81% of Canadians want CBC to remain free from political interference vs. only 12% who approve of what Harper was trying to sneak through in Bill C-60.

(Read More and watch the Ad) 

Israel Provides Incentives to Hire and Promote Women

Even though the amount of Israeli women in the workplace has been rising, women are still paid less than men, given mostly part time jobs, and are not given senior positions at the same rate as men. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has now made it his goal to strengthen the involvement of women in the Israeli workplace. He solidified this goal by passing a new law that will give incentives to employers who employ and promote women and will help parents better balance their work lives and home lives. The Committee for the Advancement of the Women in the Workplace approved these new regulations on Monday, taking a huge step in the country toward equalizing women’s rights in the workplace.

(Read more) 

Yes on 522 Ad Airs on TV -- for the labelling of Genetically Engineered Foods

Goods new on the GMO Labelling food front! Check out the new ad and make sure everyone you know watches it by forwarding the link below to your friends in Washington..

(Check out the Video) 

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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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