In honor of the New Year’s Eve celebrations for the end of 2007 I’ve tracked down the story of the Chinese New Year’s for you.  This great myth relates the story of how the animals of the Chinese zodiac got their placements in the yearly calendar.

I’m a wood rat according to the zodiac and I must say my sign is quite crafty!

Zodiac Story

 Long ago, in China, the Jade Emperor decided there should be a way of measuring time. On his birthday he told the animals that there was to be a swimming race. The first twelve animals across the fast flowing river would be the winners and they would each have a year of the zodiac named after them.  All the animals lined up along the river bank. The rat and the cat, who were good friends, were worried because they were poor swimmers. Being clever they asked the strong ox if he would carry them across the river.  'Of course' said the kind ox. 'Just climb on my back and I will take you across.'  The rat and the cat quickly jumped up and were very excited when the ox soon took the lead in the race. They had almost reached the other bank when the rat pushed the cat into the river leaving him to struggle in the water. Then just before the ox was about to win the race the rat leapt on his head and on to the bank to finish first.  'Well done,' said the Jade Emperor to the proud rat. 'The first year of the zodiac will be named after you.'  

The poor ox had been tricked into second place and the second year of the zodiac was named after him...

To read the rest of this story about the Chinese Zodiac head over to: http://www.topmarks.co.uk/ChineseNewYear/ZodiacStory.aspx

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In honor of the New Year’s Celebrations, I’ve found another doggy tale for readers to check out.  You’ll find this story of a dog finding his way home over at Martha Norwalk’s Animal World.  This story shows both the point of view of the dog and the people trying to save him.

A New Year’s Tale for Dog Lovers
from John & Sue Cox

first saw the old dog last spring while cycling the two-mile route, from my home to the trail head where I go mountain bike riding. The foothills where I cycle are a series of hard climbs and fast descents and I had just made the top of one hill and was poised for the fast 40 mph downhill when I saw his black and tan form. He was standing in an area that had been cleared by tractors during the annual brush removal mandated by Los Angeles City Fire Department.
 
Like many of the mixed breeds I've owned over the years and have seen during my work at shelters his breeding was indiscriminate. From the shape of his head and the feathering on his body, I surmised he might have had a Gordon Setter somewhere in his ancestry. From his body language I could tell he was a stray.
 
I must admit I was tempted to ride on. The long stretch of road was beckoning and a friend was waiting, but my heart has always been drawn to those in need, 2 and 4 legged, so I parked my bike and approached him slowly. He was an old dog, with a well worn collar around his neck. Once someone's pet, he had wandered away from his home or had been dumped when no longer wanted. As I approached, his tail wagged in a tentative manner and then as quick as he could he retreated to the bushes.

Now that you’re hooked on this story head over to http://www.marthanorwalk.com/stories/newyear.html to read the rest of it.

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In all of this New Year’s related cheer, I’ve put together my own set of resolutions for the pet owner.  These New Year’s Resolutions aren’t as funny as the cat resolutions I found online, but they’ll give you something to think about in the New Year.

1. I will take my pet to the veterinarian.  It’s easy to assume your pet is okay just because you don’t see any symptoms.  Be sure to take your pet into the veterinarian once a year for a regular check up.
2. I will play with my pet more often.  Playtime not only makes your pet happy, it also exercises your pet.  So spend a few extra hours each week playing with your pet and you’ll have a healthy pal for life.
3. I will get a flea collar and preventative flea medicine this spring.  Your cats and dogs suffer a lot during the flea season.  Be proactive in picking up flea medicine this spring and using it regularly to keep those little buggers from getting a foot hold.
4. I will clean my pet every couple of months.  Whether you clean your pet more often or less often, every couple of months is the general guideline.  Washing too much removes protective oils and not enough can leave your pet dirty and smelly.
5. I will get pet health insurance.  You can get health insurance for your pet for as little as $10 a month.  There are also pet savings accounts that you can place money into for your pet’s exams and more.  Plus, you never know when the dog will swallow a toy.

Paying more attention to your pet is the biggest resolution you can make in 2008.  Make this the year you really bond with your best pal and family friend.

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Well, Yesterday I posted a Cat’s New Year’s Resolutions.  Today, I’m posting a Cat’s New Year’s Eve Party tail.  This cute story is told by a commenter who attended the party of Tarragon and Cilantro and found out that a cat can be quite the lush.

I found this tail in a discussion board thread at Pet Forum for Dogs, Cats and Humans, but here is a short excerpt to whet your curiosity.

Tarragon and Cilantro's New Year's Eve Party 

 

Tarragon was ecstatic to see Michael, after all they’ve been separated for 8 complete days, and decide he was going to be his co-host. So, while Michael & Tarragon were at the door to meet and greet, Robyn and I had Skittles & Cilantro, who were quite content to sit on our laps, and have everyone come to them to be adored & fussed over.:queen:

Tarragon was so excited all these people came just to see him to wish him a Happy New Year – he didn’t know what to do first, he was running from person-to-person, lap-to-lap, shoulder-to-shoulder and then he discovered the bar! (It’s sad to say, but my little Tarragon is turning into a lush…I’m starting him in a rehab program if this keeps up.) The bartender, not knowing any better, gave Tarragon a wine cork to play with. The next think we knew Tarragon had dropped it in a Martini that was on the bar and was “bobbing for apples” trying to get it back out. The owner of the drink took it out for him, but it was too late – Tarragon wanted the cat toy (olive) at the bottom of the Martini. When he wasn’t allowed, Tarragon picked up his wine cork and went on to the next unsuspecting person.

To read the rest of this kitty story follow the link to: http://www.pets.ca/forum/archive/index.php/t-22608.html. 

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Hopefully we are all looking forward to the New Year’s Celebrations as a chance to look over our lives in the past year and come up with goals for self-improvement.  That includes the pets too!

This isn’t exactly a story about New Year’s, but I thought you would enjoy reading up on some of your cat’s own New Year’s Resolutions.  I found these funny goals at I-Pets.com http://www.i-pets.com/hdogcat8.html for the full list of cat resolutions click the link to head over to their post.

A Cat’s New Years Resolutions

 My human will never let me eat her pet hamster, and I am at peace with that.  I will not puff my entire body to twice its size for no reason after my human has finished watching a horror movie.  I will not slurp fish food from the surface of the aquarium.  I must not help myself to Q-tips, and I must certainly not proceed to stuff them down the sink's drain.  I will not eat large numbers of assorted bugs, then come home and puke them up so the humans can see that I'm getting plenty of roughage.  I will not lean way over to drink out of the tub, fall in, and then pelt right for the box of clumping cat litter. (It took FOREVER to get the stuff out of my fur.)  I will not stand on the bathroom counter, stare down the hall, and growl at NOTHING after my human has finished watching The X-Files.  I will not use the bathtub to store live mice for late-night snacks.  I will not perch on my human's chest in the middle of the night and stare into her eyes until she wakes up.

There’s a bunch more of these funny New Year’s Resolutions.  Now all you have to do is get your cat to follow them!

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This true story happened to my husband, me and our 18-year-old daughter on New Year's Day, 2001. We had borrowed a digital camera from a friend to take some pictures of my daughter to put on the computer and send to relatives. It's the kind of digital camera that stores the photos directly onto floppy diskettes. My husband reached into a brand-new box of floppy diskettes we had just bought and started to take photos of my daughter. She posed in different areas, and in one shot sat on the floor by our bar. This area was the place our little female fox terrier named "Sister" had her bed and always slept. It was her favorite place. We had to have Sister put to sleep in March, 2000. It was a very sad day for us all.

When we finished taking the photos, we put the floppy disk into the computer and brought up the picture files. Normally, all these files just have a number beside them like "MCV624" or something like that. We were all looking at the computer monitor when we noticed the last picture listed read "Sister"! We all shouted, "What?!" We just took that photo on a new disk and no one could have put the word "Sister" on that file!

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A Special Christmas

"Where’d the cookies go? They were here a minute ago!" my sister Sylvia shouted from the living room. It was Christmas Eve and she was crouched under the artificial tree, staring at an empty dish resting on the tree skirt. A few crumbs were visible, but otherwise, there was little trace of what had been there. Only a short while earlier, our mother had set a dish of crunchy oatmeal raisin cookies under the tree. She had made them for Santa Claus. But someone had gotten to the treats before Ol’ Saint Nick had a chance to shimmy down the chimney. It didn’t take us long to finger the culprit.

Sunshine, my sister’s pet Chihuahua/terrier mix, was licking her chops as she came trotting from under the tree. She was dressed for the holidays, sporting a green and red doggie sweater with her name embroidered in cursive across the chest and a metallic red Christmas bow on her collar. Our mother had purchased the sweater for Sunshine by special order.

"Sunshine!" my sister scolded the dog as she scooped her into her arms. “I can’t believe you ate all of those cookies. They’ll hurt your tummy.” But Sunshine didn’t show any remorse. She simply gazed affectionately at my sister and seemed pleased that she’d discovered the treasure under the tree.

Sunshine had that same look of discovery in her eyes a few years earlier on the day that my sister first saw her. Sylvia was a college freshman, living by herself in a studio apartment and had just finished classes for the afternoon. As she walked back to her apartment, she noticed a chubby little chocolate and caramel colored fur ball sitting on the sidewalk near her front door.

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Merry Christmas Eve All!  I hope you’ve been good boys and girls and pups this year.  To add to the festive spirit I’ll be posting about animal related Christmas stories over the next couple of days. 

I found this first one on Craigslist.  It’s posted by an anonymous writer with a heart of gold.  You’ll love this very simple, “Letters to a Dog" but be prepared to read it with a tissue handy.

I’ll start you off with an excerpt, but be sure to follow the title link to read the rest.

January 6

Dear Dog,
I saw you today for the first time, just a couple houses from my own. The school bus stopped to let out your kids, and your mom opened the front door to let you run out and greet them. You are a wiggly, bouncy and happy little puppy with a full belly and a shiny coat. Your kids grabbed you up, hugged you, held you and toted you inside. Your tail was wagging the entire time. I thought to my self, how sweet, what a way to end a long hard day. I spoke to your mom this evening and she said that they got you from the Animal Shelter, and the kids named you Lucky.

March 10

Dear Lucky,
I saw you today as I always do on my way home from work. You were already outside to greet the kids today, which seemed a little odd. The little girl got off the bus and shooed you away; she appeared to not want you jumping on her. The boy got off the bus and gave you a quick playful pat on the head, then smelled his hand and brushed you aside. You looked confused and sad, as you went to lie by the porch. You curled up in a tight ball on the cold ground and let out a huge sigh. My heart felt heavy that day.

March 21

Dear Lucky,
I saw you today. I was headed home, and the kids got off the bus, walked to the house, and you ran out as far as you could on your heavy chain to let them know you were there. The little girl ignored you, the little boy told you to be quiet, when you barked for his attention. My neighbor commented that they needed to do something with your barking because you keep them up at night. You had a bucket of water and a bowl of food, a relatively nice doghouse, but your eyes were sad and empty. I shook my head and let out a huge sigh.

To finish this story head over to; http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/pet/516392844.html

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A pair of unregulated animal breeders are out of business in Maricopa County, Arizona.  The two breeders kept over 145 animals on their property and in their home until they were removed by the County Sheriff’s Department last May.  Previous to this removal of the animals, the sheriff’s department had been spending quite a bit of time out on the breeders property.  

Over the months leading up to the removal of the animals the sheriff’s office received complaints from families that purchased puppies from the breeders and noticed the deplorable conditions that the dogs lived in, and that complained when their pets ended up being quite sick.

Several buyers reported to the sheriff that their puppies had worms and a couple even had parvovirus.  The  couple, Daniel B. and Annette M., claim that they are innocent and are saying through their lawyer that they are animal lovers who at worst are guilty of having more animals than they could take care of.  

When the sheriff’s deputies went in to remove the animals from the couple’s home they found dogs crowded into kennels, some without water in their bowls, those with water were drinking a murky brown liquid.  There were dog cages stacked on top of each other in the kitchen.  Feces were everywhere in the house and dogs in some kennels had been sitting in their own urine for so long that they suffered burns from the acidity of it.  There was even a miniature pinscher giving birth to four puppies in the living room floor.  

After the animals were removed to the First Avenue Jail in Phoenix, Arizona where the County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a shelter for animals seized in cruelty cases about 60 more puppies were born.  Several of the dogs had been pregnant at the time of the removal.  This boosted the number of the animals in the cruelty case to over 200.    The veterinarians that looked at the animals also had to euthanize four puppies because of provirus.  

Since the removal, the shelter has found homes for most of the dogs.  However, there are still 24 animals at the shelter that need adopting.  They are mostly older dogs that are the most difficult to place in homes.  If you happen to live in the Maricopa County area feel free to drop in at the First Animal Jail in Phoenix to inquire about those dogs in the animal shelter.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1223puppymills1223.html

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An animal control officer is facing animal cruelty charges after a dog in her care was found to be malnourished and ill. 

Tanya Marocco, 36, is the animal control officer in Westbrook. and is also the manager at the Valley Shore Animal Welfare League.  She was charged Thursday with one count of animal cruelty after being arrested Wednesday on a warrant sought by the State Department of Agriculture.  The warrant resulted from the investigation into a malnourished dog held in her care at the animal welfare league facility on Horse Hill Road.

The Agriculture Commissioner F. Philip Prelli said Durham Veterinarian Steven Levy filed a complaint on November 22^nd after having treated the malnourished mixed-breed dog on the 19^th.  A volunteer with the animal welfare league brought the dog to the veterinarian’s Vet Hospital. 

The veterinarian reported that the dog’s ribs and pelvic bones were protruding and the dog was suffering from kennel cough and pneumonia.  Levy decided on examination to keep the dog at the animal hospital for medical treatment.  The veterinarian found with regular feeding the dog gained two pounds in two days.  By December 3^rd the dog had gained 10 pounds.  This ruled out the possibility that the dog was malnourished because of an infection, condition or even parasites. 

Investigators from the State Department of Agriculture did visit the rescue facility where the dog had been staying.  They reported that there didn’t seem to be any problems and the rest of the animals were doing find.  It’s really uncommon for them to see this kind of problem coming out of a welfare league. 

Marocco works part time there earning about $15,000 a year.  Since the arrest she has been suspended with pay by First Selectman Noel Bishop.  He stated that ‘I am extremely disappointed in what has occurred.”

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As we’re getting closer to the inevitable gift-giving season with Christmas many people are considering pets as a form of gift.  I would caution most anyone before picking up that super cute puppy for their loved one this holiday to make sure you put some thought into the gift. 

Many parents think it a special treat to give their kids a puppy or a kitten or some other animal to their kids for the holiday.  However, a young animal can be difficult to have around the house during this busy and hectic time of year.  Puppies and kittens don’t come trained so you’ll have to work hard to keep them from interrupting any holiday parties with ‘little gifts’. 

In addition, you can never be entirely certain how the person you are giving a pet to will respond to the gift.  Many times people just love puppies and kittens and such, especially if they’ve been hinting beforehand.  However, it’s also possible that you may find out that new girlfriend of yours is actually allergic to cats.  Uh-Oh!

You’ll need to be ready to take on that ‘gift’ pet as your own, just in case the giftee can’t really take on a pet.  So, if you can’t afford to be the primary caregiver of the pet, don’t assume that the giftee can. 

Christmas is quite the chaotic time too.  Lots of people come in and out of your home.  The children will be distracted by new games.  A young animal needs special, almost constant attention and care.  All of the chaos of the holidays can be upsetting to the new arrival leading to some less than endearing habits like chewing, wetting the floor and being destructive out of insecurity.  This can also make it hard for the giftee to bond with the sweet little bundle of joy. 

If you do really want to give an animal for the holiday, let your giftee know your plans before hand or tell him or her on Christmas day that your gift will involve heading to the pet shop or humane society to pick out a friend. 

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Winter is a dangerous time of year.  Even with all of our modern technology and devices we still fall prey to the cold and ice of the chilly season.  This is leading to an animal story to be sure. 

Mary Hartman, 91, of Portland, Oregon had fallen on a slippery patch of ice as she was walking to a neighbor’s house to deliver a batch of cookies.  In the fall, she managed to break her shoulder, wrist and injured her hip.  Unable to get up, she was also hidden from view by a snow bank in front of the sidewalk.  Hartman tried weakly to call for help, but her calls were so soft that no one heard.  She lay on the sidewalk for an hour concealed from view.

Well, there was someone who could hear Hartman’s cries.  A smart Jack Russell Terrier mix by the name of Taz picked up on the sound of Hartman’s voice.  He lived with another neighbor, Judy Sawatzki. 

Taz realized that Hartman was in trouble and kept running to the window inside Sawatzki’s house and back to his owner.  He whined, he barked and consistently stuck to the window.  Sawatzki finally let Taz outside where he ‘shot’ down the driveway with Sawatzki chasing after and led the woman to her injured neighbor.  Hartman, realizing that help was near, managed to find the strength to raise her head just above the snow bank that concealed her.   

Hartman is now recovering at a local hospital.  Taz the terrier mix is even more appreciated by his owner.  He himself had been rescued by Sawatzki about 3 months ago when she took in the loveable little stray.

Source: http://www.kptv.com/family/14890093/detail.html

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For two years a Black swan in Muenster, Germany by the name of Petra was in love with a plastic pedal boat in the shape of a swan.  She never left its side.  Petra was enamored of the pedal boat and became famous amongst the tourists for her adoration. 

Then a new rival came on the scene.  This past year, Petra the Black Swan has been courted by a white swan.  He or she seems to have won Petra over and the love affair with the pedal boat is now over.  The director of the Zoo in Muenster, Joerg Adler said that the pair of contrasting swans now does everything together; they swim together, eat together and are virtually inseparable.  I suppose, that Petra has finally found a swan to give her everything the plastic pedal boat wouldn’t or couldn’t. 

The new relationship didn’t get off to a sudden start.  The young mute swan appears to have started courting Petra at the lake where she stays in the summer and then followed her to the zoo in Muenster where she stays in the winter via a canal which connects the two places.  Joggers and yachtsmen on the lake had reported noticing Petra leave the pedal boat for a few hours on several occasions in early December, an unheard of event in Petra’s usual devotion to the pedal boat. 

Experts say that it’s not unheard of for animals of different species to fall in love.  They don’t want to be left alone and can become more open-minded about their love affairs.  So, Petra made the choice to go from one creature outside of her species (the pedal boat) to another when she shacked up with the mute swan.  They are having a bit of trouble deciding if Petra’s new friend is male or female since the difference in gender can’t be seen in younger mute swans. 

Source: http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=nw20071217230318211C585149

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Cold weather season results in a lot of animal cruelty cases, since the act of leaving your pet out in the cold without shelter can cause hypothermia and even death.  However, there is a case in Winnipeg that is just plain cold.  

Mom, Kelly Minski, and daughter, Kristyn heard the cries of a very weak and desperate cat under a bridge in North Kildonan last Friday afternoon.  They followed the cries under the bridge and there they found a crate that had been nailed shut.  The mewling cries came from inside the crate.  Kelly Minski believes that the cat, an 11-month old kitten had been placed inside the crate which was nailed shut and left under the Chief Peguis bridge to die in the freezing cold.  

They were able to open the crate up and lift the tabby cat up out of it.  Minski noted that when she lifted up the cat it was very emaciated, all she could feel were bones under his fur.  Minski and her daughter took the cat to the Winnipeg Humane Society for some special care.

Apparently the cat has made an impression on the humane society staff in it’s short stay because he has been named, TLC by the staff in reference to all of the ‘tender, loving, care’ that the tabby has received for his trials.  The staff report that TLC is lucky and appears to have gotten away without any long-term damage for his stint in the box.  He’s now available for adoption, although there is some impression that the Minski family may go ahead and adopt the young cat.  Whomever brings this little guy into their home, both he and the family will have gotten a wonderful holiday gift.

I guess there is a little warmth to this story after all.

Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/story/4093990p-4691930c.html

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Like those glow-in-the-dark fish?  Now, South Korean scientists have cloned some glow-in-the-dark Cats.  They've managed to get some cloned Turkish Angora Cats to glow an eerie red color in the dark after they've first been exposed to ultraviolet light.  It's sort of like charging up your glow-in-the-dark tee shirts or bracelets or those star stickers you place on the ceiling of a child's bedroom before turning off the lights.  

Since the cats are covered in fur, the only places you can see the eerie glow is around their ears, nose and other place where they have little or no fur.  I suppose if they tried this with those hairless cats their entire bodies would glow.  

The South Korean team of scientists grew a red flourescence gene using viruses and then injected the genetic material into eggs which then contained the glow-in-the-dark gene.  

The team is led by Kong Il-keun at Gyeongsang National University is an animal cloning expert and said that the cats would be used for genetic research.  This is an important announcement for the South Korean scientific community after it took a hit in 2006 when two papers on human embryonic stem cells by scientist Hwang Woo-suk were found to have been based on fake data.

I'm not sure about this whole glow-in-the-dark cat thing.  It seems unecessary and pointless since they are mostly covered in fur which doesn't glow in the dark.  Also, pictures of the cats in the dark kind of remind me of those little gremlins in the movie of the same name.  It would probably scare me to death if my cat jumped into bed in the middle of the night glowing like that.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKSP8875720071214

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When Lucy was alive we used to make it a point to try and fix up or buy a great Christmas present for her each year.  I imagine a lot of dog and cat owners like to leave their pets a little something under the Christmas tree during the holidays.  That is, for pets who don’t suddenly decide it would be great fun to climb the new natural evergreen tree you’ve picked out and decorated for the holidays…

Cats love catnip for the holidays and dogs love, well, leftovers.  You could also pick up a bag of those tasty doggy treats for your pet to rip into on Christmas day.  Do be careful which brands you buy though, because so many companies have had problems with contaminated foods and treats.

If you have a pet that loves to chew on things, then a chew toy is an excellent choice for a gift.  Cats don’t chew as much, but you can still count on them to bat things around and scratch on the furniture if they still have their claws. Tinkle balls and scratching posts make wonderful kitty gifts.  Or you could use the holiday season as a time to spring for that new kitty litter box your feline friend has been going on about.  Plus a bag of premium kitty litter…

Clothing for the pet is a really big item these days.  People just love dressing up their pets.  Not to mention going as far as putting a wig on them.  We’ve gone as far as making up a little rain jacket for our pet pooch, under the guise of staying warm and dry in cold weather.  If you plan on buying some clothing for your pet, make sure you get right size.  You don’t want to strangle your pet with love.  Plus, make sure you can easily put on and remove the clothing you plan on giving as a gift to your pet for the holiday.

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Those looking forward to a wonderful holiday ride through Central Park in New York, will be concerned to find that the city council is considering a ban on horse-drawn carriage rides.  

The ban will effect carriage rides through Central Park and is in response to a number of recent traffic accidents involving horse drawn carriages.  

One New York City Council member, Tony Avella, (Democrat) is the man who proposed the ban on Tuesday.  Avella has long fought to end the practice that is very popular with tourists visiting the city.  He calls it inhumane and incompatible with traffic-clogged midtown Manhattan.  His ban is supported by a variety of animal rights groups.

An accident involving a horse drawn carriage occurred in September.  The horse was spooked by some street musicians and ran.  It’s carriage became wedged between a tree and a pole and the horse fatally injured itself trying to get free.  It later died.  This was the second of two serious accidents involving horses in less than two years according to Avella.

However, the Horse and Carriage Association of New York is put out.  They are calling the proposed ban a publicity stunt and are defending their record as a 100-year-old working class industry.  They claim to be considered 100 percent humane by all licensed animal welfare groups and agencies.  Carolyn Daly, a spokeswoman for the association stated that the horses are extremely well cared for and extremely loved.  

I just say that if Avella claims to be supported by a number of animal rights groups and the Horse and Carriage Association of New York also claims to be considered 100% humane, one of these two have got to be lying.  I guess we’ll see who it is when the ban gets more news coverage.  On a side note, it is unclear how much support the ban has in the 51 member city council.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKN1153018220071211

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I’ve another dirty story to tell you guys.  Yesterday, I wrote about one new use for animal poop that’s recommended by the government.  Today, I write about a great new holiday gift of rare animal poop. 

The International Rhino Foundation auctioned four pieces of rare rhino dung on eBay.  The four pieces of rhino dung sold in four separate auctions.  They are from four of the five types of Rhinoceros on earth.  The white rhino, black rhino, Indian rhino and Sumatran.  It seems the foundation tried to obtain a piece of dung from the Javan rhino, but it is so rare that a sample could not be collected. 

If you were looking for a great holiday gift to give that special someone, you should have gotten online and placed your bid on a fine piece of rhino dung.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving.   Successful bidders gave money to help the International Rhino Foundation and everyone involved was helping to raise awareness of the plight of these five species of Rhino. 

The final results of the bidding will be posted on the foundation’s website at www.rhinos-irf.org so be sure to check it out over the next few days.  As of last Thursday the bidding had been light.  The top bid was for the Sumatran rhino dung coming in at $500, then there was the Black rhino dung at $255, next was the Indian rhino dung at $250 and finally the white rhino dung at $122.50.

The foundation is based at the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Florida.  If you are sad about missing out on this great holiday rhino dung auction, you can still give the gift of a rhino.  Yep, you can adopt a rhino for your loved ones with a donation of only $30.  This will feed and care for a rhino for 2 days.  Your loved one will receive an adoption certificate and a photo and bio of the rhino, plus regular updates of the rhino and IRF’s work to protect and conserve rhinos worldwide.

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Interestingly, pet droppings can be used in the fight against drugs.  The US government is encouraging people to disguise their old prescription drugs in unpleasant substances when they go to throw them out.

Many times, people will go through others garbage in order to find your prescription drugs.  In addition, your teens can root through the garbage cans in your house and pull out unused medication when you throw it away.  Samhsa (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) has stated that 1 in 5 of teens report intentionally misusing someone else’s prescription drugs to get high.  So you’ve got to be careful about how you dispose of your old medications.

Samhsa is actually the organization that now recommends people mix their old medications with undesirable substances under a pilot program that is looking for ways that people can safely dispose of their unused drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration recommended that people flush some of their most dangerous prescription medications down the toilet.  This includes addictive painkillers such as oxycodene.

However, environmentalists have worried about the effects these drugs could have on fish and amphibians.

Samhsa suggests that people mix their drugs with things like coffee grounds or kitty litter and place that inside impermeable, nondescript containers like empty cans or sealable bags.  This will certainly help disguise the drugs and make them unpleasant for people to think about using.  

So even if you don’t drink coffee, you probably have a pet and that pet needs to be cleaned up after.  Next time you clean out the cage of your ferret, rat, hamster or other small pet, you can remember to throw out your unused prescription drugs with the droppings. 

If you have a pet dog, you may have to remember to take those old prescription pills with you on that daily walk.  Then you can throw them out with the doggy bags.

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=278&objectid=10479674

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What will happen to the circus animals in Britain?  In days long past the circuses in Britain used to be filled with animals that performed tricks, jumped through hoops and scared the crowds. 

Now, many animal welfare campaigners including the RSPCA have been urging the government to ban the wild animals in the circuses on the basis that it’s undignified and wrong to force an animal to perform as entertainment.

In addition many circus environments lack the proper space to care for these large animals and there is some history of trainers mistreating the animals.

The Great British Circus is the biggest animal circus in the United Kingdom.  It is also the only circus that still uses lions and tigers in its shows.  The owner of this circus says that the animals are fine with their workspace.  Lion trainer, Martin Lacey stated, ‘Circus animals have a very mentally and physically stimulating day, rather like police dogs and police horses who at the end o