My last post for the day will be discussing a current situation I am dealing with in my apartment.
My roommate and I got a betta fish last year when the Fall '09 semester started. It was mainly her fish and she took really, really good care of him until recently. I'm not blaming her at all, because I know she's been incredibly busy, but she has been neglecting him a tiny bit. His bowl wasn't cleaned as much as it should have been and I (and others) have noticed that he wasn't looking his best.
His fins were ripping and falling apart, his color was darker and more grey than deep blue, he barely ate, and he did nothing but lay at the bottom of his bowl. The first day I saw this I didn't think much of it, but a friend told me he was definitely sick. Now, many people told me, "don't worry about it, he's just a fish." But, my friends, a fish is still an animal, and I could not bear to see him looking so sad without at least trying to help him.
I studied up on fish illnesses and decided he had fin rot. I researched how to take care of this sickness and was in my car on the way to Petco in a flash. I bought a fungus eliminator designed to make bettas healthy again in no time. I also talked to the employee in the fish department about what I can do to make Fishy* (not his real name) happy and pretty again. As of the past week, I have been cleaning our fish's bowl every day and adding these fungus drops to the water. I've been feeding him less than previously to not overfeed him. Currently, Fishy* is still feeling ill, but he has been doing better every single day. I have felt so good working my hardest to make this fish healthy again. Seeing him eating and moving around a lot more makes my day every time.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Personal Experience 1: Saving Kitties!
So now I have a story to share with all of you.
A few years ago, I was good friends with a girl that I went to high school with (I'll keep her identity secret for the sake of privacy). I hung out at her house a lot, but I was rather shocked at the amount of pets she and her family owned. They had several dogs, a plethora of cats and kittens (none of which were spayed/neutered), as well as birds, fish, as well as several other smaller pets. Unfortunately, there were just too many cats for them to be properly taken care of (see my recent post on animal hoarding).
It made me really sad to see all these little kittens not being taken care of the way they should have been and sometimes even getting roughhoused by the dogs also living in the house. Although I am rather allergic to cats, I became attached to one of the kittens and convinced my grandmother to help me bring her home. She lived very happily with me for a few years, before my dad got remarried (to a woman with cat allergies), but now she is even happier living with my nanna. She has a few other cat friends to play around with and a wonderful woman taking care of her.
A few months after I got Annie, my friend Karen* (that I interviewed in the previous post), who is also allergic to cats, witnessed the sadness of the home these newborn kittens lived in. Though her mom wouldn't be happy with the new addition to her family, she convinced herself to bring Itty home. Thankfully, her mom was attached to him within days and Karen* once again did a great deed.
A few years ago, I was good friends with a girl that I went to high school with (I'll keep her identity secret for the sake of privacy). I hung out at her house a lot, but I was rather shocked at the amount of pets she and her family owned. They had several dogs, a plethora of cats and kittens (none of which were spayed/neutered), as well as birds, fish, as well as several other smaller pets. Unfortunately, there were just too many cats for them to be properly taken care of (see my recent post on animal hoarding).
It made me really sad to see all these little kittens not being taken care of the way they should have been and sometimes even getting roughhoused by the dogs also living in the house. Although I am rather allergic to cats, I became attached to one of the kittens and convinced my grandmother to help me bring her home. She lived very happily with me for a few years, before my dad got remarried (to a woman with cat allergies), but now she is even happier living with my nanna. She has a few other cat friends to play around with and a wonderful woman taking care of her.
A few months after I got Annie, my friend Karen* (that I interviewed in the previous post), who is also allergic to cats, witnessed the sadness of the home these newborn kittens lived in. Though her mom wouldn't be happy with the new addition to her family, she convinced herself to bring Itty home. Thankfully, her mom was attached to him within days and Karen* once again did a great deed.
Interview with a Fellow Animal Lover
Hi again,
I want the next few posts to be dedicated to testimonials and personal experiences dealing with animal abuse. I will be contributing some of my own experiences, but I also interviewed a friend, knowing she has been a witness of animal abuse and took an active role in making the abuse stop.
First, I'll give a bit of background information about her experiences with animals before I dive into the interview. Karen (not her real name) is 20 years old and was born in Clark's Summit, Pennsylvania. She has been an animal lover practically since birth and is going to school to eventually become a veterinarian. To help achieve this goal, she also previously worked at at vet's office for about five months! She has two dogs, a cat, two birds, and a lizard, not to mention the countless other pets she has had over the years. I am witness to the amazing devoted care she gives to each and every one of her pets, taking time out of her busy schedule (she's about to graduate with her associate's degree) to make sure they are all healthy and happy.
Let the interview commence:
Q: How do you feel about animal cruelty?
A: Animal cruelty is a horrific and unnecessary problem, which has the potential to be alleviated if people were more educated about owning an animal before they buy one, and also if everybody put together an effort to stop animal cruelty in their area. Reporting a case of animal cruelty is the first step to helping save animals around the country.
Q: Have you ever witnessed an animal being mistreated?
A: Yes, unfortunately I have witnessed an animal being mistreated.
Q: Give a brief description of what you saw/heard/etc.
A: There was a dog that belonged to someone who knew very little about owning and taking care of a dog. The dog was severely underweight, was infested with worms, and was beaten for peeing on the floor as a puppy. I witnessed his owner pick him up by the neck and throw him out of the front door.
Q: How did this make you feel?
A: What I witnessed made me very angry. Not treating worms can lead to serious health problems including suffocation of the heart. The dog was obviously emaciated, which a large factor was probably being infected with worms. And to try to potty “train” a puppy by beating them is completely unacceptable. I was outraged.
Q: What (if anything) did you do or consider doing to change these actions.
A: First off I yelled at the owner for treating his dog in such a way. I threatened to call animal control if he did not take the puppy to the vet to get his proper shots and worm treatment. I even offered to take the puppy out of his hands to try to find him a GOOD home. The puppy’s owner finally took him to the vet to get de-wormed and he began to gain weight. In this case this was someone who knew nothing about the responsibilities of owning a dog and should never have gotten one in the first place. I was glad to supply knowledge so he could take care of the little guy in the proper manner.
So here we see, firsthand, that one person CAN make a difference. I am proud to say this girl is my best friend because of all the wonderful things she does for those less capable than her. Thank you, Karen*, for your great input!
I want the next few posts to be dedicated to testimonials and personal experiences dealing with animal abuse. I will be contributing some of my own experiences, but I also interviewed a friend, knowing she has been a witness of animal abuse and took an active role in making the abuse stop.
First, I'll give a bit of background information about her experiences with animals before I dive into the interview. Karen (not her real name) is 20 years old and was born in Clark's Summit, Pennsylvania. She has been an animal lover practically since birth and is going to school to eventually become a veterinarian. To help achieve this goal, she also previously worked at at vet's office for about five months! She has two dogs, a cat, two birds, and a lizard, not to mention the countless other pets she has had over the years. I am witness to the amazing devoted care she gives to each and every one of her pets, taking time out of her busy schedule (she's about to graduate with her associate's degree) to make sure they are all healthy and happy.
Let the interview commence:
Q: How do you feel about animal cruelty?
A: Animal cruelty is a horrific and unnecessary problem, which has the potential to be alleviated if people were more educated about owning an animal before they buy one, and also if everybody put together an effort to stop animal cruelty in their area. Reporting a case of animal cruelty is the first step to helping save animals around the country.
Q: Have you ever witnessed an animal being mistreated?
A: Yes, unfortunately I have witnessed an animal being mistreated.
Q: Give a brief description of what you saw/heard/etc.
A: There was a dog that belonged to someone who knew very little about owning and taking care of a dog. The dog was severely underweight, was infested with worms, and was beaten for peeing on the floor as a puppy. I witnessed his owner pick him up by the neck and throw him out of the front door.
Q: How did this make you feel?
A: What I witnessed made me very angry. Not treating worms can lead to serious health problems including suffocation of the heart. The dog was obviously emaciated, which a large factor was probably being infected with worms. And to try to potty “train” a puppy by beating them is completely unacceptable. I was outraged.
Q: What (if anything) did you do or consider doing to change these actions.
A: First off I yelled at the owner for treating his dog in such a way. I threatened to call animal control if he did not take the puppy to the vet to get his proper shots and worm treatment. I even offered to take the puppy out of his hands to try to find him a GOOD home. The puppy’s owner finally took him to the vet to get de-wormed and he began to gain weight. In this case this was someone who knew nothing about the responsibilities of owning a dog and should never have gotten one in the first place. I was glad to supply knowledge so he could take care of the little guy in the proper manner.
So here we see, firsthand, that one person CAN make a difference. I am proud to say this girl is my best friend because of all the wonderful things she does for those less capable than her. Thank you, Karen*, for your great input!
Animal Fighting
Another issue that really needs to be discussed is animal fighting. We all remember Michael Vick's conviction in 2007 for fighting pit bulls in Philadelphia, so I feel like this is an easy topic for people to relate to. This is a serious problem, especially for dogs like pit bulls.
Dogfighting is when people have tournaments between dogs (generally pit bulls) where the dogs fight to the death, sometimes with tens of thousands of dollars at stake. The dogs are trained to be incredibly aggressive and nasty. This is where the stigma that pit bulls are mean dogs has come from. On the contrary, when raised well, pit bulls can actually be really sweet dogs and they make wonderful pets. Unfortunately, every time I have gone to an animal shelter, I have noticed that pit bulls are the vast majority of unwanted animals. Nobody wants this beautiful and friendly dogs because they are so supposed to be so mean.
Thankfully, there are several campaigns working towards abolishing this disgusting behavior. The Humane Society has launched three main campaigns (End Dogfighting Chicago, End Dogfighting Atlanta, and even End Dogfighting Philadelphia) that launch new law enforcement programs, pit bull training programs, and humane education curriculums to eventually rid the world of dog fighting.
To donate to this awesome cause, go here!
Dogfighting is when people have tournaments between dogs (generally pit bulls) where the dogs fight to the death, sometimes with tens of thousands of dollars at stake. The dogs are trained to be incredibly aggressive and nasty. This is where the stigma that pit bulls are mean dogs has come from. On the contrary, when raised well, pit bulls can actually be really sweet dogs and they make wonderful pets. Unfortunately, every time I have gone to an animal shelter, I have noticed that pit bulls are the vast majority of unwanted animals. Nobody wants this beautiful and friendly dogs because they are so supposed to be so mean.
Thankfully, there are several campaigns working towards abolishing this disgusting behavior. The Humane Society has launched three main campaigns (End Dogfighting Chicago, End Dogfighting Atlanta, and even End Dogfighting Philadelphia) that launch new law enforcement programs, pit bull training programs, and humane education curriculums to eventually rid the world of dog fighting.
To donate to this awesome cause, go here!
Hoarding
Hey there!
In my last post, I talked a bit about animal neglect and abandonment, so I decided that I'm going to briefly discuss other forms of animal cruelty for those of us that may be new to this topic.
I chose animal hoarding to discuss next because it is a really common issue that cannot always be solved.
Animal Hoarding
Animal hoarding, according to The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC) is defined as
Animal Planet has a show right now called "Confession: Animal Hoarders" that shows a lot of really clear cut examples of this form of inadvertent cruelty. What I have discovered from watching a few episodes is that most hoarders don't realize the effects their extreme desire to own pets may have on the creatures they love so much.
Hoarding clip
It shows Shelley, a woman with an intense love for cats (she owns 65 of them) and the issues she has in caring for all of them.
Unfortunately, many states do not have clear cut laws on how many animals are allowed in a household. According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, there needs to be intended cruelty involved in the hoarding for any witnesses to take action.
I feel like this needs to change. In order to convict animal hoarders for the problems they are inducing in their household, to their pets, and in some cases, even their neighbors, laws need to be generated that state how many pets a household can ably care for and afford. However, I think this is a difficult thing to determine. There are people I know with 10 pets that are incredibly busy and still have time to care for all of their animals, but then there are others that own 2 pets and care barely manage either of them. I would like to discuss this in more context at our next meeting to see what sort of ideas we can come up with.
In my last post, I talked a bit about animal neglect and abandonment, so I decided that I'm going to briefly discuss other forms of animal cruelty for those of us that may be new to this topic.
I chose animal hoarding to discuss next because it is a really common issue that cannot always be solved.
Animal Hoarding
Animal hoarding, according to The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC) is defined as
* Having more than the typical number of companion animals
* Failing to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in illness and death from starvation, spread of infectious disease, and untreated injury or medical condition
* Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling
* Persistence, despite this failure, in accumulating and controlling animals.
Animal Planet has a show right now called "Confession: Animal Hoarders" that shows a lot of really clear cut examples of this form of inadvertent cruelty. What I have discovered from watching a few episodes is that most hoarders don't realize the effects their extreme desire to own pets may have on the creatures they love so much.
Hoarding clip
It shows Shelley, a woman with an intense love for cats (she owns 65 of them) and the issues she has in caring for all of them.
Unfortunately, many states do not have clear cut laws on how many animals are allowed in a household. According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, there needs to be intended cruelty involved in the hoarding for any witnesses to take action.
I feel like this needs to change. In order to convict animal hoarders for the problems they are inducing in their household, to their pets, and in some cases, even their neighbors, laws need to be generated that state how many pets a household can ably care for and afford. However, I think this is a difficult thing to determine. There are people I know with 10 pets that are incredibly busy and still have time to care for all of their animals, but then there are others that own 2 pets and care barely manage either of them. I would like to discuss this in more context at our next meeting to see what sort of ideas we can come up with.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Abuse
Hi again!
I want to talk a little bit about different types of animal abuse to get this started. I found a statistics guide at this website with information about pet abuse that shows a yearly report of the abuse and cruelty committed in each U.S. state. This year alone there have been 674 cases of animal abuse in the country, with 34 cases in Pennsylvania alone!
The most common form of abuse in PA (and the rest of the U.S.) is neglect and abandonment, with 15 separate cases.
Neglect and abandonment is considered when an animal is not properly cared for (left sick or without food and water) or is left alone after its owners may move away or go on a period of absence from their home.
It is possible that many pet owners are simply ignorant of the great responsibility that comes with owning and maintaining an animal. I have also thought that maybe some owners just don't care. I think it happens all too often that animals are bought or adopted on the initial thought that they're pretty easy to take care of and "Oh hey! That one's cute! Let's get it!" There is no thought behind the idea of getting a pet. The best owners sit down and really think about the purchase they are about to make. Some criteria for being allowed to adopt an animal should be:
Do I have enough money to be able to feed, groom, and shelter this animal?
Have I taken into account initial veterinarian bills? Do I have the proper funds in case my new pet gets sick?
Do I and/or my family really have enough time to dedicate to this creature? Remember different animals need different amounts of exercise. If you work a 12 hour day and live alone, a Great Dane isn't the best animal for you.
Am I willing to dedicate myself to this animal as if it were my own child? There is a lot of maintenance involved with taking care of any pet.
I feel that if these aspects of getting a pet were more closely analyzed, more people would stop and realize that maybe they aren't ready to have a new animal.
I found a really good diagram (courtesy of HARC) that shows some criteria for proper animal care that I thought would go really well with this post. Check it out!
Something to think about: Don't judge a person based on how he treats his equals. Judge him on how he treats his inferiors.
I want to talk a little bit about different types of animal abuse to get this started. I found a statistics guide at this website with information about pet abuse that shows a yearly report of the abuse and cruelty committed in each U.S. state. This year alone there have been 674 cases of animal abuse in the country, with 34 cases in Pennsylvania alone!
The most common form of abuse in PA (and the rest of the U.S.) is neglect and abandonment, with 15 separate cases.
Neglect and abandonment is considered when an animal is not properly cared for (left sick or without food and water) or is left alone after its owners may move away or go on a period of absence from their home.
It is possible that many pet owners are simply ignorant of the great responsibility that comes with owning and maintaining an animal. I have also thought that maybe some owners just don't care. I think it happens all too often that animals are bought or adopted on the initial thought that they're pretty easy to take care of and "Oh hey! That one's cute! Let's get it!" There is no thought behind the idea of getting a pet. The best owners sit down and really think about the purchase they are about to make. Some criteria for being allowed to adopt an animal should be:
Do I have enough money to be able to feed, groom, and shelter this animal?
Have I taken into account initial veterinarian bills? Do I have the proper funds in case my new pet gets sick?
Do I and/or my family really have enough time to dedicate to this creature? Remember different animals need different amounts of exercise. If you work a 12 hour day and live alone, a Great Dane isn't the best animal for you.
Am I willing to dedicate myself to this animal as if it were my own child? There is a lot of maintenance involved with taking care of any pet.
I feel that if these aspects of getting a pet were more closely analyzed, more people would stop and realize that maybe they aren't ready to have a new animal.
I found a really good diagram (courtesy of HARC) that shows some criteria for proper animal care that I thought would go really well with this post. Check it out!
Something to think about: Don't judge a person based on how he treats his equals. Judge him on how he treats his inferiors.
Welcome
Hi all!
This blog will substitute the typical website normally set up for groups and organizations. I think it will be a great way to share information and discuss different ideas we have to help our group along.
Let me start with this disclaimer: though I am considering making this an actual school organization, at this point in time it is not. All facts, statistics, opinions, etc. in this blog are real, but anything that may discuss group events, fundraisers, or meeting times is NOT REAL. I repeat, do not show up for any of these events (in the case that any get posted) because they are FALSE, FAKE, ERRONEOUS, etc, etc, etc!!!
With that said, allow me to introducing myself and our new group. I am Devan Parker and I am a junior at West Chester. Since I was young, I have been incredibly fond of all animals with an incredible inclination towards dogs. I have two of them: two beautifully sculpted labrador retrievers. I also have a cat named Annie.
I have created SPAAN for a school project (Activism and Advocacy...one of the greatest classes I have ever taken) that requires us to create or join a campaign that we may (or may not) have a particular interest in. I have chosen to focus on abolishing animal abuse and neglect in and around West Chester (for the purpose of a college group) but in reality, I would love to see this problem end everywhere.
So far, this organization is a group of one, but I am hoping a few friends are willing to join the cause, just for the sake of making my project look a little more feasible.
Follow me if you please!
Devan
This blog will substitute the typical website normally set up for groups and organizations. I think it will be a great way to share information and discuss different ideas we have to help our group along.
Let me start with this disclaimer: though I am considering making this an actual school organization, at this point in time it is not. All facts, statistics, opinions, etc. in this blog are real, but anything that may discuss group events, fundraisers, or meeting times is NOT REAL. I repeat, do not show up for any of these events (in the case that any get posted) because they are FALSE, FAKE, ERRONEOUS, etc, etc, etc!!!
With that said, allow me to introducing myself and our new group. I am Devan Parker and I am a junior at West Chester. Since I was young, I have been incredibly fond of all animals with an incredible inclination towards dogs. I have two of them: two beautifully sculpted labrador retrievers. I also have a cat named Annie.
I have created SPAAN for a school project (Activism and Advocacy...one of the greatest classes I have ever taken) that requires us to create or join a campaign that we may (or may not) have a particular interest in. I have chosen to focus on abolishing animal abuse and neglect in and around West Chester (for the purpose of a college group) but in reality, I would love to see this problem end everywhere.
So far, this organization is a group of one, but I am hoping a few friends are willing to join the cause, just for the sake of making my project look a little more feasible.
Follow me if you please!
Devan
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