Category Archives: Dogs

Every time I go to the humane society, there are usually one or two dogs that seem to tug at my heart just a bit too much. Every animal in there needs a little extra love, but some more than others. Yesterday, that pooch was Emerald, the sweetest coonhound you’ll ever meet.

Emerald was more than happy to take a walk with me, but she was equally happy just sitting in the kennel with me as I fed her yummy peanut butter infused snacks. If you’re looking to adopt, consider the Dane County Humane Society, or any shelter. Spread a little love!!

For more information on Emerald, click here.

And if you already own a dog and you haven’t already tried it, consider giving your pooch a KONG stuffed with yummy treats like peanut butter, canned pumpkin or mashed bananas. Emerald couldn’t get enough of her peanut butter filled KONG, even despite her cone of shame. Not only is it fun for dogs to work for their treats, but it’s a great way to keep them from getting bored when you’re gone. Check it out here.

[Image via Charm of the Carolines]

I just love animals so much I had to keep talking about them. Ha! Kidding (sort of, but not really).

As the snow begins to melt and the nights stay cold, slippery patches of ice seem to abound. And so then, does salt and other ice melts, which can be a toxic hazard to your pooch! Click here to learn the five things you need to know about ice melts, courtesy of the ASPCA.

And if that’s not enough, check out this Boston-based program that helps abandoned dogs and homeless people build trust, together!

Vivisection is the practice of surgically operating on animals while they are still alive, or more accurately, “performing invasive, intentionally mutilating or maiming surgeries on living animals.” I don’t know about you, but that sounds like animal cruelty to me.

Thomas Peter, Reuters

Last night I attended a lecture on the Ethics of Animal Experimentation, given by Dr. Lawrence Hansen, a professor of pathology at the University of California-San Diego. As a professor who works at an animal-research-intensive university, Dr. Hansen knows first-hand how cruelly animals can be treated in the research world, and he actually works to put an end to it. In fact, Dr. Hansen is also a proud member of PETA.

While Dr. Hansen had a lot of great points to make–most of them modeled off of this article that was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education–I was particularly intrigued by his mention of groupthink, which he claims, plays a large role in animal research.

In Dr. Hansen’s words, “groupthink is a mode of thought that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, where members striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.”

Essentially, Dr. Hansens was contending that scientific researchers only view animals as a means to an end rather than as ends in their own right, as we consider ourselves. However, it is Dr. Hansen’s thought, and mine as well, that the ends cannot justify the means if the means include cruelty to animals.

Even if you aren’t animal-obsessed like I am, just consider this point:

“People have a natural empathy for their fellow primates because we recognize ourselves in them. Most of us also recognize a special bond with dogs and cats, after 10,000 years of selective breeding have produced companion animals hard-wired to love humans.”

How can you hurt someone who is hard-wired to love you?

I promise that my daily posts will not become the sole outlet for me to wax poetic about how much I love my dog or how I think everyone on the planet should donate their time and money to a worthy animal cause, but after yesterday’s post about the Pedigree Foundation, I have more to say.

The ASPCA is currently hosting its 2011 My Furry Valentine Photo Contest. With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, I couldn’t help but enter my pooch, Frasier into the contest.

To enter: remember the moment you realized you and your furry (or finned or feathered) companion were meant to be together forever. Oh, and attach a prize-winning photo of your best friend too. Cute, no?! Puppy love at its finest.

Although I could have written pages about what a good (and at times, very strange) dog Frasier is, here’s my entry and the corresponding photo I sent in:

The moment Frasier’s wolfish blue eyes locked with mine nearly 12 years ago, I knew I had made a friend for life. It is when I left for college four years earlier, however, that I knew my innocent puppy had truly become a treasured member of the family. Each and every time I came home, Frasier acted like I had never left. His love for me never wavered. When I see him sitting at the front door waiting especially for me, and our eyes lock once again, I know he is mine forever.

If you’re interested in entering your own pet, click here for contest rules.