Wildlife Stamps. Pet Safety. Shun Strawberry and Armani. Rabbits. Catfish. Turtles Rescued. New Name? Labor Day.

 

The Wildlife Stamp.  U.S. Postal Service to Help Save Vanishing Species.

Tiger Stamp Photo

"Cat-loving letter writers and bill payers alike can look forward to a new stamp to go on sale this fall, with proceeds from the stamp’s sale to benefit international wildlife conservation"

 

"The Save Vanishing Species stamp, which features an illustration of a tiger cub by artist Nancy Stahl, will go on sale in September 2011.  Net proceeds from the sale of the Save Vanishing Species stamp will directly benefit projects supported by the Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF), which are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve tigers, rhinos, great apes, marine turtles, African elephants and Asian elephants.

 

WCS helped lead the effort to pass federal legislation creating the stamp, which was signed into law last September. “This beautiful tiger stamp represents a tremendous opportunity for all Americans to help conserve the world’s most iconic species,” said John Calvelli, WCS’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “As an organization that works with the Fish and Wildlife Service, WCS knows that the conservation of imperiled species will be greatly enhanced by the infusion of more resources, especially through creative funding mechanisms such as the wildlife stamp that have no impact on the U.S. taxpayer.”

 

The Save Vanishing Species stamps will be available at post offices nationwide this September, as well as at WCS parks. They will sell for 11 cents greater than a First Class Mail stamp—55 cents—and $11 for a sheet of 20.

 

 

“This stamp marks the fourth semipostal issued by the Postal Service. These types of stamps provide an extremely convenient way for the American public to contribute to help protect threatened and vanishing species,” said Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman. “We look forward to working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Multinational Species Coalition to make this stamp a resounding success.” “The stamp provides a unique opportunity for the American public to work with the federal government to contribute to saving some of our most beloved threatened species,” said Herb Raffaele, Chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of International Conservation. “A commitment to the stamp will demonstrate that Americans really care about wildlife conservation abroad.” "

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Disaster Preparedness

 

Were you ready for Irene, or a similar disaster? Emergencies come in many forms, and they may require anything from a brief absence from your home to permanent evacuation. Each type of disaster requires different measures to keep your pets safe. The best thing you can do for yourself and your pets is to be prepared.

 

Step 1   Get a Rescue Alert Sticker This easy-to-use sticker will let people know that pets are inside your home. Make sure it is visible to rescue workers, and that it includes 1) the types and number of pets in your household; 2) the name of your veterinarian; and 3) your veterinarian's phone number. If you must evacuate with your pets, and if time allows, write "EVACUATED" across the stickers. To get a free emergency pet alert sticker for your home, please fill out our online order form ; please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Your local pet supply store may also sell similar stickers.

 

Step 2   Arrange a Safe Haven   DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND. Remember, if it isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your pets. They may become trapped or escape and be exposed to numerous life-threatening hazards.

Step 3   Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits

Step 4   Choose “Designated Caregivers”

Step 5  Evacuation Preparation Step 6  Geographic and Climatic Considerations

Special Considerations for Birds, Reptiles and Small animals. Complete article at: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/

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Strawberry at it AGAIN

Strawberry: Update, June 30, 2011

Dear Friend, "Thank you for taking action earlier this year to ask Strawberry, a leading New York-area retailer, to stop selling rabbit and other animal fur.

 

We've attempted several times to reach out to Strawberry about its 2010 winter sale of real animal-fur vests marked as "faux fur" and unlabeled sweaters trimmed with raccoon dog fur.

 

We hoped the company would do what is right and announce a fur-free policy for its stores. Unfortunately, they have not.

We need your help again! Please call A&E Stores at 1-201-393-0600 and ask to speak to a Strawberry representative, then follow up with a quick email.

Thanks for all you do for animals."  Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO

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Please do not buy ANY fur.  Shun Armani too.

Rabbits on fur farm scream during slaughter

 

"A disturbing new undercover exposé of rabbit fur farms on two different continents shows that rabbit slaughter, no matter why or where it occurs, is always cruel, and always unethical. The video, narrated by actor Gillian Anderson, shows rabbits kicking and screaming during slaughter. After the skin is ripped from the rabbits' bodies, it is sold to designers such as Giorgio Armani, who uses rabbit fur in his new designs.

 

The undercover investigations of rabbit fur farms in China and France, two countries from which Armani buys rabbit fur revealed pitiful living conditions for rabbits, who are confined to tiny wire cages before these sensitive, sentient animals are slaughtered.

 

In the video footage from the investigation, workers at the Chinese fur farm pull rabbits out of cages by their ears and shoot the screaming animals in the head with a handheld electrical device, often multiple times. Rabbits with cut throats can be seen twitching and shaking with their eyes wide open before they die."

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Skinned Alive - Cruel Catfish Slaughter Exposed

"A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation provides a startling glimpse into Catfish Farming. Behind the operation's jaunty name lies a grisly reality. From the water to the cutting table, fish are tortured -- suffocated, skinned and dismembered, all while conscious and feeling pain."

 

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Spring woman works to save animals from drought conditions

Turtle Release

Roberta Pitzak releases a group of soft-shelled turtles Tuesday on a sandy bank of Lake Conroe.




 

A group of soft-shelled turtles swim in the bottom of a container as they wait to be relocated to their new home on Lake Conroe.

 

A soft-shelled turtle makes its way towards Lake Conroe after being released Tuesday.







LAKE CONROE – "Charlene Myers has been the store manager at the Jack in the Box on Lake Conroe for seven years, and during that time she has watched the duck colony at the restaurant’s boat dock gain in popularity.
“A number of our customers order French fries to feed the ducks,” Myers said. Myers placed a “duck crossing” sign in one of the drive-through windows to heighten awareness whenever the ducks and their chicks head for the water. That’s when they get a helping hand. “The little ones have trouble climbing over the curb,” she said.

Then, one day this summer, Myers noticed a woman down by the dock with what appeared to be a dog carrier. “I though she was taking our ducks,” Myers said. “I felt bad assuming that.”

Instead Myers found out that Roberta Pitzak, a retired Spanish and art teacher with a passion for animals, was bringing ducks and turtles from a retention pond at Wayne Hooks Airport near Tomball. She succeeded in rescuing 20 turtles and 10 ducks to its fast-food sanctuary before drought conditions transformed the pond at Hooks into a virtual dust bowl.

The retention pond has served as Pitzak’s pet lake for the past 12-15 years. “It was a place where I could enjoy God’s handiwork,” she said.

Pitzak and her husband, Marvin, live in Spring but own a lakeside condominium a short distance west of McCaleb Road and Texas 105. As the pond at Hooks began to evaporate, she approached several animal organizations for assistance, such as the SPCA and Peta. Pitzak said she offered Hooks’ owners to refill the lake at her expense, but, in the end, she was allowed to remove all the animals she was capable of removing. Pitzak said her biggest support came from the Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society, of which she is a member.   Of the 20 turtles rescued, two were red-eared sliders, another was a musk and the rest were soft shells, she said. “I was able to get the last nine myself,” she said, adding that the last turtles were rescued Aug. 24.

Of the 10 ducks rescued, one was a mallard and the rest were Muscovy. “I was hoping to catch as many as we could before the habitat totally deteriorated,” Pitzak said. “It was frustrating." 

While she believes global climate change is not a fluke – “Al Gore had it right” – Pitzak isn’t opposed to eating meat. “I believe in hunting for survival. Humans evolved into eating meat,” she said. “But I don’t think there should hunting for pleasure. Animals don’t kill for fun, and neither should we.”

Myers, who lives on Lake Conroe’s northern shore, said Pitzak generates a positive attitude toward pets and animals.  “She makes people feel good inside. She’s someone who cares,” Myers said. http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/spring-woman-works-to-save-animals-from-drought-conditions/article_12741232-d931-5b85-a1f5-86c5e1edaf5d.html

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Renaming Your Rescue Dog

"If the dog has been in a loving home and has only positive associations with his name, I advise keeping the name. He has already lost so much in life, why subject him to losing the last familiar thing? It will help make the transition easier if he knows that you're talking specifically to him. Acknowledge who he is and always use his name in a loving tone of voice.

Usually, dogs who have been relinquished by their owners have come with some sort of history or their reaction to volunteers can tell part of the story just by watching their body language. While most small dogs are given up because of housetraining issues, many people get a dog and get tired of it so they stick the dog in the backyard, totally ignoring this living, breathing, sentient being. Or they get bored. Or they no longer want the responsibility, or it grew bigger than they thought. The human-animal bond means nothing to these people and it is the dog that suffers. Other people take out their hostilities on the dog, hitting it, screaming at it, kicking it , etc.

Not one of these dogs will have a positive association with his or her name. These dogs have often been called by name only to be punished, they've been screamed at, they've been abused. Along with the tender, loving care you provide a new name will help set the tone for a new life."

Complete article: http://www.pawnation.com/2011/08/25/renaming-your-rescue-dog/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl8%7Csec1_lnk3%7C92472

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This Labor Day

 

"There is something a little puzzling about Labor Day. On Thanksgiving we do give thanks, but on Labor Day we do not labor. To the proverbial visitor from outer space, the name of the holiday might suggest 24 hours of national housekeeping, a communal exertion of effort toward some unspecified end. Many Americans of a certain age grew up in households where every Saturday was labor day, a day of chores, projects, burdensome errands and visits to the dump. And yet, Labor Day itself became a day of rest.

Historically, the holiday is a direct result of the bloody Pullman strike, which pitted the railroads against striking railway workers in 1894, and it celebrates the labor movement, then and now. This is not a history that crosses the minds of most Americans during a three-day weekend that feels like the border between summer and fall. (On Labor Day, we try our best to remain unaware that stores have already stocked up for Halloween.) But change the emphasis from labor to jobs and you come upon a subject that is very much on the minds of Americans, and not merely among the 14 million officially unemployed people in this country, a number equivalent to the population of Illinois, Wyoming and Vermont. Perhaps Labor Day should be a day to consider the struggles of so many Americans eager to work but unable to find jobs.

Perhaps it should be a day for parades of the unemployed, to remind us of the dignity of work and the indignity of being out of it." From:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/opinion/this-labor-day.html?_r=1&ref=laborday

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Yesterday: The weather is completely different in the mornings now.  It's great to be outside, and not feel like the inside of a humidifier. The doors and windows were open until 11.00 AM.

Jay wanted to work but also wanted me to cut their Maddie's, little Yorkie's, bangs.  Armed with scissors and fine comb, Misty and I went down there to get him.  Then he said that she would have to be done in my grooming room, as they wanted the areas right in front of her eyes done with clippers.  My clippers are on pulleys, so it isn't easy to just grab some and go!  On the way here, with Maddie onboard, Jay said we needed to come back on a different road, as he wanted to pick up his 3-wheel ATV.  It wouldn't start, so he pushed it here.  Then he got it started, took off on it, and never came back.

So now I had little door-dashing Maddie to contend with, while Ray and I were working, sometimes going in and out of the house.  Usually when Maddie is here, she is in the house, but I had no choice but to put her in the grooming room until we were through.  Jay called and said, "Oh, I didn't know you and Ray were working."  I really wanted Jay to help, because of Ray's bad back.

First on the agenda, was to get the new washer out of the van.  I moved the van over to the side lot (3) as it is closer to my back gate. This time we wanted to use the big hand truck with the pneumatic tires, as the washer has to be trucked all the way from Lot 3, through three gates, through my back yard, through my little fenced patio area, through Ray's back yard to his back door.

That hand truck hasn't been used for a while, so out came the compressor to air up the tires.  Even Shay came around to help, and we got the washer in their utility room.  We put new hose washers in the hoses, connected it, then checked it with a level.  The machine sounds and looks good.

While we had the compressor out Ray took the air filter out of the van and blew it clean.  My engine light has been on for a while, and in the past that has fixed it, though the air filter is not dirty.  He also took off the positive side of the battery for a while, hoping to reset the computer, and make the light go off.

I checked the fluids while Ray checked the van tires, as they haven't been done for a while, and it is overdue for a service, the tires were all down a bit, but the fluids were not.  This sure is a good old van.

Before I moved it back into the carport, I took the compressor around to the Puddle Jumper and Ray checked those tires, they were pretty much at the right PSI.  More room with the van out of the way.

Ray stood on a pad on my dining table and checked all the poster putty blobs underneath the crystal glasses on the shelf.  I don't want the kittens knocking any more down.  Any that were loose, we applied new and a better brand, Loctite Mounting Putty this time.  I found out that I will have to send off for museum gel, so this should keep them safe for now.

Our next job didn't turn out so well.  The fridge I bought a while back has a place right at the back of the top shelf where I have to keep a container as it drips.   I asked the appliance repair man about it, and he said the drain line must be stopped up, so we undid all the screws that go to a big plastic thing at the back, but we couldn't find out where it was leaking, or get access to the tube.  Ray took the kick plate off and with a flash light he could see that nothing has been draining down into that pan underneath.  This is going to be more complicated, so we shelved that for another day.

We quit 1/2 an hour early, and I clipped Maddies' face, and took her home. During the night we had 0.01 of rain.  That showed up as a few droplets on the windows.  For the next few days we are forecast to have 88° days.  That's more like it.

It was overcast and a lot cooler all day.