AKC Under Fire. Rescue Dogs. d-CON Poisons Wildlife. Wild Horse Roundups. Safe From Hog Poop? Unclean Foods! Vasco da Gama. Levi Jeans. White House.

 

For “Mammal Monday”:

AKC Under Fire from Some Breeders and Animal Welfare Advocates

“Critics of the American Kennel Club (AKC) say the club is lax in performing inspections. They also point out that the AKC often lobbies against legislation designed to protect the rights of animals, fearing stricter laws might result in a decrease in AKC registration fees – a percentage of which come from questionable breeders and puppy mill operators.

In the last few years, a number of breeding kennels that passed AKC inspection have subsequently been raided by law enforcement and the owners charged with animal cruelty. Many people who acquire a purebred dog believe the AKC “stamp of approval” means their pet is healthy and of a certain quality. In reality, the only thing AKC registration papers insure is that both parents of your dog are also registered.

In addition to rubber stamping kennel inspections, the AKC also actively lobbies against proposed legislation intended to improve conditions for dogs in breeding kennels.

Reputable breeders, dog owners, animal protection groups, law enforcement agencies and lawmakers are increasingly speaking out against the AKC’s policies and practices.”  Complete article at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/05/15/akc-under-critic.aspx

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AKC failing to protect dogs?

“Choosing a dog can be a challenging task, and though there are many shelters and rescue organizations with dogs that need homes, some people choose to go through a breeder thinking that they they are more likely to get a healthy dog and know more about it’s history.  For this, a great many people rely on the American Kennel Club (AKC) for breeder recommendations, operating under the assumption that when the AKC endorses a breeder it means that breeder is taking excellent care of their dogs, following a high health standard, and indeed breeding healthy animals.

Evidence is mounting that this is not the case at all, that in fact certification by the AKC means very little, except that the breeder in question has paid a a fee to the AKC.  When Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States was asked whether seeing “AKC approved” on a breeders website or facility meant you were getting a healthy, humanely raised dog he said this ”Absolutely not. It really is just a piece of paper without any value for dog welfare.”

So, when it comes time to add a canine to your family, do the research as you would for any large purchase. Even though a dog doesn’t cost as much as a car or a house, it is a family member.  Check out the facility yourself, talk to people who have gotten dogs from that breeder, and if the breeder won’t share information or let you tour the kennels, think twice about getting a dog from them.”

More at: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/05/akc-under-fire-for-protecting-bad-breeders/

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Rescue Dogs.

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Wildlife Conservation Groups Join Fight to Ban d-CON Rat Poisons.

Manufacturer rejected safeguards against accidental poisonings

April 29, 2013   Washington, D.C. —   “Today, conservation groups took legal action to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to ban sales of several harmful rodenticides.

Gray fox suffering from rodenticide poisoning.
(Courtesy of WildCare by Melanie Piazza)

“American Bird Conservancy, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club, represented by the public-interest law firm Earthjustice, filed a motion to intervene in landmark administrative proceedings before the U.S. EPA.

The rodenticides at issue, marketed by multinational conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser LLC, under the brand name “d-CON,” do not comply with safety measures established by EPA in 2008 to protect children, wild animals, and pets from accidental poisoning.

“Reckitt Benckiser profits at the expense of American natural heritage,” said Greg Loarie, an attorney at Earthjustice representing the groups seeking to intervene, “We will do everything we can to support EPA’s decision to ban these poisons.”  More at: http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2013/wildlife-conservation-groups-join-fight-to-ban-d-con-rat-poisons

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Wild Horse Roundups Draw Accusations of Cruelty

“The Bureau of Land Management has countered these criticisms by claiming that the roundups are indeed necessary to control horse populations and prevent overgrazing of the land. They say the horse population doubles every four years, and the roundups are required to thin the herds. But Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, says that wild horse overpopulation is a BLM-created myth, that overgrazing is due to livestock like sheep and cattle, not horses.”  Watch this report to learn more.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/18/exp-jvm-horse-roundup-update.hln

And Willie Nelson talks about it, too:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/19/exp-jvm-willie-nelson-horses.hln

From: http://www.pawnation.com/2013/05/14/wild-horse-roundups-draw-accusations-of-cruelty/

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Conservation Groups Notify USDA of ESA Violations Related to Arkansas Swine Facility

Protecting America's First National River May 6, 2013 Mount Judea, AR —

“Animal waste from factory farm could jeopardize endangered species, contaminate America’s first national river:

A coalition of conservation and citizen groups sent a notice of intent to sue today to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding its Farm Service Agency’s loan guarantee for an industrial 6,500-pig swine facility on the banks of a tributary that flows straight into the Buffalo National River—an action that was not properly examined and may violate the Endangered Species Act. The facility, C&H Hog Farms, is under contract with Cargill, an international producer and marketer of agricultural products.

Buffalo National River.  (NPS)

Designated in 1972 by President Richard Nixon as America's first national river, the Buffalo National River travels freely for 135 miles and is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. The river watershed is home to over 300 species of fish, insects, freshwater mussels, and aquatic plants, including the endangered snuffbox mussel, the endangered Gray bat, and the endangered Indiana bat. A popular camping, canoeing, and fishing destination, the Buffalo National River attracts more than one million visitors a year.

“This factory farm will produce massive quantities of waste just six miles from the Buffalo River, and that waste will be spread on land that is right next to one of the Buffalo’s major tributaries,” said Emily Jones, Senior Program Manager, Southeast Region at National Parks Conservation Association. “We are talking about one of the most beautiful areas in the country. To think that our government would allow this hog factory in the watershed without examining its impacts is unconscionable.”  More at: http://earthjustice.org/our_work/cases/2013/protecting-america-s-first-national-river

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Maybe more people ought to go by the Bible.  Leviticus 11:7-8 forbids eating pork:

Joel Osteen teaches Christians clean/unclean foods! No pork!

Here is the reason why God instructed us not to eat pork or unclean foods:

“Pig's bodies contain MANY TOXINS, WORMS and LATENT DISEASES. Although some of these infestations are harbored in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far MORE PREDISPOSED to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because PIGS like to SCAVENGE and will eat ANY kind of food, INCLUDING dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, reta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs.”

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On This Day:

Vasco da Gama reaches India, May 20, 1498:

“Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to reach India via the Atlantic Ocean when he arrives at Calicut on the Malabar Coast.

Da Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, in July 1497, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and anchored at Malindi on the east coast of Africa. With the aid of an Indian merchant he met there, he then set off across the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese explorer was not greeted warmly by the Muslim merchants of Calicut, and in 1499 he had to fight his way out of the harbor on his return trip home. In 1502, he led a squadron of ships to Calicut to avenge the massacre of Portuguese explorers there and succeeded in subduing the inhabitants. In 1524, he was sent as viceroy to India, but he fell ill and died in Cochin.”

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Levi Strauss patents copper-riveted jeans, May 20, 1873:

“Acting at the behest of a Reno, Nevada, tailor who had invented the idea, Levi Strauss secures the necessary patents for canvas pants with copper rivets to reinforce the stress points.

Born in Buttenheim, Bavaria, in 1829, the young Levi Strauss emigrated to the United States in 1847. Strauss initially went into business selling dry goods along the East Coast, but in 1852, his brother-in-law encouraged him to relocate to the booming city of San Francisco. He arrived in San Francisco in 1853 with a load of merchandise that he hoped to sell in the California mining camps. Unable to sell a large supply of canvas, Strauss hit on the idea of using the durable material to make work pants for miners. Strauss' canvas pants were an immediate success among hardworking miners who had long complained that conventional pants wore out too quickly.

In 1872, Strauss received a letter from Jacob Davis, a customer and tailor who worked in the mining town of Reno, Nevada. Davis reported that he had discovered canvas pants could be improved if the pocket seams and other weak points that tended to tear were strengthened by copper rivets. Davis' riveted pants had proven popular in Reno, but he needed a patent to protect his invention. Intrigued by the copper-riveted pants, Strauss and his partners agreed to undertake the necessary legal work for the patent and begin large-scale production of the pants. Davis' invention was patented on this day in 1873. In exchange for his idea, Strauss made the Reno tailor his production manager. Eventually, Strauss switched from using canvas to heavyweight blue denim, and the modern "blue jeans" were born.

Since then, Levi Strauss & Company has sold more than 200 million pairs of copper-riveted jeans. By the turn of the century, people outside of the mining and ranching communities had discovered that "Levi's" were both comfortable and durable. Eventually, the jeans lost most of their association with the West and came to be simply a standard element of the casual American wardrobe.”

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Street in front of the White House closed to traffic, May 20, 1995:

“On this day in 1995, to the likely dismay of Washington, D.C.-bound road trippers hoping for a glimpse of the presidential residence through their car windows, President Bill Clinton permanently closes the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to all non-pedestrian traffic as a security measure.

Other options--including stopping traffic at checkpoints at either end of the compound or limiting traffic to cars and small trucks--were ultimately rejected as impractical, and likely to create an even more unwelcoming atmosphere than closing the road entirely. As officials in favor of closure pointed out, the areas near Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street (the home of Britain's prime minister) had long been closed to vehicular traffic for security reasons.”

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, and had our walk down there.  Jay put the white Tuftex Deckdrain roofing over the screen porch, but as it isn’t translucent, it makes my living room dark.

Ray and I bleach-washed all the surfaces and items in my little bathroom where Roni’s mama cat and her kittens had been.  Mama had even scattered all the things out of the medicine chest.  The 4’ window sill in there looks very bare, as the only things that the mama cat didn't break are the two big steins.  The carriers that had been used to transport them to their new dwelling, had been returned, so they had to be disinfected, too.  Being a foster mom, I have to disinfect anywhere that non-vet checked animals have been, to protect my fosters.

I am feeling a bit better, and not losing my breath like before, but I will try to get to the doctor today.