4 The Love of Animals- animal rescue, wildlife, pets, and more!

I got an email from Jenn of Cutie-Paws. She is doing some amazing work, not to mention making some really great stuffed plushes. With each handmade animal, 60% of the sale goes towards AnimalAsia China Bear Rescue. The following is a guest post from Jenn:

Why I’m doing what I’m doing:

Bear bile is used as a Traditional Medicine in China. The Bears are trapped in the wild via snares, which can often sever the bears’ limbs, and then kept in cages that are roughly the size of the bears themselves. Once trapped on the farm, the bears are “milked” for their bile through painful catheters that are up to 7 inches in length and are directly inserted into their gall bladders.

The cages that the bears are kept in are called Crush Cages. Why? Because once the bears are lying at the bottom of the cage to eat, a metal arch that spans the length of the cage (called the “crush”) keeps them flattened through force so that the farmer can milk them. The cage with the crush raised is not much bigger than the bear itself. It does not allow the bear to stand or move. With the crush lowered, the bears are literally being pressed into the floor of the cage. Animals Asia received many bears with the crush rusted in place in the lowered position meaning that the farmer never raised the crush when the milking was finished. These bears were literally forced into that position for years. As a result they suffer unimaginable pain and suffering, physically and mentally.

After I found out about this - I decided I wanted to do something. I started donating money to Animals Asia, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to raise money and awareness, so I decided to make plushie animals and sell them, donating at least 60% of the sale to AAF. My goal this year is to try and raise $1000 for Animals Asia’s China Bear Rescue! You can help me achieve this goal by adopting a cutiepaw and 60% of the sale will be donated to Animals Asia’s China Bear Rescue!

So please stop by her site! I was unaware of this issue, and am really glad that Jenn is doing something to help spread awareness and help these animals.

April 10th is ASPCA Day! Stop by their webpage and learn more about what you can do to promote animal welfare.

Go Orange on April 10th, and share your photos on our Go Orange Flickr Group!

Someone is ready to relax…

It looks like the housing crunch is again effecting our animal companions. Please read this post by Wayne Pacelle at A Humane Nation. If you know people who are struggling with foreclosure, maybe you could offer a home for their pets if you can? It’s a shame that people are abandoning their pets, or forgoing health care for them. I can’t imagine having to make such a heart breaking choice.

I have three paperback copies of the wonderful book Marley and Me up for grabs! Would you like a chance to win one? Here is what you need to do:

• Leave a comment on this post before March 31 at midnight (MST).
• Be sure to fill in the “email” field so you can be contacted if you win.
• Include a “dog behaving badly” story if you have one. After all, the book is about life with the world’s worst dog.
• This is for USA and Canada residents only.
• One comment per person, duplicates will be removed.

The winners will be chosen by using a random number generator. Here is a little bit of what the book is about from the Harper Collins website:

The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the
wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women’s undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good—Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, “Don’t hesitate to use these.”

And yet Marley’s heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple’s joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit’s end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.

*this giveaway is now closed. thank you for entering, the winners will be notified by email*

Baby would like to remind you all, please don’t give bunnies as Easter gifts. We know they are adorable, and hard to resist, but too many bunnies end up in the pound after Easter because people buy them and don’t know how to take care of them properly.

Do your research please! If you want to adopt a bunny, be sure you can really care for it the right way. Look into adoption first as there are many bunnies out there that need homes.

There is an easy way to help support your favorite animal charity. Supporters of the ASPCA have already helped raise over $13,000 through GoodSearch and GoodShop to help animals in need!

GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates 50% of revenue to charities and schools of the user’s choice. You use GoodSearch the exact same way you would any search engine the only difference being that you can designate your favorite non-profit or school to receive a donation every time you search the web! Because it’s powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results.

GoodShop is an online shopping mall that features stores like Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, J Crew and hundreds of others and donates a percentage of each sale to the nonprofit or school of the users’ choice.

This is a great tool for raising money for your favorite animal charity just by doing what you already do! Be sure to check it out!