Oh Hell No: Dog Treats Are Being Made from Meat of an Endangered Whale

A Japanese company sells dog snacks made from North American fin whales hunted in Iceland.

As if we weren't worrying enough already about the scary byproducts and dead pets that go into dog food, a Japanese food company gives us another thing to fret over, and this one should make you outraged: Whale meat in dog treats. 

Michinoku Farm, a Tokyo-based company, is selling on its website "whale chews" made from endangered North American fin whales. They're described as a "low calorie, low fat, high protein" snack. The whales are hunted in Iceland, and the meat is sent to Japan. The company also sells treats made from Mongolian horses and kangaroos. 

That's not the only ick factor: It's a status thing. 

"The most likely reason for shops to sell the whale meat dog treat is to target affluent Japanese who want to show off their wealth with something different," said Nanami Kurasawa, executive director of Japanese conservation group IKAN, according to the Express.

Since 2006, conservation groups report, Iceland has killed 496 minke whales and 280 endangered fin whales, and it has exported more than 2,800 tons of whale products to Japan. This unnecessary foray into pet food is rankling animal rights groups. 

Susan Millward, executive director of the Animal Welfare Institute, told the Express: “Turning an endangered whale species into pet snacks is deplorable and seems to be nothing more than a desperate attempt to keep a cruel and unnecessary industry alive at any cost.”

IKAN's Kurasawa is appealing to the integrity of his countrymen to not purchase the treats. 

“What the Japanese public must ask ourselves is, ‘Just because it’s cheap, do our morals allow turning endangered species, which don't belong to Japan, into dog treats and selling them online?’"

"I, for one, think this is a disgrace,” he said. 

Commercial whaling is, of course, banned internationally. How are Iceland and Japan able to skirt the rules? That hasn't been a problem: They simply ignore the ban.

Via the Express

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Walter the Yorkie, Actress Tricia O'Kelley's Dog, Is Returned Unharmed After Being Dognapped

The crime involving this missing dog unfolded like a movie -- but this one had a happy ending.

Actress Tricia O'Kelley, from The Secret Life of the American Teenager and The New Adventures of Old Christine, had one hell of time last week. She went through a dognapping, a failed sting operation, countless moments of sheer panic, and then release: Walter, her deaf 11-year-old Miniature Yorkshire Terrier, is now home safe. 

It started May 16, when Walter was snatched from the backyard of O'Kelley's Hollywood home by dognappers. That night, Trisha received a call from a blocked number, a man who demanded a "reward" for finding the dog. According to Zap2It, when asked how much he wanted, he said, "Why don't you tell me how much your dog is worth? I could keep him; I could sell him ... "

“I totally knew the second I heard the guy’s voice that he was not a good guy,” she told CBS.

The pair sorted out a reward of $1,000, and the man told Trisha and her husband to post "lost dog" filers around the neighborhood stating that there was a "$1,000 reward." This was so the man could tell any interested parties -- like the police! -- that he was simply collecting the reward. It was a good plan. Foolproof, really. 

Trisha, of course, just called the police, who sent a plainclothes officer over to accompany them to the meeting place.

Then, weirdly, it all went to pot. Before they had even left, the man called and said. "You f***ing lied to me ... I'm at the location and there are cops there. I'm keeping your f***ing dog." 

Trisha believes the dognapper sent a scout to the location, and that person saw an unrelated patrol car there and freaked out. Trisha believes the people who took her dog are part of an Armenian street gang, based on information from witnesses in the neighborhood. 

"This is like a bad movie," she said. "I want whoever has Walter to know that he's deaf, to know that he's 11 -- he's a senior."

Trisha also said the dog has a collapsing trachea and he could be hurt if kept on a standard leash. 

The actress also took to her Twitter account, which was receiving intense play after she had posted a drop-dead-adorable photo of the dog (see above). She began telling her followers to keep an eye out for the dog in the area where they were going to make the exchange. One said: "N Hollywood, look out for a man walking around w/ my dog. Tried to extort $ from us & won't give him back. Please RT"

Fortunately, it all ended well. In the midst of increasingly intense interest on social media, the thugs seem to have simply abandoned the dog on the street near Trisha's house. Little Walter was picked up by some Good Samaritans, and he was soon safe at home. 

A relieved Trisha announced the news with series of "We got him back!!!" messages on her Twitter, accompanied with this photo: 

Yes, that dog is smiling.  

Via Zap2It and CBS

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Thai Navy Heroes Rescue 800 Dogs Being Smuggled to Vietnam for the Dinner Table

Image from a video taken in August of a similar smuggling from Thailand to Vietnam. If you want to see the video - and only do so if you can handle disturbing material - you can click on the second Huffington Post link below. But I don't advise it unless you are pretty steeled to this kind of thing, which is why I am not inserting the link in a more traditional way.

The Thai Navy rescued some 800 dogs from ending up on dinner tables in Vietnam when it aborted a smuggling operation this morning on the shores of the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom province.

The dogs were on a truck, crammed into small, rusty cages that were about to be loaded onto a boat that would ferry them across the river to Laos. From there, they were destined for Vietnam, to be sold in the dog-meat market.

The dogs will be sent to a shelter, where their fate could at least not be worse than it would have been. There is no word of what will become of them in the shelter – whether people will flock to adopt them or if they are just going to be put down humanely (as opposed to the horrendous ways they would be slaughtered for food; I will not go into it here.) or something in between.

Thai authorities last year stopped the transport of more than 2,000 dogs bound for Vietnam in similarly horrendous conditions. These dogs are often rounded up as strays, or bartered for in rural areas. In last year’s raid, dozens of dogs had died of suffocation in their cramped cages when Thai police found them. Two Thai men were charged with the illegal transportation and trafficking of animals. They could face a year in jail and a fine of about $600.

Sadly, the Navy rescuers found only 40 cages with dogs today, and have been able to detain only one man. They also found 100 empty cages, meaning some 2,000 dogs may already have been smuggled in this most recent operation.

It is encouraging to see the Thai government going after traffickers like this. Maybe with stiffer penalties these smugglers would find something else to do that doesn’t involve dogs. And perhaps the government will step it up when they see the positive international reaction to their efforts.

Sources: Sky News, MSN News, Huffington Post, Washington Post, Huffington Post (2)

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Clip We Love: Gigi Being Gigi

It’s like Christmas morning here at Dogster HQ. Our pals at West Paw Design (who recently brought you this cute Halloween contest) sent us a box of sample toys for the upcoming season, and we just ripped it open.

Gigi, our resident Boston Terrier, got to give one of their toys a whirl, and it was a big hit. Below, see her having a ball with the “Salsa.”

Thanks for the cool stuff, guys! <3

View the original article here

Why are dogs being stolen?

The incidence of dogs being stolen has gone up 49% in the past year. The American Kennel Club’s data leads to the obvious question: why? NPR‘s story suggests it has something to do with a continuing rocky economy.

“We believe the increase is due to economic times,” Lisa Peterson, a spokesperson for the nonprofit group, which has been tracking pet theft for several years, tells Weekend Edition Saturday guest host Jacki Lyden.

“You have people who want pets … but can’t afford to purchase them or pay the adoption fees, so we find that they’re just taking them for themselves or to give them as gifts,” she says. “But then on the other hand, you have the criminal element that steals dogs and tries to sell them to unsuspecting buyers.”

Peterson says the top two ways dogs are being stolen are during home invasions and out of parked cars. She cites a case in Florida where criminals took a 55-inch television set and also Boo-Boo, the Yorkshire terrier, with all of his belongings.

Large-screen televisions can be replaced. Best friends can’t. The article discusses steps pet owners can take the safeguard their pets, including microchipping.

Cats behind bars: Inmates at a jail in Nebraska have new friends: cats. Excellent stress reducer. HuffPo‘s got the story, with an accompanying video report.

Thoughts on Pacifica: Outstanding post by BadRap, one of the most consistently thoughtful pet blogs out there.

New therapy reaps benefits: A pit bull in Reading, Penn. had his paws burned by spending hours on a black roof top on a roasting hot day, but thanks to a first-of-its-kind treatment, his ruined paw pads can be repaired. The groundbreaking therapy is based on stem cell research. Details at the Reading Eagle.

Veterinary client ethics: Your veterinarian explains that an upcoming procedure entails risks of complications. All you hear is blah blah blah procedure blah blah blah surgical blah chance of improvement.  When complications arise, do you have a right to yell at your veterinarian that the treatment wasn’t perfect? Pet Connection’s BFF Dr. Patty Khuly weighs in.

Picture of the week comes from our favorite photographer of all things horse: Sarah Andrew, the wonderful presence behind Rock and Racehorses.

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credit: microchip, latimes.

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Heartbreaking Video Shows Starving Dog Being Abandoned at Shelter

The following is from a press release issued by Wood Green Animal Shelters, in Great Britain. If you want to have a good morning, don’t read on. If you want to see what it looks like when a scared, emaciated dog is abandoned, keep going. But be forewarned: This will break your heart. I’ve put the video at the bottom of this post so you have time to change your mind or to get a hanky. What’s most heartbreaking is that this is no isolated incident. Most people who abandon their pets like this don’t do so near shelters.

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Shocking CCTV images which show a dog being dumped at Wood Green Animal Shelters has been released by the Charity in a bid to highlight the increasing number of animals being abandoned.

Honey, a four-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross was taken to the London Shelter in Lordship Lane by her former owner, tied up to a drain pipe and abandoned. Distressing CCTV footage shows the man walk through the gate to the Shelter; tie the dog up before walking away, briefly glancing back at the dog.

Honey is then seen attempting to follow the man and spinning and pulling trying to get away, until a member of staff arriving for work discovers her and takes her inside. When Shelter staff untied her they were shocked to discover Honey emaciated, shivering and terrified.

Honey, as named by staff at the Shelter, was taken inside and assessed. At just 10kgs she was almost half her ideal weight and had extremely painful sores on her back legs, suggesting she was kept outside.
Honey was transferred to the Godmanchester Shelter where she was given a warm kennel and some comfy blankets to lay on. She has been put on a special diet which will see her consume four to five meals a day to help her reach an ideal weight of approximately 17kgs.

Manager of the London Shelter, Katie Wickins said: “It is disappointing that this individual not only dumped this dog on our doorstep without providing us with a full history which proves invaluable to the Charity when it comes to assessing the dog for rehoming, but more importantly, that this dog was allowed to get in such an horrific state.

“Honey’s extreme weight loss and pressure sores have not developed over night. It is unacceptable for anyone to allow their pet to suffer in this way.

“Honey is a very sweet but also very nervous dog and was clearly very distressed by being left outside. When the man who tied her up left, Honey tried to follow him, when she realised she couldn’t go anywhere she became very distressed and was pulling and spinning trying to get away.”

In January the Charity took in 354 animals.

View the original article here

NY Times Piece Says Dogs May Not Help Health or Well Being. What Do You Think?

The mother of the photographer snuggles with Chuck during her weeks of radiation therapy. According to a New York Times article, interacting with a dog during radiation therapy does no more to enhance morale than reading a book. Um, don't tell that to this woman, or millions of others whose dogs have been their godsends during chemo and radiation... (Photo: Flickr photostream of Sophia-O)

An op-ed article in the New York Times this week suggests that pets may not have much, if any, positive effect on health or well being. In his article, psychology professor Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard To Think Straight About Animals, goes so far as to say that pets may actually have a negative effect on us.

He acknowledges that past research has shown that pets are healthy for us, with studies showing “that stroking an animal lowers blood pressure, that AIDS patients living with pets are less depressed and that pet owners have lower cholesterol levels, sleep more soundly, exercise more and take fewer sick days than non-pet owners.” But in the same breath, he says he has found stacks of research showing the opposite: “…that pets have either no long-term effects or have even adverse effects on physical and mental health.”

A 2006 survey of Americans by the Pew Research Center, for instance, reported that living with a pet did not make people any happier. Similarly, a 2000 Australian study of mortality rates found no evidence that pet owners lived any longer than anyone else. And last year Dutch researchers concluded that companion animals had no effect on their owners’ physical or mental well-being. Worse, in 2006, epidemiologists in Finland reported that pet owners were more likely than non-pet owners to suffer from sciatica, kidney disease, arthritis, migraines, panic attacks, high blood pressure and depression.

This pattern of mixed results also holds true for the widely heralded notion that animals can cure various physical afflictions. For example, a study of people with chronic fatigue syndrome found that while pet owners believed that interacting with their pets relieved their symptoms, objective analysis revealed that they were just as tired, stressed, worried and unhappy as sufferers in a control group who had no pets. Similarly, a clinical trial of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy found that interacting with therapy dogs did no more to enhance the participants’ morale than reading a book did.

Herzog says pets are central to his life, and that he doesn’t mean to diminish their importance as companions. But he’d like to see better research that separates wishful thinking from the truth. According to Herzog, this kind of research is being done now, via a multimillion-dollar research initiative by the National Institutes of Health, in conjunction with Mars (maker of major pet foods).

It will be interesting to see what this research shows. Meanwhile, let’s do our own Dogster “study” and contribute some anecdotal evidence to the mix. Unfortunately the scientific method won’t work in our situation, with Dogster readers spread out across the globe. But I’ll bet you can give the skeptics some fantastic examples of how your dogs have helped you be happier and/or healthier through the years.

View the original article here