Animal Person

Happy 12th Birthday Violet Rays!

There she is . . . my girl.

She has beaten the odds and made it another year.

The life expectancy of greyhounds is 12-15 years. If they've raced, you subtract a year for each year of racing. Violet Rays was a very successful competitor and the offspring of a Hall of Famer, and she made someone a lot of money, winning race after race for the two years she was hauled between Oregon and South Florida.

I'm told that her performance was likely enhanced by injectable steroids, which had the unfortunate effect of shutting down her pancreas and rendering her diabetic. Of course, that also rendered her defective and she was therefore immediately "discarded." She was adopted immediately, but returned almost as quickly because the people didn't realize how inconvenient diabetes can be. Violet was just under four-years old.

Diabetes shortens the life expectancy of human and nonhuman animals, by years. If we conservatively say that it would shave a year off Violet's life, and add that year to the racing years, that puts her life expectancy at . . . 12. However, once you add in her going blind from cataracts (which we replaced), and her retinas detaching (one completely, one not), and her glaucoma and cornea issues, her life expectancy dwindles further. Then there's her hideous gum disease that has left her few remaining teeth in bad shape but without much to do for them (the vets won't touch them).

She's our 62-pound miracle.

We spent the end of 2004 and beginning of 2005 getting fired by vet after vet. And the ones who didn't fire us gave us the pleasure of firing them. The problem was that Violet's diabetes wasn't regulated and no one could get it regulated. She spent week after week at the vet, day in and day out. Violet shrank to 43 pounds. We're fairly sure she was about to die, and that was after spending $10,000 trying to save her. Her head hung low. She didn't look anyone in the eye. Her eyes were vacant.

And then I met an internist named Dr. Toll at a veterinary specialty hospital about two hours away. He told me to stop going to the vet because that's what was killing Violet Rays. She needed to know that I was committed to her life and the way I would demonstrate that was to keep her by my side and regulate her myself, using the same glucometer and test strips people use. He charged me $120, and within a month Violet was gaining weight and full of life.

And though she's had her minor obstacles and surgeries, she's been in remarkable shape for eight years. She's slowed down a lot. And by a lot, I mean during the summer sometimes she'd go outside only to relieve herself twice a day. And by outside, I mean ten feet into the backyard.

Now that it's cooler (under 80 most days), she's perked up and on Thanksgiving she even whizzed around a baseball field with her new brother Stanley (more on him later!) for 10 minutes. And at top speed for about half that time. She's still got it, and it's beautiful to watch.

Violet's not too keen on food these days, which is problematic for a diabetic because the insulin dose is contingent upon the amount of food consumed. And the dose can't fluctuate by more than one unit at a time, therefore getting her to eat a whole meal is important. Unfortunately, Violet doesn't like her vegan food or most other food, but will eat food that smells terrible for some reason. So I went through bag by bag of everything at our small pet health food store until I found the perfect combination of dead animals and their parts.

We do what we must.

For the past couple of months I've been saying that I'd be the happiest person in the galaxy if Violet Rays made it to winter and her 12th birthday. But now, of course, I want more.

Whatever Violet wants is the priority, though. She's weak and tired and she should be! We had a rough start, but she's had seven-plus years of vibrant life. She runs when she wants to run, she sunbathes when she wants and for as long as she wants, and she loves riding in the car so much that I take her around the neighborhood a few times a week just to see how delighted she is. And recently, she has allowed Baby Sky to sit next to her and gently touch her face. I couldn't ask for more than that.

Happy Birthday Violet Rays! Mommy loves you!

On Dogs and Unconditional Love

Saturday was the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of my Charles Hobson Booger, III and it got me thinking about how easy he was to love. Everyone loved him. Okay, not everyone. There was that little Westie whose vulva he bit early on. Yes, vulva. No stitches, no puncture, but still a nasty bruise and some scratches. Charles had a higher prey drive than he appeared to have at first. No playing with little white dogs, which isn't uncommon for greyhounds. We just had to work with him and manage him and we were happy to do so.

As for people, Charles loved everyone and was very enthusiastic to meet someone new. He was 85 pounds (large for a greyhound), very muscular (odd for a greyhound) and spectacularly gorgeous, with Pharaoh Hound-like ears. Easy to love.

And as much as I miss him, this post isn't about Charles. Nor is it about Violet Rays, who is still with us at nearly 12-years old. She's an insulin-dependent diabetic who can hardly see (she had cataracts which we replaced, but then her retinas started to detach and we didn't catch them in time) and has very few teeth due to severe gum disease (greyhound breeders and trainers don't take care of the teeth of the hounds, as that's not where the money is). She has definitely slowed down, but she looks great and has perked up a bit now that it's regularly under 90 degrees and the humidity decreases by the week.

Violet's stunning, and that's what everyone notices first and comments on. But she's not really keen on anyone and isn't at all social. People like her because she's beautiful. Violet doesn't want to be touched unless she comes to you or you approach her very carefully and ask permission. She's not snuggly. She doesn't follow me from room to room (that was Charles' job), and she barely lifts her head when I walk in the door (as opposed to Charles, who'd come running). She doesn't want Sky to come that close to her and she's no fan of Emily the kitty.

I wouldn't say Violet loves unconditionally.

And none of that matters, because Violet doesn't exist to boost my self-esteem. We adopted Violet to give her a safe and loving home. She had already been returned by people who didn't want to deal with her diabetes because it was inconvenient for them. And it is inconvenient.

Now that I have a child, I can safely say that children are very, very inconvenient. Far more than a diabetic greyhound. But you love them and they're part of your family and returning them would be unthinkable. You do what's necessary for them because they deserve the best chance at a great life, and if they never thank you that shouldn't matter.

What you do for them isn't contingent upon what they give you in return.

And the same should be true for nonhuman animals. They shouldn't have to be beautiful, perfectly behaved, healthy and wanting a human as the center of their universe for them to be deserving of a good life.

----

No greyhounds were forced to race in the above photo. They were actually cooling down by walking at their leisure after playing in the adjacent field.

The Animals We Use

After failing miserably at a long pamphlet in 2007, I decided to shorten it by 50% and focus on a different audience: people who use animals. I think part of the original work's problem was that it was too ambitious--not to mention expensive to produce--and everything suffered. I wanted to reach people who use animals, but also people who don't, yet who nevertheless advocate for the regulation of the use of animals or give money to organizations that do.

This pamphlet, by the way, is the same one I gave to someone whose response was: The argument for using animals isn't the problem. The argument's flawless. It's just not gonna stop me from eating a steak if that's what I want to eat.

So we already know that, at least for some people, words aren't going to make them care. Words, apparently, do not engender empathy. Or a desire for justice. For that, we need images, I'm afraid. We need to see individual animals and read/hear their stories.

And we need support. I don't know what the effectiveness of online support is, but I do know that talking to people, eating with them, shopping with them, surfing the Internet with them, sharing cooking tips with them, cooking for and with them, and making yourself available for sharing the emotional and social difficulties of a transition from using animals to using them less, does work. That's what I do, and it works, as in--people go vegan and stay vegan.

Thinking Critically About The Animals We Use can be printed on one 11 x 17 sheet and folded in half and isn't designed to make anyone into an activist. But it is designed to help its readers face their own rationales for continuing a behavior that they themselves probably don't agree with. Like part of the original, it traces the conversations I have over and over again, with good people who simply aren't educated about what's involved in the use of animals, or they are, yet they continue to not align their actions with their knowledge and what they believe to be right.

And that disconnect is deadly and reeks of injustice.

----

I thought about calling the pamphlet Thinking Critically About The Ways We Use Animals, but liked the current title because I wanted to bring attention to The Animals first. I did create a but of a grammatical issue, but I'm not sure if it's a distracting one. What do you think?

To My Friends at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2010 will be Baby Sky's first, and our opportunity to introduce her to the notion that our family doesn't eat animals (not to mention that other historical story we'll be correcting). There will be no greyhound corpse on our table, no turkey corpse and no pig corpse. There will be no pies or cakes that were made with milk that was meant for calves, or eggs that represent dead male chicks, forced molting, debeaking and other mutilations and cruelties.

When in the position of having the choice, which so far is always, I'd rather choose not to have someone killed for me. Perfectly delicious and nutritious plant-based food is available for anyone who wants to make that choice this Thanksgiving. I think the biggest obstacle is that most people don't see themselves as choosing to hurt anyone. They would say they love animals. Yet their actions, at least three times a day (and when they put their clothes and shoes on) tell a different story.

The two objections to a vegan Thanksgiving that I hear most often are: It's our tradition and Because it tastes good.

It's our tradition.

Traditions are decided upon. They are consciously, intentionally repeated. And new ones can be created at any moment. I choose to opt out of traditions that cause harm and are the direct result of the exploitation and commodification of beings just like Charles, but who look a little different. And I want Baby Sky to grow up in a home where there is just as much respect for chickens and calves and fishes as there is for greyhounds and cats and people. Of course, the world outside of our home tells a different story. But we can bring our story to that world.

Because it tastes good.

This is a tough one to even dignify as I think it's the most offensive reason for killing someone. In addition, I've never heard it said in anything but a sarcastic or otherwise mocking tone. The conclusion I'm left making is that the person saying "Because it tastes good" thinks that it's funny that a sentient being was raped (in the case of cows), mutilated (chickens, pigs and others) and slaughtered (everyone) because people find them tasty. The other possible explanation is that these people do indeed feel uncomfortable that Because it tastes good is their honest answer. I think that's the case much of the time, but the conversation is too painful and causes so much cognitive dissonance, and sarcasm is the quickest way out of the situation.

Though this Thanksgiving is special for us, it is the opportunity for anybody to decide that this Thanksgiving will be a kindler, gentler, more compassionate one. This Thanksgiving can be a just one: Justice for beings who are like us in the most important of ways. Justice for beings who look very different from us but who, like us, experience pleasure and pain, boredom and frustration. Justice for beings who want to live their lives--who should be able to lives their lives--without being taken from their families and their homes to become a meal. Justice for beings whom we create for the sole purpose of killing, but who nevertheless want to live. We can do many horrible things to them and we can take a lot away from them. But they always have their desire to not be killed.

All it takes is a decision. Decide to choose justice over whatever reason you give for using other animals as food. It might not be easy, given family and societal pressures, but fortunately there are scores of books and websites and podcasts and videos and online vendors--and even restaurants--that can provide guidance (and delicious food). It's never been so easy to have a Just Thanksgiving.

On THE DOG WHO COULDN'T STOP LOVING

When I agreed to read and review Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson's THE DOG WHO COULDN'T STOP LOVING (Harper 2010), the regal Charles Hobson Booger, III was still with us. When it arrived, the day after Charles died, I'll admit to wanting to burn it.

Essentially, I was afraid that the pain would never stop. And the crying would never stop.

But it has lessened some, and I've gained back that five pounds I lost, so I suppose my heart is on the mend. And if it's not, and sometimes I feel it isn't, at least I am able to return to productivity, and even visit Deb's tribute without completely breaking down.

Jeff Masson's new book didn't cause me to unravel, but I did learn a lot about our friends and coevolvers, Canis familiaris. And I received confirmation of something I've known since 2004, when we adopted retired racing greyhound, Violet Rays: That there's sort of a critical period for dog-behavior acquisition, and if it's missed, the dog isn't likely to mature into the type of loving being whose behavior we've come to associate with "pet" dogs.

But let's back up a bit.

This Masson book (here are all of them) is for Benjy, who was supposed to be a service dog but who was, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about the career choice that was made for him. He was adopted by the Masson family and was apparently the most loving dog all who met him had ever had the pleasure of being licked by. Masson tells Benjy's story--and Benjy stories--while explaining his theory about the mutual domestication of dogs and humans. You may know that dog/human coevolution has been a popular topic in the past decade, and if so, this might help: Masson "takes E. O. Wilson's [biophilia] hypothesis and gives it a new twist. Not only have dogs and humans influenced each other for tens of thousands of years, they have done so in far more profound ways than any other two species on earth, and primarily in the direction of acting on the capacity for love in all its different manifestations, such as showing sympathy, feeling empathy, and expressing compassion" (xi).

This coevolution isn't a mere side-by-side existence. The point is that, as Chapter 3 is titled, "Dogs Make Us Human." Masson traces the history of our relationship with dogs, and sprinkles in stories from various cultures that love as well as despise them, and concludes that dogs are more significant to humans than any other animal (39). This includes horses, cats and cows. And he details why. As much as I might love Emily (our kitty), the way Masson sees it, she doesn't love me back in the same way. She's not capable of the kind of love that dogs and humans are capable of for one another--across species. And he presents a pretty compelling argument by basically describing how little regard Emily really has for me and how quickly she'll shred my hand (although she behaves very differently with Baby Sky, interestingly. There's never a claw in sight and she's very patient). However, I have to disagree with page 78's: "Will a cat comfort you when you are sad? He might, but I would not count on it." My experience says otherwise (particularly with my childhood kitty, Brady), but generally speaking Masson's depiction of cats is accurate.

Yes, I wanted to also say to him "Yeah dogs are great, but you didn't see my multi-year relationship with Mr. Magoo, a Muscovy duck who was blind in one eye." But he then addresses that. There are duck stories and elephant stories and pig stories, but the reason we hear about them is because they are extraordinary. The dog's uninhibited, unconditional love of his person/people/maybe even everybody, as in the case of Benjy, is the rule, not the exception. And that concept--and the reason for it--is what drives this book.

(Just a note here: I also think what we the reading public reads about is dictated by what publishers think is worthy. I'd bet that there are far more stories of human/nonhuman, nondog love than we know about. And though the Internet is changing that, part of the reason we all think dogs love us so much is because everyone's always talking about how [most] dogs love us so much, and because we all want to read and hear and watch stories about dogs because that's part of our culture here in the US.)

Our coevolution looked like this: "We reinforced the behavior in one another again and again and again, over many thousands of years, until it was instilled in both species" (55). This is why we aren't anthropomorphizing when we speak of the compassion or love or grief that dogs show. We're not saying they appear to be acting like us; we're saying they're acting like themselves. (And others, such as Marc Bekoff, have also discussed this.)

I'll end with a handful of brief thoughts because this is getting way too long (Baby Sky's been napping and I'm surprised she's still asleep but certain she'll wake any moment):

• There are a couple of potential sore spots for some people in this book, one being the discussion of pit bulls. I don't know enough about pit bulls, however, to say that any part of it is incorrect.
• The fact that if puppies don't get enough love when they are young means they aren't likely to grow into dogs like Benjy explains a lot about greyhounds who are bred, trained and forced to race. Violet Rays raced for over two years, spending her days and nights in a kennel or being transported between South Florida and Oregon, only to be out of her kennel for about two hours per day, and with a muzzle on for that two hours (and maybe even while in the kennel). She exhibits very few characteristics of Benjy, a dog who loves everyone and is ecstatic to do so. Charles, however, who was also bred and trained to race, did so exactly twice. Both times, he refused to leave the gate and he was immediately retired. But because he was with people--and other species of dogs--at a younger age than Violet, he was able to grow into a more dog-like dog.
• We "break" dogs in many ways, training them to race being only one. Masson writes of the slavery of so-called service dogs, and I'm glad he does. 
• He also disagrees with Cesar Millan's claim that we should dominate our dogs.
• Yes, there's a vegan message.

And with that, I hear the beginnings of wakey time on the monitor. Off to Baby Sky's room where, after all of the above, and with plenty of other rooms in the house, I will see none other than Violet Rays and Emily napping next to her crib.

Check out THE DOG WHO COULDN'T STOP LOVING, and let me know where you stand on whether or not dogs make us human.

 

Is Charles with Lars Axl Fokker?

Charles died a week ago today, and if you haven't seen Deb's tribute, it's a must-see and we're very grateful and humbled by her post as well as all of the e-mails and cards and calls we've received.

In all of the lovely messages we've been getting, I've noticed two trends:

1) Death is a communal experience as well as an individual one. One being dies, but the memories of death and the stories of life are brought to the fore for those who learn of the passing. Charles' untimely death brings to mind everyone's past pain and joy. We share each other's grief, triggered by the most recent death. We aren't alone in missing our beloved companions deeply.

2) Charles is somewhere, or part of him is somewhere, or his essence or his soul is in some place, or some other creature, or maybe even everywhere. Death brings up all of the stories we tell ourselves that help us understand and move through the grief. Charles is looking down on me, Charles' soul is running, Charles is with Lars Axl Fokker (Emily's son, to whom she passed her Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which he suffered from before we euthanized him nearly a decade ago). Charles and Lars had a similar, playful energy, and I must say I like the idea that they're playing together somewhere.

Some people seem to think that animals' souls are different from those of humans, while others think they're the same. Some speak of a collective consciousness, and others speak of reincarnation. There's talk of a spirit, which I'm not sure is different from a soul. Charles is definitely with me in spirit, but I don't know if there is a spirit . . . somewhere.

As an agnostic atheist, I certainly cannot claim to have any idea of what really happened to Charles, other than that he is no longer lying at my feet on the bamboo carpet, and never will again. I would love to think that his soul is lying at my feet, or on my shoulder, or just about anywhere, frankly. I'd love to think that I'll encounter a greyhound in a couple of years who will have a familiar look in his eye and I'll adopt him and care for him until the day he dies, as I did with Charles.

And I would love to think that Charles is now a guardian angel of mine.

I'd love to think that he will come to me in a dream and forgive me for whatever part I might have played in his death.

The idea that he will have a more favorable rebirth is a nice one, though I also like to think that being an animal in my house is about as favorable as you can get.

What do you believe about what occurs after death for our sentient nonhuman companions?

 

--Photo: After an evening of playing with paper and toys on my birthday last year, Charles and I fell asleep.

 

Creature Update

As many of you know, 2009 was chock full of creature-related drama for me. From the feral cats of Project Treadstone to Charles' back surgery to problems with Violet's Vetsulin (insulin for dogs), we had more than our share of issues. If I told you what I spent last year doing work-wise, you probably wouldn't believe me and you'd definitely suggest I write a book about it.

At least Emily the kitty, though not at all skinny, had an uneventful year.

I receive frequent e-mails from readers asking how everything's going, so here's an update and some cautionary information.

Greyhound skin is very thin. The greyhound people tell you that, not to mention it's pretty obvious. Sometimes when they get a tiny cut or tear, it behaves like a zipper, depending on where it is, hence:

After a couple of weeks stitched up, it's now fine. She also had a tumor removed from her eye. Both of those events required the dreaded "cone of dysfuntion," as my husband calls it.

 
We were approaching our the end of our supply of Vetsulin and transition to something else was inevitable. The only problem was that there are few options and the number one option (NPH/Humulin N) was the insulin that she had a severe reaction to back in 2004. Furthermore, the insulin that was best for her back then, a long-acting one called Humulin U, for Ultralente, is no longer in production. Vetsulin was the perfect new product, except for the fact that it's animal (pig) based, unlike human insulins, and then there was the problem with quality control that was first reported last year. Though there was no actual recall, everyone using Vetsulin was told to be vigilant. Dogs have died from hypoglycemia due to Vetsulin and there is a class action lawsuit.

I am with Violet almost all day, and her communication skills are fantastic. She tells me when her blood sugar is getting low and we haven't had any episodes of hypoglycemia that needed to be treated with glucose in well over a year. Also, I check her blood glucose level at least once a day, so I always have a good idea of what's going on with her. For these reasons, my vet had no problem with me stockpiling Vetsulin.

Like many people with diabetic dogs, I haven't had major problems with Vetsulin. But alas, the supply has dwindled. I have some left but wanted to save it in the event that the transition didn't work and I needed to buy some time.

Fortunately, I can report that Violet's transition to Humulin went swimmingly. It's almost twice the cost, but it's not animal-based, she has no adverse reaction and there are no warnings about the quality. What a relief!

Also a relief is that I tried Nature's Recipe vegetarian dog food for Charles, and there's something about the ingredients (soybean meal is the 2nd ingredient--and Natural Balance doesn't have soy--maybe that's it) that he responds well to. So he is being re-veganized (Violet's already vegan), as long as his back and leg aren't adversely affected. For a little while I was convinced that he needed to eat a grain-free diet to control inflammation, but I no longer believe that grain-related inflammation is his issue. While grain-free, there was a time of improvement for him, but that improvement soon disappeared and probably wasn't related.

The success of Charles' back surgery, which was about a year ago, is at this point . . . inconclusive.

(Who can forget this?)

He has had periods where he greatly improves and looks almost normal. And then there's now, when he doesn't use his leg at all and bounces around like a bunny. The original diagnosis was severe nerve root compression at L7/S1, and I bet if we did an MRI right now we'd find not only that, but some kind of injury further up in the thoracic region due to semi-regular hopping. The vets say that Charles' condition doesn't warrant another surgery, and that sometimes it takes a couple of years (!) to see the full effects of this type of major surgery.

As for Project Treadstone, after several false starts, trapping, spaying and neutering will resume next week.

Once again, I am reminded of the micro aspect of helping animals. One at a time, each life as worthy as the next. So many, so little time, so little support and so few resources. Sometimes all we can do is care for the animals we share our homes and lives with. And sometimes, despite what we do, we can't fix everything.

But we owe it to them to do our best.

On the Vetsulin "Recall"

First let me say that there is no recall of Vetsulin (often used to manage the diabetes of dogs and cats) as of today.

Somewhere between six months and a year ago, I noticed that there was a difference in effectiveness of Vetsulin from bottle to bottle. Violet's dose, twice each day, is either nine or ten units, depending on how active she is. But sometimes I'd have to go up to 13 units, and you should increase one at a time, so that means about five days of high blood sugar to get to the 13, and that can't be much fun for Violet.

Other times, nine was too much and Violet would come close to crashing.

I alerted my regular (non-specialist) vet of this and though he didn't treat me like a crazy person, he didn't do any research, either. He just figures I know what I'm doing.

Then, I believe in November, it was Connie who first sent me the FDA "alert," which was just that and not a recall. It was updated in mid December and is still not a recall. So what is it? What does it mean? That if you have a diabetic dog or cat and you use Vetsulin, you have to be diligent. For me, that means that each time I open a new bottle, I check Violet's blood sugar before she gets her dosage, alter it or not accordingly (if it's under 100 I give her one unit less and if it's over 170 I give her one unit more), and then check it an hour or two after to make sure it hasn't moved too quickly or slowly.

Every animal is different, so what I do with Violet won't be the ideal strategy for everyone.

Last night, my vet called to update me. He he had just gotten off the phone with Intervet/Schering-Plough and so far, a recall of Vetsulin isn't planned, but it also hasn't been ruled out. Supply is limited.

Here's my recommendation as someone with six years of experience, not as a veterinarian: Insulin for humans (Humulin N/NPH) is just fine for most dogs, plus it's synthethic and more in line with veganism--animal cells are used in the production of Vetsulin. Violet had a "reaction" (not an allergy, technically) to NPH, however, and only the long-acting insulin (Humulin U) worked for her. It was also great for most cats. Eli Lilly stopped making it though, which sent me in the direction of Vetsulin, and many cat owners in the direction of Lantus (insulin glargine) made by Aventis. There is no alert with Lantus. Some cat owners went to Vetsulin. Lantus might sound like a solution for Violet, but apparently it doesn't work well in dogs, plus much more would be needed even if it did, increasing the cost by 300%.

Now, it is entirely possible that Violet's reaction to Humulin N was due to a combination of things, including that she was in a new home (her fourth). Maybe she will react differently to the insulin now. I just hope I don't have to find out.

And yes, I am stocking up on Vetsulin.

On Taxes, Veganism and "Pets"

Because I'm a highly-social, party-loving gal who loves to get gussied up and enjoy an all-nighter on New Year's Eve, I . . . did my taxes yesterday. And by "did my taxes," I mean I went through all of my income and expenses and created a spreadsheet for my accountant (I don't know enough to do my own taxes!).

This necessary task is often illuminating as there are some expenses I'm reluctant to tally in my head as the year progresses. One of those is vet bills, which of course aren't deductible, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't know the total.

I've written about my ambivalence regarding "pet" ownership/guardianship/insert-whatever-term-you're-comfortable-with, and also about my strong belief in helping individuals, but I don't recall addressing whether the having of pets is not vegan. Someone wrote me and, though the person clearly was trolling to insult someone, s/he accused me of not being a vegan because of greyhounds Violet Rays and Charles Hobson Booger, III (no mention of Emily, which made me feel terribly neglectful).

I'm doing my best in an imperfect world to respect the rights of other sentients, and I have heard vegans say that sanctuaries--and not pet ownership--will be the only way out of subjugation for cats and dogs. But I frankly never thought of not helping individual cats and dogs (through adoption) as an option for me. I remember the first time I read an article by a prominent vegan--maybe it was David Cantor?--who chooses not to take in animals because he respects them, and I agreed theoretically. But then I wasn't able to put that theory into practice once weighed against, say, the millions of dogs and cats who are going to be killed for the brutal crime of homelessness.

I think that most animal rights advocates believe that we shouldn't own pets, but that we're not at the point where that would do more harm than good right now. Do you agree with that?

The real question for today, though, is whether you think it's not vegan to keep nonhuman animals.

Greyhound Racing Officially Ends in Massachusetts

Thanks to Grey2kUSA and the voters of Massachusetts who put an end to live greyhound racing in the Bay State as of last Saturday night! Here's more on how it all happened and why this particular situation was unique (i.e., the ban happened while the industry was still operating).

Greyhound racing is a complex topic that sometimes appears to have nothing to do with the dogs and whether we should be racing them. But however it happens, when a track closes or a state no longer races dogs, I'm pleased as that's one more step toward freeing this gentle breed from (at least this form of) exploitation.

--

Cartoonist is Pudge O'Mahoney of the Patriot Ledger

On Birthdays, Cranes and the FDA

On Birthdays

Yesterday was Violet Rays' 10th birthday! For some reason, she likes to dig around a bit and then lie down in some partially dug up ground, partly under the shrubs. Maybe because it's still 85 degrees out and December, but I'm not sold on that explanation as when it's 95 degrees she'll sunbathe and roll around in the middle of the yard in full sun for 30 minutes.

She was allowed to do any annoying thing she wanted to do for her birthday, which included standing still in the middle of the Village Green, facing into the wind, for 15 minutes straight. That was a lot of fun for me. She went on six walks, and only three were with Charles. She loves walking without him because she knows it's all about her pace and her direction. On one walk she took 30 minutes to circle the block because she wanted to sniff every blade of grass she could see.

And speaking of eyes . . . Her birthday present? She's getting the tumor on her left eye removed next week. We thought it was just a tag, but it's a benign mass that's been irritating her eyeball for months. It's like an iceberg in that the visible part is about 10% of the total mass. At least it's the bad eye that she can't even see out of because the retina's damaged and mostly detached.

Cranes

We had a visitor on our walk this morning: a sandhill crane. He belongs to a group of four, I think, and the other three are looking for him. Like when I was a kid and went to the mall with my family (BCP: Before Cell Phones), my parents would say: If we get lost, let's meet in front of the fountain. For the cranes, the meeting spot is the east Village Green. This has happened before and the others eventually come a-squawking and they reunite and fly away.

I took 14 photos and never saw the pink ball that completely ruins the photo. Sorry.

and the FDA . . .

They sent me this:

My name is Beth Martin and I work in Web Communications in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Public Affairs.  I am writing to invite you to attend a free Animal Health and Safety Widget Webinar for Bloggers hosted by FDA on Tuesday, December 8, from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET. The featured speakers, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Principal Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, and Dr. Bernadette Dunham, Director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, will focus on the importance of animal health and safety for both animals and pet owners. After the presentations, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and/or offer feedback.

One of the FDA’s priorities is to promote animal health and safety information.  Toward that end, FDA is developing an animal health and safety widget to make it easier to receive and share animal health information. The widget is a Web application that contains FDA animal health and safety news alerts and tips. It displays this content on any blog or Web page. The content requires no manual updates because FDA automatically updates it.

If you can attend, RSVP to [email protected]. We will email you the webinar access information. This is an open webinar, so please forward this invitation to others you think may be interested. We will be using the Twitter hashtag #FDApet if you’d like to tweet about or follow the webinar on Twitter.

Believe it or not, the webinar is the day of Violet's eye surgery and I'm not sure where I'll be. But I am interested and curious. Perhaps I can swing it and report back. I will do my best.

An Animal Rights-Protection-Abolitionist Organization

I've always thought of horse-drawn carriages the way I think about greyhound racing or fur: Most people are against them, so why are they still around? Greyhound racing is dying, for sure, but not because people are necessarily against it. It's dying because of low attendance at a venue that's relatively expensive to maintain. Massachusetts is probably an exception, as voters banned racing while tracks were still in operation, so that's a message about how they feel about dog racing that turned into a ban.

The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages calls itself "an animal rights-protection-abolitionist organization," which I find interesting. I'm sure a lot went into that and I wonder why it is defined that way. Perhaps because it might appeal to almost everyone? What do you think about the description? Regardless, they are joining Friends of Animals and Hearts for Animals on

Saturday December 5

at Central Park South (N/W corner) @5th Avenue, to

"observe the international day of recognition for carriage and cart horses by bringing attention to the conditions under which the NYC carriage horses live and work."

(Horses Without Carriages International does a great job of explaining and showing the injustices of the horse-drawn carriage industry around the world.)

The Coalition seeks a ban--not a phase out--and not the regulation of horse-drawn carriages in NYC (the proposed phase out would be over a three-year period during which "'green' replica classic cars" would be introduced). It wants a complete ban prior to the introduction of any other replacement business. An outright ban better for the horses because it wouldn't be at all influenced by or contingent upon the success of a new business.

"The well being of the horses should be the ideal of every organization whose mandate is to put animal protection ideals first - especially when they ask for donations based on that mandate. It is a conflict of interest for animal protection organizations to advocate for the drivers' jobs at the expense of the horses and they lose their moral authority by confusing those priorities.

. . .

We call upon the organizations that developed this proposal to go back to the drawing board and separate the two concepts - carriage horse ban -- and -- vintage cars. Figure out a way to provide assistance to the drivers in the way of jobs or money if that is your calling, while all of us work to see that Intro 658A - a true animal protection bill - gets passed. But do not allow the ban of the carriage horses to be dependent on a new business that may or may not be successful. It is too risky to sacrifice the horses this way and would be doing them a grave injustice."

Intro 658A will be reintroduced next year. Let's make 2010 the year carriage horses are emancipated in NYC!

Smattering Sunday

CharlesCamp1 from Mary Martin on Vimeo (which it looks like I'm going to have to upgrade to improve the picture).

Dr. Newest Vet sent this to me from yesterday's day at "camp" for Charles. His gait has improved dramatically from only two sessions of cool laser-physical therapy-underwater treadmill. I was told that 10 sessions will probably get him to as good as he's going to get, which at this rate might be close to back to normal. I asked if this is one of those therapies where the effects wear off between each session and the short-term improvements never turn into long-term ones and he said no. He also said he can achieve healing. That was the word I was looking for.

We'll see.

Also, an update on Emily's 50% vegan (Ami) diet. When I bought it she hadn't had kibble in a very long time and she'd devour it only to vomit it back up five minutes later. I tried soaking it (I soak the dogs' kibble) but she wouldn't eat it. To determine whether it was the Ami or kibble in general I snatched some samples of Wellness and she had the same issue. So for her Ami meal she can have about 10 kibble at a time, over a couple of hours. She devours them, too, but there's no vomiting involved.

There's no change in her condition. She's still overweight and prickly. I bought a new laser light and my husband and I have committed to using it every day and getting her to sprint around the house (away from the dogs-don't worry) for at least 15 minutes/day. And if anyone has any ideas about how to get a couple of pounds off of her I welcome them. She doesn't eat a lot, so decreasing her calories doesn't seem like a great idea. The problem is lack of activity.

Anyone have any luck walking a cat with a leash and harness? I'll try anything.

Next, to today's New York Times and Gary Steiner's fantastic Op-ed called "Animal, Vegetable, Miserable,"which begins with:

"LATELY more people have begun to express an interest in where the meat they eat comes from and how it was raised."

(Try not to think about the "meat" being "raised" and the "it." And the "strict ethical vegan" to come.)

And then it proceeds to:

"None of these questions, however, make any consideration of whether it is wrong to kill animals for human consumption."

Finally! And great timing: between Jonathan Safran Foer and Thanksgiving.

I'm going to give thanks to The Times by e-mail.

Update on Charles, Violet Rays & Emily

This is my darling 83-pound red fawn greyhound, Charles Hobson Booger, III who has been lame for about a year. (Click on the photo for a much better version.) Our latest attempt to make him a bit more comfortable and perhaps improve his condition is the cool laser followed by some physical therapy and then a walk on an underwater treadmill. I dropped him off this morning and retrieved him at about 4pm.

My other goal is to have him expend energy. He is very frustrated because he doesn't get to do anything other than walk very slowly (to make sure all feet hit the ground) five times a day. He has taken to ripping up any paper in sight and lunging at every dog except his greyhound friends on our walks. If Cesar Millan has one thing right it's that a tired dog is a well behaved dog. And poor Charles is never tired these days.

The ocean's been very dangerous for small crafts for the past couple of weeks, so we've been keeping our small craft named Charles out of the water. Hopefully, he'll be able to swim or walk in the ocean, with his snazzy life jacket, once things calm down. In the mean time, I need to tucker him out in a way that doesn't hurt him (like letting him run). The newest vet says swimming won't be that helpful as he doesn't really know how to swim and could hurt himself trying. But he can walk in a lagoon or in a calm ocean, in chest-deep water, says Dr. Newest Vet.

Most impressive was that Dr. Newest Vet, after looking at Charles' hundred-page history, said, "My goal is to relieve his discomfort and straighten his back, hence his gait, but also to find out what started him on this course of year-long lameness." Five vets had different diagnoses and after rounds of x-rays and an MRI, what we know is that because of some injury somewhere, he has himself all twisted and tense. But no one has been able to say what the origin is.

I'm sort of beyond caring, and just want him to be more comfortable. But if Dr. Newest Vet can figure it out, more power to him!

Lest I not mention 62-pound Violet, she did a capital job guarding the door at Dr. Newest Vet's office. Though these photos look very orange, everything in the room was orange or reddish, and both dogs have red in them, as do their collars, so the tone isn't as off as it looks.

Violet's diabetes is regulated and her glaucoma is stable and there has been no further detaching of her retinas (the left one is very detached and damaged and the right one is in great shape). She does have an interesting looking, bulging, blood red tag protruding from her left upper eyelid (the bad eye) which we're going to check out next week.

Emily Fokker, diagnosed as an FIP carrier and having visible symptoms, was told she would have only weeks to live way back when we adopted her and her baby, Lars Axl Fokker--nine years ago this month! Lars was euthanized a mere six weeks later (on New Year's Eve), and Emme is still going strong!

Viva la Emme!

Last Call for Greyhound Calendar Photos

Today at 5pm EST is the deadline for entries for the 14-month calendar "dedicated to the thousands of greyhounds who have been rescued from racetracks nationwide" according to GREY2K USA.

Submission Rules:

• One photo entry per dog
• Include your greyhound’s name, tattoo numbers, adoption group and history of 150 words or less
• Photo must be in color and of 300 dpi quality or greater at 8.75" high x 11.25" wide (file size will generally be greater than 500 KB)
• Photos must be horizontal (wide/landscape) format, not vertical (tall/portrait) orientation
• E-mail entries to [email protected]
• Photos cannot have been published in other calendars
• Be sure to include your name and address
• Deadline to submit photos is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday August 31, 2009

Fourteen dogs will be selected, one to represent each month. Unfortunately, entries that do not meet all of the criteria above will be disqualified. Winners will be asked to sign a release granting use of the photo to GREY2K USA.

Of course, I have hundreds of photos of Violet Rays and Charles Hobson Booger, III, few of which I've ever actually printed. I have one in mind that fits the requirements, of Violet mid-roll on the grass in sheer delight. No idea where it is so I've got to start looking!

Have a greyt day!

Animal Person on Animal Voices

Animal Person reader stevetshirt wrote to say that my interview is available on Animal Voices.

Here's to shameless self-promotion! Check it out at http://www.animalvoices.ca/shows/mary_martin and thanks to Karol Orzechowski for interviewing me.

Dogs as Smart as 2-yr-old Kids

When I saw the Live Science article about dogs being as smart as 2-year-old kids I knew that if there were any talk of ranking, my beloved greyhounds would be at the less-desirable end of the list (not from personal experience, but from reputation), and I also knew that there would be a whiff of speciesism. Why? Because when you compare two species, or rather a nonhuman animal species to the human animal, the humans almost always come out on top. The point is to show how much another species is like us, but of course never as good as we are, at whatever the measurement is. And of course, the definition of whatever is being measured--in this case intelligence--is our version of intelligence. We define intelligence as what we have, and then compare other species, to see how much they are like us. It's a no-win for the other species, but it's also a compliment as they have some of the great stuff we've got that makes us . . . us.

First we define intelligence in terms of language and the number of words someone knows. Then we go to math, and then we go to socializing and problem solving.

"While dogs ranked with the 2-year-olds in language, they would trump a 3- or 4-year-old in basic arithmetic . . . In terms of social smarts, our drooling furballs fare even better. . . . The social life of dogs is much more complex, much more like human teenagers at that stage, interested in who is moving up in the pack and who is sleeping with who and that sort of thing. . . . We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand [their] silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors . . . . Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."

The upshot is that the "smartest" dogs are the most recently-developed breeds as we bred them to be responsive to us, unlike the older breeds, such as greyhounds and other hounds whose skills are said to be the result of "instinctive intelligence." That last part is interesting. The way greyhounds, for instance, have been bred and trained takes advantage of their natural talent and instinct, but you could say the same thing about the border collie (number one on the list). One has just been bred and trained to be around people (socially), while the other hasn't.

So we train dogs to be around us and responsive to us and then label that smart (because they have become more like us in ways we can understand), while the behaviors we understand less/cannot decode because they are less like behaviors we exhibit get overlooked and/or called "instinct." 

Now, I'm just unpacking what has occurred here. If the assessment that dogs have a certain level of intelligence or are like us results in them being treated better as pets or people wanting to profit from them less, great.

Do you think this helps dogs? It certainly might cause a spike in orders for border collies and the other dogs on top of the list, but does it help dogs?

 

Greyhound Racing to End in Rhode Island

As you may have heard (here and here are two of Stephanie's posts on the matter), Rhode Island legislators were going to hold a special session to prevent Twin River from shutting down live racing. But thanks to the many people who care about the dogs and don't believe they should be exploited, dog racing at Twin River--in Rhode Island--will end on August 8.

As is usually the case, the next step is legislation that actually bans dog racing in the state. Sponsors of the bill are Representative Patricia Serpa and Senator Lou Raptakis (thank them!). And check out Sins of Omission Radio on Monday, August 3, at 9pm EST for "Unseen Costs of Greyhound Racing." Grey2kUSA encourages you to call in with questions and comments to: 347-677-0792.

Thanks to all of you who care about this single-issue, low-hanging fruit. Each dog who is saved from a life of servitude and abuse is grateful. I promise.

Needlenoses Charles Hobson Booger, III and Violet Rays

1001 Journals-Rescue Dogs

Check out the Facebook page for 1001 Journals--Rescue Dogs.

This is from Kate Merriman:

"I would LOVE your contribution to this traveling journal.  Don't worry if your first response is "but I'm not an artist" (I know some of you may be thinking that) - you can contribute a poem, some collage, stickers, journal entries, a drawing...".

Here's the page for the project on the 1001 Journals site.

Here's the process:
1 - Register with 1001journals.com.
2 - Once you've registered with them, go to http://www.1001journals.com/journals/3766// and click on "Get In Line".
3 - Kate will email the first/next person in line and ask for their snail mail address.
4 - Kate will mail the journal to them.
5 - That person will keep it for up to 3 weeks and add his or her content (up to 4 pages).
6 - Subject matter can be anything about rescue dogs / humane treatment of animals and you can use any medium. The only other request is that you refrain from deliberately harming any prior contributor's work.
7 - Kate will make sure that each person in the chain has the next person's snail mail address.
8 - When the journal is completed (it's 100 pages, so that means it will hold work of 25 artists at least if everyone sticks to a max of 4 pages), it should be returned to Kate.
9 - Kate will send it to the "1000 Journals" main office and they will do a HIGH RESOLUTION scan of all of our pages and we will become a part of the larger project and have our work available for all to see online. Pretty cool!!

I love this idea, although I haven't printed a photo in over a year so I have to figure that out first. I'm getting in line!

FYI: When you register, the answer to the question in the form of numbers should be in numbers. Pretty sure most of you would have done that. Here's what I did: What is 5 + 5? Ten (wrong answer).

Urgent Appeal for Flex, the Greyhound

Doesn't he look like my boy Charles?

Owen County Friends of Animals (KY) is a non-profit organization that fosters and seeks adoptions for the dogs picked up by their local dog warden. Dogs they can not place in foster care or find adoptive homes for are euthanized after 14 days by county ordinance. Their shelter is full.

Flex is a handsome, neutered male, red fawn greyhound (currently under 60 pounds). He came to OCFA totally flea infested and with a few open wounds. One wound (the one on his front right leg) was to the bone. He has been vetted and is healing nicely. We have not determined an age-he acts and appears young except for his teeth. He will need some dental cleanings and such done at a later date.

If you can help in any possible way, or for more information, please call Hilari Gentry :  502-514-1539 or e-mail [email protected].

Here's the page about him.