What are your basic pet needs?

Food, water, shelter, exercise --but more than just the basic welfare needs, your pet needs love!

 

Seals Killed Legally in Canada

All for the sake of fashion, seals are killed either by gun shots or by crushing their skulls. And worse, this is legal in Canada. Watch this video of how seals are cruelly killed and ask yourself if you would really feel great to own a fashion piece of luxury fur or some dazzling scarfs made of seal's fur/skin.

PETA - Fighting Animal Abuse In Manila Zoo, Philippines

Dear Activists,
You are probably aware that the Manila Zoo has once again come under fire for its poor treatment of animals and decrepit enclosures. The treatment of animals at the zoo has been all over the Philippine media since last week, when it became a trending topic on Twitter, both locally and internationally. Please help PETA ensure that the animals' side of the story continues to be told by writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper today!

The Manila Zoo has been internationally criticized for housing animals in cramped, barren cages and for providing substandard care. The animals are relegated to a lifetime of boredom and abuse, often leading to self-mutilation and other types of abnormal behavior. Like all zoos, the Manila Zoo presents visitors with a distorted view of wildlife. In the wild, most animals roam over territories of hundreds of square kilometers, but the entire Manila Zoo measures only 0.055 square kilometers. Even the largest zoos worry that they cannot provide the space, exercise, privacy, and mental stimulation that the animals require—much less fulfill the animals' other complex needs.

Please consider writing to the following publications. You can access recent articles about the Manila Zoo by clicking on the publication names: Manila Bulletin (editorial@mb.com.ph),  The Philippine Star (editor@philstar.com), Manila Standard Today (opinion@manilastandardtoday.com),  Philippine Daily Inquirer (opinion@inquirer.com.ph), Malaya (malayanews@yahoo.com), and Business World (editor@bworld.com.ph). Send us your letter printed in any newspaper, and we'll send you a free PETA T-shirt!

The following are talking points that you can rephrase in your letters:

• Seeing animals in barren, decrepit, trash-filled cages at the Manila Zoo does not prompt children to respect animals or teach people anything about how animals behave in the wild. 
• Taking children to the Manila Zoo only teaches them is that it's OK to rip animals away from their natural habitats and families, deny them everything that is natural and important to them, and sentence them to a lifetime of boredom at the zoo.
• Children can learn about animals and develop appreciation for them through many means, including books, videos, and the Internet. Consider that the type of animal many children know the most about is the dinosaur—yet no child has ever seen one.
• The Manila Zoo houses animals in environments that could never compare to what they would experience in the wild. The cages are barren, filthy, and filled with trash, and the animals have little environmental enrichment.

 One published letter has the potential to be read by thousands of people! To make sure your letter has a good chance of being published, follow these tips:

• Write "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line of the e-mail.
• Be brief! Sometimes one short, pithy paragraph is enough. Try to keep it to less than 300 words (about half of one typed page). Editors are less likely to print long letters.
• Make sure you include your name, address, and telephone number in your letter. Some newspapers verify authorship before printing letters.

For more tips on writing effective letters, please see PETA U.S.' letter-writing guide.
If you would like to further speak up for the animals at the Manila Zoo, please use this form to add your name to the ever-growing list of people who want to see the zoo stop taking in animals and ultimately close its doors.

Thank you in advance for your letters! If you have any questions, please e-mail Activist@PETAAsiaPacific.com.
Very truly yours,
The PETA Asia Team

Republished from an email from PETA received by blogger on July 23, 2011.

If my dog Dags could talk...

Last weekend, I captured spontaneous moments of my dogs through my old motorola razor. There are two things that I learned...first, my old phone can still get good pictures, and second, my dog Dags can have her own soap opera...if she could talk.

Where is Lola? I saw her earlier in the backyard.

Let's wait for her here. I am sure she's just around.

I will wait for her here...

..though I'am alone. 

What keeps her long?

I feel sleepy now.

Yawwwwnnnnn.

I'd better sleep here...

Until Lola is back.

I told you, she'll be back!

Lola is here! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Meet PopStar Hamster, my dogs' friend

Popstar is asking, "Want to sip?"

 

Adult hamsters like Popstar drink about 20ml-30ml water per day.

Popstar posing, living up to his name.

There are many different kinds of hamsters, but the five most common are Syrians, Dwarf Campbell Russians, Dwarf Winter White Russians, Roborovski Dwarfs, and Chinese. Needless to say, I don't know what breed Popstar is.

Dog Blogger Wannabe: can my dog eat bread and cheese?

Everytime I am infront of my laptop during the wee hours I am never alone. Kabang, my nine year old dog is just beside me, making sure I am safe while everyone is asleep. He is wide awake maybe because he wants to learn the art of blogging, too; but on second thought, I think the real reason is --he wants to share my midnight snack!

Kabang, the dog blogger wannabe.

My dog begging for milk.

Aside from milk, he gets the last bite of my sandwich,
whole wheat bread with cheese .

Many of us think that milk (cow's milk) is best for dogs, but we are wrong. As an occasional treat milk is okay, but in larger amounts --according to experts-- milk can cause digestive upset and sometimes diarrhea for some dogs. Though of course some dogs can clear out a bowl of milk with no digestive issues, and fortunately, Kabang and most of my dogs can tolerate occasional dairy in small amounts.

Why milk may not be recommended for dogs? According to ASPCA expert (www.aspca.org), "pets lack significant amounts of lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose in dairy products. As a result, some may have difficulty with digestion and end up with stomach upset. Cheese, however, has less lactose than milk and some other dairy products, so it’s less likely to cause problems."

Great, cheese is safe! Though it doesn't mean that if cheese is okay we feed our dogs with lots of it. Remember that too much cheese can constipate them.

How about bread, is it recommended for dogs?According to dog nutrition experts bread is a healthy snack if it is whole wheat bread. Yes, just like vegan's choice of bread. :)

We all want our four-pawed friends live full, healthy lives that's why I want to make sure my pets get the right treats that they also want, besides commercial dogtreats aren't always appealing to them.

This commercial dog treat isn't appealing to Kabang if
he sees me eating more flavorsome snacks.

He sleeps after sharing my snacks.

What makes my pets happy?

A bag of dry dog food. Price: $28.00

Gourmet Dogfood. Price: $2 to $2.5 each.

Grooming. Dog hair cut. Price: $25

Mommy's quality time: Priceless!