I DIED TODAY
Current mood: angry
Category: Pets and Animals

I died today.

You got tired of me and took me to the shelter. They were overcrowded and I drew an unlucky number. I am in a black plastic bag in a landfill now.

Some other puppy will get the barely used leash you left. My collar was dirty and too small, but the lady took it off before she sent me to the Rainbow Bridge.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't chewed your shoe? I didn't know what it was, but it was leather, and it was on the floor. I was just playing. You forgot to get puppy toys.

Would I still be at home if I had been housebroken? Rubbing my nose in what I did only made me ashamed that I had to go at all. There are books and obedience teachers that would have taught you how to teach me to go to the door.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't brought fleas into the house? Without anti-flea medicine, I couldn't get them off of me after you left me in the yard for days.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't barked? I was only saying, "I'm scared, I'm lonely, I'm here, I'm here! I want to be your best friend."

Would I still be at home if I had made you happy? Hitting me didn't make me learn how.

Would I still be at home if you had taken the time to care for me and to teach manners to me? You didn't pay attention to me after the first week or so, but I spent all my time waiting for you to love me.

I died today.

(author unknown)

7:46 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

For Those We Couldn't Save & To Those Who Tried To
Current mood: sad
Category: Pets and Animals

We lost a lot last night and we will lose more today...this is for them and for all the ones who tried so hard to save them...

From: Purrfriends

2:18 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Do I Go Home Today?
Current mood: disappointed
Category: Pets and Animals

My family brought me home
cradled in their arms.
They cuddled me and smiled at me,
and said I was full of charm.
They played with me and laughed with me,
they showered me with toys.
I sure do love my family
especially the girls and boys.
The children loved to feed me,
they gave me special treats.
They even let me sleep with them --
all snuggled in the sheets.
I used to go for walks,
often several times a day.
They even fought to hold my leash,
I'm very proud to say.
These are things I'll never forget --
a cherished memory.
I now live in a shelter --
without my family.
They used to laugh and praise me
when I played with that old shoe.
But I didn't know the difference
between the old ones and the new.
The kids and I would grab a rag
for hours we would tug.
So I thought I did the right thing
when I chewed the bathroom rug.
They said that I was out of control,
and would have to live outside.
This I did not understand
although I tried and tried.
The walks stopped, one by one;
they said they hadn't time.
I wish that I could change things,
I wish I knew my crime.
My life became so lonely,
in the back yard on a chain.
I barked and barked all day long
to keep from going insane.
So they brought me to the shelter
but were embarrasesd to say why.
They said I caused an alergy,
and then, kissed me good-bye.
If I'd only had some classes,
as a little pup
I wouldn't have been so hard to handle
when I was all grown up.
"You only have one day left,"
I heard the worker say.
Does this mean a second chance?
Do I go home today?

by Sandi Thompson

6:46 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I AM FAMOUS NOW!!!
Current mood: sad
Category: Pets and Animals

I AM FAMOUS NOW!

(Retrieved from the Internet; also appeared in the Mastiff Club of Victoria newsletter.)

I was born today. One of 10. My daddy was very famous. I have lots of half brothers and sisters. My mother is very famous. Since she got famous, she has only had puppies. No more loving hands, no more fun trips ... just puppies. She is always sad when they leave her.

I left home today. I didn't want to go, so I hid behind my mama and my three littermates that were left. I didn't like you. But one day they said I would be famous. I wonder; is famous the same as fun and good times? So you picked me up and carried me away, even though you were concerned about me hiding from you. I don't think you liked me.

My new home is far away. I am scared and afraid. My heart says BE BRAVE. My ancestors were. Did they go to good homes like mine? I'm hungry because I can't eat too much because it will be bad for my bones. I can't bite or snap when the children are mean to me. I just run and play and pretend I am in a big green field with butterflies and robins and frogs. I can't understand why they kick me. I am quiet, but the man hits and says loud things. The lady doesn't feed me good things like I had with my mother. She just throws dry food on the ground, then goes away before I can get too close for touching and petting. Sometimes my food smells bad but I eat it anyway.

Today I had 10 puppies. They are so wonderful and warm. Am I famous now? I wish I could play with them, but they are so tiny. I am so young and playful that it is hard to lay here in this hole under the house nursing my puppies. They are crying now. I am so hungry. I scratch and worry my fur. I wish someone would throw me some food. I am also very thirsty. I now have eight. Two got cold during the night and I couldn't make them warm again. They are gone. We are all very weak. Maybe if I take them out on the porch, we can get some food.

Today they took us away. It was too much trouble to feed us and someone came to take us away. Someone grabbed my puppies, they were crying and whimpering. We were put in a truck with boxes in it. Are my babies famous now? I hope so, because I miss them. They are gone.
The place smelled of urine, fear and sickness. Why was I here? I was beautiful, like my ancestors. Now I am hungry, dirty, in pain and unwanted. Maybe the worst is unwanted. No one came though I tried to be good.

Today someone came. They put a rope on my neck and led me to a room that was very clean and had a shiny table. They put me on the table. Someone held me and hugged me. I felt so good!!! Then I felt tired and laid over the last one who cared. I AM FAMOUS NOW. Today someone cared.

(Enough said)

7:26 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Losing faith in humanity one person at a time...

This is one of my favorite songs.  Makes me think about the fucked up human race because sadly it depicts what most of humanity is like these days.  

Ben Harper - Excuse Me Mr

Oh, excuse me Mr.
Do you have the time,
Or are you so important that it stands still (for you).
Excuse me Mr.
Want you lend me your ear,
Or are you not only blind but do you not hear.
Excuse me Mr.
But isn't that your oil in the sea,
And the pollution in the air Mr.,
Whose could that be.
So, excuse me Mr.
But I'm a mister too.
And you're givin' Mr. a bad name,
Mr. like you.

So, I'm taking the Mr. from out in front of your name,
'cause it's a Mr. like you that puts the rest of us to shame.
It's a Mr. like you that puts the rest of us to shame.

And I've seen enough,
I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

Excuse me Mr.
Can't you see the children dying.
You say that you can't help them,
Mr. you're not even trying.
Excuse me Mr.
Just take a look around.
Oh, Mr. just look up and you will,
You'll see it's coming down.
Oh, excuse me Mr.
But I'm, I'm a mister too.
(And you're) givin' Mr. a bad name,
Mr. like you.

So, I'm taking the Mr. from out in front of your name,
'cause it's a Mr. like you that puts the rest of us to shame.
'cause it's a Mr. like you, puts the rest of us to shame.

And I've seen enough,
I've seen enough, seen enough,
I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.
I've seen enough,
And I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.
Seen.

'cause Mr. when you're rattling on heaven's gate,
(let me tell you Mr.)
By then it is too late.
'cause Mr. when you get there,
They don't ask, they don't ask what you saved.
All they'll want to know Mr. is what you gave.

So, excuse me Mr.
But I'm a mister too.
And you're givin' Mr. a bad name,
Mr. like you.

So, I'm taking the Mr. from out in front of your name,
'cause it's a Mr. like you (that) puts the rest of us to shame.
'cause it's a Mr. like you, puts the rest of us to shame.

So...what can you say that you gave, or did you just save?

5:35 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Rant...slightly updated
Current mood: irritated
Category: Pets and Animals

I went to dinner at an awesome vegetarian resturant in my area with a fellow vegetarian and vegan last night and we had many different conversations on people and animals and this is one that I am having a hard time with so I'm looking for some insight...

Apparently no one can or is willing to answer this which is very interesting to me...

2:34 AM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Probably the worst thing I've ever witnessed...
Current mood: sad
Category: Pets and Animals

On my way to work I witnessed a dog get hit by a car.

I was on my way to turn around to try to get her in my truck because she was standing in the middle of Route 50 in rush hour traffic where people fly. Before I could make a u-turn a selfish evil woman didn't even slow down and hit this baby. This bitch didn't even stop after hitting her. Just kept on going because her life must be so important that she has better things to do than worry about a dog.

I heard the god awful crash and looked back only to see the car go over her and the poor baby roll through the street. I pulled up next to her and she was still trying to walk at this point but in bad bad shape as this woman had to have been going at least 50 mph. She laid down in front of my truck and these nice men who pulled over wrapped her in one of my blankets and put her in my back seat (after me hysterically telling them I needed to get her to the hospital).  I kept telling her to hold on just a few minutes even though I knew she was sooo bad.  I rushed her to the hospital where the emergency staff was waiting for us but it was to late. She passed away in my back seat.  I did my best to get her help in time but at the speed she was hit by this selfish bitch, she had massive fatal internal injuries.

Please please please always watch your surroundings when driving. If you see an standing on the side of the road, please do not think that they won't run into the road. They are freaked out and don't know where to go and they will dart into traffic. STOP for god sakes. If you get to your important destination two minutes late at least you can say that you did your part to try to save a life.

I have to say that this was one of the most awful things I've witnessed. I am in animal rescue and would give my life to help an animal. This will haunt me forever.   As hard as this is for me and I hope I never ever see anything so horrible again, I am glad I was there for her.  I'm glad that she didn't die on the side of the road by herself.  I hope she knew that I was trying to help her and that someone out there cared.

I am so fucking angry and upset at people like this.  If she was paying the least bit of attention she would have seen this baby.  She had to have known she hit something.  Stop for fucks sake.  Is there anyone left with an ounce of compassion???  I'm beginning to think not.  There is a special place in hell for bitches like this. 

9:37 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Beloved Keekee passed over the rainbow bridge
Current mood: sad
Category: Pets and Animals

My precious girl passed away yesterday.  I can't even tell you how heartbroken I am.  She had been diagnosed with a very rare cancer weeks ago and the vet told me she wouldn't live through the week.  Well, I didn't stand for that and pumped her full of vitamins and made every moment count.  She was such a fighter.  So, while I knew this was inevitable, it was such a blow.  It happened while I was at work and I came home and found her.  She was weak yesterday morning and she didn't eat breakfast but she went through that some mornings so I gave her love, placed her on her bed in front of the window so she could watch the birdies and I went to work.  When I came home I saw her paws in the window and went over to touch them and say hi to her.  I touched them and I knew immediately because she didn't pull her head up to say hello.  I ran in the room and there she was layed out in front of the window.  It was like she was waiting for me.  That is what is killing me.  I have never not been with an animal when they passed over.  I feel so awful for not being able to say goodbye. She was with me for over 14 years and we went through a lot together.  And I mean a lot!!!! She is going to have a lot of stories to tell all the other babies up there. 

I just got off the phone with the crematorium.  I have an appointment tonight.  If I write anymore right now, I will completely break down.

R.I.P my baby Keekee

BEYOND THE RAINBOW

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade
I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free
Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, an on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful - lush and green and wide
And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be
My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do
I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright glow pierced the night
"Twas the glow of many candles, shining bright and strong and bold
And I knew then that it held your love in it's brilliant shades of gold.
For although we may not be together in the way we used to be
We are still connected by a cord no one can see
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart

Author unknown...

When tomorrow starts without me

When tomorrow starts without me

And Im not there for you to see;

The sun will rise and find your eyes,

All filled with tears for me.

I wish so much you wouldnt cry

The way you did today

Remembering how Id lay my head

In your lap that special way.

I know how much you love me

As much as I love you

And each time that you think of me,

I know youll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me

Please try to understand

That an angel came and called my name

And petted me with her hand.

She said my place was ready

In Heaven far above

And that Id have to leave behind

All those I dearly love.

But, as I turned away

A tear fell from my eye

For all my life I never thought

That I would have to die.

I had so much to live for

So many tricks to do

It seemed almost impossible

That I was leaving you.

I thought about our lives together,

I know you must be sad,

I thought of all the love we shared

And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday

Just even for a while,

Id wag my tail and kiss you,

Just so I could see you smile.

But, then I fully realized,

That this could never be;

For emptiness and memories,

Will take the place of me.

And when I thought of treats and toys

I might miss come tomorrow,

I thought of you and when I did

My cat-heart filled with sorrow.

But then I walked through Heavens gate

And felt so much at home;

As God looked down and smiled at me

From his beautiful golden throne.

He said, This is eternity,

And now we welcome you,

Today you life on earth is past,

But here it starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow

But today will always last;

For you see, each day is the same day

Theres no longing for the past.

Now you have been so faithful

So trusting, loyal and true

Though there were times you did things

You knew you shouldnt do.

But good cats are forgiven

And now at last youre free

So wont you sit here by my side,

And wait right here with me?

So when tomorrow starts without me,

Dont think were far apart

For every time you think of me,

Im right there in your heart.

Author unknown...

6:45 AM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

A few vegetarian facts...

1. Many famous people are vegatarians

2.Twenty-thousand pounds of potatoes can be grown on one acre of land, but only 165 pounds of beef can be produced in the same space.

3.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, factory farming pollutes U.S. waterways more than all industrial sources combined.

4.Rainforests, vital to earth's oxygen supply, are being destroyed at an alarming rate - the top cause is the raising of animals for food.

5.Forty-five percent of the total land in this country is used to raise animals for food or crops to feed these animals.

6.A carnivorous diet requires 4200 gallons of water per day; a vegetarian one, 300 gallons per day.

7.Of the 20 million tons of plant protein given to raise cows only 2 million tons of protein are used. That means 18 tons of plant protein are wasted! The 20 million tons of plant protein could have reduced 90% of the world's yearly protein deficit for humans.

8.Being a vegetarian would alleviate human starvation and in return there would be an increase in growth of wild animals without additonal sufferings on humans or any other animals.

9.By choosing the vegetarian or vegan alternative, the land used originally for farm animals would feed more people off of plant protein.

10.Plants yield 10 times more protein per acre than meat.

11.Chickens are raised in crowded, unnatural enviroments. There are usually 3,000 or more in one pen. The birds are not able to move about freely or even spread their wings due to the over crowding. They use "nests" made out of metal and they are bred by unnatural means.

12.In order for hens to lay mass amounts of eggs, artificial light is on 17 hours a day. Each hen averages about 300 eggs per year. Once a hen's egg prodution declines they are slaughtered. Most hens live an average of 5 to 6 years.

13.Veal calfs are raised in cages on an anemic diet. The cages are so small that the calves cannot stand or even move in order to clean themselves. The veal calves are kept in the dark most of their lives within the cages. They are subjected to a cruel and horrid death.

14.Most food animals are killed by the process of Kosher slaughter. Kosher slaughter involves hanging an animal particullarly a cow or pig by its hooves. The animal's neck is cut without any kind of anethesia. The animal hangs and bleeds to death.

15.260 million acres of forest in the United States have been cleared in order to maintain a meat- centered diet.

16.A man who eats meat has a 50% greater chance of dying from a heart attack. A man who does not eat meat only has a 15% chance of dying from a heart attack.

17.Women who eat eggs 3 times or more a week have a risk 3 times higher of developing ovarian cancer than those women who consume eggs less than once a week.

18.Women who consume meat on a daily basis has 3.8 times the risk of developing breast cancer than women who eat meat less than once a week.

19.660,000 animals are murdered in the United States every hour for their flesh!

20.More than 7 billion animals die yearly for human consumption.

10:16 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

MEAT: A EUPHEMISM OF MURDER

MEAT: A EUPHEMISM OF MURDER

Animal flesh comes to us in a nice neat package we call meat without the face attached, but each piece of flesh an individual consumes represents the death and misery of another animal. Their stomach essentially becomes the final resting place for a decaying corpse... a once living, feeling, being.

Every year, more than 10 billion farm animals are murdered in the United States, usually in modern day factory farms, where the animals are treated like disposable machines. Like any other factory, factory farms are geared for mass production and use machinery and assembly line-type techniques to achieve it. This means disregarding any of the animals natural needs and tendencies, including genetics, diet, digestion, sexual behavior, and their ability to move about. In this system, animals have been reduced to tools, slaves, and commodities, that can be bought, sold, and simply tossed aside to rot when not profitable.

A LIFE SENTENCE BEGINS

On todays modern farms, death begins at birth for the majority of animals. The day after calfs are born, they are separated from their mothers so that they will not drink the precious milk nature intended for them and are instead shipped off to veal farms where they will spend their premature lives in crates too small to turn around in or they will face the same fate as their parents: the horrific dairy farm or the feedlot where they will be raised in misery only to be murdered.

In egg factory farms, so-called useless male chicks are literally weeded out and are thrown in plastic bags, as though they were garbage, and either die from suffocation or starvation. Then the useless chicks are ground-up dead or alive, decapitated, or put in a machine which causes the bodies of the baby chicks to explode. They are then used for fertilizer or feed. The female chicks have their sensitive beaks cut off without any anesthesia and are transported to a cage, slightly larger than a folded newspaper with four other egg-laying hens for the rest of their lives. After the chickens become useless, they are taken to the slaughter house where they are hung by their feet on a conveyor belt and await their fate as they systematically have their throats slit.

A large majority of the pigs born in the United States will spend their entire lives in cramped factory conditions from day one of life, never seeing the sun, until they finally meet their bloody death. Sows are forced into small slated stalls where they are injected with progesterones or steroids to increase the number of piglets in their litter. As soon as they are born, newborn pigs receive injections, their teeth are clipped, their tails are cut off, and their ears are notched, all without anesthetics, causing excruciating pain for the newborns. After the sows are no longer useful, they join their male counterparts in the slaughterhouse where they are either stunned with an electric rod or knocked unconscious with a hydraulic sledgehammer. They are then hung by their feet and have their throats slit to drain the life out of them.

Other species of animals are also meeting this fate. Sheep, rabbits, emu, turkeys, alligators, and even green sea turtles are raised in intensive conditions similar to these where the main goal is to make more money from more animals with less labor, time, and money spent. This is just where the misery begins for these animals.

These animalsliving, feeling, breathing beingslike people, are born with a natural need and instinct for companionship with other animals. But, in the industry where money is more important than life, and butchering innocent beings and then consuming their decomposing carcasses is the norm, these animals lives are completely regulated and destroyed. Their food, laced with antibiotics, is formulated to make them grow as quickly as possibly. Animals are artificially inseminated (RAPED, often mechanically) and fed chemicals to make them produce more offspring more often so that those babies may too be killed. All instinctive desires and needs are ignored, and the entire life of these animals is determined by machines controlled by the callous human who is claiming power over their lives.

Factory farmers simply call this management or maintenance, as if they are overseeing the production of machinery. The animals are kept in conditions so crowded and confined that the entire living space reeks of ammonia and other gases from the animals wastes. The animals are treated as a collective whole, not as individual lives that need specialized attention. Despite the fact that crowding the animals induces problems such as fighting amongst the animals and increased death rates, the profits still rise and the animals that arent profitable are simply sold to stockyard auctions, where their almost lifeless bodies are sold for a mere dollar. And the animals who remain unwanted are discarded and left to die.

After a short miserable life of crowding, physical abuse and deformation, and deprivation of natural instincts, farm animals are forced onto trucks via beatings, electric shocks, prodding, kicking, and dragging to be transported in extremely overcrowded conditions to a building where they will be hoisted upside down on meat hooks connected to conveyor belts and have their throats slit while fully conscious. Even if the animals are stunned (which is extremely painful) before they are slaughtered, they often remain conscious and are thus slaughtered as they scream and struggle in terror for their lives. Often times animals do not die for several minutes after they meet the knife wielding murderers and are often boiled or skinned alive or left to die in a pool of their own blood.

The entire slaughterhouse is filled with the stench of blood and death and the screams of animals struggling in vein for their lives echoes throughout. But the producers keep raising these animals in the same miserable conditions, the butchers keep murdering the animals, and the consumers continue to purchase and gorge themselves with the decomposing corpses of innocent animals despite the cries.

How can anyone justify reducing animals to mere commodities that we can simply force into miserable conditions and murder to satisfy the appetites of selfish human beings? How can we call this society and its inhabitants humane or civilized when we are engaged in so much misery and killing? Animals are not simply things or food. They can feel pain, stress, and fear.

The choice of consuming animals is of consequence: a miserable life and terrifying death for animals, poisoning of the Earth and her inhabitants (including you, the consumer), and the continuation of world hunger. Consuming meat is condoning the death of an innocent life for which there is no excuse.

The meat industry thrives off the worlds hunger for a bloody, cruel diet while 90f oats, 85f corn, and 80f soybeans grown in the U.S. are fed to livestock. Lets not forget about all the grains that are imported from poor and starving third world nations, grains that could have been used to feed the starving children of those poor nations. If everyone consumed plant foods instead of animals, there would be enough food to feed the entire world several times over.

Raising animals for food: consumes one-third of all raw materials, causes more water pollution in the U.S. than any other industry, consumes more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S., and consumes 87f agricultural land. Not only is an animal-based diet bad for the animals and the environment, it is harmful for people. The animals are pumped with antibiotics, hormones, and medication. And so as you consume their flesh, those chemicals go right into your system. We are pushed by the meat and dairy industries to believe that flesh is a natural and necessary part of our diet. These ideas are pushed on us by groups such as McDonalds, which thrives off the dairy and meat industries.

Ask yourself: when you are hungry, do you have the urge to, using your bare hands, kill and rip apart another animal? Does your mouth water at the sight of a screaming, struggling, animal being slaughtered? Eating meat is not natural or healthy for the human body. In fact, those who do choose a non-animal based diet have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, osteoporosis, obesity, and many other diseases.

When you consume the flesh of an animal carcass, you are consuming the drugs and hormones fed to the animal during its miserable life, as well as the adrenaline that surged through the body of the animal in its last moments of life before the slaughter.

In school and at home, we are socialized to believe that animals are a commodity, easily grown and harvested, just like the corn we grow and eat. But how many times have you heard a vegetable scream in pain? How many times have you seen a vegetable try, with all its strength, to escape a knife wielding murderer?

Animals in slaughterhouses can hear the screams, smell the stench, and often see those ahead of them being murdered. All of these animals fight for their lives and struggle to get away. But to no avail: societies bloodlust keeps the slaughterhouses thriving on death.

When you pick up a package of meat, think of the cruelty and suffering that comes along with it. That steak is not just another piece of food-it is a chunk of bloody flesh and muscle. It is edible suffering, pain, struggle, and misery of another being. We each have the capability to choose a vegan (animal free) diet and life-style and end the misery and suffering of countless animal beings raised in a miserable environment only to be ultimately murdered.

10:13 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment