Bo Obama in "Much Ado About Nothing"

There is a bit of a drama around the adoption of the Portuguese (yay!) Water Dog puppy Bo. Some are saying that President Obama broke his promise to get a rescue dog. Others are accusing him of getting a dog from a breeder. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Here's our position.

Bo is not really a rescue dog. He came from a breeder and did not have a successful first placement, but his is nowhere near the tough stories we hear about in shelters. (It helps to have a sibling in Ted Kennedy's household.)

But he wasn't really adopted from a breeder either. His first placement didn't work out and he was with an obedience trainer for a second chance at another home.

So what is he?

He's simply a gift from a friend. Ted Kennedy gave him to the Obamas as an act of friendship. It's his own dog's sibling and I think it was a symbol of political alliance as well. I don't think there was anything underhanded in it at all. The dog was a fit for the family and it's hard to say no to Ted Kennedy.

We would have loved it if the Obamas had adopted a dog from a shelter. But there were allergy issues which are an understandable concern. And we also have to realize that there would not be a sudden rush to the shelter if the Obamas had adopted their dog from one. There may have been a rush to adopt that particular dog perhaps, but then the fad would fade and the people who were never sincere in the first place would just dump the dog again.

I think we animal people should just chill and enjoy the new puppy.

Around the Blogosphere

I really enjoyed this post by The (Nearly) Perfect Vegetarian about her research into the safety of the beauty products she uses. So, despite all the animal testing that goes into cosmetics, many of them are still potentially harmful to a human being. So all that wasted animal life for nothing?

Amazing.

India's Cows Contributing to Global Warming?

It's been a while since we've posted about Mr. Barky's favorite subject....Cows With Gas! This time, in India!

By burping, belching and excreting copious amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas that traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide — India's livestock of roughly 485 million (including sheep and goats) contribute more to global warming than the vehicles they obstruct. With new research suggesting that emission of methane by Indian livestock is higher than previously estimated, scientists are furiously working at designing diets to help bovines and other ruminants eat better, stay more energetic and secrete lesser amounts of the offensive gas.

Animal Welfare Act Inadequate for Farm Animals

This is really interesting. How many people know this about the Animal Welfare Act? I certainly didn't. No wonder there is so much "farm" animal abuse out there.

The only cool thing is that Gene Bauer's views on the meat industry are so similar to those expressed on this blog a few weeks ago. (Yay!!!) Humane treatment runs counter to the entire industry when the point is to make money by processing these animals as fast as possible.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “farm animals are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) only when used in biomedical research, testing, teaching and exhibition. Farm animals used for food and fiber or for food and fiber research are not regulated under the AWA.”

...Unlike domestic animals, there are minimal organizations or lobbyists to defend these animals, therefore leaving public opinion to be shaped only by the insincere comments of the cattle industry. As such, most people do not consider the potential abuse that may have taken place to bring their hamburger onto their dinner plate.

While a nationwide vegan or vegetarian lifestyle change is highly unlikely, the abuse can be maintained through increased government regulation. “Laws remain grossly inadequate as do practices at our nation’s slaughterhouses,” says Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur. “Most animals in the U.S. are killed in factory style slaughterhouses whose primary goal is to kill and process animals quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, this goal tends to run counter to humane goals.”

Baur believes that slaughterhouse cruelty can be reduced by simple operational changes, such as slowing down the slaughter lines. “The faster they go, the greater the problems with animals being handled roughly and being improperly killed. Some have been literally cut up while still alive because the facility didn’t provide adequate time for the animal to be rendered unconscious and killed.”

Class "B" Animals Sold for Medical Research

I learned something new from this article. I had never heard the use of the term "Class B."

In the shadow of a $5 million-dollar grant given to Oklahoma State’s renowned veterinary school and then rescinded due to allegations of abusive and cruel animal research practices, Oklahoma State University Philosophy Club and Friends of the Forms will host animal activist Chris DeRose. DeRose will speak at 7 p.m., on Monday at the OSU Student Union Little Theater on the second floor. DeRose will address the use of “Class B” animals in veterinary schools and research labs.

Class B dealers are animal brokers who acquire animals from places such as pounds, flea markets and newspaper ads for the purpose of selling them to research institutions or veterinary schools. Often the care of animals at such dealers is considered substandard.

It's sad. It's really just a matter of luck whether an animal gets to go home to a warm bed or to a cold cage in a laboratory. Truly unfair.

US Government Continues Subsidizing Meat Industry

Hard to wean people off animals when the US government is propping up the industries, and especially when so much of it ends up on school lunch trays (laying the foundation for this nation's obesity problem in my opinion.)

I also have problems with subsidies to big agribusiness. It's just another bailout, but nothing new. We've been propping these guys up for decades. Too bad it continues under Vilsack and Obama.

The federal government continued its effort to boost agricultural commodity prices today by announcing it will purchase an additional $25 million worth of pork.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also said it will buy $60 million of turkey, $2 million of lamb and $29.7 million of walnuts.

Last week, the USDA bought approximately 200 million pounds of nonfat dry milk to help the dairy industry.

The purchases are in addition to the ones the USDA makes annually for federal food programs.

The food will go to federal food nutrition assistance programs, such as school lunches.

Pork farmers have been losing an average of $20 on each hog marketed since October 2007, according to the U.S. Pork Producers. And economists have said dairy producers are losing an average of $3 per cow per day.

2009 Animal Rights Conference Scheduled for July 16-20

It's in Los Angeles this year.

BOCA to Stop Using Eggs by End of 2009

Totally missed this story from about a month ago.

On March 19, 2009 a company representative emailed Compassion Over Killing:

"…I am pleased to let you know the BOCA brand will be eliminating eggs in all of its products by the end of this year. We anticipate all BOCA products will be egg free in 2010."

By removing eggs from their ingredient list, BOCA is withdrawing financial support for factory farms that use battery-cages. They are striking a blow against the cruel egg industry. Whether or not you choose to eat eggs, this is a major victory for animals. This brings us one step closer to ending intense confinement of hens in factory farms.

First Puppy To Be Unveiled Soon

The word is, that it's a Portuguese water dog.

The little guy is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog given to the Obama girls as a gift by that Portuguese water dog-lovin' senator himself, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. The girls named it Bo -- and let it be noted that you learned that here first. Malia and Sasha chose the name, because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because first lady Michelle Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley, a source said. (Get it? Bo . . . Diddley?)

For those who are wondering why a Portuguese water dog was picked, I think it's clearly a secret signal.

Why Do People Jump Into Enclosures With Bears?

Darwin foiled again.

Watch Video About Pig Farming in the UK

It's a 5-minute film about conditions for pigs in the UK. Produced by Compassion in World Farming.

As an aside, people who love to eat meat should also watch educational videos like these. They need to take responsibility and learn about the food they eat. If one wants to eat meat, fine, but understand how you are spending your money. Don't live in a cloud....wake up!

Conditions for farm animals will not change until meat-eaters start demanding changes themselves. Unfortunately, there are way more of them than there are vegetarians and vegans.

USDA Has Meat Animal Research Center

Here it is...the US Meat Animal Research Center. Good site to visit to see what they're up to. Obviously, all the pictures will probably be nice and clean.

Animals are Victims of Italy's Earthquake Too

Lots of animal death and trauma in the aftermath of the Italian earthquake.

Radlo Foods Pledging Conversion to Cage-Free Eggs

Good news following an investigation of farm animal abuses by Mercy for Animals.

Sometime soon, David Radlo of Radlo Foods says his sign in front of the former DeCoster Egg Farm will be coming down and all his business at the massive egg operation in Turner will come to an end. Radlo says he will no longer rely on hens or eggs that come from Maine Contract Farming, the company owned by egg farm magnate Jack DeCoster, one of the nation's biggest producers of brown eggs.

Says Radlo, "We've given up that facility and we're moving on down the road and we're sourcing from other states right now but there's an important thing that people need to know: we hear you loud and clear."

Radlo's announcement follows word from Pennsylvania-based egg supplier Eggland's Best that it would drop Radlo Foods as one of its franchisees. In a written statement the company said it was making the move after an investigation revealed that Radlo Foods violated the terms of an agreement by working with a farm that is not in compliance with its strict animal welfare standards. Instead, Eggland's Best says it will get classic brown eggs from other locations. Its white eggs, cage-free and organic eggs are not involved.

Nathan Runkle, executive director of Mercy for Animals, an Ohio-based animal rights organization, commends Eggland's Best "for finally stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for their involvement in this abusive facility."

Mercy for Animals sent an undercover investigator to work at the former DeCoster Egg Farm in Turner where he secretly videotaped hens being spun by the neck and kicked into manure pits or thrown into garbage cans and left to die for several days. The group's findings have now triggered an investigation by the state's Animal Welfare Program. The Hannaford Brothers supermarket chain has also announced that it will begin vigorously enforcing an agreement it has with egg suppliers not to do business with the farm.

Here's a link to the investigative video. Be warned, it's hard to watch.

World Week for Animals in Laboratories is April 16-26

I like this short opinion letter that gets right to the point.