Name: Pebbles
Age: 3 year old
Mix: Springer spaniel mix
Hobbies: Playing in mud, eating things she shouldn’t (cow poo, raw eggs etc!), and napping.
Owners: Frankie, Isle of Wight, England
Name: Alfie
Age: 3 years
Mix: English Setter/Flat-Coated Retriever/Munsterlander
Hobbies: Playing in the snow and loving his mom and dad.
Owners: Julie and Robin, Saratoga Springs, New York
Name: Gigi
Age: 9 months
Mix: Spinone Italiano Mix
Hobbies: Going to the dog park, chasing balls, scouting out cats, birds and squirrels on her daily walk and trying to play with her cat brothers.
Owner: Cris, Plano, Texas
Unfortunately, Mexico is not a forerunner in the animal rights movement. It is not uncommon to see street dogs wandering the city, picking through the trash and getting kicked by local residents. In an area with so much human poverty, it is no wonder that dogs are frequently used as convienant punching bags.
The YouTube clip above is not for the faint of heart. Indeed, it almost made me cry and I am terrified to see the movie it is advertising, Companions to None. But I do think it is an important issue that many people who do not live next to the Mexican border have no idea about. Living in San Diego, I have not only seen the way dogs in Tijuana are treated, but also how well they can recover when taken in by a good family.
I urge everyone to see this film and support the workers associated with it. This is something that spaying and nuetering can greatly improve, and that’s something that we can change with more conciousness of the problem.
In addition, I’d like to refer those interested to the Baja Animal Sanctuary. They specialize in helping dogs and cats from Baja Mexico get loving homes in America. My mother owns a wonderful muttski that once munched on rocks in the streets of Mexico and now she loves to cuddle up with her mom and her stuffed sheep and go right to sleep. The amazing thing about dogs is how many of them can come back from tramautic experiences. The Baja Animal Sanctuary can help. If you’re interested in donating, please click here.
And for those of you interested in helping out good old American born dogs and cats, I always recomend my favorite animal charity, Saving Shelter Pets. They work as hard as they can to keep dogs and cats in over-crowded shelters from being euthanized.
Name: Pandora
Age: 7 years old
Mix: Greyhound Mix
Hobbies: Chasing squirrels and attempting to scare raccoons off the deck.
Owner: Ashley, Columbus, GA
Name: Hank
Age: 2 years old
Mix: Australian Cattledog, Red Heeler Mix
Hobbies: Stalking squirrels, chasing seagulls and catching frisbee.
Owners: Eric, Chicago, IL
Name: Sir Charles
Age: 9 years
Mix: Corgi/pekingese
Hobbies: Being spoiled and cuddling with his stuffed monkey.
Owner: Carly, New Jersey
The American Veterinary Medical Association has decided to strengthen their commitment against unnecessary tail docking and ear cropping. They are taking a stand to urge breed standards to remove these requirements in dogs that do not require the surgeries. There are a handful of breeds that do need these processes for health reasons, but for the rest, it is cruel mutilation.
This is yet another wonderful thing about mutts, there are NO breed standards. We do not expect docked tails or cropped ears unless it is for the good of the puppy. If breeders accepted their dogs like we do, the world would be a much happier place for mutts across the world.
Name: Elsa
Age: 2.5 years
Breeds: Collie and Samoyed mix
Hobbies: Chewing, Pouncing, Being Chased, Digging and Going on Walks.
Owners: Dave and Lesley Miller, North Carolina
Name: Hank
Age: 4 years old
Mix: Corgi and Basenji
Hobbies: Chewing, running like a madman and lovingly harrassing his kitties.
Owner: Mary, Round Rock, Texas
