Today is Betty White's 93rd Birthday: 'Happy Birthday'

Loved her in Golden Girls, but love her even more for what she does for animals. Happy 93rd Birthday, Betty White…my idol!

Betty White's name is as synonymous with animal advocacy as it is with comedy — and she wouldn't have it any other way. "I'm the luckiest person in the world. My life is divided in absolute half: half animals, half show business," White, tells TVGuide.com. "They're the two things I love the most and I have to stay in show business to pay for my animal work!"

Your Pet Says More About Your Personality Than You Might Think

Cat people and dog people really do have different personality traits, new research suggests. People who own cats tend to be more creative, adventurous, and anxious. Dog owners, on the other hand, tend to be more extroverted, secure, and risk-averse.

Those differences were seen in a fascinating new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley and California State University, East Bay.

To read more on this story, click here: Your Pet Says More About Your Personality Than You Might Think

21 Traumatized Dogs Taken from Home, Will Have to Learn 'How to be Dogs'

An eviction of a woman from her San Diego County home turned up 21 dogs, as well as half a dozen chickens and roosters, on the tiny property.

“She knew she was in over her head,” said Lt. Kalani Hudson, of the Department of Animal Services.

Authorities had gone to the home in Shelltown, a neighborhood with many small, older residences, to evict the woman for failure to pay rent. The nearly two dozen dogs were found suffering from fleas, ear and eye infections, matted fur and other problems, Hudson said.

To read more on this story, click here: 21 Traumatized Dogs Taken from Home, Will Have to Learn 'How to be Dogs'

There Are Some Dangerous Ingredients in Your Dog’s Flea and Tick Medications - Find Out Which Ones to Avoid

The advent of easy to use spot-on products has made flea and tick prevention convenient for many pet owners.  Certain ticks can carry dangerous diseases so we’ve all become extra careful with our prevention routine.

As a veterinarian, I’ve been taught that the majority of these products are harmless and safe, but evidence now shows that both the ‘active’ and some ‘inactive’ ingredients in the spot- on preparations have been linked to serious health effects both in laboratory animals and in pets.

To read more on this story, click here: There Are Some Dangerous Ingredients in Your Dog’s Flea and Tick Medications - Find Out Which Ones to Avoid

What They Should Have Told Me Before I Rescued My Pit Bull

They said, "He's strong, about 67 pounds, and he's a puller but with some training he'll be great." Okay, I thought. Easy enough. But what they should have told me was something entirely different. What they should have told me was this:

This is an adventure.

Welcome to the best years of your life.

Where misconceptions, stereotypes and judgments are now personal attacks against not only someone you love dearly but you, yourself. And how you will feel like it is your personal mission to show the world how his "kind" is completely misunderstood.

To read more on this story, click here: What They Should Have Told Me Before I Rescued My Pit Bull

"In Dog We Trust" Accidentally Printed on Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Rugs

Is "In Dog We Trust" your motto?

If so, a sheriff's office in Florida has a rug for you. The Pinellas County sheriff's office said Thursday it will auction off a rug that had "In Dog We Trust" on it instead of "In God We Trust."

To read more on this story, click here: "In Dog We Trust" Accidentally Printed on Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Rugs

Woman Writes Heartwarming Letter to Soldier Forced to Give Up Beloved Dog

It’s a heartbreaking letter to an Australian soldier about loss, sacrifice and being sent into the unknown with a world of worry on his mind.

The soldier lost his mother recently and, to compound the grief, was forced to give her beloved dog Prinny to an animal shelter, after receiving deployment orders to Iraq.

In an open letter, Kae Norman, founder of animal rescue team Rescued With Love, articulated the soldier’s pain, and his anguish at leaving Prinny unloved, as he departed for the war zone.

Ms Norman wrote: “Dear Soldier, you don’t know me, but I know of you. I know you were heading to Darwin and then being deployed to Iraq.

“You are probably going through more than what anyone can ever imagine – and I wanted to ease your mind by letting you know your Mum’s dog Prinny is safe and happy with us at Rescued With Love.

“I know your Mum passed away and I am so sorry for your loss. Losing parents is hell, and to have to give up Prinny and surrender her to the RSPCA because you had no option would have been an unbearable burden.

“I read your surrender form which came with her paperwork, and my heart broke for you, for Prinny and for your Mum. You wrote such beautiful things about Prinny, and what a gorgeous girl she is. You were right, she certainly is.”

Ms Norman said older dogs like Prinny, who is 12 years and 4 months, don’t usually find a new home.

“I guess you know that, and thought you would give her a chance anyway,” she said in the letter. “The RSPCA did their best, and she was with them for ages …”

However, after a phone call to Rescued With Love, Prinny found a new home — with an Army veteran.

“He heard about Prinny’s predicament – and wanted to step up regardless,” Ms Norman said in her letter.

“I asked he and his wife to just wait and foster her – but it seems I didn’t need to be cautious at all. Prinny has fallen in love with her dad, and he with her, and they are now inseparable, and very, very loved.”

She added: “I don’t know where you are, or how to find you to tell you Prinny is safe. Maybe this will find you.

“All I know is my throat ached when I read your writing on that form when you handed her over – and I could not try to let you know she is safe, and very happy.

“Stay safe soldier.”

                       Here's Prinny, and a bestie called Brendan. Kisses all round.

Alligator Found At San Fernando Valley Home Had Lived There 37 Years

An 8-foot-long alligator has been living in the backyard of a San Fernando Valley home for about 40 years, animal control officials said Wednesday.

Officers from the Los Angeles Animal Services Department found the alligator Monday inside a wooden crate at the home in the 13200 block of Sylvan Street in Van Nuys, said department Cmdr. Mark Salazar. The alligator was then taken to the Los Angeles Zoo.


To read more on this story, click here: Alligator Found At San Fernando Valley Home Had Lived There 37 Years

Learn the Signs of Cancer in Pets

Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death among dogs more than 2 years old?

This is a startling statistic and might be unknown to people who haven’t confronted cancer in a pet. May is designated as Pet Cancer Awareness Month by the American Veterinary Medical Association, and it’s a good time to bone up on the risks and signs of cancer in pets — and to understand current treatment options.

To read more on this story, click here: Learn the Signs of Cancer in Pets

Pit Bull Set to be Euthanized After Attack on 18-Month-Old Baby - Stolen in Tulare County, California

Tulare County, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tulare County is asking for your help to find a pit bull they say was stolen from their shelter. The dog was set to be euthanized after it attacked an 18-month-old baby. Workers at Tulare County Animal Services are worried the dangerous dog could attack again.

To read more on this story, click here: Pit Bull Set to be Euthanized After Attack on 18-Month-Old Baby - Stolen in Tulare County, California

New York State May Be First to Outlaw Declawing of All Cats

New York could be the first state to issue a statewide ban on declawing of domestic, exotic and wild cats.

The law is being pushed by Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who's an advocate fighting against the mistreatment of animals.

To read more on this story, click here: New York State May Be First to Outlaw Declawing of All Cats

Two Bonded American Bulldog/Boxer Mix Need Adoption Out of High Kill Shelter in Georgia - Do You Have Room in Your Heart and Home for Johnny and June?

Johnny and June, two of the loveliest dogs a family could hope to find!  The affection they show each other is the pinnacle of sweetness, and they urgently need a home together to have a chance of making it out of the high-kill shelter.

Thankfully these two have each other, but they crave the attention of a new family.  These American bulldog/boxer mixes are gentle, but not much else has been posted about them online.  Given their breed and bonded status, finding them a home is difficult.

Johnny and June are in the care of Paulding County Animal Control in Dallas, Georgia.  If you would like to adopt them, please call 770-445-1511.  They are closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so it may take a day to get through.  Please save them!

Remember, even if you can’t adopt these two, there are many other Paulding shelter pets and animals in your area who need love, too!

Please share!

Two Critically Endangered Monkeys Freeze to Death After a Louisiana Zoo Keeper Left Them Outside

Two critically endangered monkeys died at a Louisiana zoo last week after a caretaker forgot them outside in the cold. A third monkey survived the frigid experience.

Cotton-top tamarin monkeys weighing less than one pound each were left outside at the Alexandria Zoological Park on Jan. 7 when temperatures were as low as 30 degrees in Alexandria, La. that night. The monkeys’ native habitat is northern Colombia’s tropical forests and they require temperatures between 76 to 85 degrees, according to the Associated Press.

To read more on this story, click here: Two Critically Endangered Monkeys Freeze to Death After a Louisiana Zoo Keeper Left Them Outside

URGENT! The International Fund for Animal Welfare Needs Your Help - Do You Sew? Can You Help? - Australia Needs Joey Pouches For Its Injured Wildlife

The International Fund for Animal Welfare has today launched “Project Pouch,” an initiative to help injured kangaroos, possums and wallabies recover from injury suffered during the recent South Australian bush fires.

The IFAW now have a stockroom full of koala mittens - and have now turned their attention to injured kangaroos.

If you sew and would like to help these animals, I have included a link to a pattern for you to use, and the address to send them to below.

Material required must be 100% soft cotton bed sheets and flannelette.

To read more on this story, click here: Australia Needs Joey Pouches For Its Injured Wildlife - Do You Sew? Can You Help?


Please send your finished pouch liners to: IFAW 6 Belmore Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

For the pattern, click here:
http://www.ifaw.org/sites/default/files/default/JOEY_POUCH%20INSTRUCTIONS_A4_R4.pdf

Website: International Fund for Animal Welfare

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