The Costs of Care For Abused Animals

SB-393 / HB-362 - Costs of Care for Seized Animals  - will hold owners of abused and neglected animals accountable!

If your Senator or Delegate sits on one of the committees hearing this bill  ACT NOW on Care for Abused Animals.

Update 3/12/15: The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee voted favorably with amendments.   The House Judiciary Committee can vote at anytime!  If your legislator sits on this committee Act Now!

Update 3/4/15: The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing today on this important bill and can vote at anytime!  The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee held its hearing last week and can also vote at anytime! If your legislator sits on one of these committees Act Now!

One of the greatest obstacles to enforcing animal cruelty laws in Maryland is the expense of caring for the animals while cruelty charges are prosecuted. As it now stands, shelters are often forced to care for abused animals for extended periods. Abuse cases can go on for months, even years, and the care to help these abused animals is paid for by the shelters and taxpayers, instead of the people who abused the animals. That's wrong and needs to be fixed.

Maryland has one of the weakest "Cost of Care" laws in the country. It's one of the reasons Maryland is ranked in the bottom tier in the nation on its animal cruelty laws.

Meanwhile, the shelters are tasked with caring for abused and neglected animals and can be saddled with costs so steep they might not be able to afford to take in other animals, or provide other essential services to the community. ACT NOW and help get the Costs of Care bill passed and shift some of this finanaical burden to the owners of these abused and neglected animals!

The other sad reality of this situation is what happens to the animals. These animals have already suffered from neglect and abuse and, although they are safe and cared for in shelters, they can be caught in legal limbo that leaves them stuck in shelters for months-or even years while their alleged abuser is prosecuted for cruelty. This bill provides a hearing process that can require the person to post a bond to pay for care or relinquish the animals so they can be put up for adoption, thereby allowing seized animals to find a new home.

Please ACT NOW to provide much-needed relief to animal control agencies and taxpayers, and save the lives of countless animals!

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Ringling Brothers Finally Retires Its Elephants After Years of Mistreatment

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, issued the following statement in response to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ announcing that it will retire its performing elephants in 2018:

“This is a startling and tremendously exciting announcement. With consumers now so alert to animal welfare issues, no business involved in any overt form of animal exploitation can survive in the long run. Whether it is locking pigs in metal cages on factory farms or chaining elephants for long-distance travel in performing circuses, businesses must adapt to public concerns in order to succeed in today’s humane economy.

"We’ve said all along that the public won’t tolerate the abuse of elephants with sharp bullhooks to get them to perform tricks or the constant chaining of these highly intelligent and mobile animals. There are better forms of entertainment that don’t harm animals. Cities like Los Angeles and Oakland have recently banned the use of bullhooks, and the trajectory was clear that this practice had no future in the 21st century.”

Six reasons Ringling made the right call FOLLOW US!

Heartwarming Story: Owner Grants Dying Dog’s Lifelong Wish - Just Mans Best Friend for Life

Stories like this truly makes my heart melt. A 13-year-old dog named Sunshade was diagnosed with cancer and to give her the best memories in the last few months of her life, her owner decided to grant her biggest wish: to have guinea pigs of her own.

According to Sunshade’s owner, the Airedale Terrier has always adored guinea pigs. Whenever they went to the pet store, Sunshade always stares at the guinea pigs for the longest time. She was so in love with them.

Sunshade finally got her wish and even got two guinea pigs. Her owner intended to get the dying pooch two females but something unexpected happened. Check out the video to know the surprising twist to the story.

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Australia’s Oldest Man at 109 Knits Adorable Sweaters for Penguins

Alfie Date began knitting in 1932 when he was just twenty-six years old, but it wasn’t until 2013 when Australia’s oldest man started knitting sweaters for Phillip Island’s little penguin population.

The penguins, who were still being affected by an oil spill that occurred in 2001, had been unintentionally swallowing dangerous chemicals as they attempted to clean the oil off their feathers. When he heard about the Penguin Foundation of Phillip Island’s call for knitters to create “jumpers” for the flightless birds, the 109-year-old Alfie put his eighty-plus years of experience to work.

Phillip Island is home to about 32,000 little penguins. They are the smallest penguins in the world, and the only species with blue (rather than black) and white feathers as an adult.

Their feathers are waterproof when clean, but when oiled they can separate and leave the penguin open to exposure. The sweaters, besides preventing the penguins from swallowing toxic oil, keep the little penguins warm, dry, and snuggly, and ultimately keep them alive.

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Man's Seeing Eye Dog Has Eye Troubles of His Own

Ronald Henry's guide dog Kehotay has been by his side for the last eight years, but now it's the golden retriever who needs a helping hand.

Kehotay helps Henry get around because Henry lost his sight and hearing several years ago. But now the 10-year-old golden retriever is having eye troubles of his own.

"I've been worried sick about him," Henry told ABC's Nebraska affiliate KETV. "He's my team, my partner."

The dog arrived at veterinarian Dr. Mike Hord's office with a cloudy right eye and corneal ulcers in December. But after the ulcers healed four weeks later, the pressure in the eye had more than tripled, which may be a sign of a bigger problem called pigmentary uveitis, which is common among golden retrievers, Hord said.

Now, Henry and Kehotay are headed to a specialist to make sure the condition isn't more serious, and that Kehotay can keep his right eye.

"They have definitely grown into quite the pair," Hord said, adding that he's been treating Kehotay for the last seven years. "All you have to do is see them together and you can tell that."

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Meet Pickles, A 21-Pound, Three-Foot-Long Cat That Was Rescued And Adopted Last Year

Feast your eyes on Pickles, the cat. He's 21-pounds, three-foot-long, and was rescued, and adopted last year.

Nicknamed Catasaurus Rex, Pickles became an Internet sensation after the MSPCA of Boston posted an ad online, seeking a new home for the oversize animal. When Andrew Milicia and his girlfriend Emily Zarvos went to see the cat for themselves, they didn’t expect to fall in love. But that’s just what happened, and now they say he’s an irreplaceable member of their family. “He’s our son, we love him,” Zarvos says with a smile.

Though Pickles doesn’t play well with other cats, he loves cuddling with Zarvos, and taking up half of the family’s three-person couch. And, as you could have probably guessed, he has a large appetite. “He's kind of like a dog when it comes to food—he'll come in and sit right in front of you and just stare at you until the plate’s gone,” his owners shared. But, as Zarvos explained, they don’t mind these quirky habits; “I'm so happy we have him, he's the best pet you could hope for.”

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Rescuers Freed a Group of at Least 17 Manatees Stuck in a Mass Stranding in a Storm Drain

Satellite Beach, Florida - Rescuers freed a group of at least 17 manatees stuck in a mass stranding in a storm drain in Satellite Beach, Florida.

Crews from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the Satellite Beach Fire Department and Police Department and city utilities worked to access into the culverts where the marine mammals were trapped, so a five-member team from SeaWorld could lift them out and release them back into the water, officials said.

With rain in the forecast, there was concern that the animals stuck in the drain could drown if the culvert were to fill with water.

Manatees, which are very curious, occasionally swim into storm drains, but because the culvert gradually narrows, some larger animals can get wedged and stuck, according to Ann Spellman, a marine biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Even if only one gets physically wedged in the pipe, any others following it can't get out, because they cannot swim backwards and don't have room to turn around.

After the mass stranding was discovered Monday, the city installed grates on the mouth of the culverts in the area to prevent any other manatees from swimming in.

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Are Men Walking Cute Dogs More Desirable to Women Than Flash Cars or Posh Clothes? What Do You Think?

A man who owns a cute dog is four times as attractive to women as one wearing designer clothes or driving a flash car, according to a new study.

One in five women (21 per cent) say a man who owns a cute dog is instantly more sexy.

Meanwhile, just one in 20 like men in designer clothes and six per cent fancy men with flashy cars.

Indeed, having a dog is even twice as appealing for women as having an impressive house (12 per cent) or a big salary (11 per cent).

The study, by notonthehighstreet.com , looked at both the biggest turn-ons for women and men away from simple physical attraction.

Half of men (48 per cent) look for a woman who makes them feel relaxed ahead of a girl who might make them laugh (34 per cent).

Meanwhile, four in ten men (39 per cent) admit compliments on their physical appearance are a way to their heart.

The survey of 2,000 Brits also found men are three times more likely to recognise when someone is flirting with them than women,

Renowned psychosexual therapist Cate Mackenzie compiled a list of top flirting techniques to see whether men and women agreed with her.

Half said maintaining eye contact was the most important thing to do when flirting, followed by paying someone a compliment (41 per cent) and teasing someone (32 per cent).

Of all the courtship rituals she drew up, on average men said they recognised and implemented 3.4 of them - compared to just 1.2 for women.

A spokeswoman for notonthehighstreet.com said: “It’s surprising UK men are the most enthusiastic about employing ‘old fashioned’ romantic techniques, something which they perhaps aren’t always given credit for.

“It’s nice to see that in the generation of online and app dating, there is still fondness for the traditional ways of wooing.”

The research coincides with the launch of Cate Mackenzie’s ‘The Art Of Flirting Workshop’ in Old Street, London, where men and women can work on their flirting techniques.

Cate, as a life and sex coach, has been running similar groups since 1993.

The spokeswoman added: “We created ‘The Art of Flirting Workshop’ to have a little bit of fun and to encourage people to have the confidence to flirt.

“The workshop is open to those who are in a relationship or single, while the tips and techniques can be transferred to any aspect of life.”

Below is a list of the top 10 flirting techniques, as agreed by men and women:

• Maintaining eye contact - 50 per cent
• Paying someone a compliment - 41 per cent
• Teasing someone - 32 per cent
• Looking at someone and then looking away - 20 per cent
• Asking someone for help - 17 per cent
• Complimenting someone only on their appearance - 17 per cent
• Buying them a drink - 16 per cent
• Chatting to someone about the place you are in (i.e. if you are in a supermarket, talking about vegetables and how to cook them) - 15 per cent
• Text them after meeting them - 14 per cent
• Be tactile with them - 14 per cent

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