Take a look at “Modern Dog”
If you haven=t seen a copy of Modern Dog or read this quarterly all-breed magazine, you are missing an interesting adventure in a world of dogs far outside of our area of Pennsylvania and one that you cannot even experience on the Internet–yet! One of my favorite issues has a cover picture of Tori Spelling. Spelling calls herself an animal lover and even has her own rescue–AMuch Love Animal Rescue@. Here we must pause and take a doggy leap (but not the type done in any agility course).
One of the recent articles was about hoarding, which has been recognized as a mental illness. Those who suffer from the affliction cannot refuse a needy kitten or the soft eyes of a begging dog. More and more dogs, cats and other pets are accumulated. Money and time soon are insufficient and neglect turns into cruelty.
Jesse Smith, Special Deputy of Dog Law Enforcement, recently was able to stop a hoarder after 20 to 30 dead dogs were discovered in the home. As part of the sentence the judge mandated that this person could not own more than three dogs and is subject to inspection to make sure the sentence is adhered to. Life would truly be unbearable without a pet in the home and I am glad the judge allowed this person to continue to share her love–now more wisely. It is easy to be a hoarder if you love animals. And, yet we can give only a few the quality of life they deserve. Ordinary, everyday pet lovers hoard. They are not deliberately cruel.
Back to Tori Spelling and celebrities who begin rescue organizations. Betty White once told a friend of mine that Doris Day always had room for another abandoned dog or cat. AShe would even put them in closets@, White said. The Doris Day Animal League is a result of this need to help animals. So why not Tori Spelling?
Back to Modern Dog. Even the advertisements are different. Of course, there are ads for all kinds of collars with bling, but the most interesting one was a collar that had a pet communication system that enabled the owner to speak to a pet for up to 12 miles. It has a Acall owner@ button, a GPS tracking system, and LED lights with 2-mile visibility and is available for both cats and dogs in both a harness and collar form. Visit www.thehearnow.com. Also available from the company is a rain-or-shine bed (it has an umbrella), a pet bed with arthritic magnets and an airborne chew (with fluoride).
More on Modern Dog and other publications in other blogs to come.
FFI A Hard Look at Pennsylvania Animal Shelters and Rescues by John Yates http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
Mar 26, 2008 | Comments are off | animal rescue, dog magazines, pet hoarding