Check out this slide show of these beautiful dogs whose heroic efforts 11 years ago saved lives and comforted mourners. In their advanced years there faces are so noble and calm:
link
"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace." - Milan Kundera (b. 1929) Czech author
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Urban Turtles-Migrating at JFK
Clearly we are not turtles---Even though Tubby dressed as Godzilla last year for Halloween
and Godzilla is some kind of green lizard thing and thus Tubby thinks maybe a little bit like a turtle.
Also when mom was a kid and wasn't allowed to have dogs, the traumatic horror of her childhood, she had a long succession of turtles for pets. Most given the staggeringly creative name of.....Shelly. Since that time mom has been very fond of turtles and happy to stop and look at any turtle she chances by, she loved seeing turtles on logs when we used to walk in central park, even though we never got why it was a big deal. An animal that just sits there lying on a log when it could be smelling things or looking for snacks, what gives?
So when we heard the news about urban turtles delaying flights at JFK airport, we had to pay attention. We particularly love that the Post calls the turtles sex crazed, they have to find the sex angle for any story. This from the paper classy enough to be famous for this headline, we warn you look at your own risk!
Anyway, the turtles are walking across the airport because they are looking for higher ground to lay their eggs. It happens every year apparently. Flights where delayed two hours before the turtles where all rounded up. At leat none of them where hurt, turtles live a long time so maybe one of the Shellys was among them. Here is a video of the turtles doing there thing from ABC news:
Also when mom was a kid and wasn't allowed to have dogs, the traumatic horror of her childhood, she had a long succession of turtles for pets. Most given the staggeringly creative name of.....Shelly. Since that time mom has been very fond of turtles and happy to stop and look at any turtle she chances by, she loved seeing turtles on logs when we used to walk in central park, even though we never got why it was a big deal. An animal that just sits there lying on a log when it could be smelling things or looking for snacks, what gives?
So when we heard the news about urban turtles delaying flights at JFK airport, we had to pay attention. We particularly love that the Post calls the turtles sex crazed, they have to find the sex angle for any story. This from the paper classy enough to be famous for this headline, we warn you look at your own risk!
Anyway, the turtles are walking across the airport because they are looking for higher ground to lay their eggs. It happens every year apparently. Flights where delayed two hours before the turtles where all rounded up. At leat none of them where hurt, turtles live a long time so maybe one of the Shellys was among them. Here is a video of the turtles doing there thing from ABC news:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tornado Dog
May 15 marked L Frank Baum's birthday. As probably nearly everyone knows, L Frank Baum is the author is the author of the children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the creator of Toto one of the best and most enduring canine characters in literature. In the story Toto and his mistress Dorothy get picked up by a tornado and transplanted to the magical land of Oz. Dorothy and Toto remain loyal to each other throughout their adventures and finally make their way back home to Kansas. I think reading the book as a child, and seeing the movie repeatedly, is what started my initial fascination with dogs.
Sadly, many of the dogs who are victims of the terrible tornadoes in the southern and western states are not as lucky as Toto. The latest story is about a dog named Mason who was picked up by a tornado in Alabama. After the twister Mason's family looked for him in the debris, but they couldn't find him.
Two weeks later he crawled home on two broken legs and when his owners came to look through the debris of their demolished home, they found Mason sitting on the front porch. Sadly, Mason's owners cannot care for him right now and have asked the local shelter to take him. The plan is for Mason to return to his original family after they get their lives back together or to be adopted to a new loving family. I understand Mason's family is going through a truly terrible time, that I cant even comprehend. However, I truly hope they can take Mason back soon. Dogs are members of our families and our responsibility and should not be set aside any more easily then we would set aside our human relatives. If Mason's family cant take him back I hope the shelter will find a wonderful loving forever home for him and all the other dogs and cats who lost their homes in the tornado. For a dog, to show such loyalty and bravery in trying to get back to his family, and then to wind up in the shelter is truly heart breaking.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Japanese dogs stay together in midst of Tsunami
Animal lovers often respond to stories about dogs in a disaster because it is something we can connect too. I was moved to tears during Hurricane Katrina by a woman who wept while standing in front of the rubble of her apartment building repeating again and again "my dog was in there." I could clearly put myself in her place and understand what she was feeling.
Obviously the human disaster in Japan is beyond comprehension. Thousands of people dead and radiation leaking from nuclear power plants that may kill and sicken thousands more. So even though I am possessed of a boundless love for canines, preferring them to most people, I recognize that the trials of two dogs are insignificant in the face of this disaster. However, as an animal lover I automatically think of the effect this disaster will have on animals, and on how loosing or being separated from their pets will effect the human survivors. Which is why I found the widely circulated video of two dogs who survived the disaster so touching.
The two Tsunami dogs appear to be a brown spaniel mix and some sort of white spaniel type dog, possibly a Clumber spaniel. After surviving the disaster the two dogs stand in the wreckage of what was once their home. The white dog was badly injured but his brown friend wouldn't leave his side.
Here is the video clip
Here is an English translation (courtesy of a post on dogster of what the camera crew is saying)
We are in Arahama area. Looks like there is a dog. There is a dog. He looks tired and dirty. He must have been caught in the tsunami. He looks very dirty.
He has a collar. He must be someone’s pet. He has a silver collar. He is shaking. He seems very afraid.
Oh, there is another dog. I wonder if he is dead.
Where?
Right there. There is another dog right next to the one sitting down. He is not moving. I wonder. I wonder if he is alright.
The dog is protecting him.
Yes. He is protecting the dog. That is why he did not want us to approach them. He was trying to keep us at bay.
I can’t watch this. This is a very difficult to watch.
Oh. Look. He is moving. He is alive. I am so happy to see that he is alive.
Yes! Yes! He is alive.
He looks to be weakened. We need to them to be rescued soon. We really want them rescued soon.
Oh good. He’s getting up.
It is amazing how they survived the tremendous earthquake and tsunami. It’s just amazing that they survived through this all.
The white dog is recovering in an animal hospital and the brown dog is in an animal shelter in the nearby city of Miro. Hopefully their devotion will be rewarded and they will be reunited with each other and with their owners (if they in fact survived). Some people might say that the attention played to these two dogs moves the focus away from the human suffering and loss in Japan, but I would argue that seeing that these two dogs survived and stayed together gives us hope for the country as a whole.
The importance of dogs in our lives and the role they play in our families can be underestimated and that's why its so crucial to try to reunite them with their owners after a disaster. Here is a photo of a man reunited with his dog that says it all
If you want to donate to the Japanese Animal relief effort you can donate to
http://www.arkbark.net/?q=en/node/2901
Obviously the human disaster in Japan is beyond comprehension. Thousands of people dead and radiation leaking from nuclear power plants that may kill and sicken thousands more. So even though I am possessed of a boundless love for canines, preferring them to most people, I recognize that the trials of two dogs are insignificant in the face of this disaster. However, as an animal lover I automatically think of the effect this disaster will have on animals, and on how loosing or being separated from their pets will effect the human survivors. Which is why I found the widely circulated video of two dogs who survived the disaster so touching.
The two Tsunami dogs appear to be a brown spaniel mix and some sort of white spaniel type dog, possibly a Clumber spaniel. After surviving the disaster the two dogs stand in the wreckage of what was once their home. The white dog was badly injured but his brown friend wouldn't leave his side.
Here is the video clip
Here is an English translation (courtesy of a post on dogster of what the camera crew is saying)
We are in Arahama area. Looks like there is a dog. There is a dog. He looks tired and dirty. He must have been caught in the tsunami. He looks very dirty.
He has a collar. He must be someone’s pet. He has a silver collar. He is shaking. He seems very afraid.
Oh, there is another dog. I wonder if he is dead.
Where?
Right there. There is another dog right next to the one sitting down. He is not moving. I wonder. I wonder if he is alright.
The dog is protecting him.
Yes. He is protecting the dog. That is why he did not want us to approach them. He was trying to keep us at bay.
I can’t watch this. This is a very difficult to watch.
Oh. Look. He is moving. He is alive. I am so happy to see that he is alive.
Yes! Yes! He is alive.
He looks to be weakened. We need to them to be rescued soon. We really want them rescued soon.
Oh good. He’s getting up.
It is amazing how they survived the tremendous earthquake and tsunami. It’s just amazing that they survived through this all.
The white dog is recovering in an animal hospital and the brown dog is in an animal shelter in the nearby city of Miro. Hopefully their devotion will be rewarded and they will be reunited with each other and with their owners (if they in fact survived). Some people might say that the attention played to these two dogs moves the focus away from the human suffering and loss in Japan, but I would argue that seeing that these two dogs survived and stayed together gives us hope for the country as a whole.
The importance of dogs in our lives and the role they play in our families can be underestimated and that's why its so crucial to try to reunite them with their owners after a disaster. Here is a photo of a man reunited with his dog that says it all
If you want to donate to the Japanese Animal relief effort you can donate to
http://www.arkbark.net/?q=en/node/2901
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