Corgi Beach Day

LAist reports:

Just when you though Corgi Beach Day couldn't get any bigger (and stumpier). So Cal Corgi National hit up Rosie's Dog Beach in Long Beach on Saturday for this season's beach day, and organizers estimate that over 800 corgis were in attendance, even more than the one in April. Not bad, considering they started with only 15 at the first Corgi Beach Day way back in 2012. Once again activities included a corgi kissing booth, costume contest, and the ever-so-popular corgi limbo contest. All proceeds went towards Queen's Best Stumpy Dog Rescue.

Back in the 80s I rescued a Corgi mix puppy from a cardboard box behind a Florida mall. He lived to be a very barky old man of 17.

Eighth Cativersary

Eight years ago this week I brought Shelley (formerly "Little Gray") home from the East Harlem ASPCA. She was 20 months old, very underweight, timid, and FIV+, the last of which might explain the "owner surrender" notation on her adoption papers. Shelley was so freaked out upon arrival in my apartment that she first tried to escape by climbing up the chimney, then spent the next three days cowering under the sofa. Today she's a healthy ten pounds, the friendliest cat I've ever worked for, and spends her days growling at pigeons and ensuring that the elderly German shepherd across the alley doesn't even think about climbing the fire escape. As I like to do on this date, I encourage you to visit your local shelter and consider adopting an adult cat. At this writing there are dozens of adult cats up for adoption at the East Harlem shelter.

RELATED: The ASPCA has a fantastic "cats over three are free" program for adult cats: "The Free Over Three adoption package includes spaying or neutering, vaccinations and micro-chipping. Adopters will also receive a certificate for free follow-up veterinary care at the ASPCA Animal Hospital within 14 days of adoption, a pet carrier and literature about cat behavior." The APSCA also supports a no-kill coalition of animal shelters all over the New York City area.

NYC To Vote On Lifting Ferret Ban

New York City might today lift its Giuliani-era ban on keeping ferrets as pets. Via the Associated Press:

After years of slinking around, ferrets and their fans may get to go aboveground in the nation's biggest city. The city Board of Health is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to lift a longstanding ban on keeping the animals as pets, which is legal across much of the country. Many states have lifted ferret bans over the past 25 years. California and Hawaii still have them, as does Washington, D.C. Ferrets are legal in the rest of New York state, but fur has flown over the issue for years in the city. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani once told an ardent ferret aficionado to get psychological help, saying the man's "excessive concern with little weasels is a sickness." The city has long defined ferrets as wild animals and generally prohibited them, but the ban became specific in 1999.

A poll taken last summer showed that about half of NYC residents oppose lifting the ban.

Twilight Cats

Compiled by a pet insurance company from their database of 75,000 feline patients. Bella is also the most popular name for female dogs. Source.

Open Thread Thursday

Annual pet photo roundup. Let's see 'em.

New Puppy For The Obama Family

This is how the story is told on the wingnut Daily Caller:

It’s a dog named “Sunny.” Apparently it’s a girl and it was born in 2012 in Michigan, where the unemployment rate was 8.8 percent last month. It is the Obamas’ second dog, after “Bo.” A Portuguese Water Dog can range in cost wildly. On average, one will pay between $1,400 and $2,000. President Barack Obama has this breed of animal, according to an answer on Ask.com. With the addition of Sunny, the Obamas now have two black Portuguese water dogs. The Obamas do not have any white dogs.

You cannot make it up, folks.

Relationship Relief?

I've had friends who just couldn't make it work with prospective partners due to pet allergies. "Either his cats go or I do."  But there's hope.

Sad Cat Diary

"Dear Diary: The authorities have removed the black pants from the couch and there is no longer any place for me to sleep. I have vomited three times in protest."

Open Thread Thursday

Annual pet photo roundup. Let's see 'em.

Sixth Cativersary

Six years ago today I brought Shelley home from the East Harlem ASPCA. She was 18 months old, very underweight, timid, and FIV+.  Today she's a healthy ten pounds and the friendliest cat I've ever owned, if also the quietest. As I like to do on this date, I encourage you to visit your local shelter and consider adopting an adult cat. At this writing there are 44 adult cats up for adoption at the East Harlem shelter. I'm partial to the attitudinal Harrison.

The Science Of Cats

LAUNCHED: Pet Food Stamps

A New York-based non-profit has launched a program they are calling Pet Food Stamps, which will ship pet food to impoverished families who might otherwise be forced to surrender furry family members to animal shelters, or worse, release them to fend for themselves on the streets. In order to qualify for the program, pet owners must document that they are on public assistance.  From the group's website:

There are over 50 million Americans who currently receive Food Stamps, many with dogs or cats, who simply cannot afford to feed their animals, and these cherished companions are dropped off at animal shelters where they will most likely be put to sleep. As more families struggle with difficult choices like paying the rent or buying food, some have to choose between keeping their pet and putting food on the table. The Pet Food Stamps program, due to the generosity of contributors and patrons, are able to eliminate that heart-wrenching decision by making sure these pet owners are given free monthly home delivery of all necessary food supplies to maintain the health and vitality of their pets.

Initial reaction to the program has been so strong that the group's website crashed yesterday as thousands of animal lovers attempted to make donations. Totally unsurprisingly, the program has been denounced in some corners of Teabagistan as furthering "the entitlement mindset of the takers." Over at the wingnut Townhall, they're even wondering when Pet Food Stamps will become an official federal program. Eye roll.

Pet Food Stamps donation link.

Scientific Proof: Cats Are Better Than Dogs

Even dog lovers will enjoy this.

So This Exists

Seriously. It's $14.99. Move over Big Mouth Billy Bass.

The Pet Party: Vote To Adopt

Devo - Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro!

Devo has teamed up with Dogs Against Romney for a new song ripping the GOP candidate for his infamous Seamus incident. Band member Jerry Casale:

"It's disconcerting," he said. "I could even say that I'm pissed off. I am an animal lover. This story is not about being from a red or blue state, being a Democrat or Republican. There are seven billion people on a planet that's going to hell in handbasket. The United States is the most formidable force on the planet. And do you want a man whose character is like that to take charge? It just tells me something about him. He'll do more harm than has already been done."

Rabbit Bites

Thinking I'd give Shelley a break from Whisker Lickens, I picked up a bag of treats that I thought were normally meant for rabbits. Flipping the bag over at home, I realized that the treats are made out OF rabbits. That's very different. Shelley, as it turns out, does not care for ground up bunnies. But woe be to the stray fly that enters this apartment. Silly cat. Silly me.

PETA Calls For PetSmart Boycott

PETA has launched a campaign calling for a boycott of retail giant PetSmart until the chain "stops selling all animals." The below undercover video depicts a (presumably PetSmart) staffer going behind the scenes at one store to film sick and dying animals that have been removed from the floor, making the claim that PetSmart allows the mistreatment of animals and deprives them of veterinary care. The clip has drawn howls of outrage from PetSmart staffers on YouTube. Sample response:

Seriously!? That's a serious case of bad management. It can happen at any company in any store!! The Petsmarts Ive worked at are very loving and caring towards all animals!!! If anyone was EVER caught mistreating an animal it would be instant termination! The store I worked at paid for a $500 surgery on a hamster! We do everything possible to give all animals a loving home. Would PETA do that? DOUBTFUL. Ugh this kind of misleading crap infuriates me.

Open Thread Thursday

We haven't bragged about pets in about a year. Photos!

Fifth Cativersary

Five years ago today I brought Shelley home from the East Harlem ASPCA. She was 18 months old, very undersized, timid, and FIV+. She's the quietest cat I've ever owned, other than the occasional questioning chirp she rarely makes a sound. But she's also the friendliest. Sit on my sofa and she'll be in your lap in ten seconds. And many times a day she's on her hind legs, front paws on the armrest of my chair, begging for space on my desk. I love when she does that. As I like to do on this date, I encourage you to visit your local shelter and consider adopting an adult cat. At this writing there are 56 adult cats up for adoption at the East Harlem shelter. I'm partial to Cathy, she looks fun.