Editorial
Protecting the Vulnerable
I awoke again today to my next-door neighbor’s two Shetland Sheepdogs barking. They are like wind-up toys—the minute they shoot out of their back door, they dodge around the yard yapping. They do not quiet until they are back inside. The old man often lets the dogs out early or late, and has been cited…
Read MoreThe Link Between Animal Abuse and Violence Against People
By Phil Akow, National Coordinator https://nationallinkcoalition.org/ Over the past 35 years, researchers and professionals in a variety of human services and animal welfare disciplines have established significant correlations between animal abuse, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, elder abuse and other forms of violence. Mistreating animals is no longer seen as an isolated incident…
Read MoreIs a Life-long Commitment On Your Gift List? Gifts of Pets From/To Others
“Hello, I was given a dog for Christmas and cannot get a leash on her. She is ruining my apartment because I can’t get her outside. Can you help me?” This email came through my website (www.sunnyweber.com) two weeks after the holidays. I immediately responded and asked for the woman’s phone number. I knew the…
Read MoreSome Dogs
Some dogs don’t move you to poetry. Some dogs quietly, slowly, meld themselves into literature’s prose; not flowery, not romantic, not shiny. Jessie was a dog who grew slowly into a soul mate. He arrived frantic, anxious—a house destroyer, a wreck of rejection, an abandoned teenager who had lost everything he knew in a dog’s…
Read MoreWhat is an Animal Attorney? Part Two
Part Two: Animal Welfare Law In our previous segment, we discussed Animal Rights Law. It is one of two animal law specialties: Animal Welfare and Animal Rights. In this segment we will delve into the Welfare field and look at the differences this type of law practice entails. For this segment we discussed the…
Read MoreTeaching Children to Think Independently & Humanely
How do we as parents, teach our children to respect authority and yet think independently enough to decipher and reject illegal, immoral, or dangerous demands from those more powerful than they are—especially when we are not present to protect them? We want to protect our kids from harm, yet they may face adults or peers…
Read MoreHumane Education Through Storytelling: The Pups & Purrs Children’s Book Series–Part Three
In our final segment, let’s tie up the two previous segments featured in this blog post, their importance, and how books can bring us the tools to reach out to middle grade children as they approach their individual “coming-of-age” challenges. In Part One we learned: “Coming-of-age” books try to address emotional and social challenges that…
Read MoreHumane Education Through Storytelling: The Pups & Purrs Children’s Book Series–Part 2
In this segment of “Humane Education through Storytelling” we will examine the roll of parents, educators, counselors, and humane educators in reaching and turning potential young animal abusers into caring, respectful pet custodians. Reading life-like stories about animals and seeing the world through those animals’ eyes can engage youthful empathy and motivate conversations with trusted…
Read MoreDecision Making in Times of Terror
This morning I was awakened by the annoying screech of an alarm on my phone, which sat inches from my disheveled head. I jerked awake, annoyed. One of my cats jumped off my back, where she sleeps whenever I am splayed in upside-down spread-eagled form. My small dog, who I have suspected as losing his…
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