Help North Beach PAWS Win $25,000 to Help Neglected and Abused Animals

For those of you who don’t know, my two dear aunties run an animal shelter down in Grays Harbor County called North Beach PAWS. Grays Harbor County — which is Southwest of Olympia — is an impoverished area with a serious animal abuse and neglect problem.

NB PAWS is in the running to win $25,000 from PetFinder and they need your help. Click this link.

In the center column of the page, you’ll see a box that looks like this:

Voting for PAWS is easy, just:

1. Enter the words “North Beach PAWS” into the “Shelter Name” field.
2. Select, “WA” from the dropdown menu.
3. Click “Search”

You’ll see a box that looks like this:



4. Click “Vote” next to “North Beach PAWS”.
5. On the next screen, answer the confirmation question by correctly identifying the animal in the picture.

Be sure to come back every day from now until December 15th to help North Beach PAWS win the $25,000 grand price.

For Teresa, Because She’s Sick

If You Need Cheering Up

It’s been a slow news week.

Elephants — They’re Just Like Us

Andrew Sullivan posted this video of an elephant painting its own self-portrait:

Elephants can also recognize themselves in the mirror and use language.

It’s so terribly sad that they’re abused so cruelly by circuses and in zoos and hunted in the wild for their ivory.

Woodland Park Zoo Abused Dead Baby Elephant Hansa

Ask yourself one simple question next time someone suggests visiting Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo: “Do I want to give my money to people who would beat a baby elephant with a metal hook (known as an ankus) like the ones pictured here?”

The zoo has spent time and money on a public relations campaign lamenting the death of this poor baby, calling her “beloved” and “little princess.” But according to former zoo director David Hancocks the baby was treated more like a slave.

Woodland Park Zoo has been in trouble for abusing their elephants in the past. When Hansa’s mother, Chai, was sent to Sprinfield, MO’s Dickerson Park zoo to mate, she received, “a beating with ax handles allegedly lasting for an hour, and so severe that the USDA declared it abusive and fined the zoo for it.”

Elephants in the wild are never disciplined by their families. But in zoos, they are often beaten with ankuses, chained for hours on end, and constrained significantly in the name of “discipline.” In addition, birthing mothers are typically chained with their legs apart and separated from their companions, who in the wild would provide support and encouragement during labor.

Zoos usually breed baby elephants because they draw huge crowds. Woodland Park plans to immediately breed a replacement for Hansa in the name of “conservation,” even though baby elephants seldom survive in zoos.

I will never, ever visit the Woodland Park Zoo again and I would encourage all my readers to boycott them as well. We must never reward animal abuse with our hard-earned money.

Heroic Dog Gives His Live to Save Children

I read today that a Jack Russell Terrier named George laid down his life today to protect two young strangers from a pair of pit bulls who lunged at them.

The children were playing with the terrier on their street when the pit bulls came along. The terrier held off the pit bulls while the children escaped to safety. He survived the attack, but was so severely injured that a veterinarian had to put him to sleep.

Dogs may not be as smart as humans. They may occasionally be annoying when they bark excessively, shed, or make a number two on the floor. But if you ever doubt the reasons why people have dogs, just remember the story of George.

Birds Speaking a Foreign Language

The Associated Press reports that nuthatches can understand the language spoken by chickadees.

Apparently, chickadees use the number of “dee”s after their “chicka” to communicate that they have encountered a predator and to give other birds in the vicinity information about what kind of predator they have observed. When chickadee calls were played to trees full of nuthatches, the nuthatches reacted the same way that chickadees did.

It’s almost crazy enough to be an April Fool prank, but I already did one of those today.

Squirrels on Birth Control

Santa Monica has a squirrel problem. Apparently, the breeding frenzy among the city’s squirrels has proven resilient enough to withstand a number of different attempts by the city to control the population. Now, the city has decided to put the squirrels on birth control.

North Beach P.A.W.S. Calendars are Hilarious

My Aunt Deb sent me some of these photos from the newest edition of the North Beach P.A.W.S. calendar. The annual project features men from Ocean Shores, most of whom are slightly past their prime, posing in the nude with their beloved pets. Yeah, I know it sounds a little strange at first, but I promise you, it’s awesome. Just check out this photo:

Last year, the calendar received coverage from KOMO TV and it sold out in no time. We’re hoping the same will happen this year with a little help from the blogosphere. So if you know of any animal lovers that would want a very funny calendar, you can send $11 (per calendar, postage included) to:

North Beach PAWS
P.O. Box 962, Ocean
Shores, WA 98569

Keep in mind that all the proceeds from this calendar go to help North Beach P.A.W.S. to take care of abandoned, and abused animals. Just the other day, a pregnant black lab and her in heat sister were abandoned on the front steps of the shelter when nobody was there. If it weren’t for P.A.W.S., those dogs would be in bad shape. But they’re doing very well and it looks as though there will be another litter of healthy puppies.

A Man’s Best Friend…

Sometimes the universe hands you two chunks of content that fit together so perfectly that you can’t help but post them together.

While hanging out at Steve’s last night and enjoying his generator and the warmth of his fireplace, he showed me the speech that originated the saying, “a dog is man’s best friend.” (Read the speech after the jump.)

At the same time, I received photos from my Aunt Deb of the four remaining puppies from the North Beach P.A.W.S. litter. (Adoption information here. More photos after the jump.)

I double dog dare you to read that speech, look at those puppy pictures, and finish this post with a dry eye.

Read more

Cute Sleepy Puppy

And now for a break from the seriousness of the world to look at this sleepy puppy trying desperately to stay awake:

Via cute overload.

Kittyliciousness

Here are some more animals from North Beach P.A.W.S.. My Aunt Deb tells me they have “kittens coming out of the woodwork.” Must be some mega-cute woodwork.

If you’re interested in adopting any of these kittens visit the North Beach P.A.W.S. adoptable pets page for more information. You can also call for more info at 360-289-0514.

More information about donating money to help P.A.W.S. care for these animals can be found here.

Andru Posts about the Puppies

Many thanks go out to my buddy Andru Edwards for posting about the puppies that need a home!

Andru is my hero of the day and gets a special hero hug at Chris and Ponzi’s wedding this Saturday!

Puppies!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to the three musketeers of puppaliciousness…

Floppy:

Mopey:

and Otterfoot:

Update 12/11/06 My Aunt Deb has notified me that little Otterfoot has been adopted. I’m happy for him, but I guess deep inside, there was a part of me that wanted to bring him home immediately. Too bad my landlord has a strict anti-puppy policy.

In reality, these puppies don’t yet have names. I just thought that the ones I gave them suited them well. They’re still being cared for by the kind folks at North Beach P.A.W.S. until loving homes can be found for them. If you’re interested in adopting any of these snuggly little beasts, get in touch with P.A.W.S. at 360-289-9694.

If you want to donate money to P.A.W.S., more information can be found here.

Here Comes Santa Claus to North Beach P.A.W.S.

Here’s a photo I got from my Aunt Deb the other day of her and my uncle Al with their two dogs, Sparky and Opal having a visit with Santa Claus.

These Santa pictures are provided for a donation by North Beach P.A.W.S., a charity started by my two Aunties Deb and Lorna. They provide spay/neuter services, no-kill shelter and adoptions, and animal rescue services throughout the Grays Harbor/Aberdeen/Ocean Shores region. The area has no other animal shelter. My Aunt Deb informs me that in fact, Aberdeen does have an animal shelter, but that there are no others in the Grays Harbor coastal region.

If there’s an animal lover in your life who has everything this holiday season, please consider making a donation to North Beach P.A.W.S. in their name instead of a more consumerist gift. You can send checks to:

North Beach P.A.W.S.
P.O. Box 962
Ocean Shores, WA 98569

If you so wish, please download this donation form. Donations to P.A.W.S. are tax deductible.

I’ll be posting more photos from the shelter in the coming days, including a litter of brand new puppies that just came in. Their mama has been adopted, but these little babies need a home. So if you’re looking to give that special someone a fuzzy-wuzzy companion this year, you can drop them a line. The number for dogs is 360-289-9694 and the number for cats is 360-289-0514.

Tester wins in Montana!

Now control of the Senate rests on the Webb vs. Allen race in Virginia.

Technorati Tags: tester, montana, virginia, allen, webb

The Morning After the Election

Here’s my vlog entry for November 8th.

PS: I know it’s Wednesday, not Monday. I blame it on a combination of cough syrup and feeling like it really is Monday.

Technorati Tags: election, midterm, missouri, tennesee, montana, virginia, vote

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