Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Gizmo - Goodnight Sweet Boy...
She loves animals and talks frequently about her dream of someday having a farm in Kentucky.
When we were just kids, my dad came home one day with a new dog for our family.
It didn’t take long for “Fifi” to discover the jewel of the family:)
My sister quickly became “Fifi’s” favorite person. The two of them were linked forever.
One sad day, we lost Fifi in a tragic accident. It was then, that my sister said she could never love again. Well? What could we expect? My sister was just a young girl at the time.
As the years went on, my sister married, had two children and life got busy. She had often thought about getting another dog but every time she contemplated the notion, she became overwhelmed with the sadness of Fifi.
Then….. one ordinary day….. turned extraordinary….. “love” struck again. Yes! My sister fell in love with Gizmo… that was 14-1/2 years ago.
We all knew that Gizmo was getting old and it was just a matter of time. He had been sick on and off for quite awhile.
Yesterday I received the call from my sister that it was time to let Gizmo go.
My heart sank…I rushed to get in my car and drove down to IL to be with her.
As we waited for the vet, I was captivated as I watched my sister laying on the floor with her beloved Gizmo and telling him how much she loved him….
For a "moment"… we were kids again…
As Gizmo lay still, his eyes shut, he appeared to be in a deep sleep.
When the vet finally arrived, she whispered, “I’m going to give him a sedative now…”
It was at this time that Gizmo slowly sat up, opened his eyes and looked around at all who were present.
If Gizmo could talk, we knew what he would have said---thanks and “Good Bye” to Robby, Daniel, Grandma, Angelica, I and his dear Mama (my sister).
It was then, we said our last goodbyes to Gizmo and in an instant, he was gone…
Today… I pay tribute to my sister…for giving herself a "Second Chance"
I will now pray for my sister, her family and Gizmo and will have faith, that someday, she will love again…
Goodnight sweet boy and God Speed
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Don't Forget The Animals
I received many emails after posting this article and decided to post it again! But first, one of my good friends sent me the video below. It is truly awesome! Please check it out below following the article!!
DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE ANIMALS
Many animal shelters are working harder than ever to meet the financial demands to care for the animals and are being called upon to rescue pets and animals from desperate situations.
Yes folks, we are witnessing an unprecedented time in our history and as we try to help ourselves and our neighbors, please don’t forget about the animals. They need us now more than ever.
We are hearing more stories about people who have been hurt by the economy are giving up their pets because they can no longer afford to care for them. Many companion animals are becoming silent victims of our nation’s economic woes.
Many veterinary practices are also seeing a lower proportion of preventive care patients. Some are skipping their routine examinations and vaccinations while some are also waiting longer to bring in a sick pet. As a result, some veterinarians are seeing more serious illnesses and larger veterinary bills.
Please don’t leave the animals behind…. You can help give these animals a second chance. Please donate today!
A DRAMATIC RESCUE FOR DOOMED WILD HORSES OF THE WEST
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 18, 2008; A01
The unwanted horses seemed destined for death. The wheels had been set in motion to put down about 2,000 healthy mustangs, those in a federally maintained herd of wild horses and burros that no one wanted to adopt.
The Bureau of Land Management knew that euthanasia was a legal alternative, but officials were proceeding slowly, afraid of an intense public outcry. The wild horses had become too expensive to maintain, and cattlemen argued that turning them loose would be a drain on the already scarce grazing lands of the West.
Then yesterday, at a public hearing in Reno, Nev., to discuss the issue, a solution arrived on a white horse, so to speak.
Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens. Lifelong animal lovers, the Pickenses just a few years ago led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States.
Madeleine Pickens is looking for land in the West that would be an appropriate home for the horses.
She is working with the BLM staff to adopt the horses, said Henri Bisson, the bureau's deputy director, while the agency persuades Congress to shift $20 million in funding to feed and protect the horses now in captivity for another year. As backup to Pickens's offer, he said, two other groups, both animal rescue organizations, have expressed similar interest in adoption. "We are very hopeful that euthanasia won't be necessary this year," he said.
The news that Pickens and others intend to adopt the wild horses and burros was celebrated by animal rights groups, several of which were preparing legal challenges to prevent the government from putting the horses to death.
"Of course, I'm thrilled, obviously, that these horses are getting a reprieve," said Shelley Sawhook, president of the American Horse Defense Fund. "At the same time, we need to address the basic issue of how these animals got in this position in the first place."
Bisson said policymakers have to resolve the conflict between a law that permits euthanasia and a nation that is opposed to it. "This is a situation where we have to have a conversation about what the law requires," he said. "We're hearing from members of Congress they don't think euthanasia is an appropriate solution, but the law says, 'You shall.' " If people don't like what the law says, they need to address it. We hope we will find homes for all of these animals before the year is out and Congress will decide what it wants to do about the law."
Long an American icon and inspiration for song and story, the wild horse has special protection under a 1971 law. The federal statute calls wild horses "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" that should be "protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death." But the same law also requires the government to achieve "appropriate management levels" of roaming horses so they don't overwhelm federal lands -- and that's the part that has been vexing for bureau officials.
About 33,000 horses still roam wild on federal lands in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada. The federal agency believes the range can accommodate only about 27,000 horses, and each year government-hired cowboys round up 7,000 to 13,000 horses and take them to holding pens in several states.
Right now, there are just over 30,000 horses in holding facilities awaiting adoption. Those 10 or older or those who have not been adopted after three tries can be sold without restriction under 2004 legislation.
Wild horses compete with cattle and wildlife for food and water. Horse advocates say federal officials have made faulty assumptions about the number of horses that can be accommodated on federal land, tilting those findings in favor of cattle interests.
"We're livestock people. We know animals live and die. And we take that as a very normal part of life. We fully realize animal rights people hate that aspect of the livestock industry. We don't particularly seek the euthanization. What we seek is the management of the population," said Jeff Eisenberg, director of federal lands for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, an industry lobbying group.
The federal government has been rounding up wild horses since the 1980s, putting them in holding facilities and offering them for adoption to horse lovers, who promise not to sell them for slaughter. But the roundups became aggressive under the Bush administration. As of June, BLM was holding 30,088 animals, more than triple the 9,807 held in 2001.
Bisson said yesterday that the BLM would limit the roundups next year to about 5,000 horses.
Meanwhile, the pace of adoptions has been falling as the cost of feeding and caring for the wild horses has skyrocketed. The price tag to federal taxpayers for maintaining the horses tripled from $7 million in 2000 to $21 million in 2007. Hay prices for one short-term holding facility in Nevada rose from about $160 per ton in 2007 to almost $300 per ton in 2008, for example.
In a report released last week, the Government Accountability Office called the situation a "crisis" and said the bureau needed to exercise its options, including euthanasia and the practice of selling the wild horses "without restriction," meaning they could be sold for slaughter.
In the first analysis of BLM's wild horse program in 18 years, the GAO found that the agency lacked a coherent nationwide management policy. The GAO recommended that the bureau investigate alternatives to euthanasia and adoption.
Animal rights groups say the government ought to sterilize horses and return them to the wild to live out their lives. In addition, they say, it should offer tax incentives to landowners who allow wild horses to live on private land.
Virginie L. Parant of the American Wild Horses Preservation Campaign, a coalition of about 45 groups, said the BLM does not use a scientifically sound method to estimate the size of horse herds or the number of horses that can be sustained on the range. That makes the roundups arbitrary, she said.
What's more, about 19 million acres of land where wild horses once roamed have been removed from the program, reducing the amount of land available to the horses and increasing their concentration elsewhere.
People on all sides of the issue recognize some fundamental changes are needed.
"It's intractable," Eisenberg said. "The animal rights people put the BLM in a box. We are seeking a balance in the land. Congress doesn't want to put more funding into these holding facilities, especially when times are tight. It's a problem nobody likes."
Sunday, November 16, 2008
SAVING AMERICA'S WILD HORSES
SAVING AMERICA'S WILD HORSES
(cross posting)
Dear Wild Horse Supporters,In this defining moment for America, with what we hope will be an administration favorable to wild horses, we still need to keep up the momentum to save them.
On November 17th the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet in Reno and we urge you to attend this meeting if possible!We expect the board to discuss a BLM proposal to kill some or all of the 33,000 wild horses currently in holding facilities and it would be great to have a large contingent of wild horse supporters there.
The BLM board is accepting comments now through November 12th and I ask you to write on behalf of our horses.You can submit your comments to the Advisory board c/o Ramona DeLorme.
We need to make it clear to the BLM that we will not allow them to kill our wild horses. They have continued to round up horses this fall, only increasing the number of horses in holding.There are 19.4 million acres that have been cleared of all wild horses and it is time that they are returned to their legal homes. Please join me in sending your comments to the BLM Advisory Board and, if you can, please come to the meeting in Reno. I will not be there as I will still be in Massachusetts, but will have a letter read at the meeting by my good friend and friend of wild horses, Kate Riordan.
Wild Horse advocate, author and photographer Carol Walker recently witnessed the Sand Wash herd round-up in Western Colorado and returned with these disturbing photos.One gray mare became stuck under a trailer for over fifteen minutes and horses being loaded had to climb over her. As you can see, the horses are in beautiful condition. Regardless, they lost what they most cherish… their freedom and their families.
This is yet another unnecessary and poorly conducted round-up.Please continue to contact your senators and representatives and ask them to help protect our wild horses. Click here to see Carol’s photos. The Government Accounting Office will soon be releasing their investigative report on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro program.
What comes out in that report may have direct implications for the horses. One of our international wild horse supporters, Nadine, recently wrote from Germany: “I can’t imagine America without wild Mustangs, for us they are a symbol of America, they are living legends and wonderful horses. They just belong there.”We'll continue working to convince BLM to protect rather than destroy an American treasure beloved worldwide.
Happy Trails,Ginger KathrensVolunteer Exective DirectorThe Cloud FoundationPS: Two other events for The Cloud Foundation are Equine Affaire on November 13th-16th in Massachusetts and a special evening presentation I will be making at Denver University on December 5th, click here for more details. Hope to see you at one of these events!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
ANIMAL FAIRY HOLIDAY ORNAMENT HELPS RAISE FUNDS FOR ANIMALS
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Animal Fairy Pays Tribute to The WI Humane Society
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Don't Forget About The Animals
Many animal shelters are working harder than ever to meet the financial demands to care for the animals and are being called upon to rescue pets and animals from desperate situations.
Yes folks, we are witnessing an unprecedented time in our history and as we try to help ourselves and our neighbors, please don’t forget about the animals. They need us now more than ever.
We are hearing more stories about people who have been hurt by the economy are giving up their pets because they can no longer afford to care for them. Many companion animals are becoming silent victims of our nation’s economic woes.
Many veterinary practices are also seeing a lower proportion of preventive care patients. Some are skipping their routine examinations and vaccinations while some are also waiting longer to bring in a sick pet. As a result, some veterinarians are seeing more serious illnesses and larger veterinary bills.
Please don’t leave the animals behind…. You can help give these animals a second chance. Please donate today!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Animal Fairy Charities Pays Tribute To Disney
Animal Fairy Charities would like to pay tribute to Disney for creating Fawn, one of their latest fairy creations. Fawn, an Animal Fairy lives in Pine Forest, Pixie Hollow, Never Land with all of her animal friends. Fawn understands and speaks to all creatures great and small.
As many of you know, one of Animal Fairy Charities missions is to teach children compassion at an early age by way of animals.
Disney’s creation of Fawn is a great way to raise awareness for animals while entertaining children.
Congrats Disney!! We need more Animal Fairies in the world!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Animal Fairy Teaches Kids Compassion
Friday, September 12, 2008
PAYING TRIBUTE TO MARNIE BROWN AND THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY (WI)
In the near future, I will be taking you on a tour of Animal Shelters, Horse Rescues and other Animal Welfare organizations to get a feeling of what their needs are and how we might be able to help them best.
Recently I visited The Washington County Humane Society (WI) to get a first hand look at how many of our Canine and Feline friends are waiting for a home.
I was amazed at how many of our fur friends are abandoned, neglected and/or simply dropped off because the owner felt "they" (our fur friends) just didn't work out.It was there that I met Marnie Brown (Executive Director) who took me on a tour and told me "their" stories.
I would be untruthful if I said that I didn't get emotional. I could not believe how anyone would abandon these precious souls. And the cats? There were far too many to count.
As I took my tour, I witnessed another living angel to the animals. Marnie Brown is simply one of the most caring people I've ever met. One can only imagine what it's like to be in the trenches everyday caring for our fur friends until they have a new home.Marnie Brown and her staff underscore the reason I started Animal Fairy Charities. I didn't realize that most, if not all local Humane Societies are independent and depend solely on donations to keep their operations running. Which leads me to ask the question, "what would we do without these folks? Where would these animals be today be without The Washington County Humane Society (WI)?"
There are many who care and are willing to sacrifice and put in their time to help animals however, some just don't have the financial resources to begin and or to maintain operations.If you have the chance, please log onto http://www.washingtoncountyhumane.org/ to see all of the animals that need a home. If you cannot adopt, please consider making a donation. It's always because of "you" that friends like Marnie are able to make a difference.
Today Animal Fairy Charities would like to pay tribute to Marnie and to say "Thank You" for choosing the path to help the helpless.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Musicians Release song to Protest Horse Slaughter
Milwaukee , WI-- WAMI award winning vocalist Ronnie Nyles and WAMI Nominee songwriter/producer, Debra Lopez release “Racing For Time” in quest of raising public awareness for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
“Racing For Time”, tells the sad story of a racehorse who loses his best friend to slaughter only because he couldn't run fast enough to win races. He quickly realized with fear that he also may be running for his life.
Each year hundreds of thousands of young, healthy American horses are slaughtered and their meat is sent overseas for human consumption when they are no longer considered useful.
Although the last three remaining horse slaughter facilities in the U.S. have recently been shut down, American horses continue to be transported across our borders to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act is designed to end the slaughter of horses for human consumption and the domestic and international transport of live horses or horseflesh for human consumption. For more information on this subject, go to americansagainsthorseslaughter.com
“Racing For Time” is available via download at racingfortime.org and animalfairycharities.org with all proceeds being donated to the rescue and rehabilitation of thoroughbred horses.
Last year Animal Fairy Charities hosted the first annual Musical Horse Aid in Wisconsin featuring live entertainment and guest speakers from national organizations including spokespersons from the Human Society of The United States, Habitat For Horses, The National Horse Defense Fund and others.
Animal Fairy Charities, Inc, is a non profit 501c3 focusing on fostering national & international prevention of cruelty to all animals and aiding in their safety & welfare.
For more information:
Contact
Lori Charney
info@animalfairycharities.org