An eHow Article by WebWoof

A "Clock of Compassion": Now, that's an interesting analogy and concept, used effectively by Mary Elizabeth Thurston in her book "The Lost History of the Canine Race" to help readers trace the progress of a global "humane" ethic through the lens of Canine history. Why look at this history, a virtual chronicle of Animal abuse from earliest times, "from a Dog's eye view"? According to the Humane Society (HSUS), America's adoptable Companion Animals are still being put to death at the rate of 3 to 4 million of us Cats and Dogs a year, for the "crime" of overpopulation over which we Animals have no control. Animals are still used in biomedical experiments; 26 Billion cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys a year are still slaughtered, often inhumanely, for Human food; Dog breeders are still causing irreparable genetic damage by overbreeding us. Of the thousands of war Dogs who saved countless Human lives in our war in Vietnam, most were never brought home. Who knows best about compassion, then: The Humans who talk the talk, or us, the Animals who walk the long walk? The hands of Thurston's Clock of Compassion may be creaking forward ever so slowly, as many caring Americans now realize the value of Companion Animals as true family members and soul mates...but the horror of puppy mills still persists, and many Humans still abandon their unwanted pets to the streets and pounds. Although Michael Vick of dog-fighting infamy has since claimed to be reformed, there are many more out there who don't feel a thing except the excitement of the "sport". That is the truth as I see it, from my Dog's eye view.

Thurston has it right: What's lacking is compassion. How do we teach compassion on a national scale? "What?" you ask, "Does compassion have to be taught? Isn't it part of being Human?" Gentle reader, please re-read the paragraph above, or read through Thurston's "Lost History of the Canine Race: Our 15,000-Year Love Affair With Dogs". When you are done weeping for the Dogs (and Cats) who have suffered unspeakable cruelty from Humans over all these thousands of years, let's move on to the ways and means to teach compassion. For, now that it has been scientifically proven that violence to Animals begets violence to Humans, our society, in the words of "Pogo" cartoonist Walt Kelly, has finally "met the enemy...and he is us."

Step 1: Start with Children, Our Hope for a More Compassionate Future -

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by RuffWriter, Assistant Editor

In each issue of WoofTracks we will feature at least one Animal Shelter.  Please send us word of worthy Shelters you would like to see featured on our Blog.  Dogs, rescue your Human here – nothing could be more important.

Look in my eyes: I’m a self-respecting Assistant Editor of a Dog Blog.  I’m also a Family member: I love my SHs (Significant Humans), two Cats, and fellow Dog in my Family; they all care about me, and there’s nothing whatsoever I wouldn’t do for them.  I’m also a former Shelter Dog.  Surprised?  You shouldn’t be: We come in all sizes, breed mixtures and ages.  In a sense, we rescue Humans.  More...

The “Orange Bone” Concept:
Tidbit, or Seriously Good Bone?

Your Comments Welcome!

Orange Bone gets all their dogs from Rescue Shelters, provides the dogs with top quality food and veterinary care, spaying or neutering, then promotes them in their stylish Melrose Ave. (Los Angeles) store to their well-heeled Human clients. They charge the customers less to take these dogs home than what it costs the store to maintain them, hoping to make their profit instead on the “best doggie fashion” lines they carry such as Bowhaus, Chromebones, Coach, Ed Hardy, Hip Doggie, Juicy Couture, OrangeBone, Poochie of Beverly Hills and Susan Lanci.  In their YouTube plea narrated by famous stars such as Katherine Heigl and Kim Kardashian, Heigl says their goal is to “make every puppy store in the world a shelter rescue puppy store."  More...

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Tracking Man's Handiwork in Your Woof:
The Why and How of It

Your Family needed a Dog, so you did what most right-minded, feeling Humans do: You went to the Shelter and brought home a "Mutt".  Not the most prestigious term, perhaps, but realistic.  Mutts even come with Perks, the most beneficial of which is that we mixed breeds are often healthier than purebreds.

Now, you've heard about the DNA testing kits you can buy, to find out what went into this character that has taken over your sofa.  Why spend $50 or $100 to find out about your Mutt's great-grandma's escapades?

Take my esteemed Co-Editor, RuffWriter, for example.  Observe his picture: Does he LOOK like an Irish Setter or Golden Retriever?  His DNA test included these breeds in their report of his genetic makeup.  Maybe there's no physical resemblance, but he's got the Setter's sensitive heart and the Golden's sunny personality.  He also has the high intelligence and problem-solving ability of his Border Collie forebears, the thick, regal coat of his partial Chow ancestry, and...   More...

                

                                    

What would you call a Dog who, though perfectly healthy, breaks through door screens, chases the UPS Human, relieves himself on people, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, chomps sofa cushions, socks, drywall and whole chunks of furniture, gets kicked out of obedience school, and destroys the inside of a garage during thunder storms?  Before you answer, let me ask you this: What would you call a healthy Human Boy who misbehaved in similar manner?  Would you really call him “Cute”?   More...