Animal group claims it set fire to Idaho fur store - By Laura Zuckerman

(Reuters) - Animal rights activists claimed responsibility on Monday for a fire that caused $100,000 in damage to a Boise-area store that sells fur coats and fireworks, authorities said.
No one was injured in the early morning blaze at Rocky Mountain Fur & Fireworks, a retailer in Caldwell, Idaho, about 30 miles northwest of the state capital.
The North American Animal Liberation Press Office, which says it conveys messages for unnamed animal advocates, distributed a statement from a group calling itself the "arson unit" that said it set fire to a store stocked with "chemically treated skins of thousands of tortured animals".
"By oppressing innocent life, you've lost your rights. We've come to take you down a notch. Stay in business and we'll be back," the unit said.
Investigators were taking the arson claim seriously, and it was one of several leads in the case, said Mark Leiser, assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle Field Division of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Leiser said evidence collected at the fur shop by the bureau, the FBI and the Canyon County Sheriff's Office in Idaho would be thoroughly analyzed "before we can make a determination of the veracity of the statement."
A woman who answered the phone at Rocky Mountain Fur & Fireworks, which bills itself as a full-service fur company selling "luxurious fur coats" from chinchilla, mink, rabbit or fox, declined to comment except to say: "We're all OK."
Jerry Vlasak, spokesman for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, said the arson unit may refer to a branch of the Animal Liberation Front, an underground group of animal activists who promote economic sabotage.
"It has proven effective: Fur stores have closed, fur breeders have closed," Vlasak said, adding that the press office was supportive but not affiliated with the organization behind the claimed arson, the first action of its kind in Idaho.
The press office said on its website it was founded "to communicate the actions, strategies, and philosophy of the animal liberation movement to the media and the public," adding that many of those actions were illegal.
A first offense on a federal arson charge stemming from the destruction of property and involving interstate commerce carries a prison sentence of at least 10 years.

I am an ethical vegan who believes in ahimsa and I don't like when I read stories of arson and violence.  I know these people who set fire to the fur store had the animals in their mind while doing it, though I really feel they can better serve the animals by trying to help educate people about how these animals are killed for these furs and help to change the "buying" public to not spend their money on these items and to purchase vegan alternatives. I realize it sends a message to the owners of the fur store to maybe change the products they are selling to something that are not animal skins, but if there is a demand for these items, they will just rebuild and continue selling them.  We need to educate the public to stop the demand.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/27/us-crime-animalrights-idUSTRE78Q08A20110927

'Casper' Case Ends With Stiff Sentence - Jeremy Campbell

TAMPA - He's the dog that broke our hearts and then captured them.

When we first met Casper, he looked like nothing but an abused bag of bones. On Friday, the man accused of the abuse found out his punishment -- and it was unprecedented.
Judges had the option of this stiff sentence in other animal abuse cases, but it took Casper's case for that punishment to stick.
Wilmer Fernandez will serve a 15-month prison sentence.
"There was so much attention on this animal in this case in this community, and the good thing --even though it's been three years -- is it's kept everybody kind of holding hands for three years. So maybe it's made us all stronger for us to push forward with these prosecutions," said Dennis McCullough of Hillsborough County Animal Services.
An appellant judge upheld the 15-month sentence. It's one of the stiffest punishments ever issued for an animal abuse case here.
Historically, judges rarely call for the maximum punishment for animal abuse, but Casper's case is anything but ordinary.
The boxer was found three years ago in Carrollwood -- chained, starving, and looking a little ghostlike. But Casper survived.
He was adopted in 2009. He's up to 80 pounds now, more than twice his weight when investigators found him.
In court, Fernandez's attorneys were pushing for a lighter sentence, but the judge denied their appeal.
The ruling could change how judges sentence future cases of animal abuse.
"Today is closure and we send a strong message, I hope, in Hillsborough County: If you commit animal cruelty, you'll be punished," McCullough added.
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/casper-abuse-sentencing-090911

'Casper' case ends with stiff sentence: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

New NY Law: Attending Dogfight, Cockfight a Crime

Submitted by The Humane Society on Sep 13, 2011

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- In New York, anyone who knowingly attends a dogfight or cockfight will now be charged with a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to three months in prison and a $500 fine. A second offense will carry up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. The new law will be highlighted this week at the New York State Sheriffs’ Association and New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute’s 10th annual “Law Enforcement Supervisors' Training Conference” during a workshop conducted by Sgt. Michael Gabrielson of Ohio’s Kettering Police Department on behalf of The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal protection organization.

“Animal fighting is closely associated with other violent crimes and criminal activities such as gangs, drugs, and illegal weapons possession,” says Patrick Kwan, New York state director for The HSUS. “The Humane Society of the United States is grateful to the New York State Sheriffs’ Association for the opportunity to share our knowledge and resources to aid in the anti-crime and anti-cruelty efforts of Empire state’s top law enforcement officers.”

While dogfighting and cockfighting are felonies in New York, the spectators who fuel the economy of animal fighting with their admission fees and gambling wagers faced only a traffic-ticket style violation. Signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in August and taking effect this month, S.3237a/A.4407a passed unanimously in the legislature and was championed by Sen. Kenneth LaValle, R-Port Jefferson and Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, D-Brooklyn with 70 total state legislators as co-sponsors. Introduced at the urging of The HSUS, the bill raised penalties against animal fighting spectators and closed a major loophole that allowed some dogfighters and cockfighters to escape punishment by masquerading as spectators.

“Animal fighting is a serious crime, and new legislation in New York will give police offi
cers more tools to prevent these terrible incidents,” said Thomas Mitchell, counsel to the New York State Sheriffs’ Association. “We know that there is often a close connection between animal abuse and other very serious crimes, and want to make sure that our Sheriffs and their law enforcement supervisors know about this new law.  That is why we asked The Humane Society of the United States to speak at our annual training conference this week.”

To assist law enforcement efforts, The HSUS offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person involved in illegal animal fighting. The HSUS asks anyone with information about animal fighting criminals to call 1-877-TIP-HSUS (1-877-847-4787). Tipsters' identities are protected. Learn more at humanesociety.org/rewards.

Animal fighting facts:
-- Spectators pay hundreds or thousands of dollars in admission fees and gambling bets, generating the bulk of the revenue for this illegal enterprise. The fights would not occur without the crowd betting on the outcome and enjoying the bloodletting. Spectators provide cover for animal fighters, who weave into crowds to evade prosecution at the first sign of a police raid.

-- Animal fighting is closely associated with other criminal activities such as gangs, narcotics, illegal weapons possession, public corruption and various violent crimes. A three-year study by the Chicago Police Department found that 70 percent of animal offenders had also been arrested for other felonies, including domestic and aggravated battery, illegal drug trafficking and sex crimes.
-- The United States Congress is considering H.R. 2492 which would amend the federal animal fighting law to include spectators. This would allow for cases prosecuted in federal court to include the entire cast of characters that participate in animal fighting ventures.

-- In 28 states, it is a felony to be a spectator at an animal fight.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/animal-rights/new-ny-law-attending-dogfight-cockfight-crime

Dead Boy, 200+ Animals Found at Berwyn Home

Officials discovered massive case of animal hoarding after responding to call of a dead teen

By Charlie Wojciechowski, Jeff Goldblatt and BJ Lutz

 

More than 200 animals were rescued from a Berwyn home Thursday and Friday in a major case of animal hoarding discovered during the investigation of a teen boy.

Officials on Thursday were called to a home on the 2800 block of Lombard Avenue after a 14-year-old boy was reported to have died. A Friday autopsy revealed the teen, Matthew Degner, died of bronchopneumonia. His death was ruled natural, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said.

A law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said three other teens -- aged 15, 16 and 17 -- also lived in the home. All three of the surviving children have been quarantined because they are "suffering from flu-like symptoms," the source said.

The mother told investigators that all of her kids got sick on Sept. 4 with stomach problems, but she said that everyone seemed to be getting better, the source said.

Officials refused to confirm some details, but neighbors told NBC Chicago that someone living in the home took the teen's body outside, presumably so investigators wouldn't go inside.

They did, and investigators said they found more than 200 animals in the roughly 1,100 square-foot bungalow. The menagerie included dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, squirrels, at least one raccoon, two monkeys and two kinkajous.

"The place was colorless. There were no rugs on the floor. There were birds flying loose on the second floor. There were cats running loose on the first floor," a source told NBC Chicago.

The cats -- dozens of them -- are in particularly bad shape, said Terri Sparks, the Animal Welfare League's marketing and public relations director.

"They're riddled with disease, sick and mean," she said.

The more exotic animals will be taken out-of-state to an undisclosed rescue sanctuary, said AWL Director Linda Estrada.

Crews from the AWL, the region's largest humane society, were on the scene in hazardous materials suits.

"They're hungry. They're thirsty. The cages aren't cleaned. It's bad," Estrada said of the animals.

"Our animal control officers who have been in some pretty horrific and disgusting environments said this home was easily the worst they’ve been in," said Cook County Sheriff's Office spokesman Steve Patterson.

The three surviving children were in the care of Department of Children and Family Services personnel Friday night. It's believed they were kept in isolation.

"Social isolation is one of the most powerful risk factors for serious harm to children. If we, as a community, never knock on that door, that no one ever seems to open, we may never know how bad it is, or how we can help," said DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe.

Neighbors said the children never went to school and that the family had lived in the home for about eight years. The children were extremely malnourished, neighbors said, and it's suspected they never saw medical care.

The mother was being held at the Berwyn police station Friday night. No charges have been filed.

 

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/berwyn-squalor-house-129545928.html#ixzz1XVnWy9LY

Python bitten by Sacramento man is on mend - By Whitney Mountain / McClatchy Newspapers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A pet python that underwent surgery after being bitten by a Sacramento, Calif., man is "looking a ton better," Sacramento animal control officials said Saturday.
The man who allegedly bit the female snake, 54-year-old David Elmer Senk, has been in custody in the Sacramento Jail since Thursday on $10,000 bail. Police arrested him on charges of maiming/mutilating a reptile.
Gina E. Knepp, acting animal care services manager for the city of Sacramento, said surgery that the snake received Thursday saved her life.
"She is looking a ton better, she was really dehydrated," Knepp said, adding that the owner of the snake has not yet made contact with animal services. "We would very much like to place the python in an appropriate rescue."
Knepp said the snake is "very touchable" and "not the kind of python that sinks its incisors in you."
According to police and animal control officials’ accounts, a few people were admiring a woman’s pet python outside a liquor store in Del Paso Heights Thursday evening, passing it around and getting a feel for it.
And that’s when Senk allegedly took two big bites out of the python, Knepp said.
Sacramento police responded to the 3600 block of Marysville Boulevard about 6:30 p.m. Thursday on a call about a man who had been assaulted and was not responsive.
The owner of the snake allegedly had beaten Senk up after she said he bit her pet, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit of the Sacramento Police Department.
When police arrived, a witness told them about the man’s scaly tastes, and animal control was called to treat the snake.
"While it was being passed around, the snake was just dangling, limp in their hands. That’s very unusual for this kind of snake; they like to ball around your arm," Knepp said. "It was clearly not healthy. Apparently the woman keeps it in her backpack and takes it everywhere with her."
The snake lost a couple of ribs, Knepp said, and has several stitches. She is receiving antibiotics.

Python bitten by Sacramento man is on mend

Please support the 2011 Dutchess County SPCA Annual Pet Walk

 I am raising money for the Dutchess County SPCA 2011 Pet Walk which is going to be held on October 1st, in Poughkeepsie, New York to benefit all the animals at the shelter. I have been a volunteer there for a few years and I love it. I would like to bring awareness to the fact that there are so many animals in the world that are homeless and need a good home. So before you go to the pet store to buy a "puppy mill" pet, please think adoption first.

Please consider donating to this great cause. Visit http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michael-tiedemann/2011pawsintheparkpetwalk to make a donation. Thank you so very much!


You can also send me a check made out to : Dutchess County SPCA, in the memo section put NEMO'S PACK and you can mail it to me at:



Michael Tiedemann
PO box 1935
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!


Michael

For more information on the Dutchess County SPCA, please visit WWW.DCSPCA.ORG

AVOICE4ANIMALS.BLOGSPOT.COM



My poodle buddy, Nemo.  I adopted Nemo from the DCSPCA in 2008



New Podcast Episode! Episode 8 - Winter's Tale & Clearwater Marine Aquarium

A Voice 4 Animals - Episode 8


Please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes! If you don't use iTunes, you can listen here.

http://www.archive.org/download/Episode8-WintersTaleClearwaterMarineAquarium/Episode8-WintersTaleTheClea.mp3

Please rate on Itunes and please give me feedback for my podcast, I would greatly appreciate it!

Visiting Winter, the dolphin who lost her fluke in a crab trap in 2005.

GRAPHIC IMAGE: Bond set for man who allegedly tried to decapitate dog - By Elizabeth Klynstra

MONROE COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) - Bond has been set for a Forsyth man who allegedly almost decapitated his mixed-breed dog. As of Saturday afternoon, he was still in jail.


19-year-old, Monterion Dionte Davis, made his first appearance Friday morning and has a $15,000 bond. He cannot be see with animals, according to Judge Davis, with Monroe County Magistrate Court.

Law enforcement officials called this the worst animal abuse case they have ever seen in Forsyth.

A spokesperson with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Davis was arrested Thursday after an animal advocacy group found out about his severely injured dog.

That group, Save-A-Pet, took the dog to the Caldwell Veterinary Hospital where it underwent emergency surgery to repair its severed trachea and other life-threatening injuries.

Shane Smith said he was at the pound when he saw dog. The pup walked up to him and he saw her throat was severed. Smith rushed the dog to Dr. Butler Caldwell who is amazed she is alive.

Caldwell said, "Most of the musculature up here was severed, the trachea was severed. Fortunately, the major arteries were not severed or the esophagus."

Dr. Caldwell performed the emergency surgery and is overseeing the dog's recovery.

Smith has named her Hope. "She'll just go up to anyone she's just a good dog," said Smith.

Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick said that this was the worst case of animal abuse he'd seen in his 29 years as sheriff.

"Cruelty to animals is a crime I do not take lightly and all such cases will be investigated and perpetrators will be charged," he said.

Bittick said good detective work led them to Davis. He said Davis admitted to using an electrical cord to tie the dog in the woods. The sheriff's office said Davis told investigators he left the dog to die.

Davis is being held in the Monroe County Jail. The sheriff's department will continue to investigate the case.

It is unclear at this time how long Hope was tied up, who brought her to the pounds or why Smith was the first person to get her help.

Smith said Hope is not up for adoption. He and his wife have adopted her and will make sure she never suffers again.

It is very difficult to understand what is going on inside the head of another human being.  Especially when they do something cruel and hurtful.  If you wish to view the photo of what this young man did to this dog, please follow the link to the story main link below.  I think we need to do a petition to make sure this man gets the proper sentence in court.


http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/15125972/warning-graphic-image-police

Summertime Tips to Keep Your Pooch Safe

It's summertime!  Time to get out and enjoy the outdoors with your dog.  Please just remember a few simple tips to help keep you and your best bud happy and safe.


Bring water for both of you!  You must keep hydrated in the heat.  Dogs can't regulate their body temperature through sweating so they heat up even faster than you.  Animal supply stores have cool travel water bottles for dogs.  Get one!


You wear sneakers, your dog doesn't.  Make sure that you keep your dog safe from burns on their paws by walking in the grass rather than on the hot pavement.  The sun burning down can make the pavement like a frying pan in summer.  The best times to walk your dog would be early morning or right near sundown.  It will be more comfortable for both of you! :)


Sunscreen is good for both you and your dog!  Use it so no one gets burned!!!


Last but not least, NEVER leave your dog alone in the car during the hot summer, no matter what!  Not even with the windows cracked.  The temperature skyrockets and the dog will die within minutes!

Please visit http://mydogiscool.com/  for more information on how you can help your dog stay cool this summer!




Have a great summer everyone!


Michael

Candle Cafe™ Frozen Meals Melds Compassion, Convenience

With so many people choosing to go meat-free for health, environmental and animal welfare reasons, and with Oprah, Ellen and Martha Stewart all recently devoting entire shows to the subject, it was only a matter of time before a gourmet vegan frozen dinner arrived in grocers’ freezer sections to make the transition just that much easier. Move over Lean Cuisine, step aside Hungry Man — not only are the newest frozen dinners healthier and more decadently satisfying, but they also protect innocent farm animals from abuse in a single bound. That may seem like a tall order for a frozen dinner, but that is exactly what Candle Cafe™ Frozen Meals are doing.


Inspired by the chefs and recipes of world-renowned New York City vegan restaurants Candle Cafe and Candle 79 — in partnership with The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., a leading natural and organic foods company, the new Candle Cafe Frozen Meals follow the restaurant’s mission to better the individual and the planet by serving delicious vegan cuisine rooted in eco-friendly practices and compassion for animals.

Priced at $5.99 and sold in 9 oz. trays, the Candle Cafe Frozen Meals offer an inexpensive and convenient way for consumers to enjoy the restaurant’s mouthwatering signature dishes, like Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce, Ginger Miso Stir-Fry, Tofu Spinach Ravioli, and Mac & Vegan Cheese, in the comfort of their own home.

Convenience with a Conscience

In a frozen dinner first, the all-natural, certified organic*, gourmet vegan meals proudly tout their support of Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, on their packaging. For Candle Cafe founder Bart Potenza, the decision to wear his heart on his sleeve, so to speak, was a no-brainer; he credits the formerly abused cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals who reside at the organization’s shelters in New York and California as the inspiration behind his work. “The frozen food aisle has traditionally been a pretty chilly place for farm animals,” says Potenza. “We wanted to prove that not a single animal needs to suffer for you to enjoy the decadence of a gourmet meal and the convenience of a frozen dinner.”

“Candle Cafe is a renowned leader in fine vegan dining, and its commitment to making the world a more compassionate place through the distribution of delicious, convenient and affordable vegan food is inspiring,” says Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur. “The vegan movement is going mainstream.”

Candle Cafe Frozen Meals are available nationwide in the frozen food section of Whole Foods Market.

For more information about Candle Cafe restaurants and the brand’s mission, log onto www.candlecafe.com. For more information about Farm Sanctuary and its commitment to protecting farm animals from cruelty, log onto www.farmsanctuary.org.

* Mac and Vegan Cheese is not certified organic

About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, promotes legislative, policy, and individual lifestyle changes to help farm animals. Farm Sanctuary’s shelters in New York and California provide lifelong care for rescued farm animals.


I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THESE NEW ITEMS!!!!! :)

Kayli the Cow Escapes Slaughterhouse - New Home at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Kayli, a young white cow, made a dash for her life from a slaughterhouse just outside of Philadelphia.


June 18th: She was being loaded into the holding pen of the Madina Live Poultry market where goats, sheep, turkeys and other animals awaited death. This particular market is a Halal slaughterhouse catering to Muslim customers, but such “live kill” markets are extremely common in urban areas — they serve people from many different cultures. She saw an opportunity and made a break for it! Within hours she was captured by police and brought back and led into the same pen with the other doomed animals.

Animal activist Marianne Bessey, a Philadelphia attorney, heard how the cow had run for her life and was moved to help. She went to the slaughterhouse, and begged for Kayli’s life. When it seemed hopeful she might be released, WFAS Farm Manager Sheila Hyslop took our horse trailer and made the 4-hour journey there with dedicated volunteer Mike Stura. But the slaughterhouse workers became intimidated when the press and other activists arrived and refused to release the cow. They locked the doors and left the premises.


Elissa Katz, an animal advocate and close supporter of WFAS, contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations to act as a go-between. The Executive Director, Moein Khawaja, heard her pleas and stepped in to help. After all-day negotiations with state officials and the slaughterhouse owner (who was out of the country at the time), the eventual release of the young white heifer to WFAS was approved! In fact, she was officially “pardoned” by PA Gov. Tom Corbett’s office and the state’s Department of Agriculture, which waved a law that requires an animal be killed within 10 days of arriving at a slaughterhouse.

Now named Kayli, she has been checked by the vets and is undergoing 2 weeks of mandatory quarantine before she can be transported from Pennsylvania to our New York sanctuary, where we will greet her with open arms! Here, she will spend the rest of her life unharmed, care-free and surrounded by loving people who see her as a life to be valued—here WITH us and not FOR us.


It's amazing what wonderful work the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary does!  Please visit the link below to see more pictures of Kayli, and how you can help! 

 http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/2011/06/a-pardon-for-kayli-the-cow-2/

New Podcast Episode! Episode 7 - Saving Nemo

A Voice 4 Animals - Episode 7
Please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes! If you don't use iTunes, you can listen here.



http://www.archive.org/download/Episode7-SavingNemo/Episode7-SavingNemo.mp3

Please rate on Itunes and please give me feedback for my podcast, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

Michael

San Francisco Considers Ban on Goldfish as "Pets" to Prevent "Inhumane Suffering" - story by Todd Starnes

The San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission wants to take away your goldfish, proposing a bill that would also include a renewed ban on pets like puppies, kittens and hamsters.

The proposed ban is meant to discourage “impulse buys” of pets that sometimes end up at shelters, said commission member Philip Gerrie.

He said goldfish, guppies and other tropical fish were added to the proposed ban because of what he called the “inhumane suffering of fish” and the way the fish are harvested.

“It causes animal suffering,” Gerrie told Fox News Radio. “Whole reefs and ecosystems are being exploited for whatever might be marketable or sellable.”

The Board of Supervisors considered a similar ban last year that would have included dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats and guinea pigs – but not fish. That proposed ban was tabled last August. The supervisor said they were going to reconsider it in January of this year – but did not.

The proposed fish ban has local pet store owners up in arms.

“The city is taking more and more control,” said Ocean Aquarium owner Justin Hau in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. “They are very stupid.”

Gerrie said that’s the response he expected from pet store owners. “They have a very strong interest to say it’s stupid,” he told Fox News Radio. “That’s the basic thing with human beings. We exploit everything in the world until it’s exhausted.”

Gerrie accused the “human” species of exploiting the environment – and the fish.

“Humans are overfishing for food,” he said. “There’s a huge market for aquarium fish. That creates a demand.”

As for people who would argue that it’s just a goldfish? “That’s how we are in this society,” Gerrie said. “Some people say, ‘It’s just a human’ – when it comes to some that kill. It’s a matter of degree. Where do you stop?”

The recommendation from the commission could be a tough sell among the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd told the San Francisco Chronicle he had doubts the new proposal would pass – calling it “another Animal Welfare idea that will end up in the dustbin of history and go absolutely nowhere.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/16/san-francisco-wants-to-ban-goldfish-to-prevent-their-inhumane-suffering/#ixzz1PaMy7QVL

Wanna Know Why I'm Vegan?

I have a blog and a podcast to help be a voice for animals and to help people learn of the ways in which we humans exploit those who are the most helpless and vulnerable among us.  Please watch this beautifully presented video by http://www.evolvecampaigns.org.uk/

Vegan Race Car Driver Spencer Pumpelly Visits Farm Sanctuary

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – June 3, 2011 – Motorsports and farm animal protection do not generally go hand in hand, but on Thursday, June 2, Watkins Glen’s two star attractions came together when vegan race car driver Spencer Pumpelly, a two-time winner of the Glen’s six hour race, paid a visit to the rescued animals of Farm Sanctuary (www.farmsanctuary.org), the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization.


“I am very passionate about both animals and health, and I want to do more to promote both,” says Pumpelly, who is returning to the Glen this Saturday as the defending GT champ. If he takes the top prize again, he plans to donate his share of the winnings to the organization to support their work on behalf of abused and neglected farm animals. “I am honored to support Farm Sanctuary and the people who are devoted to defending others.”

Pumpelly, who races sports cars professionally in several different series, has been a vegetarian for over eight years and a vegan for just under a year. He contacted Farm Sanctuary after seeing the Watkins Glen-based shelter and the organization’s President and Co-Founder Gene Baur featured in Forks Over Knives, a groundbreaking documentary examining the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” (heart disease, stroke and diabetes) can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting the predominate menu of animal-based and processed foods. Pumpelly immediately made the connection between Farm Sanctuary’s shelter for abused and neglected farm animals and the nearby Watkins Glen Speedway, to which he travels every year to compete in races.

“I knew vegan was the right thing to do, but I always figured it would be too hard with all the traveling I do,” says Pumpelly. “I decided to give it a try last summer when several things, including my favorite local pizza joint starting to carry Daiya non-dairy cheese, seemed to point me in that direction. After a few weeks of adjusting, I now find it quite easy no matter where I go.”

“We are excited to have Spencer Pumpelly’s support,” says Baur. “We hope his dedication to protecting farm animals and compassionate living will inspire other race car drivers and racing enthusiasts to pay us a visit the next time they are in Watkins Glen.”

For updates on Saturday’s race, follow Spencer Pumpelly on Twitter @SpencerPumpelly.

Farm Sanctuary is open to visitors from May through October. Guided tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday on the hour. The first tour is at 11 a.m. and the last tour is at 3 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children under 12, and children 3 and under are admitted free. Directions to the New York Shelter in Watkins Glen are available here.

About Farm Sanctuary


Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

New York's Animal Care & Control Agency : Special Investigation!!! Audio Special!

This is a "Dog's in Danger Hour" Special report and investigation into the New York Animal Care & Control Agency.

Please listen and share with your friends!!!



http://wabcradio.com/FlashPlayer/default.asp?SPID=39671&ID=2204387

New Podcast Episode! Episode 6 - The Animals on Your Plate

A Voice 4 Animals - Episode 6

Please subscribe to my podcast on iTunes!  If you don't use iTunes, you can listen here.

http://www.archive.org/download/Episode6-TheAnimalsOnYourPlate/Episode6-TheAnimalsOnYourPlate.mp3

Dutchess County SPCA - Animal Showcase Album on Facebook!

Please visit the Dutchess County SPCA in Hyde Park, New York! You're new BEST FRIEND is waiting for you today! You can look at their website at the link above or click on the DCSPCA FACEBOOK PAGE to see all the new profiles and pictures!

Here are just a few of the wonderful animals waiting for your love!




MADI




MISSY




RASHA




SKITTER




JAKE




It is the mission of the DCSPCA to rescue and provide temporary humane shelter for the abandoned, neglected and abused companion animals of the Dutchess County community. Central to our mission is the securing of caring, responsible, permanent homes for the adoptable animals in our care.

Summer’s New Wheels at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary!

Summer is now able to walk with assistance from her special wheelchair fitted perfectly to her needs. After almost a month of immobility, Summer is now walking on all fours and that sparkle has returned to her eyes!  We hope that with this physical therapy she shall someday cast her chair aside, but for now it’s a huge help. 

Please follow the link to see Summer's story and watch an inspiring video of this beautiful animal! 

http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/2011/05/summers-new-wheels/

The Circular Glance - A Powerful Video

I came across this video and it is just amazing. Thought provoking and REAL.  The movie is 12 minutes long and is in spanish.  You can chose captions at the bottom of the box, just click CC.  This will get you thinking.  Once you have seen this, you can go on to watch Earthlings.  I would love to hear from anyone who watches it to see what you think.  Thanks!