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Homeless Kittens Massacred in Dasmariñas Village

Posted by siyerwin on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 3:25 AM

There's nothing like murderous air gun-wielding village dwellers to ruin the Christmas spirit.

Below is a very grim email that has been circulating in animal welfare/lover mailing groups about the heartless massacre of some caged homeless and harmless kittens using air guns in Dasmariñas Village. The incident happened on December 16, 2007. It's one of those news that show how cruel human beings can get and how they can abuse the power they have over other creatures of this world. Dasmariñas Village residents should be very concerned about this and should do something before these criminals get their hands on real guns with real bullets. I've seen the pictures of the kittens but I don't have the heart to show them here. Ted posted some on his blog if you want to see them.

Email starts here:

My wife, Nancy, has been working with the Dasmariñas Village Association to help control their stray cat population. The stray animals are captured and sent to the CARA clinic or to other vet clinics to be Spayed or Neutered. From there, we keep them in our home to recuperate for a few days before they are returned to the Dasma Village Association office where they are temporarily kept in cages before final release to the areas where they were found.

Early this morning, the security guards called us with terrible news. They found all but one of the 29 cats - mostly kittens - shot by an air rifle or pistol at point blank range. Many of them had multiple bullet wounds. Three of the animals were found dead while 11 more had to be euthanized by Dr. Nielsen Donato after he found their injuries beyond repair or recovery. Of the 15 still surviving, only a handful are out of danger. It will take extensive care and dedication to nurse the others back to health. Those that will survive have been traumatized by their experience.

Blood was splattered all over the cages - the three kittens that died didn't do so immediately. There was clear evidence that theirs were horrific, painful deaths.

What would drive or compel someone to merciless shoot harmless animals in cages in such cruel and cold-blooded fashion is beyond comprehension.

These poor creatures were kept in cages in a storage area not frequented by village residents. They could not have been disturbing anyone.

Please pass this email on to your friends especially those who live in Dasma. This inhuman act may not have been committed by just one individual. In all likelihood it may have been kid(s) who are growing up without learning vital values such as the sacredness of all living creatures. Parents who have allowed their children to possess air rifles or pistols need to emphasize that these must not be used to cause harm.

It is really in the best interest of Dasma residents to find these criminals. God only knows who or what their next victims will be.

-------Email ends-------

If those who did this were kids then they may be in for future trouble. Studies have shown that there is high correlation between violent crimes towards humans and past actions of cruelty to animals. Some intervention is definitely needed to set them right as there's something utterly wrong going on in their heads.

Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Andrew Cunanan, David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz, and Albert "Boston Strangler" DeSalvo were cruel to animals before they started hurting people. Adults are not the only ones whose cruelty to animals can be a sign of deeper troubles. Many murderous children and teenagers-such as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of Columbine High School-also have histories of animal cruelty...

Source: Fight Animal Cruelty: Kids and Cruelty by ASPCA

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Yahoo!Mail sending Feedblitz email updates to "Bulk" folder

Posted by siyerwin on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 at 1:30 PM

I've noticed that two of my last Feedblitz email updates are going straight to the Yahoo!Mail's "Bulk" folder. Other subscribers using Yahoo!Mail may be experiencing the same.

While I try to figure out why it's happening, there are 4 things you can do to prevent it:

1. Turn off "bulk/s*p*a*mguard" mail. I do not recommend this though as you most probably will be flooded by S*P*A*M in your inbox.
2. Go to bulk folder and find the updates coming from Feedblitz and label them as "NOT S*P*A*M". This will inform Yahoo that emails coming from Feedblitz are not unsolicited and should go straight to your inbox.
   
3. Save Feedblitz in your Yahoo address books. Simply add feedblitz [at] mail.feedblitz.com to your Yahoo! address book. I'm not really 100% sure this would work but this seems to be a popular suggestion in dealing with this kind of problem.
4. Switch to Gmail. Gmail, in my opinion, is leaps and bounds better as far as s*p*a*m filtering is concerned.
   

Wishing you're having a blast this holiday season!!! Thanks and see you around.

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Have a Merry Furry Christmas!

Posted by siyerwin on Monday, December 24, 2007 at 3:04 PM

Blogging on Christmas eve with the kulit and frolicsome Prada at my side--- can't get any better than that!

I've adopted a new layout for this blog using a template originally created for Wordpress by BOB and which was converted to Blogger format by Jackbook. I tweaked the color theme in a major way to fit the original mefindhome design of black with few touches of color here and there. I've also acquired the domain www.mefindhome.org but the blog will remain hosted with Blogger (http://mefindhome.blogspot.com). Those who wish to link up may use either of the two.

I'm using the rightmost sidebar as the adoption gallery so I wont have to maintain different pages for it like in the old template. I'm no expert in web design. Most of the things I do here are learned on the job. And I've given up trying to make this layout appear the same in different browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer. I may be nitpicking here but Firefox seems to work better with this template. For Internet Explorer users, please upgrade to Version 7. Comments and suggestions are most welcome. This is a work in progress.

Here are the PARC adoption statistics as reported by PAWS director Anna Cabrera:

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Dolphin slaughter linked to dolphin shows

Posted by siyerwin on at 1:30 AM

Liza pointed me to another Youtube video that appears to establish the connection between dolphin drive fisheries such as that of Japan and the dolphin trade involved in supplying the demand for dolphins in "aquariums" and in traveling dolphin shows such as the one currently in Metrowalk, Pasig.

The video briefly showed how they sorted "young and pretty" dolphins away from the other dolphins that were doomed to go straight to the slaughterhouse. The chosen dolphins are fated to live the rest of their lives in captivity. An interview with a personality involved in the "aquarium" industry elicits an admission that their money indeed motivates such cruel hunts for dolphins.

The video, produced by BlueVoice.org, may be found at http://youtube.com/watch?v=FYGcnNjh-J4

Of course you shouldn't just believe everything you see on the internet. Anyone can put together a bunch of clips and create movies using the computer. But this case is pretty straight forward. Common sense dictates that dolphins can't possibly willingly sign up for a lifelong confinement in glass cages or small round pools. You can't possibly train a wild adult dolphin to do acrobatic tricks at your bidding. From a business standpoint, it's probably cheaper to teach young dolphins new tricks than the old ones. It's a known trade secret in the world of animal show-business.

Now where do you get young, trainable dolphins?

I personally believe that these dolphin shows indeed help in fueling the hunting of dolphins in such massive numbers with such inhumane methods. It's the basic principle of supply and demand. No buy, no sell.

That 300 Peso ticket is blood on your hands.

Watch more dolphin videos and judge for yourself. WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC AND NOT FOR THE WEAK STOMACH

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Those poor dolphins in Metrowalk

Posted by siyerwin on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 3:34 PM

There's no business like the dolphin show-business.

Following the example and suggestion of fellow bloggers on animal welfare related issues, Liza and Ted, and after seeing video clips about how dolphins are treated in some parts of the world (Japan particularly), I've now included dolphins in this blog's campaigns. After all, if you think about it, dolphins in dolphin shows are very much like the shelter animals in that they're all homeless--- well, unless you consider pools filled with chlorinated water home...

Dolphins are some of the most intelligent inhabitants of this planet and it takes only a small amount of empathy to realize what they must go through when they are subjected to cruelty of any magnitude.

How are the mass murder of dolphins in Japan and the thriving dolphin show-business here in the Philippines related? I honestly am not 100% clear on that yet but I'm told that young dolphins are usually separated from their mothers during those drives and are sold to companies such as those that bring dolphin shows to countries such as the Philippines. It makes sense because the young ones should be easier to train. The mother dolphins, on the other hand, get hacked to death the way they are in those Youtube videos (see the bottom of this post).

If you pay P300 to watch the dolphin show, please remember: The dolphins paid with their lives.

The educational value of dolphin shows is very questionable.

Do these dolphin shows teach the audience that dolphins have very complex behavior and emotional capacity? Do they teach about how chlorinated water in small, round swimming pools (prison?) affect the health of dolphins? Do they teach about how dolphins in captivity have significantly shorter lives than those in the wild?

Fact is, you can not teach people about dolphins by making them jump through hoops and do somersaults in the air. An hour of watching National Geographic and Discovery will teach you more about these creatures than any trick those circus masters make the dolphins do ever will.

The bottom line for these circus shows is to make money. The educational aspect is merely propaganda. I hope Filipinos start being smart about this and follow the example of other countries like the USA, UK, Brazil, Nicaragua, New Zealand and Australia in banning this type of entertainment.

Please join the protest by blogging about it!

Don't support the dolphin show in Metrowalk, Pasig, entitled "The Wonderful World of Dolphins and Sea Lions"!

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Scenes from the Shelter: The Cats Keep Waiting

Posted by siyerwin on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 12:30 PM

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For Sale: Postcards

Posted by siyerwin on Sunday, December 09, 2007 at 5:50 PM

Cats' Lair and Me.Find.Home have come up with a limited edition postcards made up of images of the cats and dogs of PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC). Its aim is to raise funds for the homeless cats at the PAWS animal shelter (please see the current needs of the shelter cats on this page). These postcards were launched months ago but there are still a lot of sets left.

There are two types of sets: the cat and dog sets. Each set is composed of 8 different images for a total of 16 different images if you get both sets. Price is only Php 120.00 per set of 8. Complete the cat and dog sets for only Php 240.00.

Postcard layouts courtesy of Genesis U. of Cats' Lair

More photos of the postcards at Oreo Cheesecake's Multiply page

Payment & Shipping:
You may pay for the cards and pick them up personally at PARC (10:00-5:00 PM Mondays to Saturdays) or in the Mandaluyong area (Shangrila Mall, Megamall, 4-6 PM Mondays to Fridays except Holidays). Please get in touch with me before going to PARC so I can make sure that stocks are available.

OR

You may have the cards shipped via LBC for an additional Php 100.00. I will send them in a bubble-padded envelope. Payments may be deposited to my BPI savings account.

Shipping costs may change depending on the size of the order and the location of the buyer.

If you want to buy, please CLICK HERE and leave your name, address, email and the number and type of postcard sets you wish to buy. I will email you back for the price quote.

For transparency, I will ask PAWS to send you an official email acknowledging the receipt of your donation. If you want an official receipt mailed to you, please indicate it when you leave the information above. I will forward 100% of the payments I receive, net of shipping and packing costs, to PAWS.

For other PAWS merchandise that you may want to check out, please go to PAWS' Shop for a Cause Multiply site.

Thank you very much!

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Homeless Animals Christmas Wishlist 2007

Posted by siyerwin on Thursday, December 06, 2007 at 3:21 PM

Dear friends,

PAWS has been getting text messages and emails from those of you who are thinking of sending some things to make it a merry Christmas for our shelter animals, too.

So they sent out this Christmas Wish List - including details which would enable people to help make our shelter cats' wish for a new outdoor cattery come true .

If you think a friend would be able to help us out with one or two items on the list, please feel free to forward this email to them.



PAWS' "Twelve Days of Christmas" Wish List:

1. dog cage - approximately P3,000/cage
2. kennel cab (L)- approx. P5,000/cab
3. cat cage - approx. P 400/cage
4. Spot-On Tick & Flea treatment - approx. P200/pipette
5. Cat Food (canned) - approx. P40/can
6. Cat Food (dry/kibble) - approx. P800/8kg. bag
7. Prescription Diet Dog Food A/D (canned) - approx. P80/can
8. Vaccines or various medicine for cats and dogs - range: P100 to P600/drug or vaccine
9. Canon iPIXMA 1300 black or colored ink cartridge - approx. P900/cartridge
10. Powdered detergent soap - approx. P120/kg.
11. Energy-saving light bulbs - approx. P110/bulb
12. Virgin coconut oil - approx. P120/ 250ml. bottle

Outdoor cattery renovation
Welded wire sponsor P500
Angle bar sponsor P500
Paint sponsor P200
Labor sponsor P350

Complete breakdown of materials needed for new outdoor cattery
1. Welded wire - 22pcs x P500 = P11,000
2. Angle bar - 36 pcs x P500 = P18,000
3. Angle bar - 5 pcs (roof) x 5 = P 2,500
4. Paint & welding rod = P 2,000
5. Labor (max 3 weeks)
P350/day x18 days x2 pax = P 12,600

For a total of Php 46,100

International donors may donate cash through Paypal or through bank wire.

You may click on the Paypal button in this blog's side bar or click here.

For bank wire transfers, the PAWS bank account details are provided at the PAWS website.

Donations in kind may be dropped off at PARC

Thank you very much.

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A Pit Bull Named Chief

Posted by siyerwin on Wednesday, December 05, 2007 at 9:02 PM

I was taking a break from work this afternoon and was blog-hopping when I stumbled upon http://onlovinganimals.blogspot.com, a blog that posted a story about a pit bull named "Chief" who defended his human guardians with his life.

It happened right here in the Philippines, in Cagayan de Oro, early this year so I can't believe I didn't hear about it in the news. Did any of you? The story is so striking I was fighting off tears while reading it. I kind of failed when I reached the last paragraph. :)

The events were recounted in detail by Herbie Gomez of the Cagayan de Oro Journal and I thought I just had to put it in this blog for posterity. It's a gem and I want a lot more people to learn of Chief, the pit bull who fought off a cobra to save two of his human friends.

Here's to you, Chief!

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Friday, February 16, 2007 Dog saves family from cobra, is killed... CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Feb 16) – A pit bull terrier proved beyond doubt that a dog can become a man’s best friend when it saved and gave its life for its master’s wife and her grandmother in Barangay Lapasan here. The dog named “Chief,” saved 87-year-old Liberata la Victoria and her granddaughter Maria Victoria Fronteras from a cobra that snaked through an opening in the family’s kitchen shortly around 8 a.m. Monday. On two occasions, the snake was about to attack the women when the dog dashed from a corner and used itself as a shield. Marlone Fronteras, an employee of Nestle Philippines who owned the terrier, said Chief seized the venomous snake in the neck with its teeth and repeatedly slammed it on the floor until it died. The dog was bitten too by the cobra; it died a few minutes later after giving its master a farewell gaze, according to the dog owner’s friends Mare Sabelita and Derf Ian dela Rama.

An organization of pit bull terrier owners here, Royale Pit Bull Club-Ancient Fraternal Order of the Pit Bulls Inc., honored Chief and gave it the moniker “grandfather” of all pit bulls in the community. Marlone told the Cagayan de Oro journal, that he, his family and members of the pit bull owners’ group gave the dog a “hero’s burial” the same day. “We just waited for the children to arrive from school because they loved Chief so much,” said Marlone. Sabelita said Fronteras’s wife Maria Victoria was teary eyed when she narrated the dog’s “heroism” to friends. “The snake was in front of us., maneuvering a deadly attack,” Sabelita quoted Maria Victoria as saying. “I screamed out loud to ask for help.” Hearing this, the four-year old pit bull terrier dashed from its sleeping area to fight off the deadly snake, said Sabelita quoting Maria Victoria. The cobra fought back and bit Chief at the lower left portion of the jaw. The dog then repeatedly slammed the cobra after it succeeded in immobilizing the snake with its sharp teeth, she said. Dela Rama said la Victoria was watching television when she panicked and alerted her granddaughter. The old lady said the cobra was about to attack her and the dog came to her rescue. Maria Victoria said she saw the cobra expand its neck as soon as she turned the lights on. She said the cobra looked like it was spitting as its inched closer, about a meter away, toward her. De la Rama said the terrier, “out of nowhere,” jumped on the cobra , bit it the neck, and then shook it till it died. Moments later, the dog slouched flat and fainted, spreading its arms and feet on the floor, after killing the killer snake. De la Rama said the dog went wobbly and lost control of its organs some 30 minutes after being bitten by the cobra; it started to urinate and defecate uncontrollably as it grasped for air and panted heavily.

The Fronterases sought the help of veterinarian but they were reportedly told that it was too late because the snake bite was near the dog’s brain and the venom had already spread. Sabilita said Marlone rushed home when his wife called him up to tell him of what had happened and the dog’s master was stunned. The Fronteras children, who treated Chief like a member of the family and who called the dog “Kuya Chief,” were deeply affected, according to Sabelita.

The last thing Chief did was waggle its tail and gaze at Marlone who had just come from work, said Sabelita. “Chief gave his two deep breaths and died. (It) was fighting and saving (its) last ounces of breath to see a glimpse of (its) master for the last two seconds of (its) life,” added dela Rama. Sabelita said he hoped people would change how they look at pit bull terriers, a breed strongly discouraged in many countries and banned because of their “cruel looks.” We never get the chance to know them more,” said Sabelita.

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For more animal welfare related news, visit http://onlovinganimals.blogspot.com.

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