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KennelSeek Blog - Pet News
The First Cosmonauts: Belka and Strelka
By: Admin , September 1st, 2010
One giant leap for dogkind? On August 19, 1960, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 5 a pair of dogs, Belka (”Whitey”) and Strelka (”Little Arrow.”) They were the first living creatures to go into orbit and return safely. And they gave the Soviets confidence to send a human into space less than a year later. Those pooches must have been horrified, but they got a heroes welcome home and became instant celebrities. Belka and Strelka became instant folk heroes, and in the 50 years since have inspired everything from cartoons (of the Ren & Stimpy school), to electronica/dance music.
Russian space doctors were at first alarmed when TV transmissions from the Sputnik 5 capsule showed neither dog moving the slightest bit during the first three orbits. Finally, on the fourth orbit, Belka gave a little shudder and vomited. It seemed to snap both dogs out of a trance, breaking the spell of the strange experience of being without gravity. For the rest of the flight they looked more alert.
After their day in space Strelka went onto have six pups, one of which was presented by Nikita Khrushchev to President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline in 1961. Both dogs were preserved after their deaths and are on display at a museum in Moscow.
You can see contemporary footage of the space dogs here:
Grief Over the Loss of a Pet, and When is Right to get Another Pet
August 30, 2010 By: Admin
Over the course of our pets lives they see us through many major events in our lives, good and bad, from graduations, funerals, divorce, to job promotions. They are constantly there for us through all events, they represent the best of our lives. They are in all of our fondest memories, they are our hiking partners, our confidants, our best friends, our partners in life.
But when a pet passes away, through the grief comes a question familiar to those who have lost a special pet: Should I get another pet? And when?
People used to think getting a new pet right away was as important as getting back on a bicycle after you fall off. But a little time will generally help, it is healthy to have a transition period. In grieving, we're taking time to honor the pet we lost. There are no wrong answers about if and when to get a new pet — just a few wrong turns. Some people will mistakenly try to "replace" a lost pet, trying to find an animal that looks, sounds and behaves the same. Some people will even give the new pet the same name. No matter how much we may try to get the pet we lost back, every pet is wonderfully unique, with their own personality and temperament.
When getting a new pet, it is important to not pull the trigger too fast. Whoever your new pet is, they will have really big paws to fill. Make sure they have a chance.
Doreen Disbro of Indianapolis, Ind., lost her German shepherd named Tandy to hip disease in 2003, and she's still grieving. "I didn't put her things, her toys, away for several weeks. I would lay next to her bed," she said. For two months, she came home to an empty house every night and was miserable, said Disbro, an administrative assistant and a pet blogger. "There will never be another Tandy," she said. But she knew she could give another dog a good home and lots of love, so about eight weeks after Tandy died, she adopted Millie, who is 7 now. Soon after, Millie was joined by Riley Elizabeth, 6, a Lab mix; and Kiko, a year-old Boston rat terrier. The shepherd's loss still hurts, especially when she sees a dog that looks like her, or an old photo or a stuffed animal like one Tandy used to play with.
"Lost love and memories can beautifully coexist with new love and happiness," Ingrid King wrote after her cat Amber died in May. A month before Amber died, King adopted a kitten named Allegra. "I will eventually add a second cat to our family, but I'm just not ready," said King, an author and former veterinary hospital manager from Herndon, Va.
Some people use time between pets to travel, start a family, move, take a new job. Some older people are reluctant to take in a new pet for fear the pet will outlive them. Every person, every pet, every relationship is different, and it is important to know that when the time is right for you to get a new companion, you will know.
Pennsylvania Standard of Care Law Approved
August 23rd, 2010 By: Admin
A state panel voted, 3-1, Thursday to give final approval to regulations that will provide the first standards for temperature, ventilation, humidity, and lighting in Pennsylvania's commercial dog kennels. "Approval of these regulations now means there is no doubt about what breeders who own commercial kennels need to do to comply with the law, which raises the standard of care for dogs in commercial kennels even higher," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. The provisions, developed by the Canine Health Board as part of the 2008 dog law, are expected to be finalized by October but will not take effect until July, the agency said, because renovations are necessary for some kennels.
A commercial kennel, of which there are 111 in the state, is defined as one selling more than 60 dogs a year or selling any number of dogs to a pet store. The number of commercial kennels, defined as those selling or transferring more than 60 dogs or selling any dogs to pet stores, has fallen from 300 to just over 100 since the law took effect in 2009.
Members of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, which has final say on all state regulatory proposals, and animal welfare advocates agreed the legislature must address what they call an "oversight" in the law regarding wire cage flooring. The language allows adult nursing dogs to stand on wire for months - a contradiction, some say, to the law's wire flooring ban. The law requires adult dogs to have solid flooring in cages, but allows puppies under 12 weeks to stand on wire flooring. That means adults bred twice a year could end up living on wire through pregnancy and nursing for up to six or eight months a year, which opponents argue violates the spirit and letter of the law.
Chief among the law's provisions was the "elimination" of wire flooring, used in the oversize rabbit hutches popular in most kennels because they are easier to clean. Wire is blamed for painful paw abrasions, cysts and splayed feet on animals that spend years in such cages. Administration officials acknowledge recently discovering a "gray" area in the law and have sought to address it by requiring 50 percent of the nursing mothers' cages to have solid flooring.
Commission member Sylvan Lutkewitte was the lone vote opposed. He said there were inconsistencies between the regulation and the statute regarding the issue of flooring.
PETA Makes Monkey Disappear
August 17th, 2010 By: Admin
Auto company Dodge recently found itself in PETA's crosshairs after the carmaker aired a commercial starring a monkey dressed up like Evel Knievel. But, unlike many who draw the ire of PETA, Dodge immediately removed the issue and in kind of an amusing way. Below, the original ad that inspired PETA to pen an open letter condemning Dodge for using a monkey, "given the well-documented abuse that young chimpanzees and orangutans suffer in the entertainment industry." PETA goes on to write, "Dodge isn't going to dodge a bullet on this one. It needs to pull the ad — and we've contacted the company asking it to do just that." Here's the commercial with the monkey...
Dodge apparently got PETA's message and decided to have a little fun. They made another similar commercial touting an upcoming summer clearance sale, only this time, instead of a monkey, they cast ... drumroll, please ... an invisible monkey. Check out the new version below.
However, PETA has responded to that and nodding their head in approval.
"PETA applauds Dodge's decision to distance itself from cruelty to apes who are used and abused in entertainment," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Public attitudes about animals are changing for the better, so steering clear of ads that exploit animals is good for business too." Great apes used in advertisements are typically taken away from their mothers shortly after birth and forced to live in squalid conditions. Trainers have been caught routinely beating, kicking, and punching the young animals in order to force them into submission and ensure that they will perform tricks. These tricks require the animals to suppress their natural behavior and are confusing and often uncomfortable to them. When these long-lived animals reach adolescence (at around age 8) and become too large and strong to handle, they are often discarded at seedy roadside zoos and forced to live for decades in miserable conditions. Fortunately, technology is helping to replace the use of great apes and other animals used as "actors" with humane alternatives. Advances in computer-generated imagery, animatronics, and animation have made it completely unnecessary to use animals in film and television productions. Dodge joins a growing number of companies—including AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Samsung, Europcar, Sprint Nextel, Subaru, Honda, Levi Strauss & Co., PUMA, Yahoo!, Johnson & Johnson, and Gap Inc.—that have pulled the plug on existing ads featuring great apes or have pledged not to use great apes in any future advertising. Also, many top ad agencies, such as BBDO, Young & Rubicam, Grey, Saatchi & Saatchi,and Draftfcb, have pledged never to feature great apes in their ads."
Missouri Group Fights Ballot to Stop Puppy Mill Cruelty
August 22nd, 2010 By: Admin
A Missouri trial judge on Friday rejected a challenge to the ballot summary for an initiative petition that seeks to impose new restrictions on dog breeders. A critic of the ballot measure filed a lawsuit and argued that the proposed ballot summary was unfair, particularly its description of a violation of the proposed restrictions as a misdemeanor called "puppy mill cruelty." "The phrase 'puppy mill cruelty' is a campaign slogan that doesn't belong in the secretary of state's objective summary," opponents said.
The lawsuit was filed by Karen Strange, who is the president of the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners. Strange said Friday opponents were working to oppose the proposal in November and declined to comment on whether she planned to appeal the court decision.
Under the proposal, people could only have 50 breeding dogs and would be required to feed animals daily, provide annual veterinary care and not breed animals more than twice every 18 months. Breeders also would have to follow rules for the dogs' living space and house animals indoors with unfettered access to an outdoor exercise yard. It would apply to people with at least 10 female dogs for breeding. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to 15 days in jail and a $300 fine. The measure calls that crime "puppy mill cruelty." Barbara Schmitz, campaign manager for Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, said the regulations would improve the animals' lives. Schmitz said the group was delighted by Beetem's decision. "Basically the lawsuit we believe was a frivolous lawsuit and was intended to deny voters a chance to speak," Schmitz said.
Opponents contend the proposed rules would affect licensed dog breeders who already follow the rules and make it more expensive for people to buy dogs as pets. Some also fear the measure could be a precursor toward more regulation of animal agriculture.
Karen Strange testified that her group's goal was to "protect against the animal rights movement" on behalf of all forms of agriculture, including pet breeders, poultry farmers, pork producers and exotic animal owners. Strange projected that about half of the nearly 1,500 licensed dog breeders in Missouri would go out of business if Proposition B passes, largely because they can't afford the proposed dog housing regulations which roughly double the amount of indoor space required for each dog, prohibit stacked cages and outlaw wire flooring.
Among those who may go out of business is Kelly Brown, who testified she breeds about 250 French bulldogs and Yorkies in Newton County. She said her family needs the income to subsidize the rest of the farm. "If I'm reduced down to 50 dogs, it won't provide the cash flow that our operation requires," Brown said.
