August Is "Miss Paras Birthday Month"!!!!

Here at PiddleTails we are celebrating a joyous occassion all during the month of August! Appearing in this week's Morgan Messenger (Berkeley Springs, WV) newspaper is the Birthday Announcement for my Beautiful and Fabulous "Miss Paras" who celebrates her 20th Birthday on August 11th!! I adopted Miss Paras from "Rescue Me! Yorkie Rescue" in 2007.

I Love You, Miss Paras!! XOXOXO!!!

Hush Little (Panda) Baby....!

At a zoo in Thailand, Lin Hui, a seven year old Momma Giant Panda, yawns during naptime for her sleeping 25 day old baby.

Source: ap

Visit Your Dog's Ancestral Home - Boston Terrier

Origin: Boston, Mass.

Story: In the 1800s, workingmen crossbred terriers with English bulldogs to develop a strong, spunky offspring for dogfights. The result — a small, bat-eared canine with a tuxedolike coat — was the Boston terrier. It was the first American purebred dog, according to the Boston Terrier Club of America. Over time, dog shows replaced dogfights as the breed's main stomping grounds.

The trip: If you're in Boston on the first weekend in December, drop by the city's largest annual dog show, Bay Colony (baycolonydogshow.com), where the Boston terrier and about 150 other breeds strut their stuff. During the rest of the year, take your dog to Boston Common, a 50-acre park downtown. (But be aware that it's illegal to let a dog run unleashed in Boston parks.) Dogs are welcome on the Freedom Trail, a two-and-a-half-mile self-guided walking tour of 16 colonial sites, such as the Bunker Hill Monument.

Hot tip: Nine Zero Hotel, a boutique Kimpton property downtown, provides dog beds, bowls, and treats—all complimentary (866/906-9090, ninezero.com ). A few local Sheratons are pet-friendly, too (800/325-3535, sheraton.com).

Credit: msnbc.com; Photo: britannica.com

MD Police Must Report Dog Killings During Drug Raids

Beginning in 2010, police departments in Maryland will be required to report to the Governor's office every time they kill a dog during a drug raid. That requirement is part of a new law pushed by Cheye Calvo, the mayor of the small town of Berwyn Heights, Maryland.

Calvo proposed the legislation because police officers conducted a particularly violent raid last summer on his home in Prince George's County after intercepting a package of marijuana at a delivery-service warehouse. The cops then completed the delivery themselves to the address on the package. As it turns out, the house belonged Calvo, who had no connection to the drugs. The package was part of a botched distribution scheme in which an accomplice working for the delivery service was supposed to have intercepted it before it was delivered.

The raid made headlines around the world, not only because the police mistakenly busted into the home of a sitting mayor, but because they killed Calvo's two black Labradors, Peyton and Chase. Peyton was shot four times. Chase was shot twice, once from behind as he fled.

Within days, Calvo and his family were cleared of any wrongdoing, but Prince George's County officials have steadfastly refused to apologize.

The raid on Calvo's home was actually the second in 10 months in which police in Prince George's County burst into a private home during a drug raid, shot and killed the family dog, then realized they had raided the wrong house.

Source: thedailybeast.com

Here Is What A Real Rescuer Does On Her Weekend

This sad deaf pooch in a Los Angeles kill shelter had clearly given up hope. Mislabelled as aggressive, his next stop was the Death Room. My friend Kelly spent her weekend pulling and transporting this amazing fellow. He travelled cuddled sweetly in a ball on the passenger seat of Kelly's small car and offered kisses to Kelly and those who helped him. A Fundable is set up for his vetting (exam, neuter, shots, removal of mass from his back) and transport to Rescue in Indiana. From the text of his Fundable, read about his past -- and now his FUTURE -- below:

This is the link to the Fundable:
http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2009-08-01.5420864374

Perhaps you have seen this photo...or maybe this is the first time you have laid eyes on this heart wrenching moment. He is an unnamed six year old deaf Pit that sits in isolation awaiting certain fate. The bigger tragedy is that he is not alone....you can find this similar story throughout shelters in Los Angeles. But for now we focus on him.....on rewriting the end of his story. He was used up and discarded. A stray. Someone's trash. This is for him.

We are raising funds -and hopefully awareness- to get him bailed, healed and rehabbed in an equipped facility... and offer him some firsts: - a kind hand on his head. - surgery for his back. - quality food. - behavioral therapy. - a bed of his own. - a bath. - words of encouragement. No they won't be heard. But no, they won't be lost on him... nor those that offer them. Please help.

And for those that you have ever heard say that dogs don't think and dogs don't feel... Well, lessons come from the most surprising teachers, sometimes.....you know?

UPDATE Sorry for the delay in posting this information. Needless to say it has been way beyond busy for us - as well as for so many other rescues. We are The Mutt Scouts a 501c3 non profit org. For those that wish for a tax exempt receipt for their donation, please email us at themuttscouts@gmail.com The following is the the background on this Unnamed deaf white Pit in the emotionally brutal photo that has been passed around the internet.

Brief History: This poor handsome guy first caught the attention of us at The Mutt Scouts when we were at the shelter checking on some dogs of interest. We returned on Sunday to bail a couple dogs -and if you follow our blog- http://themuttscouts.wordpress.com/ - wound up bailing many more. This Pit was not available that day but Nikki took the haunting pic that has everyone rallying for this guy's move to safety and to a facility that has the space and faculty to start his surgery, healing and rehab. Enter Kelly Gibson who was so moved by this image that she drove from San Diego up to LA to meet him. Kelly found what we did, that he was not the savage that he has been called and so deserves mercy and opportunity. Kelly's close friend, Rebecca, is the executive director of the Hamilton County Humane Society in Indiana. Rebecca has not only the desire and facilities to provide a chance for this guy, but also works with a trainer that is going to take him into her home and make his daily rehab her priority. We do not adopt out of state and have an iron clad rule not to allow networked dogs out of state either. Naturally we were skeptical when approached. But after extensive checking into Rebecca and speaking to her, we feel confident that she is so very competent, enormously dedicated and essentially the real deal. Therefore we started this fundable to help cover cost of pull, transport to a facility here for two weeks and his immediate care to be followed by his transport to her facility in Indiana. Anything left over will be handed off to his new care provider. Here is a six year old deaf dog sitting on Death Row who has been drug through hell in his life that sparked nationwide interest because of a picture. He is now being afforded a legitimate future and the possibility of pictures reflecting a vastly improved, nurturing quality of life. Huge thanks to all donators, all of you concerned for his well-being and all those reposting his story. If you have any other questions please email us at themuttscouts@gmail.com

"Art" Student Freezes Rat to Death

Animal rights activists are appalled a fine arts student at Canterbury University (New Zealand) was allowed to freeze a rat to death for an arts project.

The student, Oscar Enberg, had wanted to slit the rat's throat and then stuff its corpse with butter, but revised his plans after discussing them with his supervisor. Instead he bought a rat from a local pet shop and put it in a cardboard box, which he then put in a freezer, removing the animal only once it had frozen to death. His plans to use the dead rat's corpse for an art work were also scuppered.

Instead, Enberg's entry in the university's sculpture show in Christchurch last month was two baby rats caged in a small clear plastic box, separated by a wooden partition, unable to see each other. It was withdrawn soon after going on display on advice from the student's lawyer.

A complaint was placed with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which investigated and found there was a prima facie case to answer. However, it decided against prosecuting Enberg, instead issuing him a formal written warning.

Canterbury University did have a "very robust" process in place regarding the use of animals for teaching, testing and research but because it was never envisaged that the fine arts department would use animals in such a way, it appeared the department was not aware of the restrictions. Canterbury University deputy vice-chancellor Ian Town said a lack of awareness of the strict rules governing the use of animals meant the art project was not subject to the university's normal ethic review procedures.

The university had co-operated fully with the SPCA's investigation and accepted the outcome.

Town said disciplinary action had not been taken against the student: "We felt that the student had been appropriately censured - we've taken this as a learning experience."

Source: stuff.co.nz

Good Momma!

Two rare red pandas who were abandoned at birth have found a new mother -- a small dog,.

The two cubs, who were born at Taiyuan Zoo in northern China, were abandoned immediately after their birth by their mother.

A zoo worker states that the stand-in mum is good-natured and has happily adopted the cubs. The red panda species is under special protection in China, and are much smaller than the better known giant pandas.

Source: huffingtonpost.com; Photos: ap