Archive: March, 2013
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Pope Francis gave his first Easter blessing to the world today.
We feel the occasion is a fitting time to consider more fully one of his first acts as leader of the Catholic church, Only a day into his new post, Pope Francis made an extraordinary gesture at his first press conference: he singled out the service dog of a visually-impaired journalist and blessed him.
We first heard about this remarkable act only hours after writing a post wondering whether Pope Francis might be a voice for animals, as his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi was more than 800 years ago.
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Leigh Siegfried is an Associate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and is a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She conducts private behavior counseling sessions, group training classes in basic and advanced manners and agility, and a variety of workshops. Opportunity Barks classes are held in Philadelphia and Quakertown, PA. Visit www.opbarks.com for more info.
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Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Yo Bo, check out all the cool pastel-colored Easter eggs strategically placed on the White House lawn.
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
The region's raptor cams are in full swing again this spring recording all the nesting action of the peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks.
In Harrisburg, the state Department of Environmental Protection has installed a new HD camera that is now livestreaming activity on the ledge near the top of the Rachel Carson building where a pair of peregrine falcons has been raising chicks for 15 years. Falcon watchers report the femalehas laid four eggs - while the resident male and an interloper engaged in aerial combat over the nest. High drama over the Capitol!
It surely must have been the ghost of the great environmentalist and Pennsylvania native Rachel Carson that led the first falcon to that ledge so that future generations could witness their beauty and contemplate the fact that the falcons were almost wiped out by DDT poisoning a half century ago. It was Carson who first exposed to the world the dangers of the now-banned pesticide.
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
With the closure of more than 250 large scale commercial breeding kennels in the past three years, some may say Pennsylvania has shed its reputation as the "puppy mill Capital of the East."
Is the state now taking on the mantle of "bad rescue" Capital?
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Three days after being shot in the neck and undergoing emergency surgery, a Harrisburg police officer headed home with his handler.
The officer, a 2 1/2-year-old Beligian Malinois named Zeke, was shot by a suspect who fired at police during a pursuit and was airlifted to an emergency veterinary clinic.
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Delaware County lawyer whose pet "rescue" operation was raided by authorities last month and 28 dogs seized has been charged with dozens of counts of animal cruelty.
My colleague Mari Schaefer reports in Saturday's Inquirer:
Terry Silva, 53, was charged Friday with 43 counts of animal cruelty after sick and underweight animals were found in her filthy Delaware County house, the Pennsylvania SPCA announced.
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
UPDATE: Shortly after posting this story, we learned that Pope Francis, in his first press conference a day after taking on his new role, took special notice of a service dog in the audience. The Washington Post reported that the pope leaned down to bless a golden retriever accompanying a visually-impaired reporter at the event. The gesture drew amused chuckles from the crowd. For animal lovers it was a important sign of humanity from a spiritual leader whose influence touches all corners of the globe.
With the news that the new pontiff, Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergogli, would be known as Pope Francis we wondered if he had chosen the name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Or had he taken the name of the Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier?
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Meet Honey and Kwanzaa, best buds at the Darling Downs Zoo in Queensland, Australia. The two were introduced after Kwanzaa's mother stopped producing milk.
Kwanzaa is a white lion cub born in November 2012 who has been hand raised by zoo staff.
We notice he is just the latest orphan big cat to get his own canine babysitter, once again dispelling those "fighting like cats and dogs" myths.
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
This morning the nation's leading animal welfare groups, along with members of Congress, including Pennsylvania's Pat Meehan, gather on Capitol Hill to announce introduction of a bill to end horse slaughter in the U.S.
The press conference this morning comes amid a widening horse meat scandal in Europe and as the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it is processing an application for a new horse slaughter facility in New Mexico.
The last horse slaughter plant in the U.S. closed in Illinois in 2007. Roughly 160,000 American horses were shipped to plants in Canada and Mexico last year to be butchered to satisfy diners' demand in France and Japan.
- A Humane Nation
- Animal Law Coalition
- Animal Legal Defense Fund
- Animals & Politics
- Best Friends Animal Society
- Catster
- Dogster
- ohmidog!
- Paw Print Post
- Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Pet Watch New Jersey
- Pet-Abuse.com
- PetMD
- Terrierman
- The Bark
- Vetstreet
- WebMed/Pets
- zootoo
