ohmidog!

Old Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard
To get her old dog a bone.
When she got there, the cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, and Jean Tarazewich of Lynchburg, VA has hatched a real beauty. Jean is the owner of J.J.’s Pampered Pets, a pet store in Lynchburg, VA. She realized about four months ago that some of her regular customers were beginning to have a hard time financially and that their pets were beginning to suffer. That’s how the idea of Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard was born. It’s a food pantry for pets.

Jean didn’t rush into production with her brilliant idea. She got together with friends and employees and made careful plans for the opening of the pantry. Angela Doss canvassed for donations and reports that only two businesses refused to contribute. A number of suppliers suggested that they could donate food in damaged containers. This is fine idea for non-saleable but still good food that would otherwise go to waste, and it’s a practice borrowed from the “gleaning” at human food pantries.

Free grooming services are also available through Jean’s groomer, Aaron Spinner, who is donating five groomings per month.

After several weeks of planning, soliciting donations, and putting up flyers, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard opened this past Saturday. While the turnout was small (ten pounds of cat food, twenty of dog food were given away), Jean is not discouraged. She believes that her idea will take root and grow, that people will begin dropping off donations, and that financially-troubled pet owners will realize that they have a resource that may enable them to keep their pets. She also hopes that her idea will spread to other areas and that perhaps human food banks might operate pet food banks as an additional service. You can read a full account of Jean’s efforts at the Lynchburg News & Advance.

I visited Jean’s website, and while it does appear that she carries both puppies and kittens, it also appears that she’s buying them locally. Nevertheless, she deserves a lot of credit for a brilliant and simple idea that could help keep humans and their pets together in these tough times.

Cheers,

Anne and Spencer

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. They also say if you fall off a bike, you’ve got to climb right back on again. But I don’t think they’ve ever said anything about dalmatians on bicycles with training wheels — probably because “they” don’t watch Japanese game shows, which is where Dotty the dalmatian made her debut.

How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? If you were like most Americans, your celebration probably included some flowers or candy, maybe a nice gift of jewelry, perhaps a quiet dinner for two. People in Battle Creek, Michigan and El Paso, Texas had wilder choices.

The Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek hosted a sellout adults-only crowd at their first Zoorotica program on Saturday afternoon. Couples paid $50 to attend  a guided tour of off-limits areas of the zoo where snow leopards, zebras, reptiles, primates, and giraffes are accorded the privacy and surroundings needed to do what comes naturally. According to the zoo’s Website, the three-hour tour (yes!) was led by experienced, unabashed staff members with expert knowledge of the “biting, clawing, scratching and mid-air acrobatics” that spice up the love lives of some of our animal friends. Champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and a souvenir DVD rounded out the event. They didn’t say what, if anything, the animals got for putting up with the visitors.

In case people were–well–overcome by the experience, a nearby Holiday Inn offered a specially-priced overnight getaway for participants. The package featured more conventionally human Valentine options like champagne, rose petals strewn on the bed, chocolates, and dinner for two. Other gift suggestions included one that made a lot of sense: Surprising your sweetie with the gift of a zoo animal adoption.

The citizens of El Paso had a more dramatic Valentines treat last Thursday. When you see a headline on a conventional news outlet that reads, “Half-Naked Women Make Out in Downtown For Animals,” you might suspect our good friends at PETA.  And you’d be right. The purpose of the event, which took place in an area of downtown frequented by families with kids, was to reinforce the idea that vegetarians have more fun because they’re healthier. According to PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne, the event was “a great way to show off what a healthy vegetarian body looks like.”

The event has garnered mixed reviews from the public. If you happened to be a parent with kids in tow, an animal owner, a person who eats meat, a member of the religious right, or just a person who appreciates good theatre, Thursday was probably a bad day to be in downtown El Paso. On the other hand, PETA supporters, slimmed-down vegetarians, and people with juvenile senses of humor had a terrific time.  KFOX TV has video of the demonstration.

Cheers,

Anne & Spencer

Snow leopards enjoy a quiet moment