Blogging for Calvin

Cosmetics company to donate product's proceeds to orangutan rehabilitation

2009-08-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

LUSH Cosmetics and the World Society for the Protection of Animals are partnering to protect the endangered orangutans of Borneo.

The cosmetics company is now selling the WSPA Charity Pot, a palm-oil-free hand-and-body cream, which will be in North American stores until early 2010.

Proceeds will help provide food and care for rescued orangutans undergoing rehabilitation at the WSPA-funded Nyaru Menteng sanctuary, which is run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

Cosmetics company makes palm-free soaps to protect orangutans

2009-08-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

LUSH Cosmetics switched all of its soap production to a new palm-free base in North America, and it is also using palm-free glycerin in an effort to protect the endangered orangutans of Borneo. According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, the animal is now one of the 10 most threatened species in the world, and the organization claims at the current rate of loss, it is possible they will become extinct within 10 years.

WSPA says the species' diminishing numbers are due to illegal logging and fires set to clear the land for palm-oil production that destroys the rain-forest habitat of the tree-dwelling orangutan. The organization says when homeless, the apes migrate in search of food, but if seen near palm-oil crops, they are shot or beaten by plantation workers who fear their crops will be eaten.

LUSH's ultimate goal is to remove palm oil from all of its products, and it is currently investigating its surfactants, which might be palm-oil derived.

To browse some of LUSH's new palm-free soaps, visit its Web site.

Beagle needs home

2009-07-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

A friend of a friend has a 4-year-old female Beagle that needs a new home because it isn't getting along with her youngest child. But she really doesn't want to take it to a shelter. Please contact me if you're interested in giving this dog a loving home.

Adoptable animals strut down runway

2009-03-19T13:57:00.001-07:00

"Sit.Strut.Stay" was a success. Calvin was supposed to stay at home, but he screamed when we took Dolce out of the apartment, so we brought him along for the ride.

He had a good time playing with the other dogs backstage. And Dolce enjoyed being fawned over and strutting her stuff on the runway.

Dolce modeled a red sequin collar and a red, white and gray fringe band around her neck. She was adorable. She looked like a little lion cub. I was really proud of her.

The dogs from Young-Williams also did a great job. They brought five dogs to be in the show. My two favorites were a Miniature Pinscher named Bear and a Chinese Crested mix named Mr. Myagi. The audience was told they could go by the Young-Williams booth after the show to adopt any of the animals. Gerry and I left because our two were getting restless, so I don't know if any were adopted.

I was most impressed by the clothing designer Catie. Her company, Catie's Critters, provided all the dog apparel for the show. Catie is only 17 and a junior in high school. She has been creating animal apparel for almost three years now. And she donates 90 percent of her proceeds to animal rescues. How awesome is that?

Women's Today Expo to hold first pet fashion show

2009-03-13T18:20:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, March 14, 2009, there will be a pet fashion show on the Artistry Fashion & Entertainment Stage at the Women's Today Expo in Knoxville, Tenn. Sponsored by PetSafe Village, "Sit. Stay. Strut" will benefit homeless animals at the Young-Williams Animal Center.

Models, wearing T-shirts by Fundamentally Dog, will escort the animals, sporting fashions from Catie's Critters. Young-Williams will have animals in the show that are currently available for adoption. My Dolce, always eager for attention, will also be in the show. The event is from 9:45-10:30 a.m.

Balinese government needs humane approach to rabies prevention

2009-03-07T09:08:00.001-08:00

I received an e-mail from the World Society for the Protection of Animals this morning. According to the e-mail, Bali, Indonesia, had six human deaths, and the government suspects rabies. In reaction, it has poisoned more than 1,000 dogs in the street with strychnine, which leaves the animals fully conscious while they suffer convulsions and eventually suffocate.

If you are as disturbed by this as I am, please sign this online petition asking the Balinese governor to stop the poisoning and adopt a more humane approach to rabies prevention.

Knoxville has abundance of stray animals

2009-03-06T21:31:00.001-08:00

I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I only remember taking care of three animals that weren't my own: a cat that took up residence under our porch one summer, an injured squirrel who obviously tangled with the wrong cat and a maimed frog outside the nursing home where I once worked that might have tangled with that same wrong cat. Three animals in 22 years, not too bad.

Then my husband, Gerry, and I moved to Eastern Tennessee for graduate school in August 2007. We were only living in an apartment complex in South Knoxville for a few months when we encountered a pack of beautiful stray dogs: an old Golden Retriever and a middle-aged Bernese Mountain Dog. They didn't seem frightened by me. Sometimes they would watch me walk Dolce from a three-foot distance. But I was never able to pet them. They were faster than they looked.

A month later, a new pack of strays started hanging out at our apartment complex: three Labrador Retrievers. These dogs were young and would chase each other throughout the complex and up and down the highway near our apartment.

That winter, we met Captain, an old black Labrador Retriever who would wander aimlessly around our complex and take naps behind a brick wall outside our apartment. One day I started sitting out Dolce's dog food, and he cautiously took a few bites. Every day, I would feed Captain, sometimes I would even give him treats. But Gerry could never get close. The minute him or our friend Eric would come outside, Captain would split. It was obvious he had a negative encounter with a man at some time in his life.

I think you get my point. Captain wouldn't be the last stray I fed. Most recently, there was Penelope, a 15-pound overweight Jack Russell Terrier that I thought was pregnant, so I carried
her home at 2 a.m.

Then there's Little E, the stray black cat who likes to swat my Calvin on the
rear to get him to play. Luckily, Penelope and Little E have good homes now, but Captain still prefers the gypsy lifestyle.

Eight homeless animals in less than a year. That got me thinking. I was given an in-depth reporting assignment for my advanced reporting class, so I chose to explore just that.

And here is what I found:
http://tnjn.com/2008/dec/10/factors-influence-animal-shelt/