To Meat or Not To Meat?

I am not a vegetarian, so a story about a culture where people eat dogs really challenges me. I'm horrified at the thought. But I eat beef. I eat pork. I don't eat horse meat. I'll eat chicken, but wouldn't touch crow. My lines seem totally arbitrary or, at least, culturally  determined.  I don't eat duck, rabbit or lamb -- for no really defensible reason other than some gut feeling. Who is to say that eating dogs should be off limits if eating animals, in general, is not?

So I'm wondering, can you love and work for animals and still eat them? I think about the work of Temple Grandin, who is not a vegetarian, but has done much to improve conditions for animals, particularly livestock. I'd like to hear from BARk readers about how you answer this central question. If you eat meat, have you considered it a conflict? If you are a vegetarian, has your relationship with a companion animal played a role in that decision?

Lisa Wogan

Pets Trapped by Volcano in Chile

The fate of approximately 800 dogs and cats in southern Chile is still uncertain. The pets were abandoned when residents of Chaiten were forced to evacuate in the wake of a volcano on May 2. While an Associated Press story reports representatives from the Coalition for Ethical Control of Urban Fauna saying that food is on the way, the Emergency Bureau charged with delivering supplies has not confirmed these reports. Efforts to relocate the pets have so far been unsuccessful.

Lisa Wogan

Hip Hop for Hounds

Give a listen to the recently announced winners of  Hip Hop for Hounds. The contest, sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, takes a musical genre that all-too-often celebrates dogfighting and infuses it with anti-cruelty lyrics. The results are not just positive messages, but messages that sound good.

Lisa Wogan

A Little More Tattoo Attitude

Turtle in Tucson, Arizona, modeled her tattoo (upper left) on a doodle drawn by a coworker during a staff meeting. It doesn’t matter that the simple drawing of a Snoopy-style puppy with a flower and a butterfly doesn’t look a lot like its subject. (See the photo of Ellen, Turtle's Ridgeback/Boxer mix.) “She had many claims to fame, most notably riding across the country with my partner and I on our tandem bicycle,” Turtle wrote about Ellen in an email to us.

Yvette Stayduhar’s tattoo (upper right) was inspired by her two passions: dogs and her bakery. She and her husband own Ann Arbor Biscuit Co., an organic and all-natural pet treat bakery in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her tattoo features a rescued Pit Bull puppy named Millie and a spatula and whisk. One of Stayduhar’s three dogs, Millie works at the shop everyday and is in training for her Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog certificates. (They also have two cats.)

“I wanted to send this photo along to show everyone the brighter side of Pit Bull tattoos,” Stayduhar wrote. “A happy, responsibly-raised and completely spoiled rotten Pit Bull emblazoned on my ankle.”

A realistic portrait of a four-year-old pug named Trinity with a custom bone is how Phil Caseria of New Britain, Connecticut, captured his furry friend (lower left).

Lisa Wogan

Talk to the Paw

I've received a whole new batch of dog-inspired tattoos from BARk readers, which I’ll post today and tomorrow. Paw prints continue to be a central motif. Here are two very different approaches. The first a bold, reversed print, is from Trang Nguyen in Springfield, Virginia. Holly Carrell of Elizabeth, Colorado, pays tribute to three dogs in a laurelled paw. Shown in the photo, from left to right, the butterfly is for Georgia, the flower for Scarlett, and the lady bug for Emma. (Remember to click on the image for a better view.)

Lisa Wogan

Portland Ink

While we've discovered animal-inspired tattoos are definitely the rage, folks at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland have figured out how to harness the trend for good. During the month of May in the City of Roses, more than 50 area tattoo artists are donating 10 percent of the proceeds from animal-inspired tattoos to the DoveLewis Stray Animal & Wildlife Fund, which helps pay for treating injured critters with no guardians.

I asked Reed Coleman, a spokesperson for DoveLewis, if perhaps BARk’s March story on dog-themed tattoos was the inspiration for Tats for Cats … and Dogs. Nope. Apparently the counterculture fundraiser was the brainstorm of a DoveLewis receptionist back in late 2007. “But, your article did play a part,” Coleman says. “When we saw it we absolutely knew we were on the right track.”

Among DoveLewis’s suggestions for tattoo art is an EKG display of your dog’s heartbeat. I haven’t seen that yet. If you’re ready to wear your heart under your sleeve in the Portland area, may as well do some good at the same time. Check out the list of participating artists.

Lisa Wogan

Illegal Lap Dogs

There was a time when I thought nothing of allowing my dog to be free in the car and stick his head out the window. Then I woke up and realized that if we were in an accident, the rest of his body would go through that window. I would have no one to blame but myself for his injuries, suffering and possibly death. We now use wire crates and seatbelt harnesses to ensure all five of our dogs travel safely.

So you'd think I'd be all rah-rah about the proposed legislation making it illegal for people to drive with dogs on their laps. Frankly, I think attempting to legislate common sense is ridiculous. No one likes to be told they HAVE to do something, like they're five years old. Plus, it's a waste of time and money as the bill meanders through the maze that is our government. Isn't there a better way to educate the public about safe dog travel? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Julia Kamysz Lane

Michael Vick Update

The Atlanta Falcons have drafted a new--hopefully squeaky clean--quarterback, helping to put an end to speculation that Michael Vick would be welcomed back into the lineup after serving a 23-month sentence for his role in a dog-fighting ring.

Lisa Wogan

Cujo the Chihuahua

Cujo the Chihuahua made the front-page news of my local newspaper when a Chicago police detective helped reunite him with his family after being dognapped two months ago. The happy ending made me smile, as well as the name of their other dog and Cujo's best friend, Michelle the Pit Bull.

Julia Kamysz Lane

Happy Pup-Friendly Earth Day

Stain-repellant chemicals from the lining of a dog food bag, phtalates in toys, arsenic-treated deckwood, mercury in cat food--the environment our companion animals inhale, lick and slurp is often loaded with toxins and pollutants. One dog is mad as hell and not going to take it any more. (Although, he's too sweet to put it that way.) On this Earth Day, read Eddie's story and learn more about taking action for animals (and people) to better the environment in your home and beyond.

Lisa Wogan