Bob Barker, Jorja Fox appear before Congress in defense of Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act

November 3, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

This week, former “Price is Right” host Bob Barker, “CSI” actress Jorja Fox and others from animal rights groups appeared on Capital Hill in support of the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA), which was introduced in Congress on Wednesday by Northern Virginia Democrat, Representative Jim Moran. “Based upon publically available research, including video and photographic evidence, it is clear that traveling circuses cannot provide the proper living conditions for exotic animals. This legislation is intended to target the most egregious... Read more

Lily the blind Great Dane and her companion Maddison find a new home

November 3, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

Don’t you just love stories with happy endings? I told you last week about Lily and Maddison, two Great Danes in the United Kingdom looking for forever homes. There was one small problem: Lily is blind, afterdoctors removed her eyes after she developed a condition called entropion. Maddison is her constant companion in life, making is possible for Lily to get around. Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, was faced with the challenge of not only placing two... Read more

Donate your Halloween pumpkins to feed wildlife

October 31, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

Now that Halloween is over, don’t just throw your Jack O’Lanterns in the trash. Use them to benefit wildlife! The folks at Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, CA posted a reminder on their Facebook page this week reminding people to donate their pumpkins to animal wildlife centers. I’ve heard of rescue centers needing pet supplies. But how can old vegetables help with the rehabilitation of sick and injured wildlife animals? Mary Cummings from Animal Advocates told me that centers like theirs... Read more

Dogs and cats and spirits, oh my! – Halloween and your pets

October 31, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

For the last 24 hours, our dogs have been unusually worked up. Barking, fighting, and generally squirrely. Last night I made a joke that maybe, on the day before Halloween, the veil between the dead and the undead had lifted a bit early. Read more

The Elephant Sanctuary in TN mourns the loss of Bella the dog, companion to Tarra the elephant

October 29, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

Sad news today from The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee: Bella, the dog who made international headlines as the treasured companion of The Sanctuary’s first elephant, Tarra, has died, likely as the result of a coyote attack. In a letter on The Elephant Sanctuary website, CEO Rob Atkinson writes: “We noticed Bella was not with Tarra at breakfast on Tuesday and later that morning she still had not appeared. Tarra and Bella have always spent short periods apart as one goes off exploring... Read more

The ultimate dog tease (talking dog video)

October 29, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

If you could hear what your dog is saying, it might sound like this: Read more

DreamWorks picks up movie rights to NY Times bestseller "A Dog's Purpose"

October 28, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

Fans of writer W. Bruce Cameron will be wagging for joy at this news: DreamWorks has picked up the movie rights to Cameron’s NY Times Bestselling novel, “A Dog’s Purpose.” Cameron will write the screen play, along with Cathryn Michon (who also happens to be his wife.) The movie will be produced by Gavin Polone. “I saw this as a movie virtually from the time the idea showed up whole cloth in my head,” Cameron says on the DreamWorks website.... Read more

Friday Food For Thought: quote from St. Francis of Assisi

October 28, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men.” – St. Francis of Assisi Click here to read more quotes about animals on the Heavenly Creatures blog. Read more

Blind dog and her faithful companion are a great pair of Great Danes looking for a great home

October 27, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

If you’re on Facebook, chances are you’ve seen the lovely photo making the rounds of two Great Danes, one blind and the other leading her by a leash. It’s a sweet photo but I did a little digging and found that the story is also bittersweet. Lily(5) and Maddison (6) are Great Danes who were brought to the Dog Trust Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England, in July because their owner couldn’t care for them. When Lily was 18 months old, doctors removed her eyes after she developed a condition called... Read more

"The Lost Dogs" author Jim Gorant to pen memoir of Wallace the pit bull

October 27, 2011 By Joanne Brokaw

When Sports Illustrated editor Jim Gorant set out to cover the story of Michael Vick and his dogfighting crimes, “I was not involved in any sort of rescue or animal welfare causes,” he told me by email. “I stumbled into the topic and was really guided by a simple desire to find the truth and tell it.” That desire for the truth led to the best selling book, The Lost Dogs, the story of the 51 pit bulls taken from Michael Vick’s dogfighting... Read more