Followers will have to forgive me for taking so long to see this film.
In my defense, I have tried to view it since the film came out in 2010. I made contact with the filmmakers at the time and there we no screenings in New Zealand that had been planned. Our local independent cinema chain never responded to my enquiries (by phone and email) to show the film and then we had our big earthquakes of 2011 which not only destroyed our arthouse cinemas, but also took my attention away for a considerable time.
I have finally managed to watch the DVD while visiting relatives who rented it on Netflix. I’m so glad we did. It was everything I hoped it would be.
This award-winning documentary follows the story of pet owners who were separated from their animals during the haphazard and uncoordinated evacuation of New Orleans in 2005 before Hurricane Katrina hit with full force. The animal rescue efforts were undertaken by many volunteers, but without infrastructure for central coordination.
This film tells the stories of Bandit, JJ, Precious, Max and other dogs and their owners and their fight to be re-united.
Be prepared with tissues – some of the footage and stories are heart-breaking; others joyous.
Hurricane Katrina taught us a lot about animal disaster planning and I hope we never face a catastrophe on this scale again. My friends at Best Friends Animal Society continue to care for some Katrina survivors today. Their numbers are, of course, dwindling with time.
If you have a Hurricane Katrina story to share, please reply to this blog post.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in animal welfare, Dogs
Tagged animal rescue, Best Friends Animal Society, Hurricane Katrina, Mine: The Movie, Netflix
There are 15 finalists for this year’s Bark for your Park contest, sponsored by PetSafe.
PetSafe evaluated the availability of land, civic leader support, population size, and the total number of votes in the first round of the contest to come up with the finalists.
The contest supports dog parks because they provide a venue and opportunity for dogs to get vital exercise and socialization they need, which are two major factors in reducing behavior issues. People tend to meet other dog owners, trainers and pet professionals at dog parks and are able to exchange information and resources that can further encourage responsible dog ownership.
You have until July 31 to vote. Popular vote will determine the winner, who will receive $100,000. Additionally, the runner-up city in each small, medium and large category will win $25,000. The Bark from Your Heart award winner, which will be the city with the highest vote to opportunity to vote, will win $25,000.
Winners will be announced on August 7.
The finalists are:
Posted in dog care, dog ownership, Dogs
Tagged Bark for your Park, behaviour, canine behavior, canine behaviour, PetSafe, vote
I’m not really a “gym” person, but if I could work out at home without interruption, I would love to do so. My sister has been doing her workouts at home, and her dedication and hard work are really starting to show. My fear is that my workouts would end up looking something like the ones featured in this week’s video selection.
You’ve got to admire a woman who can maintain some semblance of zen while a dog is licking her face incessantly or crawling under her and putting his butt up in her face, wagging tail and all.
I might not have the same issues with my dogs as she has with Otis, but I have no doubt that there would be something dropped in front of me, over and over again.
Jasper really does think I was put on this earth to throw his ball for him.
I…
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Great story from The Boston Globe which shows dogs are medicine for the soul. In this article (linked below), read about Mike Hurley and his therapy dog, Dexter. This pair worked behind the scenes with Boston bombing victims and their families and continue to spread cheer amongst patients at the Center.
Photo by Suzanne Kreiter, Boston Globe
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged assistance dogs, Boston, Boston Globe, Boston Medical Center, Mike Hurley, Suzanne Kreiter, The Boston Globe, therapy dogs
I’ve just finished reading Dog On It by Spencer Quinn and happily recommend it for all my followers.
This book was a New York Times bestseller and is the first in the “Chet and Bernie” series of mysteries. The narrator of the story is Chet, canine partner of Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency.
Chet rides shotgun in Bernie’s old, but loved, Porsche. He is an intelligent dog, with interesting observations about human traits and habits. He’s also got a sense of humor.
In this story, Bernie is hired to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. Along the way, Chet is kidnapped and narrowly escapes death; he’s critical to solving the case.
This book was both an entertaining and relaxing read. Highly recommended.
I’ve just purchased Thereby Hangs a Tail, the next in the Chet and Bernie series. Can’t wait…
Posted in dog books
Tagged Bernie Little, Chet, Dog On It, Little Detective Agency, new york times bestseller, Spencer Quinn
I was warming up to Pope Francis and his papacy until last week. Vatican Radio reported that fifteen couples, with between 25 and 60 years’ experience in marriage, were in attendance to hear the Pope decree that part of their duties were to abide by fruitfulness – that is to have children. He said:
“These marriages, in which the spouses do not want children, in which the spouses want to remain without fertility. This culture of well-being from ten years ago convinced us: ‘It’s better not to have children! It’s better! You can go explore the world, go on holiday, you can have a villa in the countryside, you can be care-free…it might be better – more comfortable – to have a dog, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the dog. Is this true or is this not? Have you seen it? Then, in the end this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness. It is not fruitful, it does not do what Jesus does with his Church: He makes His Church fruitful.”
Pope Francis seemed to be warming to the role of dogs in our lives with the blessing last year of a guide dog owned by a visually-impaired radio journalist…
Photo by: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
…and he welcomed the dog of a homeless man into his birthday celebrations.
But this latest directive is a step backwards. I think in a world that is overpopulated by humans, this attitude is misguided. There are many people (some with, and some without, children) who devote their lives to the care of God’s creatures. We should not pass judgment on their life choices.
ABC News is reporting that a North Dakota company, Avianax, has treated about 50 puppies in seven states resulting in a 90 percent cure rate for canine parvovirus. Parvo spreads through animal waste and direct contact between dogs and is a major problem in animal shelters. Read and listen to more below:
Trial Results Promising for Curing Puppies’ Parvo – ABC News.
Posted in dog care
Tagged ABC News, animal shelters, Avianax, canine parvovirus, North Dakota, parvo, parvovirus, youtube video
A heartwarming story of police who helped rescue a dog trapped under a car. It’s not only children who get run over by their own family!
Photo courtesy of Massachusetts State Police
Posted in Dogs
Tagged Golden Retriever, heartwarming story, Holland, Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Police, run over
While countless pet owners peacefully sleep with a warm pet nearby, a new Mayo Clinic study, presented this week at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, finds an increase in the number of people experiencing sleep disturbances because of their pets.
A previous Mayo Clinic study published in 2002 reported that of patients who visited the clinic’s sleep center and owned pets, only one percent reported any inconvenience from their pets at night. The new study shows a larger number of patients — 10 percent in 2013 — reported annoyance that their pets sometimes disturbed their sleep.
“The study determined that while the majority of patients did not view their pets intolerably disturbing their sleep, a higher percentage of patients experienced irritation — this may be related to the larger number of households with multiple pets,” says Lois Krahn, M.D., Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and author of the study. “When people have these kinds of sleep problems, sleep specialists should ask about companion animals and help patients think about ways to optimize their sleep.”
Between August and December 2013, 110 consecutive patients at the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Arizona provided information about pets at night as part of a comprehensive sleep questionnaire. Questions covered the type and number of pets, where the animals slept, any notable behaviors and whether the patient was disturbed. The survey showed that 46 percent of the patients had pets and 42 percent of those had more than one pet. The most popular pets were dogs, cats and birds.
The disturbances by pets that patients reported included snoring, whimpering, wandering, the need to “go outside” and medical needs.
Source: Newswise press release
