Animal DNA has been used for years in crime scene investigation. For example, hairs located on a victim’s clothing might be a DNA match to a dog belonging to a suspect, aiding in an arrest and possible conviction.

Now, just in time for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, animal DNA is being used for the animals themselves—to help find and convict animal abusers.

Animal abusers were convicted in two separate cases last month, according to the City Room blog on the New York Times website. In one case, the DNA of a cat named Scruffy was harvested in 2008, when he was burned by teenagers in a Brooklyn apartment.

He was only treated when a superintendent for the building, who often fed Scruffy, found him injured. Although Scruffy didn’t survive, his DNA did. And thanks to that DNA sample, investigators were able to positively identify which apartment Scruffy was harmed in, and residents of the apartment building eventually confessed.

For animal lovers who care for their pets with quality food, care, and respect their fragile health with insurance for dogs and cats, the use of DNA to help convict animal abusers means two things. First and most important, that fewer animals may be harmed while, second, more abusers may be found and held accountable for their actions.

According to the City Room blog, there is even now a dog DNA database, which was started for dogs used in dog fighting. The animal loving community can thank science for a future that now looks brighter for pets.

No one likes to think about euthanizing animals—but one shelter in West Virginia makes a point of it.

According to the WOWK 13 news source, Kanawha Charleston Humane Society held a candlelight vigil last week to honor the thousands of animals that have been put to sleep.

Shelter volunteers strung 7,574 pet collars around the property to represent each pet that had been euthanized over the past year, the news provider reports.

“It is a terrible feeling because you know you could have helped them… those animals shouldn’t have to be killed because humans didn’t help them by getting them fixed or doing simple things for them,” shelter volunteer Autumn Lenn told the provider.

According to the source, 4 million animals are euthanized each year. In addition to overpopulation, some pets are put down due to expensive vet bills their owners can’t afford.

“Euthanasia of pets for other than humane reasons can be avoided,” explains Dr. Jack Stephens, founder of Pets Best Insurance. “This is why I started pet health insurance (in the US) nearly 30 years ago… as a veterinarian I hated euthanizing pets due to economics.”

In addition to helping cover vet bills due to accidents and illnesses, many pet insurance wellness plans offer spay/neuter coverage to help control pet populations. It’s a one-two punch against the leading factors contributing to euthanasia.

For more information about pet insurance, visit www.petsbest.com.

Susan Babbitt is doing everything she can to help homeless animals—but she can’t do it alone.

Babbitt, who founded the nonprofit organization Friends of the Collinsville Animal Shelter has seen a steady decline in donations since the economy has taken a downward spiral.

“People who’ve been able to give me several thousand (dollars) can give me $500 now,” she told Tulsa World.

Babbitt told the news provider that when people lose their homes and jobs, their pets often suffer repercussions.

“They can’t afford to take care of their dogs and cats,” she told the news source. “They are bringing them to us as a surrender. At a certain point, you only have a certain amount of money and you can only do so much.”

Babbitt told Tulsa World that even people who have had their animals for years have brought their pets to her.

“In some places, the dogs they are leaving are just beautiful, registered, pedigreed dogs that they cannot afford to take care of anymore, or they are having to go to an apartment where they aren’t allowed to have a dog,” she told the news provider.

Babbitt told the news source that her organization has saved more than 400 pets.

“It’s just unbelievably intense with pets right now. I’m just pedaling as fast as I can to bring in different money.”

Jamie Suarez, the president and founder of Oklahoma Alliance for Animals told the news provider that shelters and rescue groups are “inundated with animals right now because of the economic climate.”

“It’s everybody and they are starting to feel it,” Suarez told Tulsa World of the economy. “Probably a lot of groups are starting to get discouraged. I hope they don’t.”

According to Business Week, Americans spent around $41 billion a year on their pets in 2007. Now, most families who are feeling the effects of the economy are sometimes unable to even feed them.

“It’s real difficult for them right now,” Suarez told the news provider. “It’s the times. I hear it from everybody I talk to.”

Posted by Pets Best on 10/17/2008 in General Articles

Many animals have jobs; some serve a vital role for those in need, and others are just purely for our entertainment. However, most of us have never really considered that animals may have better jobs than we do. Many animals hold higher positions in society then we could ever hope to reach, and get paid quite well for the jobs they do. Here are ten of them.

10. Seeing Eye dogs have great jobs. They get to help people everyday. Not only that, but they have someone who depends on them for survival. They live every day knowing that they are needed, and have a sense of purpose. They also are well provided for and loved, and receive much more attention than their regular pet counterparts.

9. Oscar the Hospice cat and other therapy pets have fulfilling jobs as well. Oscar is a special kind of therapy cat who works for Hospice, a program for the terminally ill. Oscar has a knack for knowing when someone is near the end of their life, and will curl up with them until they pass on. Oscar is well taken care of in the Hospice house, and was given a plaque to commemorate his commitment to patients’ end of life care. Other therapy pets serve a similar role, and are surrounded everyday by patients vying for their love and affection. They are treated kindly, and serve an important roll in many hospitals and nursing homes worldwide.

8. Brody the Bear is a trained Kodiak bear who has been raised by his owner Jeff Watson since he was a cub weighing less than ten pounds. He has performed in many films, television shows, and commercials such as The Today Show, Energizer commercials, and Rice Krispie Treat commercials. He spends his non-working days playing with his owner and traveling the country to help educate the public about bears and outdoor safety. He has even spent the night at Muhammad Ali’s house while on the road!

7. Racehorses have better jobs than us as well. They get to perform doing something they love, and they live very cushy lives most of the time. They train hard, or play hard, depending on how you look at it. Horses naturally love to run, and having a job doing what you love is hard to come by. Winning racehorses are well provided for to ensure their continued health and performance. They receive the best grooming, food, healthcare, and more to keep them on the winning track.

6. The Budweiser Clydesdales have pretty cushy jobs too. There are six teams of Clydesdales working for Budweiser, five that travel the country ten months out of the year, and one that stays at the main headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. The Clydesdales that travel the country are put up in the best stables, and travel in trailers that have air cushion suspension and rubber flooring for comfort. The team housed at headquarters lives in the historic brick and stained glass stable, and all teams enjoy the crowds of people that gather to greet them.

5. Twiggy the water skiing squirrel has starred in many movies including recent films like Dodgeball, Anchorman, and Down to Earth. He originally started his career as a water skiing squirrel act in 1979. Once discovered, nothing could stop him from becoming a superstar! Twiggy and his owner are paid handsomely for his roles in movies, and you can rest assured that Twiggy is living the squirrel high life.

4. There are 22 Orcas that perform at the three Sea World parks across the United States, and they love their jobs. They perform tricks for thousands of people everyday, and get rewarded for everything they do. They are fed the most nutritious food, and shown plenty of love and attention by their trainers and the people who look after them. They are much better cared for than their wild cousins, and are far more famous!

3. Gidget, a Chihuahua born in 1995, made herself and her owner a large amount of money. She will die a legend, forever remembered as the Taco Bell dog. Gidget played the famous dog in the Taco Bell commercials from 1997 until 2000, when she was replaced by a new ad campaign. She now enjoys early retirement, and lounging around in doggy nirvana as her owners cater to her every need.

2. Levi, the monkey from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, is one of the most recent animals to land a job as a superstar. Levi, an eight-year-old Capuchin, played the undead monkey in each of the three Pirates movies. He has truly achieved star status with loads of fan mail and his own fan club. He has earned a place in our hearts, and is well-provided for by his owners.

1. The animal with the best job that is most assuredly better than ours, is good old Punxsutawney Phil. How great would it be if you worked only one day out of the year, and had the entire day dedicated you and what you do? Every year, people gather to celebrate this Groundhog Day by watching Phil do his job on Gobbler’s Knob. The remainder of the year, he lives in the town library, and even has a wife named Phyllis. The two groundhogs are taken care of by a group called the Punxsutawney Club. Phil even has an “inner circle” that is in charge of planning the annual Groundhog Day ceremony.

The list doesn’t end there; many more animals are far more famous than us, or hold jobs that offer more fulfillment and respect that ours do. Don’t you wish you had it as good?

Posted by Angela Klein on 5/12/2008 in Articles from Newsletters

Since 1948, the Morris Animal Foundation has been answering a critical and unique need in promoting animal health and welfare and advancing veterinary medicine. As the largest non-profit organization dedicated to funding research studies to protect, treat and cure animals, including companion animals, nearly 1,400 studies have been conducted to that end.

Last year, the Morris Animal Foundation launched its Cure Canine Cancer campaign to raise funds to help find a cure for cancer in dogs within the next 10 – 20 years.

As part of this effort, Pets Best has pledged a million dollars to their campaign, knowing that millions of dogs each year die of cancer.

“Half the population of dogs and cats aged 10 and over will die of cancer,” said Alice Villalobos, a noted veterinarian and author. “The bonds that clients have developed with their older pets are especially strong and drive the increasing demand for more proficient and highly compassionate medical treatment of companion animals diagnosed with cancer.”

Learn more about The Morris Animal Foundation and their fight to save dogs and their owners from the devastating effects of cancer at www.curecaninecancer.org or learn about all of the MAF initiatives at www.morrisanimalfoundation.org.