Update On Stanley, Just One Dog

Remember that gut-wrenching video, Just One Dog, about the dejected white pitbull with mange and eye infections in California shelter?  (The video was made by Cathy at CampCocker.) Well, a bunch of good things have been happening to Stanley since then and he’s doing so much better!  He’s now being fostered in a home by the Respect-A-Bull rescue group in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  His skin and eyes are improving, he has more energy, he’s playing, sleeping in a snuggly bed, and giving out lots of kisses.

Here’s the post about his arrival in Canada. Respect-A-Bull has a blog with information on their other dogs and updates on Stanley.  Stanley also has a Facebook page with updates. And check out the video below from a news story.  What a sweet boy!

Stanley’s story is great, but here’s the thing I think we have to remember—Stanley isn’t special, at all.  He really is just one dog out of thousands and thousands of dogs. I think we tell ourselves the fiction that Stanley is special so we won’t feel so bad about the millions of dogs destroyed every year in the US alone.  The majority of the dogs destroyed in shelters are no different than Stanley.  They just never got a chance.  Tons of people have offered to adopt Stanley.  I hope so much that they will instead adopt just one other dog.

Please support your local rescue groups.  If you want to help out Respect-A-Bull, you can donate on their site or purchase a Stanley shirt.

Oh Please: Tattooed Cats

“Oh please!” doesn’t really cover what I’m thinking about this.  Apparently, some people in Russia are getting their cats tattooed which requires general anesthetic.  At least it’s not common.  The woman who had this cat tattooed says she did it because “we live in interesting times and it’s an interesting tattoo for these times.”  Hunh?  Not surprisingly, animal welfare groups are very concerned.

Reminds me of the woman in the U.S. who pierced black kittens multiple times and tried to sell them as “gothic” kittens on eBay.

There are more pics of the cat above and video.

Neko Chigura–Cat beds From Rice Straw

I like a lot of the Japanese aesthetic and I’m really liking these cat beds called neko chigura. (via moderncat)  Too bad neko chigura are not available in the US.  They’re one of the traditional crafts from Niigata Prefecture.

There are more refined woven cat beds like this one at Design Within Reach, which is available in the US, and this bed at Ikea. I prefer the chunky neko chigura though.  Besides the look, I like that they’re made from a renewable resource.  I wonder how they hold up to scratching—my cats would love it for that.

Check out the video to see how they’re made.