RECOGNIZING ANIMAL CRUELTY

Excerpt from ASPCA

Recognizing Animal Cruelty
What constitutes animal cruelty?

Animal cruelty occurs when someone intentionally injures or harms an animal or when a person willfully deprives an animal of food, water or necessary medical care. Here are some signs that may indicate abuse or neglect:
•    Tick or flea infestations
•    Wounds on the body
•    Patches of missing hair
•    Extremely thin, starving animal
•    Limping
•    An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal
•    Dogs who are repeatedly left alone without food and water, and often chained in a yard
•    Dogs who have been hit by cars—or are showing any of the signs listed here—and have not been taken to a veterinarian
•    Dogs who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions
•    Animals who cower in fear or act aggressively when approached by their owners

Signs That an Animal Might Be Abused
Recognizing cruelty is simple, right? Not quite, say ASPCA experts. Obvious behaviors such as aggression, timidity and fear don’t always tell the whole story. Animals may appear to be timid or frightened for many reasons other than abuse.

“It’s almost impossible to make conclusions based on a pet’s behavior alone,” says the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center’s Kristen Collins, CPDT. “The best way to tell whether a pet is being or has been abused is to examine him and his surrounding environment.”

Check out our list of signs that may alert you an animal needs help:

Physical Signs
•    Collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet’s neck
•    Open wounds, signs of multiple healed wounds or an ongoing injury or illness that isn’t being treated
•    Untreated skin conditions that have caused loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps or rashes
•    Extreme thinness or emaciation—bones may be visible
•    Fur infested with fleas, ticks or other parasites
•    Patches of bumpy, scaly skin rashes
•    Signs of inadequate grooming, such as extreme matting of fur, overgrown nails and dirty coat
•    Weakness, limping or the inability to stand or walk normally
•    Heavy discharge from eyes or nose
•    An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal
•    Visible signs of confusion or extreme drowsiness

Environmental Signs
•    Pets are tied up alone outside for long periods of time without adequate food or water, or with food or water that is unsanitary
•    Pets are kept outside in inclement weather without access to adequate shelter
•    Pets are kept in an area littered with feces, garbage, broken glass or other objects that could harm them
•    Animals are housed in kennels or cages (very often crowded in with other animals) that are too small to allow them to stand, turn around and make normal movements possibly with too many other animals
“Reporting suspected animal cruelty ensures that animals in jeopardy receive prompt and often lifesaving care,” says ASPCA Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas. “By making a complaint to the police or humane society in your area—you can even do so anonymously—you help ensure that animals in need are rescued and that perpetrators of animal cruelty are brought to justice.”

While this information is provided by the ASPCA, the same criteria of recognizing animal abuse applies everwhere basically.  Common sense and moral decency apply EVERYWHERE across the Globe.

It is vitally  important that when one sees instances as noted above that immediate action be taken in order to help the animal in crisis.  To not do so, is to condone the abuse and allow the neglect and suffering to continue.

For information on your local and provincial Animal Cruelty Legislations the internet is a very useful tool.  Provincial Animal Protection Acts are available at:  Animal Legal Defense Fund,: legislation@aldg.org ,you can download these acts for reference.  Towns and cities across the country will also have their By-Laws online for reference.  Contact your local Humane Society for information as well.

Please, keep your eyes open and report all animals in need so that they may be given the help they so desperately need.

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HOPE FOR THE NORTH

UPDATE

Recently received communiques from the NWT Legislative Officials are encouraging.

The continued negative spotlight which has been placed upon the Northwest Territories since July 2008 has resulted in a much needed proactive response by certain Members of the Legislature from various Northern communities.  The support that these particular MLA’s have given has resulted in a response from both the Minister of Justice: Hon. Jackson Lafferty, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs: Hon. Robert C. McLeod, and the NWT Premier: Hon. Floyd K. Roland.

Excerpt from letters I have received from their offices:

Hon. F.K. Roland and Hon. Jackson Lafferty: ” I am pleased to report that our work has already begun.  The Department of Justice is partnering with other departments on a work plan that aims to introduce animal protection legislation during the life of the 16th Legislative Assembly.”                           This means by Fall it is hoped.

Per the communique of Hon. Robert C. McLeod which I received as well, I am of the understanding that “the Department of Justice will be the lead department for examining the broader issues of animal welfare”.

The following list are  copies of the  Animal Protection Acts I sent by registered mail to the Legislature in the hope that they will be used as a Template for the NWT Act.  Those acts were:  British Columbia, Ontario’s newest Act, Alberta, Manitoba and the Yukon.  A copy of the Animal Cruelty Act as contained within the Federal Criminal Code of Canada was also passed to them.

A further recommendation made by this writer to the Legislature is to see qualified Animal Cruelty Investigators established with the legal authority to seize any and all animals in crisis, and who will also have the legal authority to press criminal charges against all offenders.  The legal authority of these Animal Cruelty Investigators needs to supercede that of current By-Law Officers and work in conjunction with the RCMP under the Federal Criminal Code of Canada.  It must not be left to the opinion of untrained personnel to determine whether or not an animal is in crisis, as was the case with the starving dogs in Tuktoyutuk that were not seized, and whereby RCMP failed to press charges.  The current status of the three starving survivors remains unknown for sure.

It will also be recommended that current By-Law Officers and RCMP obtain the certification/training in Animal Cruelty Investigations.

As the founder of action to obtain an Animal Protection Act in the NWT, I myself am taking the applicable courses necessary to become just such an Animal Cruelty Investigator.  If I can do this on my own time, at my own expense, there is no plausible reason why those already employed in the various municipalities as By-Law Officers and with the RCMP, that they cannot do so themselves.

While the news is seemingly good, a watchful eye must be kept on the progress of the Legislature on this very important issue.  A watchful eye will be kept.

THANK YOU to all of you ACROSS CANADA AND INTERNATIONALLY WHO have supported the call needed for these animals.  THANK YOU to those groups such as the Animal Defense League of Canada, Animal Alliance of Canada, PETA, Cause 4Paws and so many others who have supported my efforts.  Voices are now being heard, voices will continue to be heard as long as they are loud and clear.

A very Special Thank You goes out to the three MLA’s who chose to support this appeal for Animal Protection in the NWT:  Hon. Paul Delorey, Hay River;  Hon. Bob Bromley and the Hon. David Ramsay.  Without their interest and continued support this issue would not have gained the attention of the Ministers and the subsequent action now being taken.

Read Full Post »

ALERT: Save Iditarod dogs from brutality – WRITE

You can Help  in obtaining Justice for the dogs who have already died this year in this horrific event.  You can help put an end to the Iditarod  and prevent future deaths of these victims by making your own voices heard LOUD and CLEAR.  Some sponsors have already stopped supporting this event.  Please take the time to write or email the contacts listed below.

Thank you.  Zephr

ALERT: Save Iditarod dogs from brutality – WRITE

Alert received from Cause4Paws

Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:24 am (PST)

Please send protest emails and forward this alert widely.

From the Sled Dog Action Coalition, http://www.helpsleddogs.org

Imagine the cruelties these cute sled dog pups will eventually experience in the Iditarod.

Contact information, email blocks and sample letter are below.

Please help end the barbaric treatment of dogs by sending protest emails to
organizations that support the Iditarod. What happens to the dogs during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, frostbite (where it hurts the most!),
bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons and sprains.

Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses reported that musher Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a skipole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing Manual, “A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all but is effective.” “It is a common training device in use among dog mushers…”

Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and routinely kill unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are
permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason are killed with a shot to the head, dragged, drowned or clubbed to death.

When they’re not hauling people, most Iditarod dogs are forced to live at the end of a chain. It has been reported that dogs who don’t make the main team
are never taken off-chain. Chained dogs have been attacked by wolves, bears and other animals. Old and arthritic dogs suffer terrible pain in the blistering cold.

Most Internet service providers allow people to send up to 40 email addresses at a time. For your convenience, the addresses have been divided into groups of 40. Please email the first group first. Individual email addresses are given under the sample letter. The groups contain addresses for the Iditarod sponsors, promoters, and the sponsors of the 73 mushers who signed up for the 2009 Iditarod. Email blocks with semicolons are on
http://www.helpsleddogsorg/sponsors.htm .

GROUP ONE EMAIL ADDRESSES:

chuck.grothaus@medtronic.com, marianne.amssoms@inbev.com,
investor@discoveryholdingcompany.com, John_Ford@discovery.com, investorrelations@columbia.com,
investor.relations@medtronic.com, executive-editor@nytimes.com,
rick.ludwin@nbcuni.com, info@dlife.com, corporate_communications@hmco.com,
investorrelations@target.com, aly.noormohamed@dpsg.com,rick.blake@harcourt.com,
rosepr@rosemail.org, aarpmagazine@aarp.org, Anne.sweeney@disney.com, rick.ludwin@nbcuni.com
, lee.davies@spcorp.com, wayne.hearn@rotary.org,
betsy.o’rourke@wyndhamworldwide.com, info@renegadepictures.co.uk,mark.kroeger@scrippsnetworks.com,
Christopher.Gay@cabelas.com, charlene.jagannath@millenniumhotels.co.uk,
karen_dmochowsky@timeinc.com,  tedronneburger@680thefan.com,PDoyle@adn.com,
roy.a.betts@usps.gov, Shareholders.IM@pg.com, corporate.communications@blockbuster.com,
mary.dillon@us.mcd.com, yum.investor@yum.com, mike.morgan@harley-davidson.com,
toyota_cares@toyota.com, sarah.palin@alaska.gov, Virginia.Q.Sanchez@shell.com,
tmattia@na.ko.com, Catherine.Gacad@wellsfargo.com, gchico@chiconunes.com,
davido@prairiehome.us, brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org,film@sxsw.com,
liz.decastro@iridium.com, Craig_Felenstein@discovery.com

GROUP TWO EMAIL ADDRESSES:

rabello@hollandamerica.com, jbenson@princesscruises.com,
investor_relations@scholastic.com, biorigin@biorigin.com.br,kroger.investors@kroger.com,
media@cerberuscapital.com, Spring.Jeffrey@aaa-calif.com,
editor@independenttraveler.com, newsroom@alaskaair.com, bigshow@plj.com, comments@komo1000news.com,
angie@wnwv.com, curt.hansen@cumulus.com, jpenchoff@csg.org,info@floridamedia.org,
info@havemilk.com, pubaffmr@chevrontexaco.com,
enterprise.comments@exxonmobil.com, investor.relations@horizonlines.com, investor_relations@netapp.com,
rwhatley@jbpco.com, info@sportees.com, abbietaylor@theblackdog.com,
gene@motosolutions.com, information@lynden.com, info@havemilk.com,ablank@gpworldwide.com,
info@laderma.com.au, Ethel.Minchello@MSDK12.net, info@eLongo.com,
customerservice@jetboil.com, info@talusoutdoortech.com,portgamble@orminc.com,
lat62@alaska.net, boardofdirectors@horizonlines.com, info@lake-rescue.org,
info@canada-goose.com, nschnell@ista-in.org, jane@foundryartcentre.org

GROUP THREE EMAIL ADDRESSES:

reservations@akalpinelodgecom, info@vertikal.net, post@vomoghundemat.no,
mahays@mtaonline.net, kneern@pobox.alaska.net, raft@talkeetnariverguides.com,
customerservice@deeppurple.com, morsecin@ssd.k12.pa.us, morsecin@ssd.k12.pa.us,
mfrank@the-aps.org, cherylm@lilacblind.org, MBenedetti@greatbatch.com,
pmaddock@camrudlaw.com, principal.perryes@pac.dodea.edu,jacksonj@mail.leon.k12.fl.us,
ktrail@sfsd.k12.pa.us, lmilitello@williamsvillek12.org,
michele_svihovec@bismarckschools.org, streadaw@cabarrus.k12.nc.us,
sonja.braziel@browardschools.com, mmaddox2@bcps.org,jquick@clearfield.org,
LHall@henhudschools.org, info@crosbysmiles.com, info@janssenfuneralhomes.com,
info@trapperscreek.com, office@toughdivorces.com, alaskarv@mtaonline.net,
info@talkeetnalodge.com, alaskarv@mtaonline.net,
awp@co.hamilton.in.us, media@aecf.org, davidnee@wcgmf.org,
wginsberg@cfgnh.org, natas@asi-seattle.net, wendy@diamondbrand.com,webmaster@ionearth.com,
wellingj@mishawaka.k12.in.us, csandstedt@stchlibrary.org

GROUP FOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES:

info@teckcominco.com, info@inlettower.com, rodney.bolls@bglobal.us,
info@ndindustries.com, bbroquet@gci.com, websales@antonbauer.com,wccinfo@wcclp.com,
help@mtaonline.net,  AskMLP@muni.org, investor_relations@netapp.com,
msteele@eaglepack.com, info@frontierflying.com,  fhees@alaskanbeer.com,info@penair.com,
Mayor@ci.anchorage.ak.us, ircontact@simon.com, info@thecrossingrestaurant.net,
info@midnightsunbrewing.com, info@canada-goose.com, mathew@
mountainadventuretours.org, info@EpicenterPress.com, info@greatriverjourney.com,
info@trabitsgroup.com, ruediger.henke@queo-media.com, ahelion@wcasd.net,
lodging@mtaonline.net,
khabermann@mammut.ch, sales@handwarmers.com, info@coastalhelicopters.com,
para@alaska.net, jay@dswf.org, info@azumano.com, manager@ci.nome.ak.us,
info@penair.com, mayor@ci.wasilla.ak.us, resumes@crowley.com,Lbeck@udelhoven.com,
sean.karin@alaska.net, rtraini@akteamsters.com

SAMPLE LETTER (Please personalize the letter.):

Dear Iditarod Supporter:

Please end your organization’s support of the Iditarod dog sled race. For the dogs, this event is a bottomless pit of suffering. What happens to the dogs
during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, frostbite (where it hurts the
most!), bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons and sprains. At least 136 dogs have died in the race. No one knows how many dogs die after this tortuous ordeal or during training. For more facts about the Iditarod, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website,
http://www.helpsleddogs.org .

On average, 53 percent of the dogs who start the race do not make it across
the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, of those who do finish, 81 percent
have lung damage. A report published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal
Medicine said that 61 percent of the dogs who complete the Iditarod have ulcers versus zero percent pre-race.

Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and routinely kill unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are
permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason,
including those who have outlived their usefulness, are killed with a shot to the head, dragged, drowned or clubbed to death. “Dogs are clubbed with baseball bats and if they don’t pull are dragged to death in harnesses…..” wrote former Iditarod dog handler Mike Cranford in an article for Alaska’s Bush Blade Newspaper.

Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses reported that musher Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a ski pole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing Manual, “Nagging a dog team is cruel and ineffective…A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all but is effective.” “It is a common training device in use among dog mushers…”

Jon Saraceno wrote in his March 3, 2000 column in USA Today, “He [Colonel Tom Classen] confirmed dog beatings and far worse. Like starving dogs to maintain their most advantageous racing weight. Skinning them to make mittens. Or dragging them to their death.”

During the race, veterinarians do not give the dogs physical exams at every
checkpoint. Mushers speed through many checkpoints, so the dogs get the
briefest visual checks, if that. Instead of pulling sick dogs from the race,
veterinarians frequently give them massive doses of antibiotics to keep them running.

Most Iditarod dogs are forced to live at the end of a chain when they aren’t
hauling people around. It has been reported that dogs who don’t make the main team are never taken off-chain. Chained dogs have been attacked by wolves, bears and other animals. Old and arthritic dogs suffer terrible pain in the blistering cold.

Please end your organization’s association with this horrific race.

Sincerely,
………………………………………………………………………………….

Iditarod sponsors

K & L Distributors, Inc. (AB-Inbev distributor)
Email: marianne.amssoms@inbev.com, fabio.spina@inbev.com

Cabelas
Email: Christopher.Gay@cabelas.com

Chrysler (Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.)
Email: media@cerberuscapital.com

Coca-Cola
Email: tmattia@na.ko.com

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels
Email: charlene.jagannath@millenniumhotels.co.uk,
david.curtis-brignell@mill-cop.com

Wells Fargo & Company
Email: Catherine.Gacad@wellsfargo.com

Kroger Company (Fred Meyer Stores)
Email: kroger.investors@kroger.com

Spenard Builders
Email: ewaite@sbsalaska.com

Chevron Corportation
Email: pubaffmr@chevrontexaco.com

Exxon Mobil Corporation
Email: enterprise.comments@exxonmobil.com

Anchorage Daily News (Mc Clatchy Company)
Email: PDoyle@adn.com

Providence Health System
Email: employment@providence.org

Alaska Airlines (Alaska Air Group)
Email: newsroom@alaskaair.com

Peninsula Airways, Inc. (Pen Air)
Email: info@penair.com

Alaska Brewing Company
Email: fhees@alaskanbeer.com

The City of Anchorage
Email: Mayor@ci.anchorage.ak.us

The City of Nome
Email: manager@ci.nome.ak.us

5th Avenue Mall (Simon Property Group)
Email: ircontact@simon.com

Horizon Lines
Email: investor.relations@horizonlines.com

City of Wasilla
Email: mayor@ci.wasilla.ak.us

Network Appliance, Inc.
Email: investor_relations@netapp.com

General Communication, Inc. (GCI)
Email: rcs@gci.com, bcs@gci.com

Crowley Maritime Corporation
Email: resumes@crowley.com

Anton/Bauer, Inc.
Email: websales@antonbauer.com

Anchorage Municipal Light and Power
Email: AskMLP@muni.org

Alcan Signs
Email:alcansigns@alaska.net

World Communication Center
Email: wccinfo@wcclp.com

Alaska Serigraphics
Email: dpowers@akserigraphics.com

Electrochem Commercial Power (Greatbatch, Ltd.)
Email: MBenedetti@greatbatch.com

IonEarth
Email: webmaster@ionearth.com

Iridium
Email: liz.decastro@iridium.com

Iditarod Promoters

Target Corporation Target Corporation
E-mail: investorrelations@target.com

Harcourt School Publishers
Email: hbspcs@harcourt.com, rick.blake@harcourt.com

Carnival Corporation
Email: rabello@hollandamerica.com, jbenson@princesscruises.com

Houghton Mifflin Company
Email: investor_relations@hmco.com

Discovery Network (Discovery Communications, LLC; Discovery Holding Company)
Email: investor@discoveryholdingcompany.com, John_Ford@discovery.com

Scholastic Corporation
Email: investor_relations@scholastic.com

Renegade Pictures
Email: info@renegadepictures.co.uk

The New York Times
Email: executive-editor@nytimes.com

Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC-TV)
Email: rick.ludwin@nbcuni.com

Zoasis Corporation
Email: info@zoasis.com

Diamond Brand Outdoors
Email: wendy@diamondbrand.com

Sports Illustrated
Email: karen_dmochowsky@timeinc.com
Email: robert_broderick@timeinc.com

Carolina Day School
Email: bsgro@cdschool.org

Lilac Services for the Blind
Email: cherylm@lilacblind.org

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Northwest Chapter
Email: natas@asi-seattle.net

The Council of State Governments
Email: jpenchoff@csg.org, dsprague@csg.org

Florida Association for Media in Education
Email: info@floridamedia.org, buckysmom@tampabay.rr.com

AAA of California
Email: Spring.Jeffrey@aaa-calif.com

United States Postal Service
Email: roy.a.betts@usps.gov

American Physiological Society
Email: mfrank@the-aps.org

The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Email: media@aecf.org

William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
Email: davidnee@wcgmf.org

Foundation for Greater New Haven
Email: wginsberg@cfgnh.org

Home & Garden Television (Scripps Networks)
Email: onair-ad@hgtv.com, mark.kroeger@scrippsnetworks.com

Scott & Todd in the Morning WPLJ – NYC
Email: bigshow@plj.com

World News with Charles Gibson (ABC-TV)
Email: Anne.sweeney@disney.com

IndependentTraveler.com
Email: editor@independenttraveler.com

dLife TV Network
Email: info@dlife.com

AARP The Magazine
Email: aarpmagazine@aarp.org

Hamilton County Parks
Email: awp@co.hamilton.in.us

Tournament of Roses
Email: rosepr@rosemail.org

MC Perry Elementary
Email: principal.perryes@pac.dodea.edu

Fort Braden School
Email: jacksonj@mail.leon.k12.fl.us

Southern Fulton Elementary
Email: ktrail@sfsd.k12.pa.us, rscott@sfsd.k12.pa.us

Country Parkway Elementary School
Email: lmilitello@williamsvillek12.org

Prairie Rose Elementary School
Email: michele_svihovec@bismarckschools.org

Mount Pleasant Middle School
Email: streadaw@cabarrus.k12.nc.us

Pompano Beach Middle School
Email: sonja.braziel@browardschools.com

Johnnycake Elementary School
Email:mmaddox2@bcps.org

Clearfield Elementary School
Email: jquick@clearfield.org

Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School
Email: LHall@henhudschools.org

KOMO-AM Seattle
Email: comments@komo1000news.com

WALR-AM Atlanta
Email: tedronneburger@680thefan.com

WNWV-FM
Email: angie@wnwv.com

WICC-AM
Email: curt.hansen@cumulus.com

Advocate Magazine (Indiana State Teacher’s Association)
Email: nschnell@ista-in.org

Fred J. Hums Elementary School
Email: wellingj@mishawaka.k12.in.us

Chicago Park District
Email: gchico@chiconunes.com

Foundry Art Centre
Email: jane@foundryartcentre.org

St. Charles Library District
Email: csandstedt@stchlibrary.org

Garrison Keillor
Email: davido@prairiehome.us
Email: brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org

South by Southwest Film Festival 2009
Email: film@sxsw.com

Musher sponsors

Intervet (Schering-Plough)
Email: lee.davies@spcorp.com, sabine.schueller@spcorp.com

Hawthorne Suites (Wyndham Hotel Group)
Email: betsy.o’rourke@wyndhamworldwide.com

Columbia Sportswear Company
Email: investorrelations@columbia.com, rparham@columbia.com

Alaska Army National Guard
Email: sarah.palin@alaska.gov

Rotary International
Email: wayne.hearn@rotary.org

Medtronic
Email: investor.relations@medtronic.com, leaddirector@medtronic.com

Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Email: mike.morgan@harley-davidson.com

Toyota Motor Corporation
Email: toyota_cares@toyota.com

Leer, Inc. (J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc.)
Email: rwhatley@jbpco.com

Coastal Helicopters, Inc.
Email: info@coastalhelicopters.com

7-up (Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.)
Email: aly.noormohamed@dpsg.com

Jiffy Lube International, Inc. (Shell Oil Company)
Email: Virginia.Q.Sanchez@shell.com, Mark.Quartermain@shell.com

Eukanuba/Iams (Procter & Gamble Company)
Email: Shareholders.IM@pg.com

Blockbuster Video
Email: corporatecommunications@blockbuster.com

McDonalds Restaurants (McDonald Corporation)
Email: mary.dillon@us.mcd.com, walt.riker@us.mcd.com

Taco Bell (Yum! Brands, Inc.)
Email: yum.investor@yum.com

Batteries Plus
Email: customersupport@batteriesplus.com

Oomingmak
Email: qiviut@gci.net

Kaladi Brothers Coffee Company
Email: sales@kaladi.com

Tracks of Alaska Photography
Email: traxak@clearwire.net

Inlet Tower Hotel & Suites
Email: info@inlettower.com

Alaska Icefield Expeditions
Email: info@akdogtour.com

Colorado Altitude Training
Email: ryoung@altitudetraining.com

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Email: jbilitz@jjkeller.com

bGlobal, Inc.
Email: rodney.bolls@bglobal.us

ND Industries
Email: info@ndindustries.com

Western Products
Email: info@westernplows.com

Macgellan.com
Email: Macgellan@mac.com

Eagle Pack
Email: msteele@eaglepack.com

Sportees Activewear
Email: info@sportees.com

The Black Dog Tavern Co.
Email: abbietaylor@theblackdog.com

FogTech (Motosolutions)
Email: gene@motosolutions.com

Redpaw Feed
Email: contact@redpawfeed.com

Kamik
Email: info@kamik.com

Bynje
Email: post@brynje.no

Vi sees
Email: anni@visees.no

Macrogard (Immunocorp)
Email: biorigin@biorigin.com.br

Teck Cominco
Email: info@teckcominco.com

GoNorth Alaska Travel Center
Email: para@alaska.net

Diabetes Sports and Wellness Foundation
Email: jay@dswf.org

Lynden Incorporated
Email: information@lynden.com

General Physics Corp. (GP General Strategies Corp.)
Email: ablank@gpworldwide.com

Dairy Farmers of Washington
Email: info@havemilk.com

DeepPurple.com
mail: customerservice@deeppurple.com

Camrud, Maddock, Olson & Larson, Ltd.
Email: pmaddock@camrudlaw.com, jllarson@camrudlaw.com

National Lake Rescue Institute
Email: info@lake-rescue.org

Azumano Travel
Email: info@azumano.com

Sabold Elementary School
Email: morsecin@ssd.k12.pa.us

Flexitol (Laderma)
Email: info@laderma.com.au, usainfo@flexitol.com

LCITW.com
Email: info@lcitw.com

Frelinghuysen Middle School
Email: Ethel.Minchello@MSDK12.net

Longo Electrical & Mechanical
Email: info@eLongo.com

JetBoil, Inc.
Email: customerservice@jetboil.com

Cold Avenger (Talus Outdoor Technologies)
Email: info@talusoutdoortech.com

Port Gamble
Email: portgamble@orminc.com

Albert & Slater, P.S.
Email: office@toughdivorcescom

Epicenter Press
Email: info@EpicenterPress.com

Trabits Group, LLC P.O.
Email: info@trabitsgroup.com

Trapper Creek Smoking Company
Email: info@trapperscreek.com

Ben Reel Productions
Email: mathew@mountainadventuretours.org

Canada Goose
Email: info@canada-goose.com

Tracks of Alaska
Email: traxak@clearwire.net

Alpine Lodge – Fairbanks
Email: reservations@akalpinelodge.com

The Eldorado Hotel
Email: eldorado@yknet.ca

Michael Bertrand Photography
Email: mbphotos@rockisland.com

Janssen Funeral Homes, Inc.
Email: info@janssenfuneralhomes.com

Richard Crosby, DDS
Email: info@crosbysmiles.com

Little Cabin in the Woods
Email: info@lcitw.com

Great River Journey Inc.
Email: info@greatriverjourneycom

Queo Media
Email: ruediger.henke@queo-media.com

East Bradford Elementary School
Email: ahelion@wcasd.net

Vertikal Press
E-mail: info@vertikal.net

MTA
Email: help@mtaonline.net

Vom og hindemat
Email: post@vomoghundemat.no

Susitna River Lodging
Email: lodging@mtaonline.net

Mahays Riverboat Service
Email: mahays@mtaonline.net

David McGuire, MD
Email: kneern@pobox.alaska.net

Latitude 62 Motel
Email: lat62@alaska.net

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Email: info@talkeetnalodge.com

Talkeetna River Guides & Rafters, Inc.
Email: raft@talkeetnariverguides.com

Talkeetna River Adventures (Talkeetna RV LLC)
Email: alaskarv@mtaonline.net

Talkeetna Aero Services, Inc.
Email: info@talkeetnaaero.com

Teamster Local 959
Email: rtraini@akteamsters.com

Usibelli Coal Mine
Email: info@usibelli.com

Homer Stage Line
Email: hsl@xyz.net

Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Email: frobb@bepc.com

Kenai Chrysler
Email: info@kenaichrysler.com

Frontier Flying Service
Email: info@frontierflying.com

Udelhoven Companies
Email: Lbeck@udelhoven.com

Kenai River Seafoods
Email: sean.karin@alaska.net

The Crossing Restaurant
Email: info@thecrossingrestaurant.net

Mammut
Email: khabermann@mammut.ch

Horizon Lines, Inc.
Email: boardofdirectors@horizonlines.com

Midnight Sun Brewing
Email: info@midnightsunbrewing.com

Grabber Hand Warmers
Email: sales@handwarmers.com, amanda.fowler@warmers.com

Wiggy’s Outdoor Gear
Email: wiggys@wiggys.com

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PETA Calls for Investigation, Cruelty-to-Animals Charges in Iditarod Dog Deaths

THIS IS AN ALERT:  Please support PETA in their efforts to bring justice for these dogs.  Help put a stop to a barbaric practice that suffices only to kill sled dogs.

NO ANIMAL DESERVES TO BE “RUN TO DEATH” for the sake of someone’s ego or purse strings.

PETA Calls for Investigation, Cruelty-to-Animals Charges in Iditarod Dog Deaths

Mushers May Have Violated State Law, Group Alleges

For Immediate Release:
March 23, 2009

Contact:
Desiree Acholla 757-622-7382

Anchorage — Today, PETA sent a letter to Col. Audie Holloway, director of the Alaska State Troopers, urging him to launch a criminal investigation into the deaths of five dogs who ran in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to determine if four mushers should be charged under the state’s cruelty-to-animals law. Alaska State Statute 11.61.140 prohibits a person from knowingly inflicting “prolonged suffering on an animal.”

According to news reports, Grasshopper and Dizzy, two dogs belonging to musher Lou Packer of Wasilla, apparently froze to death in high winds and sub-zero temperatures. Packer told reporters that he had felt ice under Dizzy’s fur. Two other dogs, Omen and Maynard, who were under the care of Rick Larson and Warren Palfrey, died of pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lungs). A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that after a 1,100-mile race, 81 percent of dogs had “abnormal accumulations” of debris in their lower airways. Race veterinarians have been unable to determine what caused the death of Victor, the first dog to die in this year’s Iditarod.

Dogs die every year in the grueling race, which is more than 1,150 miles long. Many deaths can be attributed to hypothermia, gastric ulcers, and “sled-dog myopathy”–another term for being run to death. The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published an article about the Iditarod that revealed 61 percent of dogs who were studied exhibited an increased frequency of gastric erosions or ulcers after completing the race. Because of its inherent cruelty, the Iditarod has steadily lost sponsors over the years. Some of the companies that have dropped their sponsorship include Panasonic, Spectrum Brands, True Value Hardware, Safeway, Pizza Hut, Costco, BP Amoco, Maxwell House Brands, Sherwin Williams, and Rite Aid.

“The Iditarod is more than a thousand miles of torment for these dogs,” says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. “Every year, dogs suffer serious injuries and death. The five dogs who paid for this race with their lives deserve justice–and that means holding these mushers accountable under Alaska’s very clear cruelty-to-animals law.”

PETA’s letter to Col. Audie Holloway is available upon request. For more information about PETA’s work to protect animals, please visit PETA.org

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Hail to the NWT Justice System – Northern Dogs Lose Again

Before you read any further please go to links below to get the full account of this case.

Euthanizing N.W.T. man’s 34 dogs ‘saddest day of my life’ for vet Dogs belonged to well-known Dene artist Archie Beaulieu

Dene artist denies neglecting his sled dogs

NOW:

Let us all give a big round of applause to the NWT Justice System concerning the wonderful enlightened decision made concerning the case of the Behchoko Artist Archie Beaulieu.

When viewing this link, please be sure to read the comments posted.

Animal neglect charge stayed against northern artist

Now to play a little game: called Definition:

Please define the word WILLFUL, first in your own terms, then go to : http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/willful

Next define the word STARVATION, first in your own terms, then go to: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/starvation

Define the word MORAL, first in your own terms, then go to: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moral

Now let’s try defining : CONSCIENCE http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conscience

How about DISREGARD http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disregard

Don’t forget about INDIFFERENCE http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/indifference

And definitely let’s not forget the word INJUSTICE http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/injustice

Now the best part of this little game is up to you. Having been given the details of the case , it is now your turn to be the JUDGE and JURY .   Being of solid moral conscience (remember the definitions) I feel confident that your determinations on this case of Mr. Archie Beaulieu, reknowned Northern Artist will be far different from that of the Crown. I feel confident that all of you would have allowed this case to go to trial, leaving it up to jurors to decide what Mr. Beaulieu’s fate would be. Of course the Crown did not think it worthy of the time and energies involved .. “because of the unlikelihood of getting a conviction”. So with that decision now made by the Crown, can we safely say that it is open season on Northern Dogs? RCMP actually did lay the charge of animal cruelty, wow, and then the NWT Crown Prosecutor, chose to not follow through. Oh, what a wonderful message she sent…yes, open season on Northern Dogs and hey you RCMP don’t bother the courts with such trivia…. So please, play the game, define in your comments those words I listed above, and last but not least be the Judge and Jury.

What would your sentencing be for Mr. Reknowned Behchoko artist Archie Beaulieu?

Please be a strong voice against this form of disregard and injustice.  Thank you.

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