sutton078

Courtesy Google Images It is quite common for places of business to showcase fish tanks for the benefit of their waiting customers. Though a believer that fish should be left in their natural habitats, as a diver, I love watching fish and am drawn to the tanks immediately. What I have noticed, as a frequenter of many business establishments, is that the bigger and more elaborate the tank, the worse the service and the more aggravated the clients in the waiting rooms are! It is so common that upon entering a business, I immediately brace for a battle when confronted with a happy plastic diver blowing bubbles on a beautiful artificially sunlit reef! What I have also noticed, is that when the tank is placed primarily for the benefit of staff viewing, the service is great suggesting that the staff is under pressure to perform properly rather than trying to hypnotize those in the waiting area into believing that they are being treated efficiently and with respect. How about leaving the fish...

UPDATE:   Although found guilty of animal cruelty, the klansman's son was fined $100.00 despite the fact that the veterinarian testified that the dog would have died in 48 hours if untreated. Worse - the judge would not allow the veterinarian to testify that the dog suffered because she, the veterinarian,  is not a mind reader and that there is really no proof that animals suffer. The judge bemoaned the fact that there are not different standards for city and country kids as he really hated to convict the kid.  What an outrage. Anybody smell something rotten here?? What should a parent not do when told that their child has been arrested for animal cruelty? A prosecutor colleague of mine filed a case against a young man for animal cruelty. Rather than recognizing that animal cruelty is often a precursor to violence against people, seeking to identify the underlying reason for this aberrant behavior and interceding on behalf of the psychological wellbeing of his son - thi...

TAZ UPDATE:   CODY SENTENCED TO   9 MONTHS IN JAIL Former Baltimore Raven Terrence Cody was acquitted of felony animal cruelty charges but was found guilty of lesser counts in Baltimore County Circuit Court. The judge, after a bench trial, bought the argument that his conduct was neglectful but that he didn't mean to hurt the dog.  How is this "neglectful" and evidence that he didn't really mean to hurt Taz?  Forgetting to feed a dog once in a while is neglectful. Locking a dog in a cage in the garage and never feeding him is evidence of a decision not to feed him - hence intentional cruelty. It is important to understand that this is a slow, cruel, painful and horrific death during which the dog is suffering the entire time - sometimes months. Trust me- he hurt the dog. This is why animal cruelty is a crime where omissions as well as commissions are prosecutable "conduct". Would you rather be hit by one blow and receive treatment immediately or have an ic...

Your spcaLA in conjunction with Finding Rover and VCA Animal Hospitals unveiled a new partnership that has the ability to help reunite more lost dogs with their family by using CSI techniques usually reserved for humans. Finding Rover’s innovative facial recognition for pets can be used on a smartphone through the app or on the web and is 98 per cent accurate in matching lost and found dog reports. spcaLA has always been on the forefront of new technologies for animal welfare.  This venture strives to reunite lost pets using 21st century advanced technology and human compassion. You don't need a pet to participate. You can snap a picture of a dog on the street and it can be matched in minutes with a photo of a dog that is lost. Imagine how beneficial it would be if animals were reunited with their people before or soon after arriving at a shelter. It's less stressful for pets and their families, less costly redemption fees and more resources available to shelters to rehabilitat...

Uber - now a noun - "order an Uber". A verb - "let's Uber". An adjective - "it's an "Uber like" system and probably more. On October 29th, one can Uber Kitten . Yes - click on the kitten option on your app and an Uber will arrive with kittens for 15 minutes of love, stress relief and some adorable in your day. A portion of the proceeds will benefit your spcaLA! Fun notwithstanding, it is an opportunity to spread the message of adoption, the significance of your local shelters and, the critical importance of corporate philanthropy. Uber - a good corporate citizen and spcaLA Friend for Life!

Abusers use everything at their disposal to terrorize and control those they batter - including the family pet, often threatening to harm or kill an animal if the domestic violence survivor dares leave. We are now in the worst of it as incidents of domestic violence increase exponentially with the start of footbal season and extreme heat - both occuring right now! Since the mid 1990s spcaLA’s Animal Safety Net (ASN)™ provides a safe refuge for the domestic violence survivors’ pets, free-of-charge, so that they may leave a dangerous situation without fear for their animals’ lives. Unfortunately, there is great demand for this help and we must expand these services.  There are 3 ways to help us help these human and animal victims, one of which is to help us win a contest! 1. Vote . Help spcaLA earn $100,000 to help expand ASN in the LA2050 Challenge - with enough votes between now and November 3, 2015 , we can make LA a safer place to live. 2. Donate . Help sur...

Courtesy Google Images In his message vetoing the ban on bullhooks, the governor stated that he did not want "to create a new crime", lamenting that there are so many, and that " our jail and prison population have exploded ". For the most part I agree that we should not criminalize every individual type of behavior when such behavior would be subsumed under a general, elastic, broad statute. The reason is that when there is a list of specific prohibited conduct, and a criminal does something not on the list, the door is opened for the defense to argue that if the legislature intended this to be wrong - it would have added it to the list. Bullhooks however, though instruments of torture, were universally accepted as a necessary training device, a likely defense to the crime of animal cruelty, and therefore needs its own statutory language. But that is NOT the reason for the veto. Prison overcrowding is the reason to the detriment of elephants and the rest us. Our co...