New York. Gassing of Animals. It is now Illegal.

The gassing of stray and shelter animals is so repulsive that we assume that there must be a law against it. After all, we're a civilized nation. Wrong. Actually, in New York State, no law existed that prohibited the gassing of homeless or unwanted pets. More often than not, such issues come under the purview of the state government and not the federal government. It would be wonderful to have a federal law against gassing, but no such luck yet. " There ought to be a law against it! " How many times have you heard that in your lifetime? Well, in the Empire State, there now is a law against this most cruel form of extermination.

The Humane Euthanasia Bill (NY A. 999B) became law last October 9th when Governor Paterson signed it after laying dormant for nearly a year. The prime movers of this bill were the ASPCA, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Senator Suzi Oppenheimer and their respective staff. God bless them. They just made this world a better place. The law, however, takes effect a year from now. The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they are turning. The ASPCA provided us with the provisions of the law:

(1) Prohibit carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning (gassing) of stray and shelter animals (effective in 90 days).
(2) Require that the euthanasia of stray and shelter animals be performed by injection.
(3) Require that such euthanasia be performed by a certified euthanasia technician, licensed veterinarian, or licensed veterinary technician.
(4) Prohibit intracardiac euthanasia—a painful injection right into the heart—on unsedated shelter animals.
(5) Require that veterinarians who perform intracardiac euthanasia on unsedated animals not under the care of a shelter do so only if it is the most humane option and that they document the event and rationale.

Pretty good stuff. It's comforting to see that the " heartstick " method on conscious animals was also prohibited.

Northern New Jersey. Bloomingdale. Dogs for Adoption. Beagle, Lab, Rat Terrier and Hound.

Behold four of our latest arrivals at the shelter...

Troy is a Beagle mix who came to us as a stray. He's a bit overweight, and so he must not have been a stray for a long time. He's my favorite at the moment. He is most willing to roll over and have his tummy rubbed. Troy is syrupy sweet, wagging his tail and cocking his head sideways at you, keeping low in some kind of submissive position. What a sweety! I could hug this dog all day. His left eye is kinda cloudy, but the doctor said to leave it alone.

Uh oh, looks like Troy isn't the only super nice dog at the shelter! This is Polly, and she's a Rat Terrier. Polly gets up from her bed and greets volunteers at her gate, a bit shy at first but warms up to people very quickly. She's got no issues, and on the quiet side. Polly is bigger than a Chihuahua, but she could become a lapdog if you allow her. What a nice dog!

Maggie is a Hound mix who also came to us as a stray. You can see that she is on the skinny side. Calm and well-mannered, Maggie will not give you any trouble at all. She tolerates other dogs, and is not food aggressive. She's a real friendly dog, and very easy to walk. Some dogs just have a certain peaceful quality to them.



Gee, here comes Clyde but without his favorite green alligator toy. Clyde holds this rubber toy in his mouth most of the time, letting go of it to sniff around and then picking it up again when he's ready to move on. He's so funny that way. It's like he never had a friend until he met this green alligator. Clyde is mid-sized but you will feel his strength when he pulls. He likes to sniff around, very curious about his surroundings. The last time, he was pointing his nose up the rocky hill along our path, like he was telling me that there was something there. Since it was early morning and not yet Winter, I got out of there before a bear jumped out of the bushes. This dog is smart and very friendly. You can't miss with this Lab-Beagle mix.

Bloomingdale Animal Shelter Society

Animal Shelter. A Few Thoughts. Two Adoptions.

A fresh influx of dogs brought our kennel population to eighteen, and that's about full. Beyond that, dogs need to double up in a kennel. Our dogs come to us in a myriad of ways : divorces, foreclosures, confiscations, strays, rescued from cruel conditions, and even rescues from pounds down South where they would have been put to death via injection or gas chamber.

Dottie, a cattle dog mix, went home last Sunday with a couple looking for their first dog together. She stayed with us for approximately a month and a half. Mostly White, Dottie had a few black spots on her body and head. Thus, the name. About medium to large in size, Dottie was strong and a puller. She's the type who will give you nylon burns on your hands from the leash. Dottie didn't fully realize what was going on until our president heaved her unto the back of the SUV and shut the tailgate on her. And off she went to a place easily superior to the best kennel we can provide at the shelter.

And then, there was Tony Baloney. A young hound mix, Tony Baloney made the shelter his home for approximately one month. He also went home last week, evidently, to someone with a very big heart. For a while, we had Tony Baloney shaking and salivating uncontrollably. His seizures would make your heart sink. It wasn't a nice sight to behold, and your loving embraces do little to settle his condition. The shelter, as usual, provided the proper medical attention to stabilize his condition. The last time I walked Tony Baloney, I walked him very slowly in order not to excite him. It was like walking in molasses. At one point, I was just standing with him by the bushes, looking out to nowhere, waiting for a propitious moment to proceed. We must have looked like two lost souls in the woods.

Adoptions never fail to warm the heart, and it is a bittersweet moment when you see them hop into a vehicle and drive away with their new family. The irony here is, you never want to see them again at the shelter no matter how dear they have become to you. So long, good-bye, farewell.

New Jersey. Elections for Governor. Jon Corzine. Not a Friend of Animals.

It wasn't too long ago that Governor Jon Corzine signed into law Senate Bill 802, a bill permitting bow hunting on Sundays on state wildlife management areas as well as on private lands during the respective deer season. This was sometime in March 2009. Because I was vehemently against another day of hunting when hunters already had six days to kill animals, blogged about this issue and encouraged readers to take action, and called the governor's office several times when he opened the lines for an opinion poll, it was with great disappointment, even resentment, that I learned that the governor finally sided with the hunters. The main thrust of the hunting community's argument was that Sunday will compensate for their lack of time to hunt during the week. However way Gov. Corzine came to his decision, through days-long deliberation and consulting with many groups at opposite sides of the issue, in the end, he bought the argument and signed the bill into law. Yes, I felt that his decision was very callous and pandered to the hunting community.

Politically, I am neither democrat nor republican. I can best describe my position as " anti-incumbent. " I believe that power corrupts and elected officials should not be allowed to stay in office for a long time. One term is enough. Power has an intoxicating effect, and long staying politicians albeit legitimately re-elected are like drunken drivers who believe that they are on a straight course but are actually straying. One example, if not for vetting or confirmation proceedings, we wouldn't know that many elected officials have not paid their taxes in full or paid them at all. It is inevitably excused as an oversight, but such tax delinquencies are more easily forgiven because the erring parties are in power. I say, vote the incumbents out not excluding Obama, Bloomberg, or Corzine.

The League of Humane Voters-NJ has a different take on it. They are asking us to support Corzine and his running mate Senator Loretta Weinberg and give thanks for their support of animal welfare. According to the LOHV_NJ ,

" During his first bid for Governor, Jon Corzine opposed a bear hunt and said there would be no bear hunts during his term. While other issues such as property taxes and health care reform have to go through the legislature, CORZINE had direct control over a bear hunt. Corzine made a promise to protect black bears and he kept it.Senator Loretta Weinberg (Corzine's running mate) is a staunch supporter of all animals. She has consistently voted to protect them and advance their rights. In fact, she was the first legislator who introduced a bill to protect black bears over a decade ago. Weinberg has sponsored a large number of animal-friendly bills and she is known for standing up for what she believes -- no matter who is applying pressure. "

From this, it seems to me that Senator Weinberg should be running for governor, not Corzine. I don't think she's ever been governor. What else has Corzine done for the animals? And that isn't a rhetorical question. When Congo, the German Shepherd who attacked a landscaper who he taught was attacking his master, was sentenced to death, people asked Gov. Corzine to commute his sentence. The governor never even issued a statement. Governor Corzine is not a friend of the animals notwithstanding his opposition to bear hunts. As an animal lover and anti-incumbent, I say NO to Corzine. In this year's New Jersey gubernatorial elections, there are no good choices but that doesn't mean we should vote for Corzine.

Time Magazine. Strays to the Rescue. A Photo Essay.

Time Magazine has come out with a photo essay on rescued dogs who have, through their humans, contributed to societal good in one form or another. The stories come from a book entitled, To the Rescue: Found Dogs with a Mission by Elise Lufkin. The photographs were by Diana Walker. Each individual case warms the heart and underscores the fact that a human-animal relationship could be the very best relationship one, or many, could possibly have on this Earth. Read through each case and come out even more assured that dogs do have a special and comforting role in our society. These examples of harmony between dogs and humans make it ever so clear that abusing a dog, or any animal for that matter, is disrespectful, indecent, inhumane and outright barbaric. Tell me how you treat an animal and I will tell you who you are.

Strays to the Rescue

Healthy Food. Vegetarian. VegNews. Barley and Porcini Soup.

Of all the forms of food out there, I like soups the most. Hot soup on a wintry or clammy day is the ideal, but soups are good anytime you feel the need for a simple, hale and hearty meal. Its complete, one-dimensional form is probably what attracts me to them as compared to full course meals plus their accompanying utensils. A spoon, that's all you need. Okay, maybe a pair of chopsticks if you are having noodles with your soup. Appetizers, two entrees, some rice and dessert can be very busy.

Here's a recipe from VegNews Magazine for a Barley and Porcini soup. If you're the type who can't work a screwdriver, you should still be able to put this soup together. ( Credit is given to VegNews for the photo and recipe.)



1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 cup barley5 cups water or mushroom stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced


1. Remove the porcini mushrooms from the soaking liquid, reserving the water. Thinly slice the porcinis and return to the soaking liquid. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until soft and lightly caramelized, about 7 minutes. Add the barley and water, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the reserved mushrooms and soaking liquid plus half the dill. Cook until the barley is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining dill.

New Jersey. Meatless Diet. Path to Better Health and Animal Welfare.

The Animal Protection League of New Jersey (APLNJ) has sent out an invitation to those who have yet to make a lifestyle change for the better. We're talking meatless diet that is surely to improve your health and say NO to animal cruelty at the same time. This is a free presentation by Food For Life, a community health outreach program, to be held at Organic Style, 621 Cookman avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey 07712. Time and date are October 27, 2009 at 7pm. They will discuss the four food groups : fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Yum, that made me crave for some. You can learn about their nutritional value and health benefits plus mouth-watering recipes. Food-tasting will top the evening off like the cherry on other people's sundae. Please call Nancy Ehrlich at 732-775-1051 for reservations. Space is limited.

If there is something I can kick myself in the rear for, that would be for being tardy in making this dietary change. I am only on my third year of a meatless lifestyle, but my weight has lessened and my blood tests have become much better than before. It's like coming face to face with yourself about your past and asking, " Why did I do that to you? Why did I not realize that I was feeding you life-shortening garbage? " There is so much good food out there and there isn't anyone stopping you from having them. What's the point about sticking with hamburgers, steaks, meatballs, beef stews, pork loins, and hotdogs? As I have asked so many times before, why eat the body parts of dead animals? Go Vegetarian.

United Kingdom. A Farmer. His Cows. And the Dark.

And there was the case of the case of the 65-yr old farmer, Ronald Norcliffe, who was fined £150 fine for failing to address the psychological needs of his cattle. What exactly were the psychological needs of cows could not be determined but keeping them in a darkened room proved unacceptable to officers from Kirklees Environmental Health department and the Government's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The darkened room was actually a basement barn that allowed little natural light to come in during the Winter. The barn lacked electric lights and the barn doors kept shut to keep the cold out. For DEFRA, such conditions in Norcliffe's farm at Scammonden, West Yorks, were a violation of the Animal Welfare Act. This was in August 2008, and Mr. Norcliffe has been a farmer for thirty years.

Bob Carr, lawyer for Mr. Norcliffe, stated that "In my respectful submission this didn't do any harm whatsoever." But how do we know that? Are harmful effects always evident? If we start with the assumption that cows are sentient beings, long periods spent in a dark room must cause some harmful effects. I don't think that we need to point to something and say, " That's what is wrong. " We are not talking about bats or other nocturnal beings. In fact, our ideal picture is one of cows that are out to pasture under sunny conditions.

But wait a minute. The animal-lover haters will surely portray DEFRA as having gone overboard with concern. Well, first of all, DEFRA is not necessarily an animal-loving entity. They're just applying the laws pertaining to animal welfare. DEFRA isn't PETA, in other words. Those who detest and ridicule animal-lovers are quick to label animal-lovers zealots and misguided fools with a twisted sense of priority. You know the deal. Some in the animal experimentation field even refer to us as extremists. The truth is that Mr. Norcliffe benefited from several notices from DEFRA to improve the conditions that existed in his barn. It was suggested that Mr. Norcliffe clean the glass windows and to cut the bushes around them. But Mr. Norcliffe ignored all improvement notices. The good farmer attached lights to a generator, but when DEFRA came calling the switch was off. Aside from the fine, Mr. Norcliffe was also charged with £50 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. Let there be light.