Lord & Taylor bans raccoon dog fur from U.S. stores

Good news! Less raccoon dogs will be skinned alive in China because of the Humane Society

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2009/12/lord_taylor_settlement_120109.html

(I'm reposting a story from the Humane Society of the United States website)

The Humane Society of the United States and retailer Lord & Taylor have reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed last year alleging that several of the nation's largest department stores and fashion designers have repeatedly engaged in false advertising and mislabeling of fur garments. Pursuant to the agreement, Lord & Taylor will end all use of raccoon dog fur (a canine species often skinned alive in China), and will reform its advertising and garment labeling practices so that shoppers are better informed about what kind of animal fur is present in fur-trimmed garments.

The agreement with Lord & Taylor comes a few months after a similar settlement was reached with fashion designer Andrew Marc. The litigation is proceeding against the three non-settling defendants: Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The case is set to go to trial in 2010.

"Lord & Taylor has taken a major step forward by ending the sale of raccoon dog fur, and by voluntarily strengthening its labeling standards for all fur products," said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation for The HSUS. "Macy's, Saks and Neiman Marcus should join Lord & Taylor in honoring consumers' strong desire to keep cruel and inhumane products out of their shopping bags this holiday season."

During the past three years, The HSUS identified dozens of falsely advertised or falsely labeled fur garments across the retail industry. Raccoon dog is the most commonly misrepresented type of fur, often described as a different animal or even as "faux fur." In addition to being falsely advertised and mislabeled, raccoon dog fur jackets are also commonly not labeled at all — which is allowed by a loophole in the federal law, even if the fur has been dyed unnatural colors like green or pink.

The HSUS brought the lawsuit under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act alleging that the defendants are (1) advertising and labeling products as "faux fur," when they are, in fact, derived from real animal fur or (2) advertising and labeling products as common raccoon, fox or rabbit fur when they are, in fact, made from the wholly distinct species of raccoon dog — a member of the canine family. The complaint also alleges violations of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act and Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibit the false advertising and mislabeling of any fur product.

Since 2006, The HSUS has informed dozens of companies about fur labeling and advertising problems and urged them to take corrective action. The HSUS also filed two legal petitions with the Federal Trade Commission—one in March 2007 and the other in April 2008—seeking enforcement action and criminal and civil penalties against more than 20 companies for violations of the FPLA.

The HSUS urges Congress to pass the Truth in Fur Labeling Act (S. 1076/H.R. 2480), introduced by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., to require accurate and consistent labeling of fur-trimmed garments regardless of dollar value.

You can view the entire complaint [PDF], learn about raccoon dogs and their mistreatment, and more, on our website.

Shelter pet project amazing video! Sign the pledge!!!!

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2823

I believe watching this video will help people to realize the unfortunate effects of breeding, not spaying/neutering, and shopping at puppy stores or from breeders.
Millions of dogs, cats, rabbits, etc are euthanized every single year because of the vicious cycle of breeding. Most that are bred end up in the shelter.

Not to mention, if people that buy puppy store puppies actually did the research to realize the cruelty behind puppy mills (where these puppy-store puppies come from), they would realize that they're contributing to a horrific industry, and they'd realize that the puppy is most likely sick and malnourished.

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO AND PLEDGE THAT YOU WILL ADOPT YOUR NEXT PET! DO NOT SUPPORT PUPPY STORES OR IRRESPONSIBLE BREEDERS. PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PETS.

BEST WISHES,

ALEXIS

Blessing of the Animals

http://www.examiner.com/x-22880-New-York-Groove-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Blessing-of-the-Animals-at-the-Cathedral-Church-of-St-John-the-Divine-25th-Anniversary-Gallery

Last Sunday, my friend Diane and I went to the "Blessing of the Animals" service at St. John the Divine Cathedral (an amazing multi-faith cathedral).

This is a day to honor St. Francis of Assisi and to illustrate the bond between animals & humans.

The animals that were blessed included a yak, tortoise, red fox, rabbits, camel, reindeer, and many more. They were brought in from upstate NY and many shelters across NYC.

Hundreds of people brought their dogs and cats to be blessed. There were groups of dancers and musicians performing as well. It was beyond beautiful.

Check out the slideshow in the above article...Gregors, Corbin, Diane and I are on picture # 2 :-)

Reeses Pieces!

CONGRATS to my good friend, Danielle, and her husband Jeremy for ADOPTING their very first dog, Reese. Danielle and Jeremy have been wanting to rescue a dog for quite some time now, but were waiting until they moved into their new home, which they bought in August. Just a couple weeks ago, they met a beautiful black-lab mix at the Petsmart Adoption site in Billings, Montana. They fell in love & brought her home. Danielle has expressed her amazement in how well-behaved & comfortable Reese is in their home...it was just meant to be! I cannot wait to meet her.

My sister, Lindsey, also has a beautiful dog named Reese ( a boy! )
Reese was a stray that I found in a grocery-store parking lot when I was living in Las Vegas. I took him in, posted an ad on Craigslist, checked him for a microchip, and after 2 weeks of no one claiming him, I started looking for a 'forever home' for him. My sister was REALLY wanting to rescue a dog for my 8 year old nephew, Bradon. This seemed to be perfect timing! I drove Reese down to Los Angeles before I moved to the east coast and introduced Reese to his new family. He is now living happily and spoiled :-)
(I hear he has developed quite the Napoleon Complex while in the company of my Mom's dogs! I think his days on the street have made him feel a bit inferior & mighty! Needless to say, he is very playful with other dogs and nothing but a ball of love.)

Congratulations to Lindsey and Danielle!

xoxo

Shelter pets hit the airwaves!

Great advertising campaign called The Shelter Pet Project, aimed at raising awareness to adopt shelter pets. More than ever, it seems that shelters are overflowing due to the economy. People are losing their jobs & homes and with that, often means losing their pets. Many shelters have a program that provides free food for those who want to keep their pets, but are having really hard times making ends meet.

This is such a great interactive website, educational & comical. It's a joint venture between the Humane Society of the United States, the Ad Council, and Maddie's Fund. I love how their giving the pets a "voice" ...something that I feel is so important that we as humans can provide for dogs. They have no voice and thus are more vulnerable to painful situations. Help stand up for shelter animals and spread the word about this amazing website!

http://theshelterpetproject.org/

Bark in the Park

I am now a volunteer at the Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, NJ.
Yea! I will be trying to volunteer 2-3 times/week, socializing the dogs/cats, walking the dogs, helping to clean the cages, etc.

The first event I'll be helping at is the annual "Bark in the Park" at the Jersey City waterfront in Liberty State Park. It will be held October 11th from 11-3.

Click here for more information:

http://www.libertyhumane.org/

I was reading "Real Simple" this weekend (one of my favorite magazines!) and saw this quote. I loved it so much, so I have to post it here:

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift....It is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned."
--from J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement address

I think this quote is so timely, due to the economic crunch that has taken a toll on all of our lives. I know we will look back at this time, stronger and smarter because of it. I thank God that I am young and resilient during this time. Although I have been laid-off and have had my own days of hell, it is the people with families who have lost their jobs that my heart aches for, the people that have lost retirement money, the people who were planning to retire and cannot, those that cannot move out of high-unemployment areas because of their mortgages that are tying them there.....I pray for these people and think of them often.

I pray that we will all survive and be better people because of this experience. Adversity is a true test of character, strength, determination, and pride.

Two thumbs up for Delia's! No more Ringling Bros T-shirts in their inventory.

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/09/victory_delia.php

P & G's partnership with HSUS to support alternatives to animal testing / research

I wasn't aware of this until recently, and I think in my head, I owe P & G an apology for thinking very negatively of them the past few years; I didn't realize they had teamed up with the Humane Society to support alternatives to animal testing.

Great stuff, hopefully others will find this news to be promising as well.

--Alexis

http://www.pg.com/science/animal_alt.shtml

http://www.pg.com/science/Brochure%20on%20Research%20with%20Animals.pdf

Fosters

Update: Cora & Tokin have found permanent homes & my new foster is Buddy.

Here's a link to his picture & information:

He's super sweet! So for anyone in Vegas looking to adopt, come check him out!

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13613146

Puppies Aren't Product hits NYC!

http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/33503.html

http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/33750.html

YEA!!!!

FOSTERING <3

I am now a Foster mom for the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society

http://www.lvvhumane.org/how_can_you_help.html

LVVHS does not have a facility, but rather they depend on foster parents to take care of the animals until they are adopted out. They have open adoptions every weekend at Petco. LVVHS pays for all the expenses to be a foster parent and they provide crates, food, etc. My first 2 fosters are Cora and Tokin. Cora is a 6 month old Daschund. She is sweet, gentle and very playful. Tokin is a baby Shephard. I'm not sure how old he is, but I know he's younger than Cora. They are super sweet and I hope they find loving permanent homes soon! Hopefully this weekend they get adopted. LVVHS has plenty of puppies that need to be fostered and plenty of dogs of all ages up for adoption that need a home.

Best Friends Puppies Aren't Products

http://puppiesarentproducts.com/ http://network.bestfriends.org/lasvegas/news/33265.html

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1098601793392

Best Friends launched a Puppies Aren't Products campaign in Los Angeles, and it has been an ongoing success! PAP is not meant to put puppy stores out of business, but rather to encourage stores to help shelter puppies and rescues, rather than buy from breeders and inhumane puppy mills. They are there to help raise awareness about the puppy trade and the cruelty behind it. So far, many LA puppy stores have changed their tactics and have helped to find homes for rescues. I'm very excited to say that Best Friends has branched out to Las Vegas in this effort and has kicked off a Las Vegas Puppies Aren't Products campaign. I'm very much looking forward to continuing peaceful demonstrations and helping to raise awareness for this effort. We'll be demonstrating outside Chi-Chi Couture to help educate the public and the store owners.

A look back.....

I always had animals in the house growing up. My sisters and I had pet dogs, cats, and hamsters. My mom adopted from the shelters & we had a happy home. Our first dog was bought at a puppy store, and we only had him for a few days. He died of parvovirus. I didn't know then, but now I know that animals at the pet stores are often unhealthy. I think my Mom paid around $300 for this puppy. We named him Chipper. I'll never forget how much Chipper threw-up around the house and how sad my sisters and I were. If I remember right, from that point forward, my mom adopted all of our pets, rather than shopped for them.

Considering growing up around animals, one would assume I was a compassionate animal lover. I wasn't. I was 21 when I moved to Washington D.C. and there were 2 dogs in the house I lived in. Although I thought they were very sweet, I didn't pay much attention to them. I pet them here and there, but I wasn't enamored with them.

It wasn't until I later moved to Las Vegas, alone and a tad melancholy from a number of personal instances, that I opened my eyes. I remember scoping out volunteermatch.org (great site!) for local volunteer opportunities. I recall coming across Best Friends Animal Society. I remember Best Friends sounded familiar and clicked on their message. They had an upcoming, first-ever Super Adoption Event in Vegas that they needed volunteers for. The Super Adoption Event entailed about 12 organizations from Nevada and our close neighbor California grouping together to bring all of their adoptable dogs and cats to Petsmart for one weekend of hope. I signed up.

It was without a doubt, one of the best days of my life. I put a "Best Friends" t-shirt on my back and really felt like I belonged there. I knew right away how passionate I felt about contributing to this great cause. Prior to this event, I knew nothing about inhumane puppy mills, the horror that animals go through so women can wear fur coats, the appalling animal testing labs and the companies like Proctor and Gamble that support them, the poor conditions that farm animals are subjected to, and I knew very little about the works of PETA or Best Friends. I have since educated myself in these subjects and cannot believe I didn't open my eyes sooner. I am forever thankful for this day. About 300 pets found a home that day. Spared from euthanasia, they happily went home to their new loving owners. My duty that day was to walk the dogs for about 5 minutes each and put them back in their wire cages and try to 'market' them to potential adopters. "This one is sooooo sweet; he loves to be pet I've noticed." I would say. "She has only 5 more days if she doesn't get adopted this weekend."

These are the kinds of things I would say to help people find a pet. It was extremely rewarding helping these people find pets, with big smiles on their faces. What was even more rewarding was knowing that these dogs did not have to go back to the shelter, and worse, potentially be put to sleep. I suppose I realized that day that because animals have no voices, because they have no way to defend themselves, because they are so full of love despite their rough pasts, we have to speak on their behalf. We humans have so much power, and we should use this power for the greater good.

Halfway through the first day of the weekend event, I noticed a sweet old Chihuahua mix. I noticed how much I was drawn to him, and how much he was drawn to me. We were somewhat magnetic, him and I. He just stared at me and sniffed my hands when I pet him. He was skinny and fatigued. I tried so hard all day to find him a happy family. I did not want to see this dog lose his life ( He would have been put to sleep the next day, had he not been adopted.) While everyone was touched by him, they didn't want such an old dog. He needed dental work, his breath smelled, and he was needy. He was estimated to be between 8-10 years old. He belonged to the local Lied Animal Shelter, one of the only shelters that euthanizes.

Knowing I was still temporarily staying with my uncle until the end of the month when my apartment was ready, I knew I couldn't bring home a dog. I had only lived in Vegas for about a month, and I wasn't prepared. Besides, my uncle had a cat who was very territorial and would not appreciate a new dog to share the house with.

While telling myself this in my head and convincing myself it wasn't a good time, I continued to try and find him a home while all of the volunteers kept saying "There's just something about you and him; I think you were meant to find each other" or "I think this one is meant to be yours."

I knew deep down they were right, yet I still tried to find him a loving family. I tried to be responsible and listen to my head rather than my heart. However, I'm also intuitive enough to know that God is always watching and he has plans. This was really meant to be. I told myself that I'd adopt him by the end of the day if I hadn't found a family to take him home. I would call my uncle and ask him if it were okay to bring a dog home for 2 weeks until we moved.

A miracle really happened that day: All of the volunteers knew my living situation and that I didn't feel entirely comfortable asking my uncle this request. One of the volunteers knew a local woman who fostered dogs. She ran a pet-watching & fostering service, and she'd be happy to watch the dog for two weeks until I moved.

That's all it took for me to sign the papers. I adopted the old Chihuahua that afternoon and I no longer felt so alone. I picked him up from his loving foster mommy after two weeks, and we were so excited to see one another. I felt like I had a friend and a companion to be with in this big, lonely city. I had someone to take care of besides myself. I had someone else to think about and love. I wasn't needy, but I definitely felt a gap that this sweet dog filled. I saved his life that day. In so many ways, he shined a bright light into my life as well. The picture above was taken by the photographer from the event, and posted on the Best Friends website. It's a great picture, because it captures the positive energy from that day and the great way people feel at these events.

Lied Animal Shelter gave me a volunteer discount ( they wanted so badly for this dog to find a home, so they didn't charge me much.) They typically charge $150-200 for dogs, but I paid $20 that day. I named him Gregors; I loved that name. It was a good ol' British name and Gregor (without the s) means vigilant and watchful. Now that I've had Gregors for over one year, I can attest that he is very vigilant indeed. So the name fits him very well.

It is now Jan 1, 2009. I have since adopted another sweetie named Corbin. His given name was Sean, and he was an emaciated, malnourished little guy that the shelter had only had for one day. He was fresh off the streets and looking for a home. I re-named him & watched him come slowly out of his shell. I'll never forget how much comfort he found in laying in my laundry baskets, on my clothes. He also loved gathering all the clothes he could find off my floor to make himself a bed. Now he has dog beds, so he does this seldomly, but he still loves laying on my clothes. He bonded immediately with Gregors. Gregors is very territorial and protective of me and his home, so he can be very growly to 'guests' but he immediately took to Corbin. It was so much fun seeing Gregors chase Corbin around the apartment and witness him being active again, at his old age.

I met Riley in April 2008; he was not a 'dog' person and especially did not like Chihuahuas. I think for this, among many other reasons, God placed Riley in our lives. We helped him open up to the idea of having dogs and especially small dogs. (He has since adopted 2 little ones of his own, Fiona and Sam.) They are amazing dogs with 2 very different personalities!

Ever since that day that I volunteered for the Super Adoption Event, I have opened my eyes and my heart to the lives of animals. I eat much less meat than I used to, I buy products that are not animal tested, I have helped re-home a dog that was no longer wanted by his owners, I have made a promise to adopt every pet I will ever have in my life, and I help spread the word. God really blessed me that day. My family has opened their eyes too, and I love that we can all help and educate my nephew. He is quite the animal lover, especially to dogs. I really see the importance of having animals in life. There are many long-term benefits of having pets in the home. It's really such a positive experience.

God gave me and Riley a sign at the end of 2008/beginning of 2009. Someone, unknown to us, left a bunny rabbit in a box outside Riley's porch. He is a sweet white bunny with black spots, living in a dirty soiled box with no food or water. There is a water bowl in the box though. It is really unfortunate that someone abandoned him. He was very scared and ran away from us a couple of times, but we caught him and brought him inside. We fed him spinach and gave him water and we are going to take him to the no-kill shelter tomorrow to find a home for him. We wish we could take care of him, but with the dogs and our apartments, it doesn't work out. Someday I'd love to have a rabbit, but now is not the time. I'm so glad that we can keep him safe until he finds a new home.

I am thrilled, inspired, and energized to start this year fresh with a clear vision in this one area of my life. If I can be one small voice for the lives of God's creatures known as animals, I consider this to be such a blessing.

AMAZING VIDEO......CHECK IT OUT!!!!

My first protest

I now receive emails and text messages from various local animal organizations regarding ongoing demonstrations/protests regarding adopting animals, fur-free campaigns, and efforts to close down cruel pet shops. In an effort to encourage people to stay away from puppy stores, due to the fact that these puppies are force-bred in very inhumane conditions in puppy mills. Often, these puppy mills are not health or government regulated, and the puppies and the poor dogs that breed them are extremely malnourished and often starving. Not to mention, they're crammed in tight cages and almost never have healthy human contact.

There are millions of dogs and cats killed every year, due to the demand of pure breeds, hence why puppy mills are in business.

I wanted to contribute to spread this great message to ADOPT, DON'T SHOP! and so I showed up to the Meadows Mall on the Saturday before Christmas, otherwise known as the busiest day at puppy stores. They sell a large volume of puppies and other animals because people buy them for Christmas presents.

Meanwhile, dogs and cats and other animals are begging to be adopted and placed in a loving home so their fateful day of euthanization never comes. It's a never-ending vicious cycle that I pray I hope to see end in my lifetime.

I have had the pleasure of meeting many people that volunteer and work towards shutting down puppy stores and puppy mills, and it's such a blessing to see their hard work pay off when they do close their doors. There are often demonstrations outside puppy stores here in the valley....and I plan to attend one soon. The owners of these stores know what they're doing; they know they're contributing to this crisis and they know they're selling sick animals to innocent, often ignorant, people.

My sign read "Adopt a Puppy" ----I didn't want to write anything offensive, but rather encouraging. I realize a lot of people are unaware that you can adopt a sweet chihuahua or dachshund or golden retriever, etc at the shelter for hundreds less and they're healthy. The dogs at the Vegas shelters are often $50-200...no more. This includes a free bag of food, free vet check-up, all shots, and a microchip. On the other hand, from a pet store, you are buying a sick puppy that you'll likely have to nourish back to health, with the added bonus of expensive vet bills and worry/stress.

PLEASE: IF YOU'RE THINKING OF GETTING A NEW FURRY BEST FRIEND, PLEASE ADOPT. IF YOU LIVE IN A CITY WITH NEARLY EMPTY SHELTERS ,LOOK AT PETFINDER.COM, A NEARBY SPCA WEBSITE OR THE ASPCA WEBSITE (AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS) OR OTHER WEBSITES (THEY'RE ARE PLENTY) THAT WILL ADOPT TO A PERSON OUT-OF-STATE. DO WHAT YOU CAN TO HELP DEFEAT THIS CRISIS!!!

God Bless!
Alexis