Major progress has been made in reducing the overpopulation of cats and dogs that had resulted in some 12 to 20 million being euthanized each year in the 1970s. Today, despite there being more than twice the number of companion animals in U.S. homes, the number euthanized yearly is down to three to four million. There is still clearly more work to be done. (Comstock)

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the leading non-profit devoted to animal welfare, reports that in the 1970s American shelters euthanized between 12 and 20 million cats and dogs every year at a time when there were 67 million pets in U.S. homes. According to statistics gleaned from the Asilomar Accords, which tracks animal shelter care and euthanasia numbers, U.S. shelters today euthanize three to four million animals, while there are more than 135 million cats and dogs in American homes.

“This enormous decline in euthanasia numbers—from around 25 percent of American dogs and cats euthanized every year to about three percent—represents substantial progress,” reports HSUS. “We will make still greater progress by working together to strike at the roots of animal overpopulation.”

These numbers are only estimates as there is no centralized reporting protocol for shelters. However, the Asilomar Accords method is gaining momentum as a standard for more accurately tracking animal shelter care and euthanasia numbers; it posts annual statistics for some 150 different U.S. shelters on its website.

And what exactly are the roots of the problem? Foremost is irresponsible breeding—pet owners failing to get their animals spayed or neutered, leading to unwanted offspring. Some 35 percent of U.S. pet owners do not spay or neuter their pets, despite increasing public awareness about the pet overpopulation issue.

Another factor is low adoption rates: Only 20 percent of the 17 million Americans that get a new pet each year opt for a shelter pet; the vast majority buys from pet stores, breeders, or through other private arrangements. And six to eight million pets are given up to shelters or rescue groups every year for one reason or another, leaving these organizations with many more animals than they can place in homes.

Beyond these factors, HSUS also cites our society’s “disposal pet” ethos, whereby owners are quick to relinquish their pets for any number of reasons. The majority of shelter pets are not overflowing litters of puppies and kittens, but companion animals turned in by their owners. “To solve this problem, we would need to effect a cultural change in which every individual fully considers all of the responsibilities and consequences of pet ownership before adopting, and then makes a lifetime commitment to their pet.”

The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy is a coalition of eleven of America’s foremost animal welfare organizations concerned with the issue of unwanted pets in the United States. The Council and its partner groups, including HSUS, work to promote responsible pet ownership and reduce pet overpopulation through public education, legislation and support for sterilization programs.

As to what individuals can do, HSUS recommends spaying or neutering their dogs and cats, adopting from shelters or rescue groups, and considering all the ramifications of pet ownership before deciding to take on a cat or dog in the first place.

CONTACTS: HSUS, www.hsus.org; Asilomar Accords, www.asilomaraccords.org; National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, www.petpopulation.org.

SPRINGFIELD — A fight over the ownership of a dog left a city man on the verge of death on Tuesday.

A woman went to 168 East Street in Springfield to claim a lost dog, and as she was driving away, a man stopped her an accused her of not actually owning the dog, but being from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Guy Wilson, 52, attempted to grab the keys out of the woman’s car to stop her from leaving.

Paul Bagge, an observer, tapped Wilson on the shoulder to resolve the dispute and Wilson immediately turned and punched Bagge in the head.

Bagge fell to the ground and hit his head, causing serious head trauma, police said. He is not expected to survive.

Wilson was held overnight and was arraigned in Springfield District Court today. Assault charges are likely to be upgraded in Bagge dies.

An adorable and very much alive longhaired Dachshund was found in the ruins of her owners’ Hyde Park house nearly a month after the house burned down.

Boston’s Angell Animal Medical Center is caring for the pooch. The dog, Lola, was said to be “upbeat” despite the ordeal.

Weeks after the February 23 fire, Lola’s owners returned tot he condemned property yesterday to survey the damage. To their amazement, they heard scratching sounds and found their small dog inside the ruins.

“Lola was brought to Angell Animal Medical Center last night and is currently being cared for in our Emergency/Critical Care Unit,” said MSPCA-Angell spokesman Brian Adams. “The veterinary team is performing several tests today to uncover the extent of her injuries. Lola remains upbeat given her ordeal.”

Six months of rent money will be sucked out of your bank account if your dog develops a very common knee injury. If you’re looking to use new stem-cell therapy to aid your ailing kitten, that will cost you a couple of years of car payments. The surprising part? Pet owners are more than willing.

While people are still facing financial losses, being laid off and limiting expenses, the pet population is faring rather well.

As a country, we spend $45 billion a year on our animals and that number is expected to rise by 5 percent this year, according to Fast Company magazine.

The reason? One explanation may be the new and expensive medical treatments available at animal hospitals:

• Interventional Radiology circumvents the need for surgery by using catheters and stents in a minimally invasive procedure. “You’re closing something that ought to be open or you’re opening something that ought to be closed,” said Dr. John Berg, a small animal surgeon at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, a Tufts veterinary school teaching hospital in North Grafton. But it’s not necessarily cheaper than surgery. You can pay up to $2,500 for the implant, anesthesia, the procedure itself and lab work.
• Dialysis, which can cost up to $20,000, is another popular new treatment. When an animal’s kidneys aren’t working, a machine does the job for them. Armelle De Laforcade, part of the Emergency and Critical Care Team at Fosters said the hospital dialyzes about 25 pets a year, often because the animal has ingested a toxin.
• Mood-altering drugs are now available for dogs with conditions such as separation anxiety. Berg said they are certainly helpful in certain situations, but that “the danger is that the drugs could get overused.”
• Stem-cell therapy, not yet approved for human use, is now available for small animals. Vet-stem, the company that pioneered the procedure, has had over 1,000 vets take their online certification course since January, according an article in Time, which places the total cost between $2,000 and $4,000. Cells taken from the pet’s fat are injected into the site of an injury, repairing it much faster than surgery would.

But these new procedures aren’t the only expensive treatments on the market. Knee injuries in dogs are very common and cost $3,000 to fix with surgery.

Orthopedic surgery for horses can run over $100,000 while cancer in dogs and cats can cost up to $10,000 to treat.

Paying for pets is undoubtedly a burden, but it’s one many are happy to carry for the animals they love. So, how can PEOPLE deal with these often unforeseen expenses?

“They’re not just going to die of old age. Your pet will get sick,” said Berg. He recommends saving about $5,000 for when that time comes. He said that pet insurance will only pay off in the event of catastrophic illness and that saving is the better choice.

De Laforcade disagrees. “In general pet insurance seems like a good idea,” she said, “as it will offset some of the cost for something like a broken leg.”

According to Berg, only about three to five percent of his patients have pet insurance.

But they also see owners who can afford to treat a pet, but don’t. Said De Laforcade, “Occasionally we see people who can afford the care but choose not to pursue it, and if the pet has a bad disease that is very much understandable. If the pet is very fixable it is harder for us to deal with. In these cases sometimes we have no choice, and sometimes someone will adopt the pet and give it the care it needs.”

Said Berg, “Sometimes people shouldn’t get animals. They should have expectation that at some point they’re going to pay veterinary bills.” He added that for most people, veterinary care is very affordable.

Despite the fact that the exact same machines and treatments are used on humans, medical care for animals is much cheaper. “If you want to know how much medical care costs,” said Berg, “look at veterinary medicine.”

According to Berg, medicine for humans is jacked up because of forces not present in animal medicine. These include malpractice lawsuits, bureaucracy and insurance.

But expensive or not, most owners are willing to pay to keep their pets healthy. “I think if there’s an ‘oh wow’ factor to that, it’s how much people care for their animals,” Berg said. “If people didn’t care so much, this hospital simply wouldn’t exist.”

When you think Super Bowl, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Football, commercials, cheerleaders and beer, probably. Maybe Janet Jackson. But did you ever wonder how much it would take to ensure that all 76,500 fans that walk into Sun Life Stadium on Sunday, walk out safely?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) have unleashed their best four-legged agents to guard against explosive threats at this year’s Bowl. The top K-9 units from around the country have been shipped down to Miami, along with local, state and federal law enforcement, to make sure the fans, players and staff can enjoy the game in safety.

Trained dogs from Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and Florida are all helping to make sure Sun Life is free of explosive devices and other threats that could endanger any fan, staff or athlete during the big game on Sunday.

Clearly this four-legged tail-wagger’s never heard the phrase “can’t teach old dogs new tricks” because he’s playing Tony Hawk: Ride, and he’s playing it well.

Now, this video is more than likely viral marketing on Activision’s account, but why would we complain when we get to sit back and watch a dog ride and skateboard?

Have a look.

Source: Kotaku

BRISBANE, Australia — An Australian Special Forces Explosives Detection Dog named Sabi has been found alive and well almost 14 months after being declared missing in action in Afghanistan.

The black Labrador retriever, who was trained to detect improvised explosive devices in the Oruzgan province, was recovered by a US soldier at an isolated patrol base recently.

The US soldier, known only by his first name John, was aware his Australian Special Forces colleagues were missing one of their explosive detection dogs.

John said it was immediately obvious that Sabi was no ordinary canine.

"I took the dog and gave it some commands which it understood," he said.

At the time of her disappearance Sabi was coming to the end of her second tour of duty in Afghanistan, having previously deployed to Oruzgan in 2007.

Sabi was declared MIA in September 2008 after the combined Australian, US and Afghan National Army convoy was ambushed by an insurgent force.

Nine Australian soldiers including Sabi’s handler were injured during the attack After the engagement Trooper Mark Donaldson earned the Victoria Cross, Australia’s highest military honor for bravery.

After more than a year in South Afghanistan, Sabi was flown to Tarin Kowt to be reunited with one of her Australian Special Forces handlers, who knew instantly it was the team’s missing dog.

"I nudged a tennis ball to her with my foot and she took it straight away. It’s a game we used to play over and over during her training," the trainer said.

"It’s amazing, just incredible to have her back."

If you have never heard of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and you love a good long immersion in a book, stop reading this blog right now and go pick up the book.‚  Don’t be deterred by the Oprah sticker on the front.‚  Those come right off, and sometimes even Oprah has good taste.

Anne Fadiman wrote, “[T]here is a certain kind of child who awakens from a book as from an abyssal sleep, swimming heavily up through layers of consciousness toward a reality that seems less real than the dream-state that has been left behind.”

I was that kind of child, and I read a book every night hoping to recapture the experience Fadiman describes.‚  With David Wroblewski’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, I did find a realer reality in Edgar’s world.

I suggest jumping in without reading anything about the book, because that’s how I did it.‚  I spent the first quarter of the book fascinated.‚  Wroblewski spent those first hundred or two pages building intricate characters and their intricate connections to their surroundings: a dog-breeding farm in the 1960s.

Edgar is born mute, but I usually forgot that.‚  He uses sign language to communicate with the dogs.‚  Wroblewski adeptly describes the thoughts and emotions of the dogs, and conversations between dog and person.

When Edgar is fourteen (or thereabout), his father collapses and Edgar cannot call for help.‚  At this point, the story begins to fill the Hamlet‚ mold Wroblewski‚ chose‚ for it.‚  I had not realized until Edgar’s mom plays house with his uncle that the story was a retelling of Hamlet.

Hamlet has a very complicated plot, and every detail that I can remember is represented in The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.‚  Yet Sawtelle has its own, separate identity.

Imagine the story of Hamlet as a line drawing; it is very detailed and rich.‚  It is complete: a perfect work of art.

With Sawtelle, Wroblewski filled in the lines with color, adding the subtlety of shades, giving the lines new relationships and definition.

Wroblewski is a talented story-teller.‚  At first I was jarred out of the story.‚  I knew the plot of Hamlet, so I knew how Edgar’s life story would end.‚  I was disappointed, betrayed.‚  Wroblewski didn’t need the gimmick of re-telling Hamlet, he told a beautiful story without reference to the Bard.

I was on an airplane when this happened.‚  I didn’t have much reading material, so‚  I dove back into Sawtelle’s life.

The familiar characters and events of Hamlet became unfamiliar.‚  I smiled at the blatant references that I had missed before.

If you have not studied Hamlet, there is much to love in the 562 pages of The Life of Edgar Sawtelle.‚  You will experience American rural life as it was before computers and cell phones.‚  You will observe the relationship between a boy and the dog who helped raise him.‚  You will experience tragedy as so many characters make destructive choices in response to chaos.

If you know Hamlet intimately, you will be surprised at the depth that Wroblewski gives to characters.‚  They may participate in the same events as the classic play, but these characters do it for their own reasons, not to serve a gimmick.

According to a report released Thursday by the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) killed 95 percent of the adoptable pets in its care during 2008.

The report was compiled with public records from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; the animal rights group euthanizes an average of 5.8 pets every day at its Norfolk, Va. headquarters. The records showed that 2,124 pets were put to sleep last year and only seven were placed in adoptive homes. Since 1998, a total of 21,339 dogs and cats have been euthanized.

“PETA hasn’t slowed down its hypocritical killing machine one bit, but it keeps browbeating the rest of society with a phony ‘animal rights’ message. What about the rights of the thousands of dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens that die in PETA’s headquarters building?” said CCF Research Director David Martosko.

In defending the organization PETA spokeswoman Ashley Byrne said CCF is only concerned with protecting their interests rather than protecting animals.

“I think that there are two things that need to be mentioned. First, the fact that CCF is a group that is funded by the meat, alcohol, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries and most of those industries try to use their money to hide their bad practices. They know PETA is doing anything they can to expose the their wrong doings and they’ll do anything they can to fight back as well,” said Byrne.

The campaign manager added that euthanasia is not a subject people like to discuss critically, but that is used to point the finger. Because of “casual” pet acquisition, as Byrne put it, many animals that can be adopted at shelters are left without a home whenever people buy a pet from a breeder or a pet store. Furthermore, Byrne said that PETA puts pets to sleep only in cases where the animals have severe behavioral issues, like aggressiveness, or are too old or sick to be adopted.

“We think ourselves as the shelter of last resort because a lot of shelters give us animals that are not adoptable, they are euthanized just as they would be at other shelters and at least with us they are given a last resort in a loving and peaceful environment,” Byrne added.

But despite having a $32 million budget, PETA does not put that money or corresponding effort into an adoption shelter. The organization uses money from that budget to create campaigns like Animal Birth Control (ABC), which educates and encourages pet owners to spay and neuter their animals so that those at shelters do not have to compete with newborn kittens or puppies, amongst others.

“People who do care about these issues can help by never buying form a breeder or pet store but only adopting from a shelter and spaying and neutering pets. Our t blog is filled with photos of animals and the type of cases that PETA handles for euthanasia. After you read stories and look at photos to understand the way these animals are suffering, you can see why we have to do this,” said Byrne.

WOBURN, Mass. — Disney makes a hit with their latest movie Bolt by using the Pixar talent it acquired in 2006 to bring back‚ their‚ successful animated movies. Bolt, a cute white German Sheppard who was raised in a TV set and believes has superpowers, was charming, funny and appreciated by young and old audiences alike.

What made Bolt such a good film to watch was just that; everybody at the theater laughed at the same moments, there were no masked jokes for the kids or boring cheesiness for the children. John Lasseter, the executive producer of the film, put his experience from Toy Story to good use. The CGI animation was fantastically good, as was the plotline and character development.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is an acting dog who stars in a hit action television show and has never been let out from the studio. Because of this he was raised thinking that he truly has heat vision and a super bark. His costar, Penny (voiced by Miley Cirus) is kidnapped in one of the show’s climatic ending scenes, which freaks out the dog. Without understanding what is going on, Bolt decides to go rescue the tween girl and discover he is just another dog once he is in the real world.

Along the way of disheartening realizations about his fake powers Bolt takes a sassy cat, Mittens (by Susie Essman), hostage and meets a hyperactive hamster in a ball, (13-year Disney animation veteran Mark Walton). Together they venture on a cross-country quest to find Penny and the imagery that accompanies them is beautiful. In the first minutes of the film where an action scene from Bolt’s show is taking place this detail to the images is established.

Through the entire film viewers can see and feel the racing cars Bolt escapes from, the change of weather and the wind blowing or the sun shining. It all works in creating authenticity that draws people in. What makes them stay is the dialogue. By far the best one-liners and laughs were provided by the hamster in the ball.

Rhino is one of Bolt’s super fans and just as the dog thinks he has powers that have suddenly disappeared, Rhino believes he will be the sidekick for his hero. Eventually both the dog and the hamster come to the conclusion that the powers are nothing more than special effects but learn (Disney couldn’t miss the morale of the story) that they are special no matter what. Created for all audiences Bolt will be a holiday hit and a Disney video classic.

To make your Bolt experience better folks at Disney graced us with a super prize pack to give to one lucky reader. It includes the movie’s plush toys, movie-themed doggie‚ treats and the film’s Wii game amongst other goodies. Email your contact information to Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com‚ by January 1st to enter! Bolt gifts for your little ones are also available at all Toys “R” Us.

It was a long month packed with news, drama and Britney going to the hospital.

In an homage to Letterman’s return to the air, here are the top 10 things you should come away with in January:

10. Your dog will soon take over the world.

9. Don’t stay on the top floor of a casino.

8. Sony may or may not release a white PS3 and they may or may not put Skype into PSP right away.

7. People are jaded as fuck. The first thing readers asked me when Heath Ledger died was whether or not he would still be The Joker.

6. Geek chic is still sexy.

5. Special orders do upset cops.

4. The rich go to Cedars Sinai Medical Center to have their babies. The poor take their chances elsewhere.

3. Don’t trust everything you read on MySpace.

2. Britney Spears won’t outlive any of us.

And the number 1 piece of knowledge you should come away with in January is:

Miley Cyrus is underage. And she will be for a while.

Does a dog not feel? If you scratch us do our legs not kick? — Brian The Dog, “Family Guy”

Recently, a Hungarian company claimed they developed software that can translate a dog’s bark to English with some regularity. Although there are many bugs in the software, the program seems to get it right about 43 percent of the time, including correctly identified words “stranger,” “fight,” “walk,” “alone,” “ball” and “play.”

As this technology advances in the coming decade, we may be able to decipher dogspeak with increasingly regularity and accuracy. Every time your dog wants food, has an itch in need of a scratch, has a stomach ache, is cold or hot or just doesn’t want to get up, he may be able to tell you immediately.

This also means he’ll learn barking can be advantageous to his needs and will do so with increasing frequency.

Initially, of course, the dog translators will fly off the shelves. Finally, a chance to find out why Fido insists on barking at the neighbors everyday! But what happens when the dog’s realize their new power? They already know that their human masters are willing to feed them, bathe them and pick up their shit. Just imagine what’s going to happen when they realize they can really boss you around.

Elderly dog owners who might not be up to the task of disciplining will get bombarded with “Give me a bone!” demands, while younger dog enthusiasts will realize their supposed best friend can now make sarcastic remarks about the taste of dog food or have a point-counterpoint argument about why he should be able to sleep on the couch. Not to mention, when your dog is in the car with his head out the window, might he start verbally second guessing your speed and direction? Backseat drivers will no longer be a humans only annoyance.

Will this also open up a gap in breed to breed intelligence? What happens when my golden retriever is giving a Shakespearian soliloquy on the meaning of life while your pitbull-cocker spaniel crossbreed can’t figure out the difference between your wife and the mailman? A major class war between dogs and their owners will no doubt commence.

These are just a few of the questions that will arise as dog translators make it out of the lab and onto the collars of man’s best friend. Consider yourself warned.

Pinups for Pups is completely serious about the campaign they have created to raise awareness about responsible pet ownership. The plan? To patch up the tension created by the recent Ellen DeGeneres vs. Mutts and Moms conflict.

In mid-October, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was confronted by the rescue group Mutts and Moms for giving her hairdresser a dog she had adopted with the group. By doing so, they claim, she violatd an agreement on the contract she had signed at the time of adoption saying she would be responsible for the animal.

After the confrotation with the group, DeGeneres said on her show that she had poured her heart (and $3000) into training Iggy, the pet in question. However, Iggy ended up with “too much energy” and was “too rambunctious.” So when her hairdresser, a mother of two little girls, asked for ownership of Iggy, DeGeneres handed over the pup thinking she would give Iggy a better home.

After two weeks, during which DeGeneres received updates and pictures “every single day… of how happy Iggy [was],” Mutts & Moms called DeGeneres to check on the puppy. Upon hearing DeGeneres’s confession, they set out for the hairdresser’s home and promptly removed the dog.

DeGeneres then had a tearful breakdown over the issue on her show, for which she received much public criticism. She claimed, in between sobs and sniffles, that she thought she did a good thing.

"I tried to find a loving home for the dog because I couldn’t keep it,” she said.

As part of her tearful plea for forgiveness, DeGeneres also asked for the group to give Iggy back to the family; the hairdresser’s daughters had become attached to the dog and wanted to care for it responsibly. However, Keith Fink, an attorney for Mutts and Moms, said that the rescue group gave the new family a chance to go through the adoption process, but they refused.

Like many others, Jake and Sondra Shannon were bothered by the conflict between the two parties. The California residents are founders of Pinups for Pups, a business that sells calendars to support animal rescue leagues and promote events related to the cause. After watching the dramatic show, they created a Can Ellen Save the Dogs? campaign to promote better pet adoption practices.

Throughout the campaign, participants are encouraged to send a letter, from the template available on the site or a personalized one, to DeGeneres. The letter would ask her to “keep positive while promoting responsible pet ownership and understanding the Animal Return Provision in her adoption contract,” according to the template on their site. The campaign is not about bashing either party, but rather, they say, about “burying the hatchet” and using the ordeal as a learning experience for all. Moreover, the campaign focuses on appreciating animal rescuers.

“They are heroes too, but seldom get recognition,” Sondra said. “Unfortunately, in this case they instead got threats of violence and smeared by overzealous fans of Ellen.”

Jake, who keeps up with internet marketing, noticed a few of his peers conducting a similar health and fitness challenge with Michael Moore. After purchasing a domain name, Jake and Sondra began spreading their cause via MySpace. Although the pair, who are parents to a 10-month-old and have three adopted dogs, wanted to buy more advertising. However, their budget was rather modest from producing Pinups for Pups calendars, so most marketing was done via word of mouth.

“We were shocked to hear of Mutts and Moms being vilified by some people for simply enforcing the contract that Ellen…signed. We do think Ellen has the power to transform a fiasco into a blessing primarily due to the bully pulpit she wields, a nationally broadcast television show,” Sondra said. “[You can help] by simply passing [the letter] along to every single person that you believe will care. After that, be kind to animals and try to help solve the problem of the millions of innocent animals that are abused or destroyed as a result of irresponsible breeding or ownership.”

The return clause in DeGeneres’ contract is fairly standard. Adopters use it to ensure that an animal is in a good home, since they are held accountable for the fates of the pets.

Since the nationwide campaign started in mid-November, Shannon has received over 25 letters. In addition, DeGeneres has featured other animal rescues on her show.

“[This] isn’t to say that Ellen didn’t have a good home… experienced rescuers are more likely to weed out bad homes just based on what they’ve seen before. To take it to its logical extreme, imagine if another celebrity couple like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt decided that they wanted to give away one of the children they adopted? They wouldn’t simply be able to give it to their hairdresser, you know? It’s about protecting an innocent life that may not be in control of its own fate,” said Shannon.