Tucson Rodeo Parade--Horse Abuse?

Channel 13, KOLD Tucson, showed this You Tube video of a downed horse that was kicked and had its tail pulled when it would not get up during the parade on Thursday morning. The video begins with the horse lying on the ground; it is not shown what happened before. It is being investigated, and a veterinarian who had not seen the video said sometimes it is necessary to kick a horse when it has colic because if it doesn't get up, it will die. Well, supposedly the man tried to re-enter the parade and was not allowed to, so I would say the horse did not have colic. The parade is billed as the longest non-mechanized parade in the country, and according to its web site there is "zero tolerance for animal abuse."

They do have a lot of rules concerning safety of the animals, participants, and the parade viewers, especially after a 5-year-old girl was killed in 2007 when her horse was spooked.

I also found a video claiming electric shocksare used on the bucking broncos. That video is a lot clearer, and I don't think it could have been altered but I'm not an expert. The group that posted it says the rodeo claims the horses are "born to buck." I went to a few rodeos when I was young and from that and reading about it, I came to my own conclusion that except for the barrel racing, a lot of cruelty was involved.

UPDATE by Channel 13 on March 10: The rodeo parade committee now says the horse was ridden in the rest of the parade, and they visited the horse later and found no signs of abuse. But incredibly, there are no veterinarians present along the parade route, although they may consult the ones at the rodeo grounds. Since this is the longest non-mechanized parade in the country, that is totally unacceptable.

For the Love of Jerry

PBS aired another outstanding Nature episode last night, "Why We Love Cats and Dogs." It was entertaining and informative (cat agility--who knew?) as well as touching, with real people talking about their pets. But the most touching story of all is about Jerry, a German Shepard who was adopted by a couple after they got married. They didn't have kids, and they loved going hiking and camping with him. Then Jerry got bone cancer and had one of his front legs amputated, but that didn't stop him from being an active dog. But his owners decided it wasn't enough to come home to him after work every day, and they were missing too much of his life. They sold their business (which they had planned to do when they retired) and home and bought an RV so they could travel the country full-time with Jerry. Naturally a lot of their friends and family thought they were nuts.

I've had three dogs who had cancer, and one who died unexpectedly so he probably had it, too. Trying to make the right decisions for what is best for your dogs while struggling with your own desire to be with them was almost the hardest parts of my life.

You can watch the full episode here. Be sure to grab your kleenex as Jerry's story is both sad and joyful.

Jerry's owners also have a website, Jerry's Place for Tripawds, which has a lot of good information and even a store for three-legged pets (photo is from their website). There is also a lot of resources on dog cancer.

Here's to Jerry, Sasha, Joey, Dillan, and Jessee at the Rainbow Bridge.

New Legislation for Wild Horses

America’s Wild Horses Will Roam Free, Under New Legislation

February 12, 2009

Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) and Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) today introduced legislation to ensure the continued protection of the thousands of wild horses and burros that roam the Nation's public lands, which have recently become endangered by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to slaughter otherwise healthy animals.

"It is unacceptable for wild horses to be slaughtered without any regard for the general health, well-being, and conservation of these iconic animals that embody the spirit of our American West," Rahall said. "Introduction of this legislation will ensure the continued presence of those wild horses that make their homes on public lands."

"Our wild horses are being harmed by antiquated policies," said Grijalva. "These policies must be updated to reflect Americans' desire to see these horses protected. We must not lose these majestic icons of the West. "

To read more, go here. Representatives Rahall and Grijalva (from Arizona) ride to the rescue of America's wild horses!

Article and Photos on Wild Horses

National Geographic has a good article on wild horses with beautiful photographs by Melissa Farrow. The first photo is of the Gila wild horse herd from Gila Bend, Arizona. For some reason they were not under the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act and were about to be rounded up and sold for slaughter when the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, founded by Wild Horse Annie, rescued them. The article is informative and well-balanced on both sides.

Matilda, Way to Go, Girl!

Puppy Bowl V was a blast as usual, and the puppy I voted for as Most Valuable Puppy won (Animal Planet photo)! She scored more touchdowns than any other puppy in the five years Animal Planet has been showing it! My second favorite was another female beagle puppy, Madeline. They were supposed to be available for adoption, but I couldn't find them on Petfinder (which is a good thing for my dogs).

Of course, the Clydesdales were my favorite Super Bowl ads. For someone who doesn't like football, it's a pretty good day (actually I couldn't find them online until today)!

On a solemn note, I'm glad they did a tribute to Pat Tillman before the game (I didn't see it, but I read about it). He is such a hero to Arizonans and millions of other people. His jersey (retired number 40) outsells all of the other players'. His wife was there in one of the VIP boxes.

Back to beagles, I love the motto of the Arizona Beagle Rescue: "If you save one dog, you won't change the world, but surely the world will change for that one dog."