We have another wedding to go to next month. All I have to do with this one is show up and it’s in New Mexico so we’re using this as an opportunity to make it a mini vacation and bring the dog. It’s up in the four corners area which I’ve never been to so I’m hoping we can get to the ruins and stuff and get to drive on rt 666 oooh. *sings Patti Smith to herself*

There’s a lot involved in travelling with a pet though so planning in advance is really important.

First off I’ve been researching hotels in the area that allow pets - there are a lot of sites with databases with that info but I find DogFriendly.com has the most comprehensive list.

I called a few places that looked good to double check on their pet policies because they vary wildly. In this case the Best Western (at 85 dollars a night) requires people with pets stay in a smoking room and they charge a 10 dollar non-refundable fee. The Holiday Inn (at a 50 dollar discount rate) charges a 20 dollar non-refundable fee per night and we can’t leave her alone in the room - whether she’s crated or not. The La Quinta (at 70 bucks per night from expedia) seems to be the most flexible - no fees, no smoking room required, they just ask we clean up any mess she makes. That Best Western is awfully tempting with its free high speed wireless network though. Some places also won’t allow dogs over 50 pounds so that’s important to check out too.

Ok so we decided on a hotel. Now what to bring. Since we’ll have to leave her in the room while we go to the wedding and stuff we’re bringing along a soft sided collapsable crate, her favorite fleece blanket, and some toys to keep her busy while we’re gone.

Other things to bring
-a bottle of water from the house and a rubbermaid plastic bowl
-a travel bowl and baggies of premeasured food
-poop bags
-a small bottle of cleaner in case of an accident
-a roll of paper towels
-a fresh fast tag with my cellphone number on it
-an extra collar and leash
-a well-stocked first aid kit

She’s really used to riding in the car with us - we drive a cr-v with the back seats down and a nice bed in the back for her. We’re trying to get her used to her seat belt now that some cities here have been considering changing city ordinances to require pets being restrained in vehicles.

Now I just have to find out where the dog friendly parks are up there.

Despite all the trouble I’m still glad we just have a dog - even though human breeders can take their babies pretty much anywhere. I’m just not a baby person - they kind of scare me. I usually react with googling to puppies and kittens the way others do to babies. So we don’t get to claim the pets as dependants but we can always put the dog in her crate and go out for a bit - people tend to call child services when you do that with a toddler. Nonetheless my anti-PETA rant still applies.

Sometimes people are surprised to hear that I do not consider myself an animal rights person. I am an animal welfare supporter. What’s the difference? I’m so glad you asked.

Basically Animal Rights people believe that all living creatures are equal. There is no distinction between the value of a human life vs that of a dog. In fact, Michael Fox of the Humane Society of the United States (a seemingly benign name) has been heard to say that “There is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They’re all mammals. The life of an ant and the life of my child should be accorded equal respect.”

They generally believe that no animal should be used or harmed to benefit humans. On the surface this sounds reasonable enough right? Animal testing for cosmetics is bad, wearing fur is bad (and kind of gross), wearing leather is not as bad if you eat beef too (according to some). How about medical testing on animals? Studying the effects of medicines on diseases, using animal parts inside medicine. Monkey heart transplants? Horse products in glue for your furniture? What are bricks made out of? Where did the chemicals in the dye for your clothes come from? What do they use to make magnetic videotapes? Ok so it’s really hard to track every single ingredient in products used in your daily life. But some people like to think that their cruelty-free undyed hemp underpants are better than yours so they get to dictate how and when animals can be used to benefit your life.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is probably the best known animal rights organization and they have some dubious associations indeed - violent groups such as the Animal Liberation Front. Because they’re considered non-profit their tax returns are public knowledge - and they’ve given money to people that are known fugitives for bombing medical labs to express their disapproval, domestic terrorists if you will. Also, the secretary of PETA is an insulin-dependant diabetic. Guess what’s in her insulin? You guessed it. She’s been known to say that the animals who had to die for her insulin pay a small price for the work she does for their fellow living creatures’ benefit.

Another charming PETA campaign I’ve heard about is assuming that all people who are overweight are carnivores and naming people like Michael Moore members of the “flabby five”.

According to some PETA literature I’ve read they also don’t believe that animals should be kept as pets - regardless of how well they’re cared for. They believe that all pets should be set free to roam the streets on their own - to starve to death because they’re so far from their hunter ancestors they don’t have the first clue how to hunt, and when their instincts do kick in there aren’t enough resources to share. Free to get run over by our cars, free to attack small children on their way to the bus. Are we starting to envision scenes from 12 Monkeys yet?

These groups also don’t believe that we should use seeing eye dogs and have been known to compare images showing the containment and slaughter of chickens for the food industry to those of emaciated corpses in World War II concentration camps. Does this sound rational, ethical, humane, and caring?

So how do these extremist views contrast with those of animal welfare activists?

The animal welfare philosophy is fundamentally different from the animal rights philosophy, since it endorses the responsible use of animals to satisfy certain human needs. These range from companionship and sport, to uses which involve the taking of life, such as for food, clothing and medical research. Animal welfare means ensuring that all animals used by humans have their basic needs fulfilled in terms of food, shelter and health, and that they experience no unnecessary suffering in providing for human needs.

My beliefs are pretty much exactly those of the American Veterinary Medical Association-

Animal welfare is a human responsibility that encompasses all aspects of animal well being, including proper housing, management, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling, and, when necessary, humane euthanasia.

Animal rights is a philosophical view and personal value characterized by statements by various animal rights groups. Animal welfare and animal rights are not synonymous terms. The AVMA wholeheartedly endorses and adopts promotion of animal welfare as official policy; however, the AVMA cannot endorse the philosophical views and personal values of animal rights advocates when they are incompatible with the responsible use of animals for human purposes, such as companionship, food, fiber, and research conducted for the benefit of both humans and animals.

So while I adore my pets, generally do prefer the company of my dog to a good number of people, and have pretty strong feelings about neutering please don’t confuse me with the whacko extremists who are building their own army of lawyers in an attempt to legally change the use of “owner” to “guardian” in local animal control ordinances.

Anyway, I’m working on a theory about an extremist animal rights group being behind a series of urban legend spam emails targetted at a particular corporation. I’ll say more about it tomorrow.

He played the neurotic sidekick to perfection. A lot of people will remember him as fastidious Felix Unger but I always preferred him as Rock Hudson’s best friend in movies like Lover Come Back.

Tony Randall Feb 26 1920 - May 17 2004

from the ‘to post’ blogroll-

This woman has written a series of articles and recipes for mixing shampoos and facial masks using (mostly) common household ingredients. Some are pretty common but there are a few new ideas there. She actually has training in chemistry too.

Ever since my first experience with a Japanese-style bathtub (basically they’re shorter in length but much deeper) I’ve wanted to have one in my own house. This is the closest I’ve seen to a ready-made one being sold in the US that would fit in the same space as a standard bathtub. It seems to target the senior / disabled market so just ignore the scary images of a bathing old man and think about how cool having a tub like that would be. And no, I won’t be installing a Japanese-style toilet anytime soon my knees are not what they once were.

I woke up to a searing muscle cramp in my left calf this morning. Boy that’ll wake you up in a hurry. Probably because I wore high heels the last two days for the first time in a while. It was worth it though I looked and felt fabulous. I also have a bad habit of pointing and flexing my toes in my sleep. Although I don’t do it as much as I used to because Melon likes to attack my toes if they wiggle under the sheets too much. A cat’s claw in your big toe also wakes you up in a hurry. Thankfully Cody was awake in the office and came in to rub the muscle out. I’ve woken him up with that problem before. Of course he’s a sweetheart about it saying “That’s why I’m here” but I always feel guilty anyway.

I think he really enjoyed spending time with people with similar political opinions this weekend. We both start to feel very alone in our opinions sometimes - although visiting so many weblogs with similar views helps me a lot. Between that law student picnic a few months ago and this weekend we’re both much more optimistic about this coming November. I mean we didn’t agree outright with everything people said but it was nice to be around people with whom we generally agree. I think we should probably go out more often - says the agoraphobic.

So I’m still pretty sore and limping around but I stayed in bed for a while and watched The Good Girl which was kind of funny in places but I probably wouldn’t watch it again. Zooey Deschanel’s character made it worth watching. Every retail worker’s evil thoughts. Funny that she’s in this movie because the Jake Gyllenhaal character is named after a Salinger character too.

We actually used rabbit-ear antennas to watch cbs last night. We never do that but the remake of Helter Skelter was on. T’wasn’t very good really. Like a cheap Natural Born Killers - lots of gritty intercuts, modern music, sad attempts to include psychological aspects of Manson’s control. I like the cheesiness of the 70s version (which originally aired on cbs in 1976) narrated by the actor playing Bugliosi with the imitation Beatles cover band and Steve Railsback acting batshit crazy. The new one was just too…Seven and it just doesn’t capture how dramatic the change was from the idealism of the sixties to the crazy cynicism of the seventies. It just looked like it happened in an early nineties dance club.

When I woke up there was an envelope with my name on it on top of my keyboard. Inside was a card with a very cute picture of husky puppies and the card said “Not only do I love you, You’re my best friend”. And he’d written “You are the best part of every day. I love you!”

It wasn’t our anniversary, or my birthday or any ’special’ day really. He just saw a cute card at the store and thought of me. I really did marry the sweetest man on earth. *sob*

I heard you were asking about Hello Kitty, Juus, here’s a really great article about it. What is this thing called Hello Kitty?

My favorite item is the toaster that toasts the image of the cat onto the bread!

I didn’t find that condom machines were that easy to find back in 91. But I do remember the warm canned coffee drinks - they had those in South Korea too. That’s all I drank in Seoul the water was way too nasty and it was really cold while I was there so the coffee was nice and warm.

Japanese vending machines

Which Dead Like Me character are you?

Daisy

You are a new reaper to the bunch, but have won the world over with your charm and good looks. You were an actress in your former life, giving blow jobs to actors like Clark Gable to get movie roles. You feel destined for stardom but are stuck living as a reaper, needing someone to love you.

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Which poem are you?

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

You’re probably strongly political, and a pacifist. Hey, and you’re also slightly depressing. You think a lot of things suck and are pointless. Congratulations!

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.