Random, plus noticing the year
As the owner of a German shepherd/yorkie/Boston terrier mix, I wouldn't know much about this subject, but it is nice to see a positive pit bull story in the news: Pit bull saves owner from attack by two dogs
In other dog news, a proposed bill would allow Pennsylvania towns to make their own dog laws, unshackling them from the tyranny of the state, I suppose. Pit bull advocates see this as the first step toward Breed Specific Legislation that would target their dogs. However, one online commenter sees it as an even greater first step:
This is a step in the right direction to eventually outlaw dogs completely. Dogs should be restricted to farms or released back into the wild. They are far too unpredictable and dangerous to be part of the community fabric in residential areas. It is sad that it has become so commonplace to own dogs. People have the mind set that this is normal practice and that certainly needs to be changed.
I can't see this catching on right away, what with there being 75 million pet dogs in America at the moment, but hey, a looney can dream.
If exotic animals are more your thing, why not go to the zoo? Perhaps you don't know where the nearest one is. Well, I was planning to make an interactive map showing them all (inspired by the discovery that there's a zoo in Utica for some reason) but naturally someone has already made one. In fact, two someones. Here's a global one http://www.zoos-worldwide.de/zoos.html and here's a little better one, unfortunately with an American bias http://www.americanzoos.info/Files/Webpages/USA/States/States.html
Hey I forgot to mention that I noticed something earlier this week! I saw two different common grackles rummaging through the clogged gutters on the zoo hospital. They were flinging out clumps of oak flowers, which are everywhere in obscene quantities, putting invisible pollen in my eyes and gathering on the ground into huge sausage shaped tumbleweeds. I thought maybe the grackles were collecting nesting material, but then I saw one pick a caterpillar out of the duff and eat it. I've seen birds drink from gutters, but this was the first time I've seen them eat from them.
Baby starlings and robins are also everywhere in obscene quantities. That's one reason I'm happy not to be working at the Audubon society right now. Every weekend until July dozens of people with the best of intentions will be bringing apparent orphans to Drumlin Farm and to various wildlife rehabs, only to be told they should have left it be. Nature is heartless, folks, let it run its evil course--it's part of God's plan to kill 3/4 of baby songbirds before they reach adulthood. If it wasn't they'd only lay two eggs.
That'll wrap up this depressing, but all-animal post. Hopefully I'll be finishing up last weekends pictures before I take too many this weekend.
In other dog news, a proposed bill would allow Pennsylvania towns to make their own dog laws, unshackling them from the tyranny of the state, I suppose. Pit bull advocates see this as the first step toward Breed Specific Legislation that would target their dogs. However, one online commenter sees it as an even greater first step:
This is a step in the right direction to eventually outlaw dogs completely. Dogs should be restricted to farms or released back into the wild. They are far too unpredictable and dangerous to be part of the community fabric in residential areas. It is sad that it has become so commonplace to own dogs. People have the mind set that this is normal practice and that certainly needs to be changed.
I can't see this catching on right away, what with there being 75 million pet dogs in America at the moment, but hey, a looney can dream.
If exotic animals are more your thing, why not go to the zoo? Perhaps you don't know where the nearest one is. Well, I was planning to make an interactive map showing them all (inspired by the discovery that there's a zoo in Utica for some reason) but naturally someone has already made one. In fact, two someones. Here's a global one http://www.zoos-worldwide.de/zoos.html and here's a little better one, unfortunately with an American bias http://www.americanzoos.info/Files/Webpages/USA/States/States.html
Hey I forgot to mention that I noticed something earlier this week! I saw two different common grackles rummaging through the clogged gutters on the zoo hospital. They were flinging out clumps of oak flowers, which are everywhere in obscene quantities, putting invisible pollen in my eyes and gathering on the ground into huge sausage shaped tumbleweeds. I thought maybe the grackles were collecting nesting material, but then I saw one pick a caterpillar out of the duff and eat it. I've seen birds drink from gutters, but this was the first time I've seen them eat from them.
Baby starlings and robins are also everywhere in obscene quantities. That's one reason I'm happy not to be working at the Audubon society right now. Every weekend until July dozens of people with the best of intentions will be bringing apparent orphans to Drumlin Farm and to various wildlife rehabs, only to be told they should have left it be. Nature is heartless, folks, let it run its evil course--it's part of God's plan to kill 3/4 of baby songbirds before they reach adulthood. If it wasn't they'd only lay two eggs.
That'll wrap up this depressing, but all-animal post. Hopefully I'll be finishing up last weekends pictures before I take too many this weekend.