For the past few months I’ve been working with a local dog walking company. It’s been a rather interesting experience. My initial motivation was simply that I had never hired or worked for a dog walking company and yet at the shelter we constantly told people to use them when they worked the usual 60-80…
Author: Bethany
Food-motivated though not food-aggressive bleeding heart animal lover and advocate. Views expressed do not reflect those of employers & may include bad words.
Kentucky Derby Day
First, I suggest reading an article about horse racing over on Slate. I can wait. Now, I’m going to explain why I find this article thought-provoking yet deeply problematic. First, I do give the writer credit for acknowledging his prior brutal nature in regards to horse racing where he saw them as no more “beings”…
You Can’t Give Up: or why animal advocates should watch Joss Whedon
Recently the Maryland Court of Appeals issued a ruling that upset a great many people, myself included. I suggest reading the ruling in full. Essentially the ruling changes the status of pit bulls in Maryland. Previously, if a dog of any breed bit someone, that dog needed to be proven to have been previously known…
What’s small, fluffy, and trainable?
Many people who live in the DC area live in apartments. If they want a pet, they want one who doesn’t have to go outside in the winter, can be trained, is soft and cuddly, is quiet, and (most important with all the restrictions apartment buildings have) doesn’t weigh a lot. Why aren’t all these…
Fall Off 100 Times
Although some of my friends laugh at me for it, I believe that we can find important lessons in the lives of animals and our interactions with them. Maybe it goes back to adoring Philosophy classes in college and vehmently defending them whenever someone would claim they were somehow less useful than nebulous “business” classes….
Roll Over and Play Dead: Great Plot and Good Points
Basics: Roll Over and Play Dead, Joan Hess, 1991 Rereading this at the age of 27 was quite a different experience from when I first read it–probably age 9 or so and while I liked animals, definitely not aware of what I was reading about. Also, 9 was not the target audience but I suspect…
Welcome!
Toby and I would like to welcome you to the new home of Capital Animals! We hope you enjoy it and are patient during our growing pains and find what I’m sure are at least a few broken links that cropped up during the move from Blogspot. He’s very excited for you to read my…
I’m back!
Hello! While I was at the shelter I wasn’t blogging due to some in-house rules about conflict of interest, but I’m not there anymore. The upshot–I’m back at Capital Animals! I know, I know, you all have missed me oh so much. Anyway, I hope that you all have had some great months saving animals,…
This will not be updating for the near future
Due to changing jobs and now working for an animal shelter to coordinate adoptions outreach there, I no longer feel that it is ethical for me to keep up this blog. I will keep it up for awhile because I may return to it in the future after more thought and after I become more…
Come Together
The Smithsonian claims that outdoor cats (feral and pet) are a serious danger to birds. They even seem to suggest (subtly) that TNR be abandoned and that TNR supporters are unknowingly killing birds. Alley Cat Allies claims that loss of habitat and increased human activities are a far greater danger to birds than cats ever…