The first company featured in our series is West Paw Design® . Based in Bozeman, Montana, this small company (employing fewer than 50 individuals) manufactures pet toys and bedding using recyclable materials.

The Eco Friendly line of beds are made of fabric and stuffing known as IntelliLoft™. IntelliLoft™ fibers are created from post-consumer soda bottles. The bed fabric is 85% postconsumer recycled product, and the stuffing is 100% post-consumer recycled and reengineered fiber fill. Up to 40 plastic bottles go into the production of each bed, adding up to over 25 tons of plastic bottles diverted from landfills every year. So far, 165 tons of plastic bottles have been diverted from landfills to create these products, and that number continues to rise. In addition, the use of this recycled material uses six times less energy than would using virgin materials to create fabric.

Recently, West Paw Design® has added a green 'bottle count tag' to their eco products, informing the consumer how many bottles were diverted in the production of each product. These tags are made of recycled paper, and assist customers in locating 'green' products.

West Paw Design® also has a line of organic beds, made with certified organic cotton covers, and filled with IntelliLoft™. These are available in a range of sizes to accommodate both cats and dogs, in multiple shapes and sizes.

Their environmental methods don't stop there. The scraps from making beds are used to make toys, filled with the same IntelliLoft™ stuffing, and the cat toys are also filled with 100% US grown and USDA certified organic catnip. West Paw Design® also uses recycled packaging to ship their products to retail locations such as The Big Bad Woof®.

For tough chewers, West Paw Design® has introduced the Zogoflex® line of toys. These toys are tough, pliable, bounce able, nontoxic, recyclable, and buoyant. They are dishwasher safe, and create virtually no waste during production. With an injection molding press at their plant in Montana, West Paw Design® maintains the same high standards for these toys as they do for their other lines, and reduces the environmental impact that would have been created by shipping raw materials to another country to be produced, and then shipping the finished product back to the United States. The Zogoflex® toys are guaranteed against dog damage, with a one-time only replacement offer if the toy does not withstand your dog's chewing. When the toy has been loved to death, it can be mailed back to West Paw Design® and recycled into a new toy! Talk about completing the recycle circle! Zogoflex® toys include: Hurley™, Huck, Zisc™, and the newest (fillable) toy, the Tux™.

In addition, West Paw Design® is an active and conscious member of their community, in the fifth largest (and fastest growing) city in the state of Montana. They have partnered with Reach, Inc. to employ special needs people for subassembly work, and all of their employees receive fair wages, benefits, and profit sharing. Building a sense of community within the company fosters personal investments, so that the people working there care more about the company and the products they design and create. Once a year the employees compete in teams of three to create new toys from raw materials; the winning team takes the "Golden Hairball," and many of the toys created during those annual meetings have been introduced as new products.

The West Paw Design® website is extremely user-friendly, filled with customer testimonials and photographs, in-depth information on each of their products, and featured articles from magazines such as Modern Dog, The Bark, and City Dog.

For all these reasons, we at The Big Bad Woof® are proud to offer the high-quality products from West Paw Design®, and invite you to bring your pet to select a toy or bed to take home with you.

He is one of the noblest creatures I have been fortunate enough to share part of my life with.........his last day with us was July 16, 2007. He is deeply missed by our family.

Harley & Deuce are gorgeous, friendly, happy, young (3 & 4) yellow labs who need a home together SOON. The owners' new baby has developed severe allergies to them and their owners are devastated.

Both are neutered, have their shots, are house trained and get along with kids, cats, and other dogs. Harley takes anti-seizure meds ($10 per month) with no problems. They are playful and easygoing.

Currently they are being boarded in Montgomery County - but the owners can't afford that for long. If you know any one who might be interested in these beautiful dogs, please see contact info below. They want them to be adopted together.

Even if you aren't interested in adopting these dogs but know someone who might be, please pass this along.

contact:
Debra.Stidham@ cms.hhs.gov

The owner has terminal cancer and can't care for them anymore, and he'd really like to find a home for them while he's still able. He's heartbroken and hopes to find a family who can take both together. Please e-mail directly for more info rmation: PConti@mayerbrownrowe.com.

Details: Black Labs, Male, Adult, Altered.
Darling Hunter and Fame are two gorgeous pure-bred labs, brothers, who find themselves needing a new home now that their owner has become too ill to care for them. They are truly wonderful dogs. The owner's grandchildren can crawl all over them and like a typical lab; they just lay there and love it. Both are neutered, and up to date on their shots.

They are housebroken and are very well behaved. They are about 4 years old. We would love to keep these two boys together if possible; they are the best of friends.

This summer, instead of spending my three months of summer break working at The Big Bad Woof, I took a month off to New Orleans, LA to work with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, a grassroots, non-profit, watchdog organization. My task was to collect images of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath from the residents of St. Bernard Parish located just ten minutes from New Orleans and one of the worst hit locations in Louisiana. This was where the levees broke, flooding from the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) was the most prominent, where wetland destruction has escalated due to human activities, and the location of the one million gallon oil spill due to improper hurricane preparation by the Murphy Oil Refinery.

During my time there, I worked with the members of the community to put together a photo exhibit of over 300 photographs taken entirely by the residents. I wanted a raw perspective, not captured by the media, from those who were there through it all.

Most of the photographers still live in Chalmette, while the rest have relocated to Texas because their homes have been completely destroyed. The stories they all shared with me were touching, courageous, inspiring, and full of heart-break. This is their story of survival and hope when they were forgotten by the institutions that were supposed to help. The following link is to an article that I wrote in collaboration with six of the twenty-two photographers for the Community Arts Network and Grist Magazine: Life After Katrina

The photo exhibit is currently traveling around the country with the majority stops at colleges and universities and small galleries. While the goal of the photo exhibit is to show the country the story of the tragedy through images, it also served as a protest of the lack of action Murphy Oil took to clean up the oil spill which contaminated over 1700 homes. In September 2006, Murphy Oil finally settled with the parish for over $300 million. This proves that no matter your age, level of education, race, or socioeconomic class you do have a voice to help make human and environmental justice possible.

The exhibit will finish its one year tour in D.C. and Maryland in the summer of 2007 before continuing on for its second year.

To see the entire exhibit online, please visit: Life in the Wake of Katrina

For questions or comments please contact: stbernardphoto@gmail.com

Hi all,
I'm hoping that a network of devoted dog people can help one dog find a new home: This past week a 10 year old Cocker mix named Daisy found herself homeless when her elderly owner passed away. She is an adorable tan and
white cocker mix, very friendly, good with kids and other dogs. No health or behavioral issues. Her owner's children cannot keep her as they live on a farm and she needs a home with a fenced in yard (she will run away if she doesn't have a fenced in yard.) If anybody can think of someone who would like their new year brightened with a lovely little dog that still has plenty of life and love to give, please contact me at
ruggersmith@hotmail.com. I'm trying to help the family find her a home ASAP before they bring her to a rural shelter in VA -we all know how well a 10 year old dog would fair there...

She's in Virginia but the family is willing to bring her in to DC if there's someone interested in her. I haven't had any luck with rescue group as they all seem to be overwhelmed by the number of dogs they currently have. Can anyone take this wonderful girl either on a temporary basis until she can find a home or better yet, as her new permanent home?

Thanks much,

Carly

It had the nation mesmerized, watching about 100 horses huddle against the wind and watching 18 of them die. First firemen then the Dutch army tried to rescue them, both unsuccessfully.

Four women on horseback rode out to the rescue. Here's a video of it. There is sound about a minute into the video. Enjoy.

Melinda Fox
Development Director
Humane Society Legislative Fund

Have fun reading this and Happy Holidays! http://www.fluffytails.ca/christmas.asp

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006

by Agnes Jasinski

Staff Writer

Takoma Park City Council members hope a resolution passed Monday night will serve as an example to other jurisdictions across the state that have yet to denounce what they call a ‘‘revolting" practice.

A resolution to oppose the use of battery cages among egg-laying hens and urge consumers to purchase cage-free eggs was introduced by Councilman Bruce Williams (Ward 3), who said a constituent of his brought the issue forward after hearing of the abuses on chicken farms.

Battery cages, which measure about 67 square inches, or about the size of a regular sheet of paper, restrict the movement of the birds so that they are ‘‘unable even to spread their wings," said Paul Shapiro, a Takoma Park resident who works with the Humane Society of the United States. Shapiro is also the founder of Compassion over Killing, a nonprofit animal advocacy group, which recently sent a petition to the Food and Drug Administration asking for regulations on misleading claims on egg cartons.

In Maryland, there are three major egg-producing factory farms — in Westminster, Millington and Cecilton — but none in Montgomery County. Shapiro said about 95 percent of the nearly 300 million egg-laying hens nationwide live on battery-cage farms.

‘‘It was a real education for me," Mayor Kathy Porter said of reading up on battery cage use. Porter said her mother once owned a chicken coop where the hens were able to ‘‘scratch about" the chicken yard.

Takoma Park officials hope the resolution will urge local grocers to offer cage-free eggs voluntarily, and post signs giving consumers information on battery-cage farming.

‘‘In the same way cities and city councils pass resolutions on social issues, the confinement of egg-laying hens is becoming one of the most important animal welfare policy decisions we see today," Shapiro said. ‘‘This is the latest piece in a campaign that’s been going on ... to help get the word out."

Across the border, Washington, D.C., Councilman Jim Graham (Ward 1) introduced a bill last month that would require grocers in the city to disclose which eggs came from hens in battery cages. Whole Foods and Wild Oats Markets have already banned the sale of eggs coming from battery-cage farming, along with several colleges, including American and Georgetown universities in D.C. Several countries, including Germany, Austria and Sweden, have banned battery cages altogether.

‘‘No one is saying that we shouldn’t eat eggs," said Pennye Jones-Napier, a co-owner of two Takoma, D.C. businesses, including the Big Bad Woof. ‘‘But there’s a compassionate way to treat these animals that give us these wonderful gifts."

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Interested in taking action online to help animals? Then join our online community and sign up for our Humane Action Network. Go to www.hsus.org/join .

Councilmember Graham stated, "This bill helps protect consumers who want to prevent animal cruelty. Many consumers believe that confining birds in cages so small they can't even spread their wings is cruel and inhumane, and those consumers should not be misled into making purchases that support such animal abuse."

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which Councilmember Graham chairs.

"Shoppers are demanding more humane treatment of farm animals, and Councilmember Graham's bill will make it easier for consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions," states Paul Shapiro, Director of the Factory Farming Campaign for The HSUS. "The HSUS commends Councilmember Graham for taking the lead on this issue to advance both consumer protection and animal welfare."

Egg-laying hens confined in “battery cages” have so little space that they are unable even to spread their wings or walk, let alone engage in other important natural behaviors such as nesting, foraging, perching and dust bathing. Each caged hen has less floor space than a single letter-sized sheet of paper on which to live, leading to extremely high levels of stress and frustration.

WASHINGTON (September 20, 2006) – The Humane Society of the United States today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for finalizing the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS) Act to help ensure that America’s pets and service animals aren’t left behind in a disaster. The House approved the bill tonight by voice vote to require the inclusion of companion animals in disaster planning at the state and local levels. The HSUS urges President Bush to sign the bill into law.

We're extremely grateful to House and Senate leaders for promptly taking up the legislation, passing it, and sending it on to the President,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “While Katrina spawned so much suffering and dislocation, it also made plain there exists a remarkable bond between people and their pets and that our public policies need to better reflect our sensibilities about animals.”

We have worked through the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue group www.shepherdrescue.org to try to find him a home, but most people who go to them are looking for a purebred. The good people at VGSR have paid for his vaccinations, his FrontLine flea treatments, and his food. We have been fostering him up until now, trying to find him a new home. He is free to a good home (kind, caring people who are willing to let him live inside in the AC and Take him out and play with him and treat him right!). He comes with his favorite possessions: some old tennis balls, a LARGE bone, a piece of wood from an old fence, water and food dishes, a leash, a collar, his favorite (foldable) chair, and whatever food and treats we have on hand when you come to adopt him. Terrapin is great with kids, loves to walk or run (on a leash) and to play in the water.

My landlord has put his foot down and wants the dog out ASAP. Whoever decides to care for Terrapin will be the luckiest person in the world, and shall never want for love or affection.

Visit Shepherd rescue or email rob@fetterolf.net

contributed by Jan Jensen of WELLthy Choices

We live in the woods and carpenter ants are a huge problem. We have spent thousands of dollars with Orkin and on ant poisons trying to keep them under control but nothing has helped.

So when I read somewhere that aspartame (Nutrasweet) was actually developed as an ant poison and only changed to being considered non-poisonous after it was realized that a lot more money could be made on it as a sweetener than as an ant poison, I decided to give it a try.

I opened two packets of aspartame sweetener, and dumped one in a corner of each of our bathrooms. That was about 2 years ago and I have not seen any carpenter ants for about 9 to 12 months. It works better than the most deadly poisons I have tried. Any time they show up again, I simply dump another package of Nutrasweet in a corner, and they will be gone for a year or so again.

Since posting this information I have had many people tell me of their success solving ant problems with this substance, when nothing else worked.

These two seniors are so stressed in the shelter (they are not even housed together) that they probably won't survive if they aren't adopted together. They are used to living as housepets and can be walked 'on a silk thread' according to the volunteer.

The message we received:

"I'm a volunteer at the Clear Creek County Animal Shelter in Dumont, CO, just west of Idaho Springs. We currently are housing two senior wolf hybrids, Timber, age 12, and Buddy, age 7. Both are in good health except for the fact that they are extremely stressed living in the shelter. They were relinquished because their owner died and no one in the family could care for them. The shelter staff are committed to finding a better place for these dogs to live out their lives. Both dogs are extremely mellow and well-mannered and would be easy to care for. If you know of anyone who could help out these dogs, please let me know."

http://www.petsalive.com/timberbuddy.htm