Great Pet Net

The Arte Laguna organization has the pleasure to announce the 30 finalist artists of the Third International Art Prize Arte Laguna

• Baldini Manuel - Italy
Title: Senza Titolo

• Barazzutti Alberto - Italy
Title: EVOLUZIONISMO

• Bidoli Luca - Italy
Title: Straziami ma di baci saziami (n.6)

• Bettega Marta - Italy
Title: La messa della domenica

• Bolcato Stefano - Italy
Title: Un posto sicuro

• Chambers Cholla - United States
Title: The Big Red Buck…

Chambers Cholla is a horse!

via Renee Chambers at the Artist is a Horse website

A PET’S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life span may be 10 - 15 years. Any of that time away from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I am not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You, too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there because I love you so. ALWAYS!

Enjoy and take good care of your pets.

Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without them.

We do not have to wait for Heaven to be surrounded by hope, love and joyfulness. It is here on earth, and has four legs!

Author Unknown

Dog adopts kittens, cat adopts fawn, goat adopts colt, and leopard adopts baboon.

via Scott Stone

I’ve posted some touching stories about events at the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary over the years. This piece profiles the founders, Alayne Marker and Steve Smith, and provides some insight into their lives and their hearts. Click here and take a few minutes to get to know a little bit about their world.

Slide show courtesy of AARP Bulletin Today.
Photo of Ellie May the blind and deaf cocker spaniel courtesy of Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary.

Molly is a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana, USA . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn’t seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn’t overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there. (more…)

Watch professional horse trainer, Stacy Westfall, ride bareback and bridle-less through an amazing routine.

Around 200 horses got stuck on a small island for days after a heavy storm. The video is by the Dutch newsgroup NOS Journaal.

Alexis Ells at the Equine Sanctuary rescues, rehabilitates, and retrains injured performance horses that can no longer compete. See the video here: Healing Horses

From the time she was a small child, Alexis Ells remembers rescuing injured animals and bringing them home for care.

“Healing has always been innate to me,” says Ells. “It’s been a calling, a passion. I was one of those blessed people who always knew what she wanted to do.”

By continuing to follow this innate passion, Ells is fulfilling her life’s dream as the founder of the Equine Sanctuary, a non-profit organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and retrains injured performance horses that can no longer compete.

Located in Ojai, California, the sanctuary accommodates horses that usually require extensive veterinary care and are at high risk of being euthanized. Through their work, Ells and her team of volunteers have improved—and often saved—the lives of thousands of animals. Most horses are healed and adopted by families and go on to lead long, productive lives. Those that require ongoing care remain as goodwill ambassadors in the sanctuary’s educational and therapeutic program for children and adults.

Lena is a blind horse living at Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary. She has found a very creative way to signal that she has finished her meal and is ready to be untied. Click here to read the whole story and to find out why she has to be tied up at dinner time.

The Worldwide Society for the Protection of Animals is seeking to raise awareness around the globe about animal welfare. Their goal is to unite the all animal welfare initiatives under a single common goal - the recognition that animals are sentient beings with the ability to feel pain and suffering. It is a major movement to increase the consciousness of the treatment of animals worldwide. To read the goals and to sign their petition click here. The ASPCA endorses this initiative and is helping to spread the word.

This sweet photo was posted on Flickr by Tiggimon