dottie will lead you to the darkside

who knew squirrels would look so natural with a deathly beam of pure energy in their hand? animals with lightsabers - 'nuff said.

"it was about nine inches long, very round and cuddly ... well, violent, actually." - some poor woman mistook a giant water rat for her cat. didn't that happen in adventures of babysitting?

santa monica and l.a. are now considering a ban on de-clawing. thanks for getting the ball rolling, san fran! a nation of cats owes you.

"honestly," viney said, "i don't understand why you wouldn't be in support of this. if you're reputable, you have nothing to hide." - as wisconsin's anti-puppy mill bill goes through the legislature, some breeders are taking issue with it.

mirror cats and "the lion"

they've become self-aware! cats seem to have a fascinating relationship with the looking glass. some ignore it, others fight the elusive cat hidden within it, and still others seem to recognize it for what it is and appreciate it as such. whatever their true feelings for mirrors, it sure is fun to watch them watch themselves.

this smart kitty experimented with them.

the comments on this blog reveal a wide-spread fascination with mirrors of all sorts. even using them to keep an eye on their owners.

this video has two kitty youngsters seeing a mirror for the very first time. notice how the orange one waits for his opponent to attack and then gets bored waiting. lol!

in sad news, senator ted kennedy passed away last night. he was a man for the people and a friend of animals and will be remembered as such.

"Splash is a part of our family, but he's part of the senate family as well. He comes to work with me every day with his little niece Sunny and members of the senate dome. He's not allowed to go on the senate floor. He's troubled by that... because he thinks, he says that they won't let him on because people will say that they don't think he knows how to behave. But actually, he says that he behaves a lot better than most senators."

historic dog fighting bust

as we first reported last week, there was a huge dog fighting bust that resulted in the seizure of 400 dogs. this was not one large fighting ring, but multiple operations across 7 states. the size of the bust makes it the largest known raid on the torture sport in u.s. history.

good news, "rescuers are 'seeing a lot of tail wags.'"

26 people have been charged. "under the law, each of the counts could result in a maximum of five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000."

united animal nations - one of the awesome groups who were involved with the raid. these guys are great!

hsus' dog-fighting fact sheet.

pit bull terrier breed history - remember petey from lil' rascals?

wisconsin independent pit bull rescue - save a life, help to end the stereotypes, and make a new best friend.