Art For Animals

While surfing the internet for some inspiring animal stories, I chanced upon this website called Art Helping Animals. This is like a world community project where professional artists band together to paint animal art and sell or auction them off with proceeds going towards animal shelters and other non-profit animal organizations.

I tell you, I am very touched that there are people who willingly spare time and energy towards these abandoned animals in shelters and homes and believe me, it takes a lot of funds to run these shelters so every little bit helps.

I browsed through the blog which showcases new artwork by these contributing artists and I am pretty impressed with their talent and creativity. For people who are able to spare a little money, they could place bids on ongoing auctions on eBay or email the respective artists to buy the art pieces directly.

Sometimes an art piece may come with a story behind it and at times, the artist determined the percentage of proceeds going towards a specific charitable body. Since I am unable to provide any monetary support to Art Helping Animals, I thought that I would give them a little exposure here on my blog.

When Gabrielle Ford Meets Izzy

This morning, I read the Gabrielle Ford and Izzy news story and video report on MSNBC and I felt like it's stories like these that inspired me to start this blog.

Gabrille Ford was a normal girl when she started to suffer from a degenerative neuromuscular disease called Friedrich’s Ataxia in her teenage years. It was then that her school mates started to bully her because she was "different". Not only did they make fun of her or tease her verbally like children love doing, they even resorted to physical bullying. It got so bad having to deal with a disease in her body and at school that she became reclusive and locked herself in her room.

Needing a companion, Gabe asked for a dog when she was 20 years old. Now, she is 28 and her 8-year old dog, named Izzy, are inseparable. This is not uncommon, actually because dogs are really intuitive animals and they do know if their owners are sick or feeling sad but the strange thing was that Izzy herself was diagnosed with the canine equivalent of Friedrich’s Ataxia. How weird could that be?? Izzy brought Gabe out of her "shell" and Gabe now is a much sought after speaker at high school talking about ways to counter school bulls and bullying at schools.

To read the full story or watch the news report on Gabe and Izzy, please visit MSNBC.

Delicious Homemade Dog Treats

As a dog lover with two dogs, I understand too well that sometimes we are too caught up with work and life that we tend to neglect our pets. Don’t you feel guilty that during meal or bath times or playing fetch tat you just want to get it done and over with so that you could plonk yourself down to work AGAIN? I do that all the time and my mind is always on work even when I am playing with them.

Since tomorrow is Easter and most of us will be enjoying a lengthier weekend, I thought I would look for some homemade treats that I could prepare for my doggies. I do love them but I just wish there's more time in a day!

I found this FamilyFun.com website which has a good doggie treat recipe that is simple to follow.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 pound of softened corn oil margarine
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 crushed garlic clove

Preparation:
Mix well. Add enough milk to form the dough into a ball, then cover the ball with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. On a floured board, roll out the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out bone shapes and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly brown and firm. Makes 2 to 3 dozen, depending on size.

Koala Bears

Many years ago, I had a pen-pal from Australia who would send me small Koala souvenirs. I really looked forward to receiving Koala button badges, iron-on patches and gum leave bookmarks. I thought that Koala bears are cute but until today, I have the impression that they are rough little creatures. I need to touch them myself but I have not got the chance yet.

Photo credit: Klein/Peter Arnold, Inc.

Just now, as I was randomly surfing the internet, I chanced upon this article on koala bears. Don't you think they are cute? I think I need to dig out my little collection of koala souvenirs! I know they are somewhere.

Photo credit: Hans and Judy Beste/Ardea London Ltd

If you are also interested in koala bears then check out this excellent article, which was written for children. Or you can also watch a video of Koala bears by clicking on the Video & Sound tab.

Fashion Raincoat For Doggies

I was reading Animal Planet when I stumbled upon the Animal Planet blog. I wondered why I never noticed it at first. It is a new blog that only started in January this year. Guess what? The latest post is on very cute raincoats and trench coats for small dogs.

The blogger, Maggie, compiled some of the cutest from other online pet supply stores. Check these photos below.

Malaysia is a tropical country that rains half the year. These would be great for doggies here. However, the price would NOT be right considering that the US Dollar is more than three times the Malaysian Ringgit.

If you would like more information on these raincoats and trench coats then read the Animal Planet blog.

Snoopy the Rescued Crow

I read this article on a rescued crow named Snoopy. I may love animals but I don't really like BIRDS hehehe... maybe because I am afraid of their beaks. BUT, Snoopy is my dog's name and I think it's kind of cute that my dog shares the same name as a crow LOL

In this true story that I read from all-creatures.org, this crow was rescued was a baby and was bottled fed. When it was time for him to leave, he refused to fly away. I am actually not surprised at all because I read many cases of animals wanting to be with the family who saved them instead of going into the wild.

Anyway, you can read all about this story HERE. I'd just like to say that although I read many interesting stories on animals, animal relationships with humans, etc, I will remember the stories more if there are photos published with the stories. Don't you think so, too?

Billy and the Kid

I picked up this heart-warming animal story from Ananova and once again, I am convinced that animals are even better than humans.

I mean, just look at this boxer named Billy. He has adopted a baby goat [kid] named Lily, even though they are of different species. On the other hand, we have humans, people, adults, who will willfully abandon their own babies. I am sure you have come across cases like that, right?

To read the full story of Billy and the Kid, click HERE.