Al's first bill is spot on!

Freshman Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced his first legislative initiative on Monday

-- a bill to provide service dogs to wounded veterans.

Franken wrote an op-ed in the Star Tribune on Saturday describing how an encounter with an Iraq veteran and his service dog, Tuesday, inspired the bill.

Service dogs are of "immense benefit to vets suffering from physical and emotional wounds," the newly-seated senator said, and they could even "reduce the alarming suicide rate among veterans."

Franken wrote that it costs about "$20,000 to train a service dog and another $5,000 to place the dog with the veteran." The bill he proposes would make that price more affordable for veterans themselves.

"Frankly, I believe it is enough simply to improve the lives of those of whom we asked so much," he explained.

"But this program isn't just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing to do. This is win, win, win, win."

doggone it, it is smart!

RIP Walter Cronkite

The perils of duck hunting are great









especially for the duck.

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. 11.4. 1916 - 7. 17. 2009

good info

Each day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S.
- and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born.

As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals. As a result, every year 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized because there are no homes for them.



Low Cost Spay & Neuter Listings by state: http://bit.ly/R4Kr1

credit is due

a friend for BObama?

LibertyBell
Washington DC







Scotlund Haisley, senior director of Emergency Services for The HSUS has a portrait made in front of the White House with Liberty Bell, a Portuguese Water Dog rescued from an alleged puppy mill in Allentown PA during a raid on Almost Heaven Kennels. Haisley walks by the White House with son Coltrane. Rescuers from The Humane Society of the United States found a young, female Portuguese Water Dog during the June 23 raid of a notorious Lehigh County, Pa. puppy mill.





The dog, who was rescued from cramped, unsanitary conditions, will be transported to the nations capital today by The HSUS. Liberty Bell received her name because she has been liberated from a life of neglect.

She and the other 216 dogs rescued in Tuesday's raid on Almost Heaven Kennels have been placed with partner shelters and rescue groups throughout the region, and will soon be made available for adoption..

Ugly is...

This year's World's Ugliest Dog was named at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.
Miles Egstad rescued the new title-holder, Pabst, a boxer mix from a shelter three years ago. The dog's "bitter beer face" inspired his name.

Pabst upset a seven-year stretch of wins by members of the Chinese Crested breed. 2007's winner took 3rd this year. Elwood, a 6-pound Chinese Crested, was rescued by the New Jersey SPCA during an animal-abuse investigation.

Normally undesirable features like a severe underbite and a rumpled up face earn this dog a blue ribbon, $1600 in prize money and a modeling contract with House of Dog.

All the participants had to provide proof of health by a veterinarian. Celebrity judges included Jon Provost, the actor who played Timmy on "Lassie" and Karen "Doc" Halligan, known for her TV roles in "Groomer Has It", "Dog Tales", "Animal Rescue 911" and "Dogs 101". As Judge and Fair Board Member Brian Sobel said, “We were looking for dogs who were naturally ugly.” And Pabst was. Although thrilled about his win, Pabst's owner disagrees, "I don't think he's that ugly!"

Check out the The Daily Beast's Worst in Show round up.

RIP Michael

Michael Joseph Jackson 8. 29. 1958 – 6. 25. 2009