Blood Dolphins on Animal Planet

If you care about dolphins, Animal Planet is running a three part series (Blood Dolphins) based on the Academy Award winning documentary, The Cove. Watch Ric O'Barry's mission to stop the ritual slaughter of these beautiful, intelligent animals in Japan.

It's impressive to see how immersed in animal rights and protection the Discovery owned Animal Planet channel has become. Always a destination for cute programs about cats, dogs and meercats, AP has become much more activist in its approach to educate viewers and preserve the environment

Programs such as Whale Wars, Pit Boss and now Blood Dolphins go a long way towards alerting people to the dangers these animals face. And the website linked above, offers suggestions on how people can help.

This will be the first time I've made a post on The Flaming Nose for a program I have not (and will not) watch. I care about dolphins too much, and I'm afraid I would be haunted forever if I viewed the terrible images of their murder in Japan. For the same reason, I never saw the movie The Cove, although I applaud its existence and the recognition it has brought to the world about this barbaric practice. I will not watch dolphins being clubbed to death, but I will help spread the word, so that more people can condemn, and hopefully eliminate another cetacean holocaust. Check the website link above for air times in your market. Beware of the video below, there are some violent scenes.

Creepy Animal Shows (One Old, One New) Rule Summer TV!

Summer TV is teaming with shows about animals that bite!

Some, like the great White shark in this picture, can swallow you whole. Others, like the creepy, crawly parasites on the new Animal Planet show Monsters Inside of Me, are almost too tiny to see, but they can crawl in through your pores and grow like crazy until one day you just might give birth to a giant worm! Just like out of the movie Alien! C'est tres terrible!

Animal horrors large and small await the not faint of heart this summer. Shark Week is playing all week long on the Discovery Channel. Be sure to visit the website for a look at the wonderful live shark webcams. Shark Week has been returning to the airwaves for decades. It's as much a part of an American summer as hotdogs, Popsicles and the beach that you'll be too scared to visit after you watch it. And there's plenty of new footage this year too, for those who might think they're playing the same old stuff. I watched some wing nut drag a fake seal behind his floating sled while he lay on top of it with a camera. Of course a 3,000 pound Air Jaws in the South African sea launched himself about 8 feet into the air to bite the seal stuftie. The shark nearly landed on top of the photographer! It was awesome.

And check out the Animal Planet website for more on the parade of parasites from Monsters Inside of Me. Here you'll find captivating true life stories about flesh eating hookworms, tapeworms and amoebas that like to eat your brains.

When the weather is hot, it's nice to scare yourself silly with these cable reality shows.

Puppy Bowl V: Power to the Pooch!

It's time to give a heads up to the greatest Super Bowl counter programming ever: Puppy Bowl V is back on Animal Planet, Sunday afternoon from 1p-7p. Come watch every size, shape and color of baby dog as they growl, nip, nap, and occasionally (avert your eyes) poop their way to victory. I've never quite figured out the rules to Puppy Bowl, but it looks like the four legged contestant who can steal the most tiny football shaped dog chews, wins. There are lots of wrong way Corrigan's in this event, and I don't think it matters which goal post is crossed. Team work is encouraged, but generally ignored.

The best part is that you (the audience!) can vote for your favorite puppy on the Animal Planet website. Will it be the imposing "Moose" (top picture) or the more diminutive "Candy Corn" (above). Looks can be deceiving, as past winners have included tiny Jack Russel Terriers as smart and nimble canine quarterbacks.

Cat lovers, there's something for you too in this annual event: Kitties perform the half time show! Witness the world's largest and most elaborate cat climbing contraption, as dozens of animated puff balls chase each other to the point of exhaustion and then fall asleep upside down with their paws in the air.

If you're not a football fan and only recording the Super Bowl so you can watch The Boss and the E Street band at halftime (Lisa pointed out earlier that there 4 or 5 of us in that category) then you might want to spend some quality time with the critters over on Animal Planet this afternoon!

Puppy Bowl V Update: This year's event will feature a singing bird named Pepper Parrot...a 12 year old African Grey who will perform the National Anthem!

ANIMAL PLANET - ANIMAL SHELTERS UPDATE

On July 1, 2008 I posted an article on the impact Animal Planet's Animal Cop shows had on my life. I am pleased to say that the outcome of one of those shows has now happened in the real world of one of the largest animal shelters in the nation. Actually, good outcomes happen every day in shelters all across the country, but I took this outcome a bit too personally.

Jimmy the Dog was adopted on Thursday. He was neutered Friday morning and was picked up to go to his new home after the surgery. I was at the shelter yesterday afternoon and I scrambled out of there an hour into my stay due to my tears of joy and a few tears of sadness. I am thrilled he will have a happy, healthy and safe home, but I didn't get to say goodbye to my buddy.

I met the woman who adopted him and she was a seemingly wonderful woman who had adopted a lovely female German Shepherd six weeks ago. Jimmy met her dog and the dog intro went well. I saw Jimmy for the last time (although, I didn't know it would be the last time) on Tuesday evening as we went for what would become our last walk together. He escaped out of his cage on Tuesday night prior to my departure and I chased him around the shelter. The thought of it had me laughing. He wanted his freedom! I had named him Jimmy (after my dad and kid brother) and I think his new owner liked his name, so hopefully he will spend the rest of his life as Jimmy. Jimmy has a terrific personality and a sweet spirit.

I mentioned in the original post that I had prayed for Jimmy to get a good home, so I have to be thankful my prayer was answered. I am thrilled that the system did indeed work. My only sadness is that I will never see Jimmy again. He recognized my voice. When he would hear it he'd come to the side of the cage before he could even see me. He knew I'd walk him and let him graze in the grass. He always had that look on his face that said "hey, let me lay here a bit longer." I'd give him his bacon strip and his big dog bone. I petted his neck (he loved it there). I made up his bed after I walked him.

When I saw his empty cage yesterday (the note I had written about how great he was and the shelter's note on his history were gone) the only things that remained were the now empty water bowl and the bed I made up for him when I left on Tuesday. There it was - the purple pillow upon a blue sheet and a soft cream towel.

I was told that his new home has a big fenced-in yard. I hear the house is big too! Hopefully, he will have a big and comfy bed as well. Jimmy had been in a cage 24/7 (outside of a walk or two a day, if he got lucky) for almost six months. He now deserves a great life!

I will miss him, but I hope he never misses me.

The animal shelter deserves lots of kudos. Their volunteer coordinating staff is wonderful and caring. The guy who originally trained me (Joe) deeply cares about the animals at the shelter. They did a house check to make sure that Jimmy would indeed have a yard to run off his energy in.

Thanks again to Animal Planet for providing me with an outlet to serve in some way. Without Animal Cops, Animal Precinct and the network's heroes I would never have gotten involved with volunteering at an animal shelter and would never have met Jimmy. My life is better having served him. Buddy, I enjoyed our time together. May you live a long, healthy, happy, safe and secure life. May the food be good, may the walks be fun, may the grass in summer be green and pleasant and may the house be warm in the winter, may your life be wonderful!

This was the note I had posted on his cage for potential adopters to see:

Hello there, My name is Jimmy and I'm a sweet boy who loves to lie in the grass and have my neck petted. I also love a cozy bed. I've been here awhile, so I need a real home. Love Jimmy

He has now been adopted and I will be a bit sad for awhile, but the sadness will leave every time I visualize my boy laying comfortably on his big, soft bed in that big house with that big yard. Who knows, maybe I will see him again one day.

Copyright The Flaming Nose 2008

Animal Planet - Animal Shelters

If there ever was a cable network that had both the ability to change lives and alter perceptions of how we see other forms of life it is Animal Planet. Animal Planet provides fun and goofy glimpses into our everyday encounters with our domestic pets, but it also displays some heartbreaking moments of real life abuse, cruelty and neglect with these same animals. Of course, the other side of Animal Planet features the wild and somewhat wacky side of nature. Did anyone ever think they would be enthralled with the life of Meerkats? Be honest with yourself - you never would have thought twice about a Meerkat if you hadn't seen "Meerkat Manor." Does it matter how many documentaries I see on lions, tigers and bears? Nope. I could watch one a week and never get bored. These animals are usually far more interesting than anyone on any reality show.

Back in 2001, Animal Precinct (the one set in NYC) premiered and I discovered it one night while I was looking for some new programming. Working in television made me feel guilty at times. I had a sense that I better know what was out there and I attempted to check out most channels at some point over the course of a season. Watching my first episode of Animal Precinct had me hooked. Since then multiple numbers of other animal cops shows have premiered including ones set in Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, South Africa and Houston. Houston became my favorite since it featured horses and I have a tremendous affection for our equine friends. Jim Boller, Charles Janzten and the other Houston investigators became my heroes. All of these investigators became my heroes. You may not know who these people are, but I would like to name a few of them. Shawn Hariston, Mark Ramos, Debby MacDonald, Joann Sandano and all of the other people who work the streets in our big cities to find the emaciated dogs, the cats held by hoarders, the roosters who have been fighting, the horses who have been left, literally left for dead in empty paddocks.

I had always liked animals, but I never saw myself nor did anyone else ever see me as the St. Francis of Assisi type (I'm not Catholic, but I know that Roman Catholics regard him as the patron saint of animals). I was shocked by some of what I saw, but I shouldn't have been shocked. Look at the cruelty foisted upon humans (children, seniors and victims of domestic abuse - not to mention all of the other brutal crimes committed from sea to shining sea). One night early on in my nightly viewing of the animal heroes I picked up my Bible and recalled that King Solomon discussed taking care of the animals. In case anyone cares to look it up or not - here it is. The Book of Proverbs chapter 12 verse 10 states the following: A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the compassion of the wicked is cruel. There you have it: God himself wants us to take care of the beasts. For those of you who don't believe in God go along for the ride on this one.

I love the animal cops, but the show triggered something in me that I never thought would have happened. I signed up as a volunteer at an animal shelter in Los Angeles. I'd done volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity, Wildlife Waystation (clearly, animals were on my mind already) and the Alzheimer's Association, but I had never thought about cleaning up cages that included urine and poop. I never thought of walking dogs that don't get walked by friendly owners. I grew to love the shelter world; and it is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. I got involved in volunteering at shelters because of Animal Planet. I'm not being self-righteous, but I am trying to make a point. Television can be meaningful in ways we wouldn't have imagined.

Animal Planet is doing more service for the world than ten other channels lumped into one. Don't get me wrong since I love watching ice cream and pizza heaven shows on the Travel Channel, great films on Turner Classic Movies, baseball games in season, documentaries on Discovery and NatGeo; Nature on PBS and local on the 8's on the Weather Channel, but none of these channels have inspired me to get out of the chair and into the car and go do something.

I will probably never forget the painful faces and moments from some of these episodes. Could I ever forget the Dachshund who was mutilated and beaten to the point where he lost an eye? His owner wanted him to be tough and menacing. A Dachshund? Yes, a Dachshund! The German Shepherd left under a porch to fend for itself and its pack. The beautiful dog could never be socialized and when he was taken into the rescue he stared at the wall and that was it. He had to be put down since the folks on staff never knew when he would become violent since they thought he would become violent. I don't argue with the dog shrinks, so I'm not laying blame on them, but to think that this beautiful, living, breathing creature had to be put down. Don't get depressed at this point, because there is always hope even though there are multiple numbers of stories featuring emaciated dogs, horses and cats. I found myself coming home and watching these painful stories on a nightly basis. When I mentioned this to some people they seemed horrified by these shows. Many people aren't capable of watching these shows and I understand that, but for some reason this pain in my heart fortunately led me to do something and not just watch other people doing something. I took that pain and did something with it. I got off my couch and decided to use some spare time power washing poop out of animal cages, replacing newspaper and towels and blankets and water. Of course, the highlight of any day at the shelter is the dog walking. I love the big dogs! Dogs have character! The best part about these shows is there is hope at the end of the episode. After the pain, you do get to see how some of these animals end up in good homes. Fantastic news!!!

Again, I'm not being self-righteous, nor am I laying out a dish (dog dish or human dish) of guilt. I am only trying to say that television can be more than entertainment (not that there is anything wrong with that). Television has great power and it can serve us well. Television gave me an outlet to show my maternal instincts. I am convinced that is why so many childless women have cats and dogs. Women need to show their love and since they have no children they have to nurture something and they do. I know I'm on to something with this theory.

Currently, I am in a stressful situation for the first time at a shelter. I've never gotten too emotionally involved with any of the animals since I knew I needed to be like a clinician and remove all personal elements from my poop cleaning duties, but I have fallen hard for one animal. He is an American Staffordshire Terrier and he's about five or six years old which means he will be a tough one to adopt. One, he's an American Staffordshire Terrier and two he's an adult dog. He's a beauty with the sweetest disposition. He's been in this shelter since February 8 and I realized last week that he hadn't even been named, so I finally named him. I gave him the name of Jimmy. Jimmy (James, Jim) is a popular name on both sides of my family and there are two of them in my immediate family, so I knew immediately that this sweet boy was going to be named after family members. I take Jimmy for walks and I talk to him. Lest you think I'm a kook - I'm not. I feel sorry for this pooch who basically doesn't stand a chance if he isn't adopted soon. I fear that the next time I go in he may be put down. I actually lay awake thinking about this dog. Now, I know you will think I'm a weirdo when you read this, but I started praying for a good owner to adopt Jimmy. I live in a townhouse with strict HOA rules regarding BIG DOGS, so there is no adopting coming from my household. Boo-hoo. I'd take him home in a heartbeat if I could. American Staffordshire dogs have a bad reputation, but since working in shelters I've experienced first hand how sweet these dogs can be. Jimmy is a sweetie pie! He's strong, but sweet. Keep that in mind. American Staffs are strong dogs, so they aren't for everyone, but Goldens and Labs are strong dogs and for all intents and purposes they aren't for everyone.

I ran into an old college friend yesterday and she has gotten four Dachshund dogs from a puppy mill. I had the good fortune to have a five month old Dachshund get adopted last week under my supervision, so you don't need to use puppy mills for purebreds. All kinds of dogs end up in shelters.

Next time you flip to Animal Planet do yourself a favor and pull out your checkbook and write a check out to a local shelter or humane association. They get no funds other than private donations and they need the money. If you can't give money then bring them old towels, blankets, food or even newspaper (lots of newspaper is needed for the cages). More and more dogs, cats and rabbits are ending up in shelters due to carelessness (I adopted him or her, but now I have no time or I can't afford them), cruelty (burnings and beatings are a reality) the economy (some dogs and cats are being let go in forest preserve areas - great, the coyotes have a good meal since dogs and cats cannot take care of themselves in the wild) and natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes leave people without a lot of options). I just read in the paper today that people just walked away from their homes after the floods with their animals chained up in their backyards. I don't think Louis Armstrong had this in mind when he emoted about a wonderful world.

Join me as I try to get Jimmy a home. There are lots of Jimmy's and Mary's and Lucy's and Fido's out there.

Thanks to Animal Planet for providing animal heroes to our country and to our world! These shows are among the best shows on television.

Copyright The Flaming Nose 2008

Meerkat Manor:The Next Generation--Season Premier Friday (Tonight) at 9PM!

Quick! What's smarter than a 5th grader, cuter than a bassinet full of Brad and Angelina babies and has more drama than a dozen HBO specials? That's right...Meerkat Manor is back, with season #4 premiering tonight on Animal Planet. What exactly is a Meerkat? Is it a weasel? Some sort of elongated rodent? It certainly isn't a cat, so it is very poorly named. In fact, the meerkat is a type of mongoose, and its scientific name is "Suricata suricatta".

The Meerkats on this Animal Planet mega-hit live in South Africa and their lives are filled with complex emotional relationships and intrigue. Watch as they form alliances, plan wars with neighboring clans, eat scorpions and heroically defend their impossibly cute offspring. Laugh as they stand on their tip toes and survey the Savannah. And (it's only fair to warn our more sensitive readers), cry when favorite characters meet their demise. I still have not gotten over the premature passing of brave and noble Whisker's clan matriarch "Flower", who clashed with a cobra last season. If you are tired of reality programs that showcase human stupidity, and would like something more uplifting, this show is for you. Tune in or set your DVR for fun, tonight at 9pm on Animal Planet.