Two hundred years ago, North American researchers began the practice of placing leg bands on wild birds in order to keep track of their habits. This practice was continued with imported birds by the United States Department of Agriculture to help avoid outbreaks of diseases. After an outbreak of psittacosis, restrictions were set on bird […]
Believe it or not, up until a number of years ago, the belief was that pets don’t feel pain. Since pets don’t speak humans’ language and body language was not observed, the belief persisted. Animals tend to try to mask their pain, a holdover from living in the wild when any indication of weakness meant […]
My very first pet, a cat we named Susie, was being abused by boys who were rolling him back and forth in a garbage can. My mother reprimanded the boys and took Susie home. We later discovered Susie was a boy, but the name stuck and he enjoyed a long loving life with us. Abuse […]
