The Case for Treating Animals as Humans

In the new documentary ‘Unlocking the Cage,’ attorney Steven Wise makes his case for why animals need legal personhood for their own safety.  Earlier this month, when Louisiana’s New Iberia Research Center, the world’s largest chimpanzee research facility, announced it was moving all 220 of its chimps to a sanctuary in Georgia, it’s a safe bet the news made attorney Steven Wise the happiest man on the planet. That’s because two of the chimps, Hercules and Leo, had been the subjects in an ongoing legal battle about the rights of chimps, a legal case brought by Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, and the subject of D.A. Pennebaker a Chris Hegedus’s Unlocking the Cage, a documentary out now in New York, followed by a national rollout and an HBO broadcast early next year.

http://tinyurl.com/zwlq8o2

The Secret Lives of Dogs

A dog’s tail wagging could be worth a thousand words, and with the help of a new gadget, we’re a little closer to translating its message.  Believing a dog’s tail is a window to the canine soul, founders of New York-based tech company DogStar Life created a smart device to help owners decode the messages transmitted when pups wag their tails and better understand the emotional lives of their furry friends.  TailTalk is a lightweight sensor that sits on a dog’s tail and documents the peaks and valleys of the pup’s feelings throughout the day, according to the creators.

http://tinyurl.com/q8mwp4k

Buzzer The Studio Cat

Arnold Genthe, a Berlin-born photographer, worked a New York portrait studio. He sought to capture the human essence of his subjects, to go beyond a “commonplace record of clothes and a photographic mask.” He used an unobtrusive camera and would not tell the subject when he was going to make the exposure.  He photographed many famous and prominent figures of the time, including Sarah Bernhardt, Jack London, Anna Pavlova and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, even Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. 

http://tinyurl.com/pmpnd5x

Chimpanzee Representatives Argue for Animals' Rights in Court

Representatives for two chimpanzees argued before a New York judge on Wednesday, in the first hearing of its kind over their “personhood” rights and freedom from a research institution.  Steven Wise, the lead attorney for the Nonhuman Rights Project, the group arguing on behalf of the chimps, said that the apes are unlawfully imprisoned and that the court should relieve them. They are “autonomous and self-determining beings”, he argued, and therefore deserve the right to bodily liberty.

http://tinyurl.com/okuqo2w

Homeless Puppy Bowl Participants Find Loving Homes

Eighty-five puppies divided into teams Ruff and Fluff will tumble, prance and chase chew toys across a faux football field for the 11th annual Puppy Bowl, airing Sunday at 3 p.m. on Animal Planet — and two of those contenders will watch the program from the comfort of their new homes in the New York area.  Finn and Duncan, like all of the participants, were homeless mutts before being selected for the event, which was filmed in Manhattan last October. Players are handpicked by producers via photos submitted from thousands of animal rescues across the country.

http://tinyurl.com/q37yuvk

First Class Dogs: Luxury Travel With Man's Best Friend

More than ever before travelers are now flying in First Class with their dogs. It’s not just private jet travel anymore. I recently flew to New York in the new Mint Class offered by JetBlue Airlines. Sixteen new fully flat bed seats in the front of the plane. Four of the seats are private suites with sliding doors for a more exclusive experience. JetBlue is also proud of their JetPaws program encouraging pet owners to travel on board with their furry partners.

http://tinyurl.com/kxycbnn

In Just One Day We Saved Thousands of Animals

Twelve years ago on June 11, 2001, the No Kill sheltering movement went from the theoretical to the real. As I drove into the parking lot for the first time as the head of the open admission animal control shelter in Tompkins County, New York, an agency which took in all animals for the 10 towns and cities that made up the County, I was met at the front door by a truck driver with five kittens he didn't want. 

http://tinyurl.com/mrwy8rb

-Igor Purlantov

In Just One Day

Twelve years ago on June 11, 2001, the No Kill sheltering movement went from the theoretical to the real. As I drove into the parking lot for the first time as the head of the open admission animal control shelter in Tompkins County, New York, an agency which took in all animals for the 10 towns and cities that made up the County, I was met at the front door by a truck driver with five kittens he didn't want. Spaying his cat had not been a priority. And to him, the kittens were no longer "his problem."

http://tinyurl.com/mrwy8rb

How to Save Africa's Elephants

The world can no longer ignore the reality that elephants may be gone within decades, unless something drastic happens to stop the slaughter. Crushing the criminal cartels in Africa is only half of the challenge, demand in consumer countries must also be choked. The demand for ivory in the Far East is unprecedented and China alone consumes over 50% of the illegal ivory coming out of Africa.

http://tinyurl.com/ad939tm

Texas Bans Gas Chambers for Animals

Thanks to you and animal lovers all over the country, gas chambers are now banned in the great state of Texas!

http://tinyurl.com/azbtsn8

NYC Mayoral Hopefuls Express Support for Animal Rights

Bill de Blasio bragged that his two children were vegetarians.  William C. Thompson Jr. noted that he had a rescued cat.  Sal F. Albanese said his mother-in-law’s life was lengthened by the companionship of a Chihuahua named Joey.

http://tinyurl.com/d7satzm

Adopt A Pet In New York City

Every week The Huffington Post New York features city animals up for adoption, in partnership with Animal Care & Control of New York City.  A nonprofit organization, AC&C gives shelter to more than 30,000 dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals each year.  Interested in a new pet? AC&C has adoption centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, all open daily from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

http://tinyurl.com/d6q82og

Westminster Dog Show 2013: Banana Joe The Affenpinscher Wins Best In Show

Banana Joe is very appealing, in any language. The little affenpinscher with a monkey face added to his world of success Tuesday night, winning best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club. "He speaks German, Dutch, Spanish and English," co-owner and breeder Mieke Cooijmans offered. She was set to take Banana Joe back to the Netherlands on Wednesday. Now, the trip has been postponed for his victory lap. 

http://tinyurl.com/d8mtew5

Westminster Dog Show Expands Venue, Adds Two New Breeds

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is expanding its venue and adding two new breeds, the Russell Terrier and Treeing Walker Coonhound, bringing the number that will vie for the Best in Show to 187. For the first time in its 137-year history, the two-day show on February 11-12 will be held at two venues. In addition to New York's Madison Square Garden, it will be extended to Piers 92/94 on the Hudson River, so dog lovers can get up close and meet their favorite breeds.

http://tinyurl.com/cj2mjbe

NYC Puppy Survives Fourth Floor Fall

A dog had a miraculous escape after leaping off a roof and falling 50 feet on to a ledge at an apartment block. Kai, a two-year-old Shiba Inu, bounded over the side of the roof garden after his owner Tracy Aron took him up for his morning exercise.

http://tinyurl.com/79hecrq

Colorado Cat Found in Manhattan 5 Years Later

A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to a family in which two of the three kids and one of the two dogs may remember her.

http://tinyurl.com/3ldrmhk

Jack the Cat Goes Missing at JFK

Karen Pascoe left for Kennedy International Airport two weeks ago ready to make a fresh start. After 22 years in New York City, she was moving to San Jose, Calif., to take a job at a software design company. Naturally, her two cats, Jack and Barry, would be going with her.

http://tinyurl.com/3dvsbps

Video: Cow Runs Loose in Queens

An animal on a mission to escape from a Queens slaughterhouse on Wednesday led butchers on a chase through busy streets before being captured at a nearby college.

http://tinyurl.com/3gl36df

Therapy Dog May be Too Cute for Court

A Golden Retriever therapy dog named Rosie, who is trained to help people when they are under stress, has been credited with helping a 15-year-old rape victim manage the courage to testify during an emotionally difficult trial in a New York courtroom.

http://tinyurl.com/44oadp5

NYC Man Fined $2K for Not Watering Beehive

This story probably falls into the category of Ripley’s “bee-lieve” it or not.

http://tinyurl.com/688pqjd