Cody - Trip to the Vet

Yesterday, my little Cody was desexed and micro-chipped so spent the day at the Vet's clinic. The house felt so empty without him here. Aaron and I could hardly wait until 3PM rolled around so we could go pick him up. Cody was still groggy from the anaesthetic as you may be able to tell from the pic. He slept for hours in his comfy, new bed with his new toy. He has to wear the 'cone' on his head for seven days to stop him getting to the stitches but it doesn't seem to bother him too much. The 'desexing' thing was not an easy decision for me to make but I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do. If you are undecided about desexing your pet, you may find this site helpful. It certainly helped me to feel better about making this choice.

Free the Dancing Bears

Nearly a month ago, I watched a documentary (I think, it was on Animal Planet) about rescuing the Dancing Bears of India. I was so upset to see the plight of these beautiful creatures that it has played on my mine ever since.

Last week, I purchased a 6 months sponsorship from Free The Bears. Her name is Pinky and she is an Indian Sloth Bear. Mary Hutton, the founder of Free the Bears, helped to set up and fund the Agra Bear Rescue Facility in India.

Click on image to enlarge

After the slaughter of their mothers, young cubs are taken by poachers and sold to, the Kalandars, a nomadic tribe of India. In primitive conditions, and without anaesthetic, a red hot poker is used to pierce through the cub's very sensitive snout area and then jute rope, deliberately used because it is rough and painful, is pulled through and left there. The wound often becomes infected and never heals properly. The canine teeth are then knocked out with rocks or hammers and the bear's claws are also removed. The Kalandar tribe then force the bears to 'dance' by hitting them about the body with a stick and tourists pay money to watch them. The bears literally live a life of agony. This cruel practice was banned in India in 1972, however, it still continues illegally. Thankfully, welfare organisations are making a difference and have set up sanctuaries for rescued bears to live out their lives in peace and safety. They are also helping and educating the Kalandar people so they can find other means for earning a living.

How we can help -

1/ Tourists - Please DO NOT give them money! It is not entertainment but a terrible act of cruelty! Money is what motivates the Kalandar tribe to continue with this barbaric treatment of a threatened species.

2/ Donate money, purchase a gift from the welfare organisation, or sponsor a bear.

Please take a moment to visit the website and read more on the great work they are doing to help the bears.

Other links to help Save the Dancing Bears -
Kartick Satyanarayan
Wildlife SOS

Sad news today....

My sister phoned me to let me know that Lachie, the Jack Russell Terrier I painted, passed away a few days ago. Lachie has battled with cancer for some time now and had a leg amputated last year in the hope that it would save his life. Sadly, it wasn't to be as the cancer had progressed to his lungs. Deidre is understandably devastated.

I'm glad that I stuck with painting the plaid blanket instead of a plain coloured one because it was Lachie's favourite blanket and buried with him. I feel so sad for Deidre as it wasn't long ago that she lost her beloved Rainbow Lorikeet. I do hope my paintings will bring her some peace and comfort.