jeanne illenye looking after them...: Maddy Dog Portrait

A new favorite animal rescue

A fellow artist, Jacuqi Faye, volunteers at this fabulous rescue group Hearts to the Rescue. I'm always thrilled when a website shares a brief bio on each and every animal in their care. Thing is, particularly in this economy, these groups all need help more than ever so I hope you can join me with a small donation to them or your favorite rescue group...or if you purchase a custom oil portrait I will make an additional donation. http://www.heartstotherescue.com/ and here's their blog www.heartstotherescue.blogspot.com

FINANCIAL HELP FOR PET EMERGENCIES

http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/home American Animal Hospital Association Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship. http://www.angels4animals.org Angels 4 Animals Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment to those pets and pet owners in need. http://www.carecredit.com Care Credit A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care. With a comprehensive range of plan options, for treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every budget. http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html God's Creatures Ministry This fund helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help. http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html Help-A-Pet Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor. http://www.imom.org IMOM We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged. http://thepetfund.com The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care.

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS & PETS

STABILIZE YOUR TREE either by attaching cord to a nearby post or heavy furniture, or mount it in a wrought iron patio umbrella stand.

SPRAY REPELLANTS are effective but I'm always leary of adding artificial odors of any kind in the air, particularly during Winter when windows are closed or if a fireplace is nearby as they could be flammable.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC FENCES around your indoor tree are the newest thing on the market. Personally I have not had a need to use them.

TINSEL is a no-no. Glittery and light, they capture the slightest air motion that cats find irrestistible. Not only can it be an invitation to climb your tree or play with a nearby glass ornament, but they can ingest it which is hazardous.

MUSICAL AND MOVABLE ORNAMENTS are similar to tinsel in their enticement so avoid them if possible, or place them highest on the tree outside the view or reach of a pet.

GLASS ORNAMENTS and other breakables are risky with any pet especially a new puppy or kitten in the house, so perhaps that first year try using homemade, non-breakable ornaments. Even with these, be sure to use supervision when your pet begins his/her first exploration. Always be ready with an emphatic, "No," if they get too close.

JUST SAY NO in an empahtic voice. This is a simple and often effective training method for discouraging a docile pet from the tree.

ARTIFICIAL GARLANDS and greenery have been mistaken for the real thing and will be ingested, causing vomitting or worse, so heed caution when selecting a site for display.

LIGHTS, particularly flickering, can be a temptation so again, heed caution during the process of erecting and dismantling the tree and while it is on display. Watch your pets carefully and keep them away.

CLOSE THE DOOR of the room(s) where the tree(s) reside when you're not home so your pets are not tempted while unsupervised.

If you have any other ideas to share just email me and I'll publish them here. Remember, a SAFE HOME is a HAPPY HOME.

DECLAWING ALTERNATIVES

Declawing is inhumane . . . plain and simple.

A tremendous misconception, declawing cats is generally thought to be a safe alternative to having shredded furniture. However, this is not the case. It is inhumane.

The process has been botched many times by enexperienced people at pet centers and pet groomers. Veterinarians are more experienced but the process is nevertheless, inhumane as it is major surgery which actually removes the entire joint of the fingers. It's enormously painful and leaves your cat deformed and completely defenseless in case of an emergency where he/she may accidentally become loose or lost outside, need to escape a treacherous situation where they need to climb out of a harmful space, etc.

SAFER ALTERNATIVES

Spray repellants may work, although personally they've been as much or more repulsive to me as well as the cats. However, if you can find one that isn't too objectionable, give it a try.

Simply train your cat not to scratch your furniture. Yes, training a cat is easier than training a dog, but be sure to offer an alternative place for them to scratch as the process is important for their muscular system not to mention defenses.

Offer any of a vast selection of scratching posts, whether homemade of carpet mounted on a tall, stable wooden post, carpeted door hanger, or cardboard edges held together inside a shallow box, or visit your local pet supply store for more.

For over 30 years our cats have never been declawed and we have beautiful furniture. It just takes a little training and encouragement which is a completely pain free and safe alternative.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED FACTS ABOUT THE PROCEDURE

VACCINES: ARE THEY REALLY NECESSARY ???

Another topic recently surfaced which involves the increase of cancer at vaccine sites which modern medical veterinarians constantly encourage renewing in your pets on an annual or semi-annual basis. Get the facts first.

For example, if your cat is housebound chances are you will not need to have rabies or distemper shots although your medical veterinarian will pressure you to do so. Unless you live in an area where rabies has been reported in wildlife, and you have infected wild mice in your house (albeit far fetched, my vet actually used this as an example to persuade me to get the vaccines), then don't have your cats subjected to these shots. My eldest cat lived to age 18 without having these shots, in spite of constant pressure from the vet.

Search the web for more information and become educated on the subject before permitting your veterinarian to pressure you into these decisions.

DID YOU KNOW . . .

that veterinary students receive a mere 5 hours of nutritional training which is offerred by a major pet food supplier? Yep, shocking as it is, that's it! So when your pet exhibits signs of allergies, diarrhea, etc. which seem to be food related and you consult your vet, they are actually not going to help. They just guess. Sadly, I know firsthand. Your best bet is to seek holistic medical care.

In the case of suspected food allergies, it will take at least several weeks for your pet to recover from an allergy, so when testing by means of sampling or removing one type of food from their diet, be sure you permit sufficient time for your pet to recover and respond to the change. My former vet permitted one day for each sampling, which in hindsight was ludicrous as not only did it serve no purpose in fact finding, but it actually upset her digestive system even more to have so much alteration to her diet so quickly. Become educated.

In the case of diarrhea, most vets will suggest Kaopectate or Pepto Bismol, both of which are dangerous. In the case of Kaopectate, it has been reformulated to contain bismuth subsalicylate in addition to the old ingredients which were attapulgite and alumina clay. Some larger dogs can handle this compound, but if too large a dose is given especially to small dogs and cats, it can be toxic. Surprisingly, your vet may or may not know this . . . mine didn't.

ANGELS DO EXIST

THE "HAPPY" ACT

Families all over the U.S. have been forced to give up their pets because of financial hardship. H.R. 3501, known as the HAPPY Act (Humanity And Pets Partnered through the Years) would help Americans provide their pets with the medical attention and quality of life they deserve by making up to $3,500 of qualifying pet care expenses, including veterinary care costs, tax-deductible. This way, pets get to remain in their loving homes and don't wind up on the streets or in the already overburdened shelter system.

CLICK HERE to email Congress asking them to support the HAPPY Act.

THANK YOU

Looking After Them...

To have the priviledge of being alive, healthy and free means one must have a certain responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. In that sentiment, I've recently added a new genre to my portfolio, animal paintings, with a portion of proceeds ranging from 10% to 100% being donated to numerous smaller animal charities and rescue shelters as well as larger organizations such as Humane Society of the United States, World Society for the Protection of Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and so many more, for their use in educating and aggressively pursuing laws that protect animal rights on a global level.

I invite you to join me in this effort as it only takes a little from all of us to make a huge difference in the world . . . the lives of so many depend on us!

CAST-A-WAY-CATS SUSTAINED FLOOD

For many years, Castaway Cats has been one of numerous animal rescue charities that the Art for Critters (A4C) ebay group, of whom I am a member, donates to based on art sales.

Recently, we received a plea for more help than usual as their facility was just stricken with a devastating flood which displaced countless cats. Rescue workers had been pushed to their limits with an overburdened facility as it was when the flood hit forcing the workers to attempt to house the cats in their own homes and apartments. It's become an enormous undertaking while they await funds to rebuild. Currently, they need $10,000 to rebuild and have requested assistance from Art for Critters to not only spread the word but to make a concerted effort on their behalf.

In this time of crisis for the Castaway Cats Rescue Charity, I will personally be listing paintings on ebay with 100% of the sale price being donated directly to them. These paintings will not only be cats, but still lifes as well. Look for these special oil paintings in my ebay store next week. I request that you too, kindly offer whatever small financial help you can spare so that they can help save their cats. You may donate directly to them at Cast-A-Way-Cats.

I have requested photos of their facility to show the extent of the damage sustained in the flood and will be posting them here. I suspect it will be a delay in receiving these images due to their circumstances but hopefully that won't hinder your willingness to help.

On behalf of A4C and CAWC thank you for any support you can provide.

Cast-A-Way-Cats

DOG TAGS MUST BE CURRENT & LEGIBLE

So often, when a nervous, stray dog is finally coaxed close enough to grab their collar, in that very brief moment I will try to read the dog tag only to find it dirty, worn and illegible. To further complicate matters, the type is so tiny I cannot read it without eyeglasses, and who has them handy when working in the garden? So I would urge those of you who have dogs to be sure their tags are legible and current . . . and preferably big. If, by some luck I can read a dog tag, so often there is no phone number or the number is disconnected or has no answering machine. Please be sure your pet's tag is clean, legible and has a current phone number so those of us who try to help . . . CAN.

IF YOU FIND A STRAY DOG

If the dog is injured, thin, foaming at the mouth, aggressive, be cautious. Do not approach; rather, coax toward you, offer water and food then back away. See if there is a collar and tags. If so, and the dog is receptive to a gentle voice and a hand outstretched below the height of their head, then try to read the tag. If you can, coax them into your garage and close the door. Attempt to contact the owner and offer food/shelter/warmth for them for as many days/weeks as possible until the owner can be located. Post FOUND notices and contact local pet stores, veterinary clinics, and consider placing an ad in the paper as well as search the newspaper for lost pets. Do not surrender the pet to the authorities as the police will simply pass the animal to a local shelter which often has a 48 hour rule that will place them on the list for extermination due to immense overcrowding. Do all you can to find the owner yourself. If someone contacts you in response to your FOUND notice, ask them to clearly identify the pet in detail prior to permitting them to see the animal as there are surprisingly many unscrupulous people who will respond to FOUND PETS notices in the newspaper pretending to be the owner, steal and sell our pets to laboratories for torturous experimentation for the medical and cosmetics industries. Be careful and take responsibility for finding their rightful family. Remember, you are their guardian and they are depending on you!

Need help with a feral cat rescue?

As more people illegally dump their cats in neighborhoods with the hope that someone will adopt them, their lives are at risk of desease, freezing to death, starvation, brutal territorial fighting, and they contribute to breeding more litters who are destined for the same. Carol's Ferals is a wonderful group located in the Grand Rapids, Michigan USA area, but check for similar groups online and in your area. For a nominal donation these groups will aid in the capture, neutering and release of feral cats so at least they will not continue to breed. Recently, I contacted Carol regarding a big tomcat who's adopted us and lives on our porch. The next step is to capture him and have him neutered...and hopefully bring him indoors for a safer life. As Carol says, "Don't let your fear of the situation get in the way of helping the cat."

Between 10% and 100% of every sale is donated to an animal rights charity or rescue shelter

Between 10% and 100% of every sale is donated to an animal rights charity or rescue shelter to help provide urgent medical attention for injured, abused, neglected animals when rescued, and to those who require food and a warm, safe place to rest until they can find a forever home, and to those senior animals whose families cannot care for them anymore, and for those who were once loved by a family who could no longer afford their food, and for those who are lost and become strays begging for shelter and food at someone's back door, and to those tested in cages of pet food laboratories, and those in medical laboratories who need a voice to stop their nightmarish horror, for those who are raised for food and abused in the process, for those who are forced into fighting, who are forced into varisous sports, who are held captive and defenseless for hunters, to those who will benefit through the passing and enforcement of governmental laws restricting such abuse on a global level.

BUY A BOOK -- SAVE A LIFE

HOPE FOR PAWS

A NEW BOOK ABOUT SAVING LIVES HELPS SAVE MORE LIVES

Founders of "Hope for Paws" Audrey and Eldad Hagar never imagined that when they began photographing the hundreds of fostered dogs (and other creatures) who came through their home, that they would actually create a book. They had simply wanted to remember each animal they rescued. When later urged by family and friends, Audrey and Eldad decided to compose a book, "Our Lives Have Gone to the Dogs" with the intent to not only educate the public about animal abuse/neglect, but to also hopefully inspire others to rescue, foster, and adopt animals in need.

Visit Hope for Paws Rescue

Purchase their new book, "Our Lives Have Gone to the Dogs"

IMAGINE IT

Absolutely mind boggling statistics reveal that every year in the United States alone, over three million dogs and cats are killed in shelters for one reason . . . no one wanted them. Healthy, lovable and begging for a chance. Through your purchase between 10% and 100% of proceeds help support these shelters. Even a small donation can help save a life. Or just imagine if everyone adopted one or two lovable cats, dogs, rabbits from their local shelter, how many could be spared and given the life they so deserve.

Many of these shelters also accept very desperate animals who have been rescued from lives of neglect and abuse in so many forms. They need immediate medical attention so shelters always need a little extra funding for such emergencies. These people who work firsthand helping animals cannot be commended enough for their guts, grit and determination when all odds are against them, particularly in this current economy. It is now that they need our help more than ever.

Also, I donate to larger international charities that work on a global level to establish and uphold laws making animal abuse a crime. These charities educate the public about behind the scenes abuse such as rodeos, dog races, horse races, bull fighting, dog fighting, cock fighting, cosmetic industry animal testing, medical industry animal test, puppy mills, breeders, etc. There are so many venues which need help from people like you and me. Thank you for your continued support in this new and very personal venture!

SKAMPER-RAMP SAVES PETS AND WILDLIFE FROM DROWNING IN YOUR POOL, WINTER COVER, RAINBARREL, LAKE

Every year thousands of dogs drown in pools as well as opossums, racoons, squirrels, frogs, etc. I know firsthand!

Skamper-Ramp was designed by a man whose dog discovered a drowning opossum about to give birth but fell into their pool at 3AM. That desperate situation and those beautiful sad eyes of the mama opossum inspired the development of Skamper-Ramp.

Please learn how you can help save wildlife and your own pets from drowing! Only dogs require training . . . all other animals go to Skamper-Ramp instinctively.

Click following link to learn more! Skamper-Ramp

cannot take credit

I can only say that our world possesses the beauty. . . I am merely a tool by which to humbly communicate His eartly gifts in paint.

We humans are so in love with this Earth and all her abundance of life that we have an insatiable desire to hold her close at every turn, whether it be in a garden or city windowbox, a purring kitten, playful pup or painting of same hanging on a wall to warm our otherwise blank manmade spaces.

Earth's beauty warms the heart; we artists merely aid in that process.

AUGURIES OF INNOCENCE

"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill'd with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell thro' all its regions.
A dog starv'd at his master's gate
Predicts the ruin of the state.
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre from the brain does tear.
A skylark wounded in the wing,
A cherubim does cease to sing.
The game-cock clipt and arm'd for fight
Does the rising sun affright.
Every wolf's and lion's howl
Raises from hell a human soul.
The wild deer, wand'ring here and there,
Keeps the human soul from care.
The lamb misus'd breeds public strife,
And yet forgives the butcher's knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve
Has left the brain that won't believe.
The owl that calls upon the night
Speaks the unbeliever's fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren
Shall never be belov'd by men.
He who the ox to wrath has mov'd
Shall never be by woman lov'd.
The wanton boy that kills the fly
Shall feel the spider's enmity.
He who torments the chafer's sprite
Weaves a bower in endless night.
The caterpillar on the leaf
Repeats to thee thy mother's grief.
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the last judgement draweth nigh.
He who shall train the horse to war
Shall never pass the polar bar.
The beggar's dog and widow's cat,
Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.
The gnat that sings his summer's song
Poison gets from slander's tongue.
The poison of the snake and newt
Is the sweat of envy's foot.
The poison of the honey bee
Is the artist's jealousy.
The prince's robes and beggar's rags
Are toadstools on the miser's bags.
A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The babe is more than swaddling bands;
Every farmer understands.
Every tear from every eye
Becomes a babe in eternity;
This is caught by females bright,
And return'd to its own delight.
The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar,
Are waves that beat on heaven's shore.
The babe that weeps the rod beneath
Writes revenge in realms of death.
The beggar's rags, fluttering in air,
Does to rags the heavens tear.
The soldier, arm'd with sword and gun,
Palsied strikes the summer's sun.
The poor man's farthing is worth more
Than all the gold on Afric's shore.
One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands
Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;
Or, if protected from on high,
Does that whole nation sell and buy.
He who mocks the infant's faith
Shall be mock'd in age and death.
He who shall teach the child to doubt
The rotting grave shall ne'er get out.
He who respects the infant's faith
Triumphs over hell and death.
The child's toys and the old man's reasons
Are the fruits of the two seasons.
The questioner, who sits so sly,
Shall never know how to reply.
He who replies to words of doubt
Doth put the light of knowledge out.
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caesar's laurel crown.
Nought can deform the human race
Like to the armour's iron brace.
When gold and gems adorn the plow,
To peaceful arts shall envy bow.
A riddle, or the cricket's cry,
Is to doubt a fit reply.
The emmet's inch and eagle's mile
Make lame philosophy to smile.
He who doubts from what he sees
Will ne'er believe, do what you please.
If the sun and moon should doubt,
They'd immediately go out.
To be in a passion you good may do,
But no good if a passion is in you.
The whore and gambler, by the state
Licensed, build that nation's fate.
The harlot's cry from street to street
Shall weave old England's winding-sheet.
The winner's shout, the loser's curse,
Dance before dead England's hearse.
Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie
When we see not thro' the eye,
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light,
To those poor souls who dwell in night;
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day."

William Blake

WHAT IS THAT?? BOILING SKY ARTIFICIAL CLOUDS

It's a bird . . . it's a plane . . . it's . . . CHEM TRAILS ? ? ? YES, and it's been going on for over a decade. The United States government has been running dozens of individual "tests" on the American public adding chemicals to our atmosphere. The government of course is hush hush or they say it's to control the weather. However, any weather broadcaster who mentions the truth has been removed from their jobs. An alarming increase in these tests is provoking more interest and concern from the American public who are looking toward the sky and looking for answers. Only God can make beautiful clouds of nurturing, pure water molecules. Only mankind can destroy all the gifts we've been given. Click image to see more and search the web for "chem trails" to learn more.

Maddy Dog Portrait

1 comments:

My "sweet" little girls (c) ILLENYE

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DORA Missing cat Cascade-Grand Rapids Michigan

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Between 10% and 100% of every sale is donated to an animal rights charity or rescue shelter

IF I CAN . . .

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SKAMPER-RAMP SAVES PETS AND WILDLIFE FROM DROWNING IN YOUR POOL, WINTER COVER, RAINBARREL, LAKE

EWHIPPETZINE AUGUST ISSUE

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WHAT IS THAT?? BOILING SKY ARTIFICIAL CLOUDS