Yahoo! Answers

Photo by tore_urnes
The Obamas’ search for a family pet has been generating a fair amount of interest for the last few months. Well, it seems the wait has ended and the first pooch has finally taken his post, but not without controversy. The Obamas had indicated that they intended to rescue a dog, presumably from a shelter or breed rescue organization. But Bo, their new Portuguese Water Dog, is having his street cred challenged by those who don’t believe he fits the image of a true “rescue dog.” I won’t go into all the details (feel free to read this article for a full explanation of the debated intricacies), but what interested me was the wider debate about rescued dogs versus dogs bought from responsible breeders or dog sellers. When did adopting a rescue dog become the only politically correct choice? Why has purchasing a dog from a breeder become so stigmatized?

Certainly, there are many valid and compelling reasons to rescue a pet. Many of the dog pounds and animal shelters in this country are terribly overcrowded, and rescuing a dog helps ease this burden. If you are willing to put in the time and energy, you can find dogs of all sizes, breeds, and temperaments waiting to be matched with suitable owners. Many of the rescued dogs I’ve known have a sweetness and gentility that I’ve not seen in other dogs. In fact, my mom currently lives with a wonderful dachshund named Franny that was adopted from a breed rescue organization. Franny is the sweetest, most appreciative dog I’ve ever known, but she’s not without her issues.

You see, rescuing a dog is not for everyone. Adopters generally know little about their dog’s history and lineage. People looking for specific traits in their pet, like advanced herding skills or a natural ability to retrieve, might be better off purchasing from responsible breeder. Owners with special needs, like those with allergies, small children, or other pets, might also prefer a dog whose health and behavioral traits are more predictable. Furthermore, many rescued dogs need extra training to becoming socialized or housebroken. Franny, for example, is extremely timid and shy of strangers and has a habit of urinating whenever she’s approached by an unfamiliar person or taken to an unfamiliar environment. Fortunately, my mom has the time, patience, and inclination to put in the extra work that Franny requires.

Cornelius Q. Rockefeller III makes a great point: Where President Obama’s dog comes from is not really the issue. What is more important is “that he gets a dog that meets his needs, whether it’s a mutt or purebred.” However you and your dog find each other, what truly matters is the manner in which you care for it. Choosing a compatible dog for your family ensures that you and your pet can coexist peacefully and responsibly, and lessens the chance that the dog will end up needing to be rescued by someone else.

Where do you stand on the rescue vs. breeder debate? And what advice can you offer the Obamas for getting along with their new family member?

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Naysayers, beware. The BBC has recently published footage of the “elusive” narwhal: an arctic whale with a single, seemingly magical, straight spiral horn/tusk sprouting from its head. Clearly, these Arctic Ocean unicorns must be distant relatives of the actual unicorns that lived on land in days of yore.

Wait-did actual unicorns live on land in days gone by? The King James Version of the Bible refers to unicorns periodically:

And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with their bulls. (Isaiah 34:7)

And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. (Daniel 8:5)

Generally, the unicorn is used symbolically in the Bible to represent something untamable and wild yet essentially good. But still, the mythos had to come from somewhere (like the sea, maybe?).

In more modern times, real-but somewhat less magical-unicorns could be found at places like Belmont, California’s Marine World Africa USA (when it existed back in the 1970s). I learned about this from my mother who confirmed it via Twostories’ question about a real unicorn in the 1970s named Lancelot, to which Grendle replied with this grim recollection:

I met Lance, myself, at the Montgomery County Fair back in the 70s…Lance was no mystical being … he was a poor, deformed and basically unhappy goat. I think he suffered headaches…at least his eyes didn’t focus real well. I suspect he died and the corpse was sold, either to Ripley or some other collector of “oddities.”

Whether real unicorns exist on land or in the sea, it seems that even now in these modern and patently un-magical times, people are still fascinated by the notion of unicorns. A search for “unicorns” on Yahoo! Answers returns 7,253 questions to date. Nine months ago, sokrates took a more philosophical tack when asking: How do we know that unicorns do not exist? Because how can we ever know for sure that anything does or doesn’t exist? We only know what we know.

So I leave you with the following to ponder:

1.       Does this qualify as a real unicorn? http://www.flickr.com/photos/fondofelves/263486069/

2.       Are narwhals really magical creatures that have recently come out of deep sea hibernation to deliver to humans a great and mystical message? And if so…

What is that message?

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Days at the SPCA are always eventful (no two days are ever the same, believe me!). Animals are always coming in to our shelter daily, on average around 25 per day: pets that are lost (mainly dogs, about 100 per month), given up, or abandoned; including dogs, cats, hamsters, and rabbits. We also accept strays (but we don’t go catching healthy stray dogs and cats – we would rather leave them in the environment if they have a food source and can survive).

Wild animals that are injured are also attended to, on our emergency rescue cases. A couple of weeks ago we rescued a pangolin from a drain in Yishun after someone had reported to us that it was in distress. After a vet check at the SPCA, we made arrangements with the National Parks Board to have the animal released back into a nature reserve.

Our Inspector is kept busy receiving 60 to 80 complaints of alleged animal abuse each month. At least a third of these cases relate to dogs being tied up or caged for most of the day. One wonders why people buy these animals in the first place, only to confine them. (Imagine what it would be like for us humans if we had to spend most of our life in confinement, with no entertainment whatsoever – not even regular exercise!)

Extreme cases of abuse where people deliberately harm or kill an animal occur from time to time, but sometimes there are no witnesses to the crime. It is important for people who see an act of animal abuse to report it to the police and the SPCA (you may have to testify in court otherwise action cannot be taken). You can visit our website, www.spca.org.sg, to see some of the cases reported to us. You can help us spread the message to stop animal abuse by downloading our banners and sending them to your friends.

And if you buy a pet, remember that it is a lifetime of commitment. The SPCA is always receiving pets that people have no time for anymore. We receive so many unwanted pets that we have to put animals to sleep daily. We receive around 700 animals per month, but only 85 animals on average are adopted each month. Why is this, you may ask? The SPCA has to compete with many pet shops and pet farms for homes – there is too much commercial breeding with no limits or restrictions placed by the authorities.

People also buy pets for the wrong reasons on the spur of the moment because the animals are cute and adorable, but have no knowledge on how to take care of them. Animals have feelings too – they can feel pain, suffering, and isolation. Our advice: Think twice before you buy.

When we see people coming to our counter to give up a pet, we try to change their minds by asking them to take back the animal and look for another home for the animal themselves, because we have too many to find homes for. If every pet owner were to do this, the SPCA would be able to focus more on the prevention of cruelty to animals, which is why the organization was founded.

In the media nowadays, we are always seeing opposing views: those who like animals, and those who do not. Singapore is a city where people live in close proximity to each other. Pet owners need to consider their neighbors and not let their pets stray or make a mess in public without cleaning it up. Such unthinking acts cause people to be anti-pets and anti-strays.

Sterilizing pets is also important as it prevents them from breeding and is healthier for them. It not only prevents them from getting cancer-related illnesses in their reproductive organs later in life, but also helps eradicate noise pollution caused by mating calls.

On that note, so long for now, and remember: Be kind to animals.

Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)

A special thanks to the folks at the Singapore SPCA for this post and to our sister site, Yahoo! Answers Blog Singapore, for sending this on to us. You can find additional information on the SPCA International site.

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Photo by Terry Bain

I love my dogs. They’re a lot of work (and occasionally expensive), but adopting them was the best decision we have ever made. From the beginning, I gave them loads of affection balanced with discipline. Since we don’t have kids, my mother refers to them as the “grand-dogs” and my friends call them “fur babies.” I am of the opinion that pet owners, as a group, spoil their pets.

“Spoil” is such a general term—what does it mean when applied to a dog? Dressing one up? Having dozens of doggie toys? Massages? Or just simply a pet without discipline?

Every dog is different, even when they live together in the same household. Our two dogs have different needs, but the thing that has kept them the happiest has been having a strong alpha in the house. So has been strictly adhering to the dominance structure in the house. Whether your training opinions come from a book or the “Dog Whisperer,” dogs will be dogs—they can’t be treated like furry people. We use only positive reinforcement training techniques, which is a choice we made based on the needs of our dogs—and our personal preferences.

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A native tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens), by Calimecita

Last week, we introduced you to our Answers biologist, Calimecita. We learned about her amazing job and what she likes about it.

In the second of two posts, we’ll discover more about Cecilia and her passion for Answers.

“My interests include reading and intermittently collecting stamps and coins, among others. Although I enjoy almost anything, I’m a Tolkien fan. In fact my nickname, Calimecita, derives from the 177px[fictional Elvish language] Quenya word Calima, meaning bright, clear — I picked it because my second name is Clara. I am also an avid reader of fiction in general and fantasy literature in particular.

“I also love my pets, of course! These days I only keep cats, dogs and gerbils, but I’ve had more interesting pets in the past, including a capybara, all sorts of other rodents, axolotls, and a small gecko.

Anónima, my calico girl, by Calimecita

Sunny, my gerbil, by Calimecita

Lamprotornis-purpureus, by Calimecita

Tiger, by Calimecita

Phrynops-hilarii (side-necked turtle), by Calimecita

“Above all, I enjoy learning all kinds of new stuff — either by reading, watching documentaries, or my own research — and sharing what I’ve learned with others. Everybody who knows me knows that I have a knack for finding that piece of information that nobody else has, so in “real life,” I’m often answering questions and solving problems, just like in Yahoo! Answers!

“What I enjoy the most here are the challenge, the fun, and the people.
“When I first started, it was mostly about answering questions and sharing what I knew. I like the challenging questions, especially when there’s an animal to identify or some obscure data to find. I especially love the difficult zoology questions, those that demand a bit of “detective work” in order to answer. In addition, I spend a lot of time in the Yahoo! Answers category, helping new users. Finally, I visit other areas such as Languages to help with Spanish-English translations or Music.

“But the social aspect is very important, too. Ever since I started, I’ve been very much part of the community, and I like how that feels. I’ve been able to participate in the development of the whole Yahoo! Answers concept, and now I’m sort of addicted to the interaction.

“Thanks to Yahoo! Answers, I’ve met people from all over the world, greatly improved my English, and learned a lot. What more could I ask for? Ah yes, I keep hoping that one of these days, my Yahoo! Answers friends will come to visit Argentina.”

Five of her Best Answers:

• What is the Oscillatoria?
• How do you tell a shark’s age?
• How do you tell a male and female gecko apart?
• Has the snake evolved at all?
• Why do people have kneecaps but not elbow caps?

Know someone who’s “wow-ed” you on Answers? Think somebody deserves to be celebrated as the next Featured User on the Answers Blog? We want to hear from you!

Leave a comment below with a link to the user’s profile or best answer, or email the Answers team at: y_answrs_editors@yahoo.com

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