Announcement: New Pet Fox Forum!

I am officially opening a forum for those who either have pet foxes, or are interested in getting one in the future! Feel free to join and ask questions, chat about foxes, or just hang out! I will be paying it a visit daily, so this will be one of the better ways to contact me.

I hope to see you there!
Click here to visit the forums!

Giving Animals a Voice

Recently, Massachusets became the first state to ban devocalization surgeries for animals. This will prevent anyone from damaging or removing an animal's vocal cords unless they have a valid medical reason.

Now, those of you who know me well will know that I'm generally against laws that limit what a pet owner can or can't do with their animals, and I'm typically against bans. However, I wholeheartedly support this law, and I think more states should follow suit with similar legislation.

I brought Gizmo home knowing that he could potentially be loud. (Fortunately, he is quiet most of the time, unless you count the screaming fits he throws when the cat kicks him off the chair.) Anyone who buys a dog does so with the knowledge that it can bark. I don't think an animal should be mutilated merely for the sake of fashion or convenience.

Most dogs can be trained to obey a "be quiet" command; just about every dog training book I've seen has had a section on this. And even if training fails, there are plenty of effective, humane means of bark control available for noisy dogs, ranging from collars that produce a high-pitched sound or unpleasant vibration to gadgets that plug into the wall.

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Not only that, but barking serves a very important purpose: Communication. Studies have shown that humans are very good at understanding what dog barks mean. For a very cool demonstration of this, check out this excerpt from "The Secret Life Of the Dog":

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Even my pet fox uses barking, along with a wide range of other noises, to communicate with me. What do you guys think about this new law? Is a good thing, or do you think that it's too restrictive of pet owners freedom? Are there consequences that maybe we're not anticipating? Let me know in the comments!

New Source Of Pics...

Since I can't get Blogger to upload pics for me anymore, I've started an album for Gizmo on Flickr. Anyone interested in checking out more nice pics of him, just follow this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragtatter/sets/72157624414727376/

I've got a lot of cute baby pictures of him up!

Gizmo's on Twitter

For those of you who are interested in me and Gizmo's day-to-day minutiae, I've started a Twitter for us. Our screenname on there is, unsurprisingly, "GizmoTheFox".

It's mostly about Gizmo, but I'll also throw in little tidbits here and there about what's going on with me (Like a few days ago, when I saw an American Kestrel sitting on a mailbox in my neighborhood. Falcons are cool.)

I'm happy to answer any quick questions you have over Twitter. Honestly, for things that only need short replies, it'll probably be the most efficient way of getting them.

Rule-breaker

Good news! So far, Gizmo has left his new harness on. I was half-expecting him to have chewed it off by now, but he's left it in place. He also hasn't minded the recipe-change in his food. He's still getting the same amount, but due to the changes I've made it's lower-calorie.

Well, today while we were playing, I broke one of Gizmo's rules. The all-important rule that I'm only allowed to play with one arm at a time. I grabbed him with one arm, and used the other one to tickle his belly.

Well, Gizmo let out an offended squawk, and wriggled free. He then walked about three feet away, and sat down with his back to me. I called him back over, and he pointed his ears back at me, but wouldn't look. This went on for a few minutes, until I finally got up and walked around so he was facing me. He whined and turned his back again.

I left and then came back with a hardboiled egg, and then all was forgiven, but it was still pretty funny. I'm not used to getting the "silent treatment" from him. Next time I'll be a good girl and not break the rules of the game.

Sometimes you train the fox, sometimes the fox trains you.

Gizmo, using the bath-avoiding techniques he learned from the cats.

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On a more serious note, please help Gizmo and animals everywhere by signing this petition to remove the HSUS's tax-exempt status. Few people who trustingly donate to them realize that they are an anti-pet animal rights extremist group.

Click here to read the petition.

Confused? You can learn more about what the HSUS is up to in this profile report by the Center for Consumer Freedom.

The Humane Society of the United States

Also, take the time to read this fine article by Alice Fix:

Do You Know the Real PETA and Humane Society of the United States?

Here's a brief snippet from the overall article:

People donate millions to the HSUS each year, thinking that their money is going to save the lives of millions of animals. Nothing could be further from the truth. The HSUS does not own a single animal shelter anywhere in the country. Although many shelters have the words Humane Society in their names, they are not associated in any way with the HSUS. The HSUS does not sponsor any spay or neuter clinic anywhere in the country. They do donate a very small percent of the annual budget to a few local humane societies, around $2 million annually, which just happens to be less than the amount that they spend in travel each year. Their major money is sent on fund raising and legislative activity. In 2005 they spent $28 million for public mailings, $6 million in vegan education, $10 million in legislative campaigns and litigation. Their income for that year was close to $125 million.

Sun-bathing fox

This isn't Gizmo-related, but is still cute and I figured I'd share. Click on the image for the news story behind it.