Thursday, November 3, 2011

Puppy Mills: Torture for the puppies

When people think of buying a dog, the first thing they tend to do is rush to the nearest pet store. The cutest puppy in the shop is picked and brought home. But what people don't realise is the torture those little babies might have been subjected to. The puppy may as well be from a 'puppy mill'

Many of you reading this, might wonder what 'puppy mills' are. A puppy mill is as the name suggests a place where dogs are bred for profit, or to put it in more 'crude' terms, it is a 'puppy making factory'. The health of the parents and puppies is rarely given any sort of importance at such places. The whole focus of a puppy farm is on the profit they make.

So why is this bad for society?

In most parts of the world, there are a number of abandoned and homeless dogs. Many of these end up being abandoned by owners who can no longer take care of them. However, there are some who are simply put out on the street because the puppy mill owners do not think they are 'profitable'.

The dogs are kept under very cramped and unhygienic conditions. It is not a surprise then that many of the puppies end up with illnesses and ailments. These puppies do not fetch a high price, and are therefore neglected by breeders.

Apart from general health, puppies brought up in puppy mills have a very unbalanced social life. They live in cramped cages in the mills and therefore find it difficult to mix and mingle with other dogs or even people.

The psychological trauma that the animals go through at such places, is unimaginable. Can you try and think about how you would feel, being caged up either indoors or outdoors all the time, and constantly being expected to breed? The lack of food, water and fresh air only make matters worse. When the dogs are old and can no longer reproduce, they are again let out or simply put to death! If they get rescued, it takes them nearly a year or 2 to get comfortable and feel 'safe' around humans again.

This is why people are trying to file petitions world over to ban puppy mills. This is just another form of inhumane behaviour that has grasped the world! People who claim to be animal lovers, and therefore rush to a store to buy a puppy, should remember that they are in-turn funding this industry.

Puppy mills are a reality that people need to accept and change. The cute dog in the store has had a traumatic past. If people turn to adoption and rescue centres to buy pets, these puppy mills will slowly close down.

Next time, I will be writing about why in some countries, the 'bear dance' is being banned, and why in some places it already has been!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Spread the Word like Fire on Oil

People join social media to be able to share things with one another. With NGOs joining Facebook and Twitterto spread the word about their organization, people have the chance of doing a good deed sitting at home or even half way across the globe! How??

Well social media is all about connecting and sharing things with people of similar interests. I noticed that there was a key area that was not used to the full potential -- Using Social Media for a Social Cause! There are many organizations trying to help animals around the world. But the problem is that they only tend to gather followers from their own region. People, however are not as limited when it comes to friends and family! I have friends and family in various parts of the world. They in turn have friends from my country who I don't know.

When I share a post, and thereafter they share it too, the word spreads! But as I said in '

Tips and Tricks to Spreading the Word!', sharing everything might get annoying to your friends!

There is another quick way of spreading the word. Tag the friends who you think might be interested in the post. This works in several ways:

1. It sends them the message directly onto their wall.

2. Their friends can see it when they visit their page.

3. Some of your common friends might also glance at the post.

There are sometimes problems in doing this is. It might sometimes be difficult for you to tag too many friends, or if your friends have privacy settings that don't allow you to tag them, then you can't share it with them directly. But you can always send them a private message to spread the word!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

A Humane Solution to deal with Stray Animals

As I said in the last post, 'Different Countries, Different Problems', I will be writing about problems faced by animals in various countries. I am going to kick-off by writing about one of the problems faced by most countries that deal with stray animals.

There are always two sides to a coin. You need to choose which one you want, or you can take the time and patience to carefully balance the coin, so you have the best of both sides. Everyone knows that stray animals often cause problems (this does not imply that they are bad). Circumstances do not allow animals to survive in a world where people are two busy rushing around earning money to bother about dogs that come in their way. As a result, the whole society gets divided.

One half of society wants these animals out of their way, by any means necessary, while the other (often a minority) is trying to save them from the wrath of the former! Getting stray animals gassed has become common in many countries. In some places animals are simply put into dog pounds and given a deadline... 'either you find a home by xyz date or you're dead'.

Whether you like it or not, this has become a reality in most places where stray animals are present. Is there any other way to deal with the situation?

Yes. There is a logical and humane way. Spray and neuter stray animals. People have no right to kill them, without reason (and saying that they cause a nuisance is not a valid reason, I'm sure most people cause a nuisance to someone or another too, but we can't apply the same rules then can we?).

In places where stray animals are a problem, if one person can take on the responsibility of getting one animal neutered, the problem would be easy to deal with. The Government of such places should step in and subsidise the cost of getting this done.

The Government can also take the initiative and mandate people to get at least one or two animals neutered in a year. That is all it will take to deal with this problem without having to be monsters and throwing animals in gas chambers or should I say torture chambers.

Nothing happens overnight. It will take time for the society to reform, but once the wheel starts turning, it will not be long before this is done! The animals who are neutered can be rehabilitated by animal shelters. With time, this becomes easier.

Corporate offices can also take part in such drives. A large number of companies are focusing on CSR activities. This can be one of the forms of CSR that they take up.

There are a number of things that can be done to solve the problem of stray animals without hurting them! Most of those animals end up becoming stray due to the negligence of some owner. I have seen cases of when a well groomed Alsatian is roaming the streets picking garbage from a dustbin, while he should have been home with his family. His future generations would all end up on the street, and people would not even take a second look at them--because they are 'STRAY'! I don't think that is fair! Do you?

Next article will deal with puppy mills, and how it is linked to homeless animals! Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Different Countries Different Problems

Since this is a global network, there is always the wonder of what kind of problems are faced in different countries. To be honest, I thought most developed countries would probably not face much problem at all!

Truth is that the kind of difficulties faced by animals in different countries is different. While in some places, the problem of stray dogs takes the main focus, there are places where this is not a problem at all! Likewise, there are many places where keeping certain breeds of animal is banned, but a person in a country where such restrictions do not exist may not understand the problem!

Understanding the kind of problems animals face in different countries will only help us ensure that we can form a strong enough global network to help them out. One of the key points in making sure that we understand problems in other places is by keeping our minds open! What may be a perfectly normal solution in your country/area may not be the same in some other place.

A simple example of this is the problem of stray dogs. People in countries where they don't have stray animals, might simply reply--neuter them! But it is not until you live in such a place that you really understand the problems faced by those in that situation!

Through this blog, I will try and bridge these differences! Hopefully with network we build, we will be able to understand the problems faced by animals in different regions better!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Importance of Local Animal Help Organizations

Today, after posting the picture about the little puppy, I suddenly realised how it affected people! I used to think I was the only one who hated seeing such pictures, but I realised that I wasn't!

Can you imagine, if seeing such pictures affects us so much, what would we do if we saw it happen in real? I know that most of you will say that you would have perhaps shouted out, called for help or done something else to stop such things. But is it always that easy? It is needless to say that it is not as simple as just walking into a police station and filing a complaint against the people. Many individuals think it is!

The focus of police in most developing countries is on stopping crime happening to people! Very few of them will even listen to you if you say there are a bunch of teenagers hurting a puppy or a kitten!

If you are lucky you might be able to get a complaint registered, but most probably, in most developing and under-developed places, you will not be as lucky! What can you do then?

This is where the local animal help organization comes in action! They take up your complaint, treat it as the most important thing (most of the times) and then try and find a way to help the animal!

A number of local organizations also focus on helping animals when it comes to getting the neutered or vaccinated or even adopted. Many of them also arrange for foster care homes till the little being has found a permanent new home.

Networking of such groups can be useful to the animals and the groups themselves. There are new shelters and animal help associations coming up everyday. They can learn and take guidance from bigger groups and organizations. This was one of the aims of starting NOAH. Different organizations would be able to network with similar organizations that have already attained a level of success.

Hopefully in another few years, people will learn to live a bit more harmoniously with animals! But till then, let's join hands and help them out!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Don't 'UNLIKE' us!

When people hear 'social media' they are most likely to think about either updating their Facebook status, or tweeting or posting something to their Google Buzz or Google Plus. Professionals may think about LinkedIn or BraveNewTalent. But what do you use it for?

Most people use social networking sites to stay connected to the rest of the world. This is done by staying connected to friends and family, as well as connecting to groups/pages/lists that are of personal interest to people.

This becomes problematic at times. People may want to help out or get updates, but how many of you really want those updates to be the only thing on your wall? When visiting Facebook, if you find too many updates from a page, what do you do?

Most people simply 'UNLIKE' the page or maybe just Hide the page. But that means you get disconnected from that page.

So what is the solution then?

It is the responsibility of the page to post content in moderation. NOAH is an attempt at using social network to connect people who are working for or with animals/birds together. But I do not want people to start blocking our posts, that is why I ensure that I do not spam you with posts 24/7! I understand that you need space on your page for posts from friends and family.

I would however, encourage followers to upload and share images and videos that are related to animals on our page. There may be someone visiting the page who might be able to make good use of the post.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tips and Tricks to Spreading the Word!

Most people find it very annoying to share everything they like on Facebook. This might also bug your friends and they might not even read what you have posted (even if it is really good)!

So what is the solution to sharing things, but not having to clog the feed of your friend's with just that?

It is actually something that is quite simple. People know that Facebook has a 'LIKE' button. Although it might be meant to simply show that you like the post, it proves to be one of the best solutions for the problem at hand.

When you hit the 'Like' button, the post gets shared to all your friends! HOW?

Have you noticed that you can see the posts, links, pictures, etc. that your friends have liked? Similarly, your friends see things that you like.

People might wonder, how is this any different from sharing. There are quite a few. Firstly, it is a whole lot faster because there is no pop-up and confirmation window that comes when you click the button. So when you read a post that you like on our page, just click like, and your friends will have a choice of reading it too.

The second advantage of using the like button to spread the word is, the posts saying that you like something is actually much smaller than when you share it. This may not affect you, but your friends will thank you for not spamming their news feed with just your 'shares'!

So does this mean we are discouraging you to share things?

Absolutely not! Sharing is good! In fact, when you know that a lot of people might like the post you should share it. Reason--There are a lot more details of the post when you share it. So say you find details of some kittens or pups for adoption on our page, if you share it, people will immediately get details about it.

So then when should people use the 'Like' button?

Say there are adoptions in a country where you don't know anyone. Hit the like button. Your friends can see it, and if they know someone from that particular place, then they can share it! On the other hand, if you see some post relevant to people in your list, share it!

So those were some tips on how to spread the word fast using Facebook! More tips and tricks tomorrow (for Twitter and Google)

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Breaking the Language Barrier

When networking, one has to remember that not all of us speak and understand the same language. Since NOAH is creating a global network, it is important that we overcome this problem. There is no use of a person posting a problem and no-one else understanding the language in which it is posted! Likewise, it is a waste if a person posts a reply in a language that others don't understand.

So does this then mean that we do not post if it is not in English?

No! POST as much as you want in whatever language you want... we will translate it and add it as a comment under the post. Simple. People can then read it in English and reply.

So what happens when people understand neither the language used nor English?

When you do not understand a language, you can simply go to Google Translate and get the translation. The reason we have chosen English as a central translation is because firstly it is the most widely spoken/understood language. Secondly, it gives you the freedom to share it on your wall or re-tweet it, without wondering whether others in your list will understand it or not.

But what if people cannot understand how to use Google translate?

It is not very difficult to understand Google translate. All you have to do is paste the post on the left box on the screen and then choose your language (in the second language box which says 'to:'). the translated post will appear on the right side.

Let us make sure that language does not become a hindrance in our path! We will create a network powerful enough to reach people world over!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Social media for a social cause

The world as we know it is changing every minute. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook keep us connected to one another regardless of where we are. Off late, social networking for business or personal needs is widely done by one and all...

So what does this mean for people trying to make the world a better place? Simple... Use the power of social media to help animals world over...

How does it work?

On the same principle the rest of social networking works... The six degrees of separation. The main idea behind the concept is that any one person can be connected to the whole world through 6 degrees of separation! So in short by networking you are connected to the whole world!

Ok so now how can you help animals by networking?

When you network, you connect with some people who are connected to others. So when you share information, people in your network can help you spread the word by re-sharing it with others in their network. There maybe a friend's friend's friend who may be able to help you.

What kind of help can you get through global networking?

Firstly you can help others through your own personal experience. There may be a problem being faced by a person in a country on the other side of the globe, but since you have a common platform, you could guide them with suggestions to solve the problem.

You can also get the message out to a larger audience. Since the chain is long, you just might save a dog from being put to sleep simply because you shared information about the dog's adoption with people in your network!

So what are you waiting for? Join us on Facebook and Twitter!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Just a little bit about the Network of Animal Helpers (NOAH)

The Network of Animal Helpers is intended to be a global community where one and all can seek help regarding problems faced by their pets or just any animal in need of help.

They say that you can learn from another's mistakes!

There could be someone in another part of the world, (whom you don't know), who just might be able to help an animal you know!

Everyone, including NGOs can learn from one another, share ideas and suggestions, so that on the whole, it is the animals who benefit, regardless of how near or far they are from you in person.

So let's create a global network and help those in need.