Welcome to the ASPCA Online Community!

[Elyse Orecchio]

Hi! Ready to Rock This Forum?
Thank you for visiting the ASPCA discussion forum. We are committed to allowing freedom of expression for our members, and that includes maintaining a safe space for people with opposing views to express themselves. We get posts from all over the country and even the globe, so needless to say, people come with different viewpoints on animal welfare. We see this diversity and variety as a real strength-- dialogue and debate are an integral part of the educational process, as well as an important tool in exploring different sides of complex issues.

ASPCA Code of Conduct
Okay, I know we said we want you to have the freedom to express yourselves. And we do. But a few rules never hurt, right?
• Be nice! No flaming. Many posters come here for information, not to be called names.
• Please respect the different backgrounds and education of posters—especially when it comes to diverse perspectives on animal treatment. The best thing you can do for animals is politely educate on how to protect them.
• No one needs to hear you correct them on proper grammar and spelling. Let’s talk animals, not the difference between affect and effect.
• Wanna talk about religion and race? Well, we don’t. We wanna talk about animals.
• Don’t gang up with other posters against one person. It’s not nice! Better to stick to animal talk.
• Did I mention you should…talk about animals? Cool! Now get to it and have fun!

Medical Questions:
Please, please, please do not submit questions about emergency medical problems here. If you think that your pet is sick, contact your veterinarian. Self-diagnosis or delay seeking proper veterinary care may worsen your pet's condition.

Questions for the ASPCA:
While the ASPCA staff does monitor the ASPCA Community, we can't always answer individual questions via the discussion boards. If you have a question for the ASPCA, please visit www.aspca.org or send me a message via my profile.

Reporting Discussion Board Abuse:
To report discussion board abuse, please visit: http://aspcacommunity.ning.com/main/index/report.

All right, now that you've gotten the boring rules part out of the way, start postin' some animal love! Can't wait to talk to you!

Best,
Elyse

[Bikinibeachy]

Hi, I am new to this site and not good with the internet. Can someone email me at [e-mail] and tell me where to find an ASPCA banner to add to my myspace profile? Thanks.

[Elisabeth]

Hello everyone. I am new to this but I wanted to let the dog community know about our new business. On July 1st we are opening Camp Bow Wow, a doggie daycare and boarding facility here in LIC, Queens. This is a franchise that started in Boulder, CO. You can look us up at http://www.campbowwow.com/us/ny/longislandcity-nyc/ We are currently hiring camp councelors, so if you know of anyone who would like to work with dogs please pass our information on to them. You can apply at our website or give us a call. We will start interviewing people this Saturday 6/14/08. We will also be running a foster dog program with the ASPCA to help adopt out dogs to good families in our community. I look forward to making new friends here!

[regina]

Hi to all,
I just joined. I hope to be able to learn alot from all the other animal lovers out there. I do have one question that maybe someone could help me with. I have 2 wonderful dogs. Trixie and OLI. Both are obedienced trained and well behaved. I have a neighbor that has complained about my dogs barking. The problem is that dogs are barking as a result of their 8 yr. old daughter tormenting the dogs when they are in my yard or out on the back porch. she has a bedroom window that overlooks my yard and she has been banging on the window and running away as soon as she gets the dogs to bark. She has thrown stones and sticks over the fence at them as well as banging on the fence with a bat untill she ellicits barking from them. This has been going on for a few years now and I am at my wits end. I have tried to talk to her parents and they refuse to believe that this child has now conditioned the dogs to bark whenever someone comes to the window or near the fence. They insist she only did this" a few times". I do not want to have to keep my dogs in the house all the time as they enjoy the outdoors as I do. The child has actually tormented the dogs when I am outside with them and I can't get them to stop when this occurs. I am at my wits end ! I was hoping that someone might have some suggestions for me that might help this situation.

[Kelly]

I don't know if you can do much of anything. Unless the parents teach this little tyrant that she is tormenting and upsetting the dogs, she will continue to do so, likely to any dog she comes across.
Unfortunately, since her parents obviously haven't taught her any animal sense, or how to treat an animal she doesn't know well, she will likely get bitten at some point when she torments the wrong dog, or cat for that matter.
Good luck, it sounds like the parents are too doting, and the kid is spoiled. On the bright side, she will be a teenager one day, and will completely drive her doting parents completely insane, and you will get to sit by and watch it...:)

[bams481]

I have a request that has been bothering me to no end. Can we PLEASE stop making celebrity fan groups. This site is for animals and animals alone. Thank you

[*LO*]

I am writing in hope that maybe there can be some light shed on this ongoing problem on YouTube...

I am very proactive in the light of having animal abuse flagged and removed from YouTube, I dont WANT to purposely seek out these videos for which they are very heartbreaking, I am writing in hope for help with YouTube, I only search and flag videos to be removed for the fact animal abusers get the notion to use YouTube as a vessel to promote violence towards animals, I have flagged many videos of cat and dog abuse, when I flag the dog abuse videos they are promptly removed but I am having problems with YouTube removing cat abuse.

YouTube has said "animal abuse" is considered a "violation of terms of use" but I dont understand why they wont remove the cat violence , one of which a cat gets stabbed to death or a pit attacks it..( trust me, "I" dont like having to view this stuff) but if videos like this dont get removed.. then other people will make and post stuff like it too, thats the "only reason" I do this ,I know I could turn my back... but how does this help the animals???


I just need others help in flagging these cruel videos and hope the ASPCA can help in the removal of these videos that are violent, YouTube is having def ear on me and its getting frustrating to the point Im not going to do it anymore and these videos will continue to escalate, I just want to help some how to put a nitch in the promoting of animal abuse videos... if other people can please help me with contacting YouTube to remove these videos and the ASPCA help too I would be so grateful.


Sincerly , *Lo*

[joanne]

I have a question? There is a humane society in my town and I know that they are not treating the animals correctly. The town even knows that the lady that runs it is doing things to make money with the animals that are illegal. There are other things that are going on in this shelter. The animal control officer is aware of this situation. The town is not doing anything about this because they do not have another facility. The operator of this humane society is not a county employee. She lets the county lease her land for one dollar a month for the next 99 years. If you call up this facility and explain you are missing a dog she will say well you should of not lost it to begin with. If you go looking for your dog at this shelter she will tell you she does not have it, she will not even let you go in the back and let you look. Can anyone help me with what direction I can go with this. The facility is nasty and I am worried about the animals. Please help me on how to get this issue resolved.

[Kathryn Minicozzi]

Hi!

I am brand new here, and looking forward to some good discussions about animals.

[MUTTLYMAN]

Doesn't matter who sends me what. I will NOT like Pit Bulls. ANd I think there are to many of them. If people stop them from spawning, and their numbers reduce...I may reconsider, but I still maintain they are a blight on the run of the mill mutt genotype, and their owners are frequently irresponsible, and self serving.

BTW That goes for humans too.
Signed,
the other dogs

[Kelly]

Hi! I'm relatively new to this board and site as well. I'd like to thank the SPCA in Delaware for their pilot program that allowed me to get my cats spayed at a price that I could afford. They did a great job and all 3 cats are recovering nicely(although the male, Gus, is walking a bit bowlegged with his hind legs.LOL)
I am the proud owner of 7 cats, and one Siberian husky, some of the cats pics and I think at least one of my husky is posted on my page..check them out if ya like!
Getting the pic of Bella, the husky wasn't easy though...she always turns away from the camera, like she is shy or something. The cats however, happily pose.

[Jill]

I can not find a place to "open" a discussion. I have tried both the groups tab and the forums tab. Can someone please help me with this?
TIA,
Jill

[bams481]

You can not start a discussion in the open forum, you must go to a group...join and start discussion is on the page