Help the Animals! Sign the Petition for Animal Cruelty Crimes Act

The American Humane Association (AHA) is urging animal lovers to sign a petition asking their senators to support the Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act of 2007, a measure that is intended to increase the importance of regulating animal cruelty and to ensure that it is treated as a serious crime. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and would require the FBI to add animal cruelty as a separate category in its crime data reporting system. The AHA has a goal of 20,000 signatures. Go here to sign the petition.

Local woman seeks donations for pet’s medical expenses

Philadelphia resident Jennifer Iannaco is seeking help to cover the cost of veterinary visits as well as medication for her dog, Torrie, a 13-year-old mixed breed who is suffering from congestive heart failure.

In 2006, Torrie was put on medication for a heart murmur. Although she did well for a few months, Torrie was soon diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Iannaco’s veterinarian told her that Torrie had only six weeks to live and suggested that she try an investigational drug called Pimobendan. Torrie then became a case study for congestive heart failure and eventually helped get Pimobendan approved by the FDA for use in the United States.

Torrie has been on Pimobendan for the past two years and will continue to be for the rest of her life, says Iannaco. She explains that Torrie’s heart is so enlarged that it pushes against her airway, causing pulmonary hypertension, which in turn causes her to faint if she becomes too excited. The pooch is also taking a long list of other medications to regulate her condition, and according to Iannaco, the monthly cost of these medications is approximately $600, in addition to other procedures and veterinary visits, which cost hundreds more each month. But, she says, it’s worth it. “In 1996, shortly after we found each other, my mom died in June, my dad in November, and my grandfather in November as well. I was barely an adult. I felt alone and scared, but my little baby was with me,” says Iannaco. “I owe her this because she got me through the hardest time of my life. How can I give up during her hardest time?”

Torrie is being treated by a number of specialists, but her primary veterinarian is Dr. Conrad Roblejo at Brees Animal Hospital. Donations can be sent to:

Attention: Torrie Iannaco
Brees Animal Hospital
7436 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19136

—Jaime A. Hubbell

Help put an end to the sport of dog fighting

Professional NFL player Michael Vick has been accused of dog fighting and Best Friends Animal Network is encouraging communities to become involved.

Click here to sign its petition calling on the NFL and other sports organizations to speak out against dog fighting.

Click for a good cause

TheAnimalRescueSite.com (ARS) is working to provide food for abandoned and neglected animals in need through an online fundraiser that’s as simple as a click of the mouse. Working in conjunction with corporate sponsors and national/local advertisers its "Fund Food For Animals" program supplies 6 bowls of food to the animals for every click on its homepage. Sponsors donate the food in exchange for advertising on the ARS website. In 2006 the site provided 33,528,399 bowls of food for the animals, a number that was slightly down compared with 2005. This year the organization hopes to go even further with the number of clicks. Its encouraging each visitor to tell ten friends about the site so that they in turn can each tell ten of their friends until the proram eventually surpasses its goal. For more information or to make the click visit www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com and click the "Fund Food For Animals" button. Clicking is free and only takes a second.