BOOKS— Wolves in Ireland: A Natural and Cultural History

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  October 2013: (Actually published on November 20,  2013.)

Wolves in Ireland:   A Natural and Cultural History  by Kieran Hickey Four Courts Press (7 Malpas Street,  Dublin 8,  Ireland);  in U.S. c/o ISBS,  920 NE 58th Ave.,  Suite 300,  Portland,  OR  97213),  2011.  155 pages,  hardcover.  $45.00.

National University of Ireland geography lecturer Kieran Hickey in Wolves in Ireland assembles apparently every extant scrap of information available in ancient manuscripts and public records to make a case that wolves had a formative role in shaping Irish culture.   Read more

Stop dogfighting by addressing supply side economics

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  October 2013: (Actually published on November 20,  2013.)

Police in Montgomery,  Alabama on October 1,  2013 took custody of the last 16 of at least 386 pit bulls who were impounded after raids in August 2013 on an alleged multistate dogfighting ring.  Thirteen defendants,  from Alabama,  Georgia,  Mississippi,   and Texas,  are facing related charges. Initiated by the Auburn,  Alabama police department,  the investigation and impoundments were assisted by at least 15 humane organizations,  both locally and nationwide.   Read more

Vietnam agrees to five-year suspension of dog imports to control rabies

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2013: (Actually published on October 8,  2013)

HANOI––“After two days of sometimes difficult negotiation and discussion,  representatives from the governments of Thailand,  Vietnam, Laos,  and Cambodia meeting in Hanoi,  Vietnam,  have agreed to a five-point program, to end the dog meat trade and eliminate rabies, including a five-year ban on the import of dogs from other countries into Vietnam,”  Soi Dog Foundation president John Dalley announced on August 29,  2013. Read more

Legislation advances to protect Spanish bullfighting as cultural heritage

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2013: (Actually published on October 8,  2013)

MADRID––Legislation to protect bullfighting as part of the cultural identity of Spain,  pushed by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the center-right Popular Party,  moved closer to passage on October 2,  2013 when endorsed by the parliamentary culture committee by a vote of 24-6,  with 14 abstentions. Read more

Editorials: Asian dog & cat meat trade could be on the way out

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July-August 2013:

Editorial feature: Asian dog & cat meat trade could be on the way out 

By Kim Bartlett & Merritt Clifton

Recent developments signify that dog and cat meat industries of Southeast Asia,  South Korea,  and China may be approaching the beginning of their end,  if current campaigns sustain present momentum.  The dog and cat meat industries are vulnerable to eradication through a combination of factors,  including rising education and affluence,  the increasing popularity of keeping dogs and cats as household pets,  and democratization of traditionally oligarchic and patriarchal societies,  so that women and younger people––who are more likely to be sympathetic toward animals––have more say in what goes on.  

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BOOKS—Unleashed: The Phenonena of Status Dogs and Weapon Dogs

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  May/June 2013:

Unleashed:  The Phenomena of Status Dogs and Weapon Dogs   by Simon Harding The Policy Press,  U. of Bristol (c/o U. of Chicago Press,   427 East 60th St.,  Chicago,  IL 60637),  2012.    286 pages,  hardcover.  $100.60;  Kindle $23.72.

I first saw an American Staffordshire,  better known as a pit bull,  during a 1989 visit to Baltimore.  Three youths had stolen a cocker spaniel and were encouraging their three unleashed pit bulls to tear the spaniel apart alive.  The spaniel tried desperately to escape,  but was held on a short leash.  By the time I reached the scene,  the spaniel had collapsed,  possibly dead.  The youths kept kicking the remains,  and the AmStaffs kept attacking.  By the time the cops caught up with them,  they had disposed of the evidence.  They laughed in the cops’ faces:  “Man, you’ll never find that dead dog, and anyway we’re juvies––you can’t touch us.” Read more

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