By now, we've all heard about the Woman [who] is thrilled with her $50,000 cloned pet cat [Romenesko's Obscure Store]

A CNN commentator's remarks about the cloned kitty's owner has been critical and nasty. Specifically, he claims she should have spent the $50 K on animal shelter pets. I don't see how a woman who pampered her original cat for 18 years is to blame for the shameless people who dump their pets at animal shelters.

If anything, we might learn something from this woman's love. She is obviously abundantly successful and wealthy AND she loves pets. PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) can learn a thing or two from her. Specifically: Yes, you can love animals and YES, you can also be wealthy enough to clone a pet. Maybe her sense of abundance has some effect on her ability to achieve such wealth.

While I would never clone a pet, I applaud the people who love, honor and keep their pets for 20 years, in the same manner as the woman who cloned her pet cat.

Time magazine has opened up its archives to the general public. You can search for articles by keywords and date. Pull up a chair with a cup of cocoa or java, and warm your heart with Time's extraordinary dog stories which date all the way back to 1923. [Research Buzz] (unfortunately, Time teases the reader by limiting stories to the first paragraph... you have to subscribe to Time to receive entire articles...)

If you have some holiday vacation time now, please stop by your local animal shelter and visit the many pets who have been discarded this Christmas. You'll be amazed at the quality and quantity of pets available. At the behest of a friend, we stopped in at our local animal shelter to check on a discarded pet: the most beautiful and friendly chow I have ever seen. This neutered male chow chow is in good health, intelligent and trainable. He is mostly white with splashes of golden fur across his back;. his sunny disposition matches his gorgeous fur coat.

CHUCHO - ID#A258444 I am a neutered male, fawn Chow Chow. The shelter staff think I am about 1 year and 6 months old. I have been at the shelter since Dec 10, 2004. 
For more information about this animal, call:

Montgomery County Animal Control & Humane Society  at (240) 773-5960
Ask for information about animal ID number A258444

The shelter also has many other purebred dogs, as well as cats and birds, all of whom are blameless in losing their original homes. A patron explained to me that people are in the habit of  'dropping off pets' before driving to the airport...

It sounds farfetched but my own experiences jive with the patron's. A friend of mine called me this week to tell me about an eight year old male chow who was dropped off at his vet's. The family had decided to 'put him down' because he was now eight years old and they had just replaced him with a Christmas puppy! The vet asked for (and received) permission to place the dog in another home.

Iuplogbeta.com Rescue groups and pet care organizations will want to take advantage of Iuplog's new blogging service:

1. It's free. If you sign up before January 2005, you'll receive a 12 month subscription which automatically upgrades to the final version, and yes, it's free.
2. It's super easy to use. All of the awful details of maintaining and installing a 'content management system' (CMS) are taken care for you. Really... You can send stories and photos from your phone or  computer with a simple point and click. neato.
3. The expense of a dedicated computer system is unnecessary.
4. You can concentrate on what you do best: write, snap photos and tell your story. Did I mention that it's free? Rescue organizations, non-profits and charitable organizations will love this feature. To me, if this saves just one more dog or pet, it's invaluable. I like this feature the best...

Read the Lockergnome review here... and go save some pets.