EDIT: This is the last day you guys can get your entries in, when I wake up Tuesday morning judging will commence! Fun fun fun. We only got four entries, and as much as I'd like to imagine we'll be getting a bunch more today, I doubt it. But if you do want to get in an entry, hurry hurry hurry! We'd love to see what you guys have to offer.

I've been holding off on doing a journal until the site as up, as Fallen told me that it would be running in a couple days, so I apologize for the delay.

But this is it guys. The big day. The site is finally up and running! Rejoice! And don't worry, just because the site is going, doesn't mean we'll be leaving dA. It does possibly mean we will be looking for more help. Maybe. Remember, we will approach you, do not ask if you can become an admin. Thank you.

The link to the site: [link]

Yes, we're still working on it, but hey, it's something right? Heh.

Submission rules, joining rules and the like are posted in the shoutboard. Please stop asking to join, anyone can join, just give us a watch.

Thank you.

--Cuvier


Dug suffers brutal wounds, but lives to fight another day. [link]
Hell's Angels not as tough as you thought? Tattooed bikers help animals. [link]
A whopping 1000 dogs rescued from a puppy mill. [link]
PETA makes little progress getting movies to stop using live chimps. [link]
Australia seems rash of horrible animal abuse cases. Some of the worst I've heard about in a while. [link]

*If you know of any other news stories that should be mentioned above, let us know. Please realise that we try and mention news from all over the world, but it's sometimes hard to track down recent stories. As well, we can not mention every story. If you are interested in animal abuse in the news, please check out google news and search animal abuse or cruelty. [link] [link]
All commments, opinions, and arguements are welcome. We don't bite.*


Amarina reports:
So it took me a while to find a good story that was hard hitting but did not already repeat what I've already said about careless, cruel pet owners. Last night, however, I was watching a programme on TV about pedigree dogs, some other people from the UK may also have seen it. I bet a lot of you own a pedigree dog, but did you know that pedigree dog breeding is possibly one of the most hideous forms of animal cruelty and is derived from the same movement that Hitler was a great patron of? Selective breeding ensures that only the 'best' features of a dog breed get passed down. This means that when you buy a pedigree dog you can almost gurantee what size, shape and colour the dog will be. Unfortunately you can also gurantee what illnesses and suffering it will go through due to extreme inbreeding. A lot of you will have brothers and sisters, parents too, just imagine what it would be like if you had to mate with a brother or a sister, mother or father, and produce offspring. This is exactly what pedigree dogs are forced to do. The Kennel Club, the body that monitors all breeding and showing, has laid down a set of 'rules' for each dog breed to specify exactly what shape they must be. Dogs that are bred that do not meet these 'rules' are often culled. Rhodesian Ridgebacks have that characteristic ridge that runs the length of their spine, but did you know that the ridge is actually a sign of a severe illness and those puppies that are born without a ridge are actually healthier? Also, those healthier puppies without the ridge are the ones that get killed because they do not meet the Kennel Club standards. Pugs, adorable little dogs with cute little faces and curly tails, also suffer greatly due to their breeding. They can hardly breathe due to their flat faces and can suffocate when they get excited, their faces also mean that when they walk into objects they can easily damage their eyes. That adorable curly tail also causes much suffering to the dogs as it requires their spines to grow in an unnatural, agonising way. The British Bulldog, a symbol of Great Britain, is a far cry from the athletic, bull-chasing animal it used to be, and now limps around on short stubby legs and struggles with breathing through its squashed nose. If Britain were a bulldog, it would be crippled. There are so many more examples of such hideous deformaties that have been caused through the insane inbreeding of these poor dogs. The even more hideous truth is that the people who do the breeding, full-well knowing what suffering they are causing, see no problem in what they are doing and continue to breed their 'show winning' dogs as a kind of freakish sport. I could write so much more on this subject, but I think that just by looking at what breeds USED to look like when they were build for a job and what they look like NOW after extreme selective breeding will show just what cruelty we have caused to these innocent animals. Do a bit of research for yourself on breeds such as German Shepards (that can barely walk due to their deformed back legs), King Charles Spaniels (suffering from brain problems because their skulls are too small), Pugs (with twisted spines), Bulldogs (with extreme wrinkles that are meant to 'channel away blood' that were never there when they used to do their jobs), Basset Hounds (with so much excess skin they can hardly move and their stomachs trail on the floor), Boxers (prone to epileptic fits), and many other breeds that you see every single day.


Hey, Autumn here!
Once a week, we will feature a different endangered animal, and give tips on how you can help them survive.

This weeks featured animal is the California Condor.

The California Condor, found exclusevely in the United States, are critically indangered due to an estimated population of around fifty mature individuals.

More info: [link]


If you have any questions, don't hesitate to note me! Just make sure that in the subject box, you write 'Autumn'.


Check this site out if you live in the UK, they hold many events. [link]

*If there are any anti animal abuse events happening anywhere, that you know of, please alert us so we can add them to the least. Events can include anything, protests, rallies, get togethers, or even days, such as World Ocean Day. If there are no events happening on those days in your town, try and get people interested and maybe have your school, commmunity, town or city put something together. Don't be scared to speak up.*


Help PETA put an end to Iams and it's cruelty. [link]
Help horses, sign an online petition to try and get rid of cruelty to horses. [link]
Help stop KFC's reign of terror over the chickens. [link]
Wearing real fur is wrong, help stop the cruel slaughter of animals for something that is rightly theirs! [link]

*Any good petitions you can show us are welcome. We prefer they be as legit as possible, and not some internet crap that won't ever do anything. Try and find petitions from organizations such as WSPA and ILPH. Yes, sometimes we will have shitty-get-you-no-where-petitions, but that can't be helped. There's only so many good petitions out there.*


Our first competition. Excited? I hope so.

'Design A Logo For DAFAC'

As some, many, or all of you may know DAFAC will be having merchandise. Of course, all funds will go towards organizations such as WSPA or the SPCA. We are a NON-PROFIT organization. We're all volunteers, and will be getting no money from these products.
Before we can get all the merchandise organized, we need a logo. This is where you all come in. We have some ideas, but it would be better if we see what the public wants. Right?
So, some rules perhaps?

1. The logo has to contain an animal, or animals. IF you have only one animal, try and make it as unidentifiable as possible. We don't want to look like we favourite any animal over another.
2. The logo must contain Dare To Act. Period included.
3. You must be aware of a couple things. We do not want copy right issues, you must be willing to hand the logo over to us completely. We will give you credit, don't worry. But we do not want legal actions taken against us if you see your logo walking down the street on someone's shirt.
4. Don't let all that copy right hoopla scare you away. And even though this is for a very serious cause, don't be scared to have some fun and experiment with different ideas. You can submit as many entries as you'd like.
5. All entries must be in by September 1st 12:00pm UTC time. That should give all of you lots of time. Polls and judging should be all over by September 15th.

That's it for now. You will all be alerted of any updates.


RSPCA: [link]
WSPA: [link]
WHW: [link]
WWF: [link]
COK: [link]
ASPCA: [link]

*If you know of any other organizations that deserve a spot here, please send us a note with a link to their homepage and a brief description of what they do.*


, , [link] , ,


Member list is now in the Shoutboard.