Do your dog’s ears hang low? Do his jowls wobble to and fro, causing drool to drip around your home? Well now there’s a solution: cosmetic surgery. According to Technorati , pet owners are selecting surgery for furry friends for more than just health reasons: Often, the cosmetic surgeons claim they’re just fulfilling “consumer demand.” Others suggest that pet owners who consider their cats and dogs as family members, point out that such emotional bonds include the spending of “human-level” money on keeping them looking good. Examples of pet surgery include liposuction, facelifts, nose enhancements and even… testicle implants. ABC News reports that neutered dogs can get prothetic testicals to “preserve his family pride.” A pair of ” neuticles “ can cost between $369 to $449 — and that’s just for the implants themselves, not the procedure. Pet surgeries can cost thousands.
Neuticles -- silicone testicles -- can restore a dog's, er... manhood? (Photo: Neuticles)
This shar-pei had some wrinkles removed in 2006 to help it see better. (Photo: Daily Mail)
This doberman pinscher had ear implants. (Photo: Bryce Crousore via Nomad Editions)
This pup had a facelift. (Photo: Oddee)
This dog went under the knife for its saggy eyes.
Originally posted here:
Does your pet need a facelift or augmentation?
A Pennsylvania woman finds herself under house arrest after piercing her cats’ ears, necks and tails. After gothifying the kitties, she then listed them online for $100 each. Apparently, she thought that the minor “improvements” she made would make the felines more marketable (it’s a tough economy, right?). Aside from piercing the cats’ various body parts, the woman also docked their tails. In case you didn’t know, docking is a process that results in the removal of a portion of animals’ tails. The procedure is typically performed on working dogs and livestock in an effort to prevent infection (i.e. there’s typically a method behind the madness). As you can imagine, it didn’t take long for PETA and the local ASPCA to catch wind of what had occurred. The woman, of course, has been penalized for her actions. Consumerist has more : [The woman] was convicted of animal cruelty, and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania recently affirmed her sentence and conviction on the grounds that no one could possibly be stupid enough to think that this was a good idea. I paraphrase… [She] defended her actions, using the examples of declawing surgery for cats and debarking surgery for dogs, both of which are controversial but legal. The court’s response was that these procedures have a purpose, while putting a metal ring through the scruff of a cat’s neck kinda doesn’t. Just an FYI to those of you out there considering animal piercings and cosmetics: Probably not a good idea. (h/t Consumerist )
Original post:
Gothic Felines? Woman Pierced Cats’ Ears, Necks and Tails…to Make Them More Marketable
Twice in recent days, I've gotten into little back-and-forths with Joe Scarborough on Twitter , and my current argument probably needs more than 140 characters. First, a couple of nice things about Scarborough: He's a nice guy. His show is near-ideal for political junkies, a lot of great inside baseball and much less fluff than a lot of other shows. He is a gracious and well-informed host. Often he's surprisingly blunt about what he thinks about other programs and hosts on MSNBC, and let's face it, we find that awesome . His goal of a more polite and respectful public dialogue is completely worthwhile. Having said that . . . It seems like at least once per day on Twitter, Scarborough expresses some variation of surprise, irritation, and incredulity that he's been criticized by left-wing folks and right-wing folks in the same day. Now, I know where he's coming from. Hate mail used to drive me bonkers. Every once in a while, it still does. But the Internet has changed our culture; when I started in journalism, critics used to have to use a stamp, envelope, pen, or crayons and the occasional bit of DNA evidence to tell you what a terrible job you were doing.* Now you can wish a painful death upon me or any other voice in the public square with the touch of a button. This, we are constantly assured, is progress. I don't like this state of affairs, but it is what it is. The folks who practice this the most are well beyond our ability to change their behavior. Once, after writing an op-ed that mentioned a particularly infamous figure who had sent death threats to a blogger, the figure sent me a note thanking me for helping keep her in the news. Some folks who write harshly are just caught up in the moment, but others actually think and speak this way all the time, and feel no shame, remorse, or regret about how they choose to treat people. If we could somehow undo the technological revolution that enabled these people to communicate beyond earshot, the U.S. postal system, and their cats, our public discourse would probably be nicer, healthier, and more productive and civil. But nobody's turning off the Internet anytime soon, and there doesn't appear to be a way to put the genie back in the bottle. I think ignoring them is probably the best approach, but I'm open to suggestions. The end result is that Scarborough seems perpetually taken aback by vicious denunciations that are now sadly standard in our discourse, and many of his Tweets amount to a plea for us all to be nicer to each other and treat each other with respect. Now, Jesus Christ and Rodney King would agree with that message, but it's hard to see what those pleas accomplish. Those who are already respectful don't need to hear it, and those who aren't respectful don't seem inclined to change their behavior because Joe Scarborough is disappointed in them. (Search for #JoeNBCWisdom on Twitter to find folks parodying the host's well-meaning but obvious and often preachy messages.) Finally, when you're being criticized by both the Right and the Left, sometimes it's because you've found a sweet spot of compromise that irritates the fringes of both sides. Then again, sometimes it just means you're really, really wrong. * “Bah! You call this hate mail? Why, back in the day, cranks used to send bits of dried-up flowers! These kids today, they have no idea what it used to take to tell a writer he stinks. Why, they used to have to take the letter to the mailbox, in the snow, uphill both ways . . .” Jim Geraghty
Originally posted here:
Can You Believe I’m Being Harshly Criticized by Both Sides? Unthinkable!
