Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a new bill dubbed Logan’s Law. Under this new law, anyone who removes or cuts a animals vocal chords for nonmedial needs will face fines and up to five years in prison.

“To take the voice of an animal would be the equivalent of taking a person’s voice or a person’s ability to communicate,” Brian Adams, spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), told reporters.

Animal rights groups that supported the bill feel it is more important that pet owners understand the need for animals to be able to make noise. While those apposing the bill feel that more animals will be returned to shelters due to this law.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), reported that in 2009, it did not have a single dog or cat surrendered because it was too noisy.

Inspired by the Massachusetts law, a U.S. Congressman introduced a bill in May to support states that pass similar legislation to ban devocalization.

H.R. 5422, sponsored by C. A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, D-MD, would authorize grants of up to $1 million for the prevention of cruelty to animals. It was referred to a House Agriculture subcommittee in June.

photo credit mccun934

As a pet parent no request, or need, for our furry loved one’s should be to far, or is there?

Pet sitters are all to familiar with the common requests to sing to pets, read to pets, play the piano for pets and even turn on the TV so a pet could watch its “favorite” program.

However, with the growing view in society is that our furry ones are more family than anything else, the request by pet owners are reportedly getting a little strange at times according to a recent article by Diane Mapes on msn.

Joshua Cary, co-founder of the Association of Pet Sitting Excellence said in the article “We recently asked ‘What’s the strangest request you’ve had from a pet-sitting client?’ on our Facebook page and the replies were a hoot”. He continued with, “My favorite was the person who asked the pet-sitter to mix holy water and ash and put it on the cat’s food and then say a prayer over the food before serving it.”

Jessica Stout from Sacramento, Calif. post on Facebook “I once worked at an upscale pet hotel and one woman asked us if we could bring in a TV so her dogs could watch Oprah every day at 4 p.m., We also had a woman who said her dog could only sleep if he could lick someone’s feet. She asked if one of us would be willing to let him lick our feet each night before he went to sleep”.

While pet owners request for their special children may be a bit odd from time-to-time, the majority of requests are not that far out of the norm according to most pet experts.

However, while some professionals may feel that some requests are a little too much, shouldn’t the paw parent know best?

Does your pet have funny quirks? Share it with us on our Facebook page

Photo by Timothy Valentine

A 57-year-old man in Toledo Ohio decided to shoot is dog in the head, neck and back after his dog did not obey his commands to “sit down”.

According to a neighbor, the German shepherd named “Sarge”, was quietly lying in his locked cage, when Mr. Lawrence and another man came out of their home and started taking turns shooting the dog.