Click here to view the embedded video.

In part because cats are a core part of my life (mother once had 16-18 on her farm), in part because my father was an electrical engineer, in part because I just (after not having a cat for a long time) adopted a brand new kitty, I really enjoyed this YouTube. I hope you do too

(For reasons I have never understood, companies who manage apartments seem unable to create individual websites for them and properly perform Search Engine Optimisation. See the Management site here http://www.babcockbrownresidential.com/apartments/richardson.htm. Note that the link is to FallsOnClearwood.net but it redirects to FallsOnClearwood.com. Not only that, it doesn’t work!)

As many of you know, our community is pet friendly. We require that all residents who have pets have a Pet Addendum with their lease; there is a $10 pet rent per animal per month and a $255 non-refundable pet fee per animal.

Sorry. That is not my definition of Pet Friendly. I can neither understand the one time fee nor the monthly fee.

Why should someone with two cats pay $240 per year extra? Isn’t that what the deposit is for? And if your pets do no damage, why is the $255 fee a fee?

Consider the resident who stays 6 years (like I did). What are they going to do differently because I had a cat that they wouldn’t do anyway. I mean 6 years means new carpet, new paint and a general work over anyway.

Had this been in effect when I had my cat, Spot, they would have charged me an extra $955 for Spot ($255 as a fee and $10 per month for 72 months). Why? What will they do to my apartment that they wouldn’t normally do for someone vacating after 6 years with no pet? And if I had two cats why should it cost me twice as much? If my cats do damage I should reimburse the apartment for costs of course. But why a fee?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to an additional deposit. I’m not opposed to additional cleaning after short term rentals. I’m not opposed to fees based on the effect of a pet. I’m opposed to fees based on the presence of a pet.

Why should the “good” owners of “good” pets be penalized because of what might happen or what sometimes happens or what others do?

Because Spot died, this won’t affect me. Because I’m moving away this won’t affect me. But it still offends me very, very deeply.

And here is my question for you. Can you charge $500.00 per month per pet and still call yourself pet friendly? If not, why can you charge $10 per month per pet? To me, you should never ever under any circumstances charge per pet per month. Ever. Period.

(Depending on your browser security settings, you may need to click twice to start the video. If you are receiving this via email, or want to open the PhotoBucket page with the video, just click here: http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/PerthPurplePenguin/vids/?action=view&current=cvUMHvLZ.flv

Hardened police officers have been shocked by the horrifying torture, mutilation and brutal slaying of a seven month old fox terrier puppy near Mackay at the weekend.

If found guilty, they could face up to two years in prison. Police have obtained video footage from a mobile phone which shows graphic images of the puppy yelping and howling in terrible pain as it [was] hacked to pieces with garden shears and a [pocket] knife.

They said the owners were too distressed to talk to anyone about it.

The pups nose was cut off, its front right leg and rear left leg were cut off and it was decapitated. A three-part video series on a mobile phone shows the dog being tortured.

The maximum penalty under the Animal Care and Protection Act for such an offence is $75,000 or two years in jail; however the maximum penalty ever handed out has been a four month jail term.

WE BELIEVE THESE MEN SHOULD RECIEVE THE MAXIMUN PENALTY AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA FOR THIS SADISTIC, DISGUSTING ACT.  

You can verify this from these news articles:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=australia+puppy+torture

I want to personally encourage you to sign the petition, by going here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/maximum-penalty-for-the-men-who-hacked-up-a-puppy