Archive for April, 2010

What's the Point of Starting a Farm Animal Sanctuary?



Where as the point of a pet animal sanctuary is clear (to rescue and re-home unwanted pets), a farm animal sanctuary causes some people to scratch their heads. After all there is no way that we could rescue all the farm animals from abuse and slaughter. In fact the tiny amount that are rescued by a farm sanctuary do not even make a dent in the huge amount of abuse faced by the rest of their species.

The point of a farm sanctuary is not to rescue every farmed animal. There is no way anyone could. Of course each animal that is rescued from slaughter, factory farming or whatever life of abuse they suffered is an individual and this is an important point to remember. Each and every life saved is worth the effort, care and love. At least a few farm animals will have the chance to express their natural behavior and live a life free from abuse, suffering and a horrific death.

In the scheme of things though, most people in the animal rights movement will see the most important role of these sanctuaries as education. Farm sanctuaries that open to the public give both kids and adults a chance to get up close and personal with farm animals, probably for the first time in their lives. Watching videos from the huge Farm Sanctuary in the USA, you can see members of the public giving a blissful pig a belly scratch, cuddling a chicken or stroking a turkey. They can watch these animals expressing their natural behaviors and see how much they enjoy it.

Many people will just come for a fun day out with the kids (everyone loves animals right?), but will leave with fresh knowledge that these animals are sentient beings capable of a wide variety of feelings. They will also see these animals as they should be kept. These experiences can be enough for some people to begin questioning the way they live and the choices they make.

It is a good idea to have an education centre at the sanctuary so that people can learn more about the animals they meet and the inhumane way they are treated on modern farms. Even if a small percentage of these people decide to make the change to vegetarian or veganism then it is worth it. There are opportunities for schools to spend the day at some farm sanctuaries. Imagine the impact that day could have on the kids.

Christmas Gifts for Girls- Gifts That Girls Want This Christmas



There are a lot of great Christmas gifts for girls. You may not know what to buy. Stores sell out of a lot of the presents that girls want. So, what I’m going to do is share with you some great Christmas gifts for girls.

That way, your girls will have the best presents this year.

The Christmas gifts for girls are:

1. Hannah Montana Malibu Beach House. This is one gift that a lot of little girls want this year for Christmas. It’s the exact same house that’s on the popular TV show, Hannah Montana. You should get this gift for your little princess if you want to see her face light up.

2. Nintendo Wii with the game ‘We Cheer’. The game, ‘We Cheer’, is a fun game that a lot of girls want. It’s a cute cheerleading game. Also, the Nintendo Wii is very popular with kids. So, this would make a wonderful gift.

3. Littlest Pet Shop- 10 Pack of Pets. This is another great Christmas gift for girls. The Pet Shop pets includes a pack of little pets that kids love to play with. This is a great gift for girls that are over the age of 4.

4. Kidizoom Digital Camera- Pink. The Kidizoom Digital Camera is a durable camera that’s designed for little kids. The pink was designed for little girls. There are actually a few other colors, which includes blue and orange.

5. Nintendo DS Lite Metallic Rose. The Nintendo DS Lite is a great handheld game system. The metallic rose color is a great choice for girls. A lot of girls prefer this color over the others.

These are some great Christmas gifts for girls. If you are still looking for something to buy your girls, you should get the gifts mentioned above. They will love these gifts. They will also have the best Christmas ever with these popular toys.

How To Start A Nuisance Animal Control Business



Just how does one start such a business? There are lots of ways to start a business, but starting this one off on the wrong foot is going to cost you!

A nuisance animal or nuisance wildlife control business is a career that is right for some people and definitely not right for others.

Let’s start out with the job description:

Nuisance Wildlife Control Professional – Resolves nuisance wildlife complaints and prevents future ones. That is the job description in a nutshell albeit a bit oversimplified.

This description does not tell you that you will be climbing ladders, going into attics and crawlspaces and be challenged with wildlife on a daily basis. It goes with the territory.

What about education?

Most people who consider entering this career field have some knowledge of wildlife. They might come from a hunting, trapping or fishing background. This is a helpful because any wildlife knowledge is helpful to the trade.

A college education or a self study program is a leg up on the rest of your competitors.

Education is a great thing and the more you have of it, the better your chances of success will be.

There are very few schools that teach you how to become a Nuisance Wildlife Control Professional. The schools that do exist normally only have a short course and no ongoing support program to ensure your success.

So where does that leave most people? Going it alone. They have to be the pioneer and figure out each step along the way. Make one miss-step and get ready to shell out your hard earned cash to fix that mistake.

Now, back to starting your business.

You must of course obtain business licenses and insurances. If you are going to run this business out of your home, you may need additional homeowners insurance to protect you in the event something happens to your home like a flood or fire.

You will also need training and equipment. Training is important as this is not a business where you can fly by the seat of your pants. Remember that miss-step I was talking about earlier? This is where it will bite you good.

Everyone needs to advertise market and sell their services. With so many marketing messages thrown at consumers each and every second of the day, you have to stay on top of things here. Unfortunately for most new businesses, they are so busy opening their business that they do not spend enough time on this very important part of their start up. Another miss-step.

Nobody ever said it was going to be easy running your own business. It is a challenge, but a challenge that can be a lot of fun if done properly.

If it is your heart’s desire to make it happen, you will do it. With the proper vision, plan, equipment, training and system, you will forge ahead and break new grounds. Without these things in place, it is a recipe for a rough road ahead!