The Upper Valley Humane Society appears not to be updated	Upper Valley Humane Society

"In a perfect world, animals would be free to live their lives to the fullest: raising their young, enjoying their native environments, and following their natural instincts. However, domesticated dogs and cats cannot survive "free" in our concrete jungles, so we must take as good care of them as possible. People with the time, money, love, and patience to make a lifetime commitment to an animal can make an enormous difference by adopting from shelters or rescuing animals from a perilous life on the street. But it is also important to stop manufacturing "pets," thereby perpetuating a class of animals forced to rely on humans to survive."
-- No author. 2000. Companion Animals: Pets or Prisoners? PETA pamphlet. People for Ethical Treatement of Animals: http://www.Peta-online.org (Copied from http://www.animalrights.net/quotes.html, June 07, 2003).

Dead dogs, or thirsty and hungry runaway dogs infested with ticks, fleas and mange, are common sights in the Rio Grande Valley. How did these dogs get out on the streets and roads? Most likely because they were not kept in fenced yards, or they were no longer wanted by their owners and therefore dumped (or they were born by homeless dogs previously dumpted by their owners).

The Internet, especially the World Wide Web, is a good resource for information, to e.g., update or supplement topics in lecture notes or textbooks. An Internet search that takes just seconds will provide, at least hundreds, usually thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of sources for almost any subject. However, be careful -- sometimes very careful, about evaluating the reliability of information that can be obtained from these sources. There is no editorial control. Anyone with access to a server can put up anything they want -- rumors, myths, speculations, lies, conspiracy theories, racist statements, instructions how to build or obtain dangerous items, sightings of Elvis, etc.

Don't believe everything on the Internet! Use critical thinking and ask what information you have about the source. (Is it a person or a group you know anything about? What motivation do they have, do they promote a special interest?) A good way to evaluate the reliability is to look at the language. (Is it moderate and balanced, or is it exaggerated? Is it a well-reasoned analysis, or is it a broad generalization?) What and how many sources or links are referenced? (Someone may claim to have obtained data from a reliable source but it may not be true. Always check the original source.) Is the information cross-referenced and corroborated by other independent sources? (Be careful with claims that are not supported by any other evidence. Be careful with deceptive names that portray groups or persons as something they are not.) Don't use one single source when you gather data on the Internet -- find supporting sources.

1. In class view a video of the Animal Planet Cable TV Program with the title "Animal Precinct" or "Animal Cops". 2. Read this page with instructions and background information. 3. After reading this page, read the articles about the Humane Society, click on the photo of Dante ( above) -- Australian Shepherd, adopted at the Humane Society by your instructor. 4. Think about this critically, then go to the assigned STCC WebCT chatroom on-line (you will find a link on the General Biology page or on top of this page). Discuss the problem (and perhaps other related questions). State YOUR opinion.

Note: There is no partial credit for this assignment. To get credit for this assignment you must complete ALL the steps above.

If you cannot make up your mind (perhaps you need more facts and time), you should at least try to say in what direction you are leaning at the moment. You may want to look for some helpful information on-line.

By the way, students, I highly recommend adopting dogs and cats through the Humane Society. These animals have been abandoned and they appear to "know" this. Consequently, they become very good pets, grateful for a new home -- provided you take good care of them and just not leave them outside in the hot summer sun...

Dante Australian Shepherd adopted August 2000

Click on the photos for bigger pictures.

Flicka Border Collie (Tri Color Saddle Back) adopted September 2002

Web page layout and design © and intellectual property Jan A. Nilsson, 2003, 2004. Page created 30.V.2003, last updated 29.I.2004, most likely during the wee hours of the morning on a G3 PowerBook owned by Jan A. Nilsson.

-- Disclaimer: "Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice", at the time of writing located as a file under the South Texas Community College's (STCC) web server with the general URL http://stcc.cc.tx.us/, is the intellectual property of Dr. Jan A. Nilsson, member of STCC biology faculty. The content of Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice does not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the STCC faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Trustees.