HARTZ: COMPANY WITHOUT A HEART

'COPY, PASTE & CIRCULATE TODAY

UPDATE:

From: Julia Sharp  mailto:juliatat@yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 6:24 PM
Scruffy didn't make it...

 
Scruffy died Saturday evening. His kidneys were damaged from the poison in his system. His body just couldn't take it and he died quietly. Hartz has claimed another victim.  Andy is in pretty bad shape. I have told him about all the caring people out there thinking of him and Scruffy. It means a lot to him. He begs me to tell everyone not to use these products...the cheap price isn't worth the life of a friend.  I've scraped up some money and bought Frontline for his other 3 dogs. I will treat them tomorrow. They will not be Hartz victims.
 
Thank you all so much for caring. I will keep everyone updated on any Hartz alerts.
Julia



-My Pictures!
http://community.webshots.com/user/juliatat

**Stop Hartz! They are killing animals!
please visit
www.hartzvictims.org

**Sign the petition against Hartz!
http://www.petitiononline.com/hartz/

-Sign the Pikeville Puppy Mill Petition! Help Stop a Monster!
http://www.petitiononline.com/ca071204/petition.html


Please visit if you are considering BUYING a pet...Please adopt!
http://www.itsmeowornever.org/homeless.html

Petition: Stop killing Greek Dogs!
www.petitiononline.com/OG2004/petition.html

Stop the Aerial Slaughter of Alaska's Wolves!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/372846429  

Help Pets Daily!

http://pets.care2.com/


 
----- Original Message -----
From: LptimmTruckin@aol.com
To: katie@waconet.org ; juliatat@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2004 12:48 PM
Subject: Hartz

 
Hi,
I'm in receipt of the email below.  My name is Laurryn and I am the site administrator/researcher for the website
www.DogsAdverseReactions.com .

I don't believe this happened to either of you but that you might know who it was?  I post stories and links regarding anything that may cause an adverse reaction go our pets.  Besides
'six month injection' and NSAIDs I also have a section for 'Other Drugs' including flea products.  I had contacted Hartz Vicitms previously asking permission to exchange links but have heard no response. 

Can you forward email to who ever suffered thru this, for permission to post their story?  with a picture(s) if they have it.

Thank you!
Laurryn~
"Got Dogs?"
www.DogsAdverseReactions.com



-----Original Message-----
From: katie.walter@weneedahome.net [mailto:katie@waconet.org]
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 2:39 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: [Help_A_Dog] OT- Terrible experience...Please read and spread the
word!!!
Importance: High


CIRCULATE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!


----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Furness
Julia Sharp
To: juliatat@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 12:15 AM
Subject: Terrible experience...Please read and spread the word!!!


Last night at midnight a friend came to the house and told me our mutual friend was laying in his driveway holding his dog and crying. He was saying to his dog how sorry he was, that he only wanted to help him, please don't die. I was told Andy used Hartz advanced flea and tick drops on Scruffy. I nearly fainted. Andy is poor, has no phone, limited use of a car. This poor guy has no family, they are all deceased, and his family is his 4 dogs. Scruffy is a 100 pound mixed breed dog with a history of epilepsy. Scruffy was having flea problems so Andy, not having much money, bought the Hartz product from K-Mart.

He applied the product early yesterday morning. By 6pm Scruffy was lethargic, staggering, disoriented. By 8pm Scruffy started seizing. With no phone, living in a rural area, all Andy could think to do was wash Scruffy with lots of water. Since Scruffy was seizing, Andy gave him a dose of pheno barbital, Scruffy's seizure medicine. The seizures slowed down. Our mutual friend just happened to be close to Andy's around 11pm and decided to check on him and see if he needed anything. That is when he found Andy and Scruffy in the drive. When he saw the condition Andy was in, and the problems Scruffy was having, he decided to come to my house, less than 5 miles away from Andy's house, and see if I had any info on this product.

I told him to go back and use his cell and page the vet to meet them at the clinic immediately. I told him this is a potentially deadly product that needs to be removed from the market. Keep the package and get to the vets right away. Don't worry about the bill... I told him to tell  Andy that I would deal with Hartz later. This morning early I went to Andy's and Scruffy was weak, dazed, slightly shocky and still needing to get to the vet. I was shocked he wasn't at the vets already. The vet did not answer the late night page. Our mutual friend had left Andy the cell phone. Andy had called the vet and a ride. He informed me that his ride would be there any minute.  I wrote down the information from the package, told him to call me if his ride didn't show. Scruffy is at the vets now but is still not out of the woods....please say a gentle prayer for Scruffy....and Andy. 

I called Hartz. I told them what happened to Scruffy. They took the information and gave me a case number for Andy. He told me that Hartz would pay the vet bill and refund his money for the product if we provided the information and a vet report. I asked him if he thought that would make up for a man possibly losing his best friend. No answer. Then I asked them if Hartz was making so much money on this product that they continued to market it, knowing it's deadly potential....IS THE PROFIT WORTH THE COSTS OF PAYING THE CLAIMS?  No answer. I told him that I felt Hartz was marketing this poison to a lower income group of people and that their company was banking on consumer ignorance. No answer. I asked him if paying the claims was cheaper than pulling the product...again..no answer. I asked this rep what he personally felt about this product. He told me that he only took the complaints, he had no answers. I asked him if he liked working for a company that profited on the death of companion animals. No answer. So I told him that if I worked for any company that murdered animals that I would quit that employ and make a lot of noise about it. I told him his personal standards must be very low or completely lacking. Still no answer. I want answers. I am sure there are many victims of this product that want answers. He ended our conversation asserting that Hartz flea and tick drops are safe and he THANKED ME FOR USING HARTZ PRODUCTS!!!!!!!! I hung up before I said something very insulting....then I cried for all the animals that have died so Hartz could make money. 

PLEASE make it a point to tell everyone you know to boycott these products. Educate everyone about the potential hazards of these products. And please look in the links below and sign the petition against Hartz...thanks....Julia  www.hartzvictims.org   At this site you can download and print flyers and stickers to warn people about these products. You can print mailing labels too so you can put the message on every piece of mail you send. I printed mine today.   BoycottHartz.com    Description: Hartz Mountain Corp manufactures a product known as "Flea & Tick Drops Plus," an anti-flea remedy which is applied to the animal's back, like Frontline or Advantage. The difference is that Frontline and Advantage use a much newer chemical, which DOES NOT HURT the animal. Hartz uses phenothrin which --- according to my vet --- has been around for 50 years, is not nearly as effective, and can be toxic. Cats apparently are much more likely to be sensitive than dogs. Added on: 20- Jan- 2004  

 ----- Original Message -----
 From: Linda Furness   
 In a message dated 8/27/04 5:39:34 PM, MyPuppyPark writes:
<< If the general public would just get their dogs good nutrition, chemical flea products would not even be necessary.   I feed my dogs (and all of my  rescue dogs as well) a raw food diet, however, even if you can't afford to do this  - at least get your dogs off commercial dog food, for sure.    It is also not  that expensive to just add a little garlic and chopped veggies (which can be  bought at Costco or Walmart for cheap)   It makes me really sad to hear about Hartz and their policies to just pay the  claims, rather than remove a harmful product from the market.   This policy  is much like that of any other big business. Its unfortunate that the people  who are most likely using Hartz products are either low-income or un-informed  about healthier flea alternatives.  >>


Marilyn Wayne's response

Well said.  I just spoke with Dr. Ochola at advanced Veterinary Group in  Lawndale, for those who may not know this amazing referral only group, they are  AMAZING), re one of my dogs and told her about the Hartz issue and she said she  too has seen deaths from this horrible product.  As a group, we shut down  Arnold's idea of killing dogs and cats with in 72 hours at the pound, I think we  need to work to shut down Hartz flea product.  I actually have an employee who  has used this on her cat.  When I gave her the feed back she almost had a  stroke, but she was also a bit suspicious, as she kept saying, "but, Hartz, that's  a pet company."  Some people have to be hit over the head!


Regards,
Marilyn
 

Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 12:15 AM

 

 
Last night at midnight a friend came to the house and told me our mutual friend was laying in his driveway holding his dog and crying. He was saying to his dog how sorry he was, that he only wanted to help him, please don't die.
I was told Andy used Hartz advanced flea and tick drops on Scruffy. I nearly fainted.
Andy is poor, has no phone, limited use of a car. This poor guy has no family, they are all deceased, and his family is his 4 dogs. Scruffy is a 100 pound mixed breed dog with a history of epilepsy. Scruffy was having flea problems so Andy, not having much money, bought the Hartz product from K-Mart. He applied the product early yesterday morning. By 6pm Scruffy was lethargic, staggering, disoriented. By 8pm Scruffy started seizing. With no phone, living in a rural area, all Andy could think to do was wash Scruffy with lots of water. Since Scruffy was seizing, Andy gave him a dose of pheno barbital, Scruffy's seizure medicine. The seizures slowed down. Our mutual friend just happened to be close to Andy's around 11pm and decided to check on him and see if he needed anything. That is when he found Andy and Scruffy in the drive. When he saw the condition Andy was in, and the problems Scruffy was having, he decided to come to my house, less than 5 miles away from Andy's house, and see if I had any info on this product. 
I told him to go back and use his cell and page the vet to meet them at the clinic immediately. I told him this is a potentially deadly product that needs to be removed from the market. Keep the package and get to the vets right away. Don't worry about the bill... I told him to tell Andy that I would deal with Hartz later.
 

This morning early I went to Andy's and Scruffy was weak, dazed, slightly shocky and still needing to get to the vet. I was shocked he wasn't at the vets already. The vet did not answer the late night page. Our mutual friend had left Andy the cell phone. Andy had called the vet and a ride. He informed me that his ride would be there any minute.  I wrote down the information from the package, told him to call me if his ride didn't show. Scruffy is at the vets now but is still not out of the woods....please say a gentle prayer for Scruffy....and Andy.

 
I called Hartz. I told them what happened to Scruffy. They took the information and gave me a case number for Andy. He told me that Hartz would pay the vet bill and refund his money for the product if we provided the information and a vet report. I

 asked him if he thought that would make up for a man possibly losing his best friend. No answer. Then I asked them if Hartz was making so much money on this product that they continued to market it, knowing it's deadly potential....IS THE PROFIT WORTH THE COSTS OF PAYING THE CLAIMS?  No answer. I told him that I felt Hartz was marketing this poison to a lower income group of people and that their company was banking on consumer ignorance. No answer. I asked him if paying the claims was cheaper than pulling the product...again... no answer.

I asked this rep what he personally felt about this product. He told me that he only took the complaints, he had no answers. I asked him if he liked working for a company that profited on the death of companion animals. No answer. So I told him that if I worked for any company that murdered animals that I would quit that employ and make a lot of noise about it. I told him his personal standards must be very low or completely lacking. Still no answer. I want answers. I am sure there are many victims of this product that want answers.  He ended our conversation asserting that Hartz flea and tick drops are safe and he THANKED ME FOR USING HARTZ PRODUCTS!!!!!!!! I hung up before I said something very insulting....then I cried for all the animals that have died so Hartz could make money.

 
PLEASE make it a point to tell everyone you know to boycott these products. Educate everyone about the potential hazards of these products. And please look in the links below and sign the petition against Hartz...thanks....Julia
 
www.hartzvictims.org
 
At this site you can download and print flyers and stickers to warn people about these products. You can print mailing labels too so you can put the message on every piece of mail you send. I printed mine today.
 
BoycottHartz.com 
Description: Hartz Mountain Corp manufactures a product known as "Flea & Tick Drops Plus," an anti-flea remedy which is applied to the animal's back, like Frontline or Advantage. The difference is that Frontline and Advantage use a much newer chemical, which DOES NOT HURT the animal. Hartz uses phenothrin which --- according to my vet --- has been around for 50 years, is not nearly as effective, and can be toxic. Cats apparently are much more likely to be sensitive than dogs.
Added on: 20-Jan-2004 Hits: 54
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

Environmental Protection Agency 
Description: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Use their search tool to find a lot of information on Hartz
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 86
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

Hartz Consumer Relations Department 
Description: You need to contact Hartz immediately should anything happen to your pet due to a Hartz product. 1-800-275-1414
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 139
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

National Pesticide Information Center 
Description: NPIC is a cooperative effort of Oregon State University and the United States EPA - 1-800-858-7378
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 69
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 
Description: PETA
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 88
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

Solano Pet Emergency Clinic, Cordelia, CA - Topic: Topical Flea Products 
Description: The Solano Pet Emergency Clinic gives a helpful overview of the harmful effects of some topical flea products (pyrethrins or pyrethroids)
Added on: 05-Aug-2003 Hits: 71
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Against Hartz 
Description: Feline Owners against Hartz have set up a web site for updates about the petition.
Added on: 25-Aug-2003 Hits: 141
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

Feline Owners Against Hartz 
Description: This is a list group on Yahoo. Open to anyone who's cat has been hurt by the use of Hartz flea products.
Added on: 05-Jun-2003 Hits: 145
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

Hartz Flea & Tick Products - Dangerous for Pets Petition 
Description: Sign the petition!
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 165
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

Hartz Product Warning from Furr Angels 
Description: You buy an over the counter flea control product from Hartz for your animals. You apply it to your babies, totally unaware that it contains a substance that is toxic for your cat.
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 150
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Hartz Syndrome 
Description: Attention Hartz One-Spot or Advanced Care Anti-Flea treatment users
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 224
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Hartz Warning - Flea and Tick medication 
Description: A warning regarding Hartz Advanced Flea and Tick drops from the folks at PandEcats.com
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 189
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POISON! ADVANCE FLEA & TICK CONTROL FOR CATS 
Description: An Extended Years thread discussing Hartz's poisonous products.
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 110
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Shirley's Wellness Cafe 
Description: Check out Shirley's Wellness Cafe where she provides stories and information about Hartz and other highly toxic and dangerous pet products.
Added on: 26-Nov-2002 Hits: 123
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

The Hubbub Over Hartz 
Description: Dr. Van Wyk's story from VetCentric.com
Added on: 25-Nov-2002 Hits: 254
Rate this Site | Report Broken Link

 


Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 2:20 PM

 
PLEASE READ ALL THE E-MAIL AND SEE THE HLS CONNECTION ETC.,
 
For info re HLS see: www.shac.net
 

 
 
From: Julia Sharp juliatat@yahoo.com  (@yahoo.com)
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 7:34 PM
Fwd: #1.) Warning: Hartz Kills-To Hartz & Its Owner, Sumitomo


Kinship Circle <info@kinshipcircle.org> wrote:
Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:58:03 -0500
Subject: #1.) Warning: Hartz Kills-To Hartz & Its Owner, Sumitomo
From: Kinship Circle
To: 2 Kinship Circle

9/8/04--#1.) Warning: Hartz Kills--To Hartz & Its Owner, Sumitomo
KINSHIP CIRCLE LETTER CAMPAIGN
http://www.kinshipcircle.org
4-PART LETTER CAMPAIGN

This email is PART #1 of a 4-PART campaign to initiate a recall of Hartz flea and tick control products, which have proven harmful and deadly in thousands of recorded cases since 2000.

#1.) WARNING: HARTZ KILLS--TO HARTZ MOUNTAIN CORP. & ITS OWNER, SUMITOMO
#2.) Warning: Hartz Kills--To Regulatory Agencies
#3.) Warning: Hartz Kills--To File A Consumer Complaint
#4.) Warning: Hartz Kills--To Retailers/Sponsors  

**If you're missing any of these sections,
email info@kinshipcircle  (@kinshipcircle) and I will resend it to you.  

SOURCE OF INFORMATION
juliatat@yahoo.com
  (@yahoo.com)
http://www.geocities.com/againsthartz/LetterCamp1.html
http://www.hartzvictims.org
http://www.BoycottHartz.com
http://www.vetcentric.com/magazine/magazineArticle.cfm?ArticleID=1725
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/avictimhartz.htm
http://www.solanopetemergency.com/fleaprods.htm
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g4627d.htm
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/
To review EPA findings:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/hartzq_a.htm  

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these letters is verified with the original source. I cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in.

*Kinship Circle cannot guarantee the validity of email addresses. During a campaign, recipients may change or disable their email addresses.

=============================================
SAMPLE LETTER #1
To Hartz Mountain Corporation
& Its Owner, Sumitomo Corporation
=============================================

 

BACKGROUND INFO:
 

Sumitomo Corporation is the new owner of Hartz--and coincidentally a major Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) customer. Sumitomo developed the "key ingredient" in Hartz flea and tick control spot treatments, the same ingredient that is harming animals. Since HLS is Sumitomo's contract research laboratory, HLS is likely conducting animal tests for Sumitomo's "state-o-the-art formulation for flea and tick 'spot-on' products."

Kinship Circle was unable to locate an email for Hartz Corporation. The email form on their site states: "Section is currently being revised. If you have an important, product related question, please call our Consumer Hotline at 1-800-275-1414."

Here is the link:
http://www.hartz.com/Letters%20to%20the%20Experts/Index.asp?A=1
You are welcome to check back to see if it is working.

An older email address, provided by an individual active in the Hartz victims campaign, is below. Kinship Circle cannot guarantee its validity, but you may try it:

Administrative Contact:
Hartz Mountain Corp. (HM3642-ORG)
mpetersen@hartz.com  (@hartz.com)
400 Plaza Dr.; Secaucus, NJ 07094-3605
ph: 201-271-4800; fax: 201-271-0342

 

These postal addresses and phone numbers are current:
 


Robert Devine, President and CEO
Dr. Albert H. Ahn, Corporate Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer
Hartz Mountain Corporation, 400 Plaza Drive
Secaucus, New Jersey  07094-3688

Hartz Consumer Relations Department
The Hartz Mountain Corporation, 400 Plaza Drive
Secaucus, NJ 07094 USA
Consumer Hotline: 1-800-275-1414; website:
http://www.hartz.com/

Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA)
Atsushi Nishijo, President and CEO
600 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10016-2001
ph: 212-207-0700; fax: 212-207-0456;
Email: scoa.mail@scoa.com   (@scoa.com)
Web email form:
http://www.sumitomocorp.com/contact.html
Website:
http://www.sumitomocorp.com/


Mr. Devine, Dr. Ahn, Mr. Nishijo, Hartz Mountain Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation of America:

I am shocked that Hartz Mountain Corporation and its owner, Sumitomo Corporation of America, manufacture and sell a line of treatments formulated with phenothrin--a toxin shown to induce nerve damage, especially in cats. Phenothrin, a synthetic form of pyrethrin, is the active ingredient in Hartz advanced flea and tick spot treatments, even though studies reveal safety concerns about chemicals from the pyrethrin family.

According to its website, Sumitomo developed this "state-of-the-art formulation for flea and tick 'spot-on' products." SCOA's "key chemical ingredient" does not belong on retail shelves.

On August 28, 2004, Scruffy, a beloved 100-pound mutt, died quietly alongside his distraught guardian. Andy, a single man who regards his four dogs as family, remains in shock over a tragedy that began with a simple dose of Hartz Advanced Care Flea & Tick Drops.

Andy is not alone. In 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency registered 5,000 complaints about Hartz flea and tick control products. After the EPA directed Hartz to relabel products with "stronger precautionary statements and use directions," the agency recorded over 1,400 consumer grievances within the first six months of 2003. The EPA has yet to issue a product recall, even though it continues to receive adverse incident reports from animal caretakers, veterinarians and Hartz itself.

I am alarmed that the Hartz-SCOA liaison plans to target Japanese and European markets with a product that left Brian Hiatt's cats, Kiser and Stryker, collapsing and seizing. Stephanie Simao's cat Ruckus wound up with permanent nerve damage after exposure to a Hartz Advanced Care Anti-Flea treatment. Mike Groves lost his cat Goldie to Hartz Advanced Flea & Tick Drops. In November 2003, Groves told CBS 2 Los Angeles News: "I want Hartz to know the product is poison. It's killing animals, it's making animals sick."

Hartz products harm more animals than those publicized in the media. Updated guidelines for application, a toll-free line for consumer questions, and even reimbursement of veterinary bills do not compensate for the loss of a companion animal.  

I have asked federal agencies mandated to oversee drug or pesticide commodities to expedite investigations into Hartz Advanced Care Brand Flea and Tick Drops Plus for Cats and Kittens (EPA Reg. No. 2596-148), Hartz Advanced Care Brand Once-a-Month Flea and Tick Drops for Cats and Kittens (EPA Reg. No. 2596-151)--as well as the rest of the Hartz inventory.

The respected Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association alerted veterinarians to possible hazards in a detailed article on Hartz relabeling (2/15/03). Angela Rose, DVM, of the Cat Clinic of NW Arkansas, told KHOU-TV Texas about her videotaped archive of cases involving "a toxic reaction to a topical synthetic pyrethrin." Among the afflicted animals she sees annually is Punkin, a two-year-old cat who suffered extreme muscle tremors and grand mal seizures after the animal's guardian applied Hartz Advanced Care Plus.

"[The major suppliers to veterinarians] know pyrethrin is not safe," Dr. Rose stated. "Pyrethrin is outdated." In fact, Bayer's Advantage utilizes imidacloprid; Merial's Frontline contains fipronil; Pfizer's Revolution is manufactured with selamectin. Serious repercussions appear to be rare in these flea and tick treatments.

There is no justifiable reason for Hartz Mountain Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of animal care products, to cling to an obsolete ingredient capable of causing hypersalivation, vomiting, ataxia, muscle tremors, hypo- or hyperthermia, seizures, paralysis, or major organ failure in even ONE animal, let alone many.

Andy would probably agree. Hours after he applied Hartz drops to Scruffy, he watched his best friend stagger and seize. With limited use of a car and no phone at his rural home, Andy laid down in his driveway, clung to Scruffy and pleaded: "Please don't die." But Scruffy's kidneys could not rebound from the poison. After several days of veterinary treatment, he died.

I encourage Hartz and Sumitomo to make the conscientious decision to pull their flea and tick control treatments from store shelves immediately. Until the corporation ceases to sell, manufacture and distribute injurious and potentially lethal treatments, I will ask others to join me in a boycott of all Hartz products.

Sincerely,
 



-My Pictures!
http://community.webshots.com/user/juliatat

-Stop Hartz! They are killing animals!
please visit
www.hartzvictims.org

-Sign the petition against Hartz!
http://www.petitiononline.com/hartz/

-Sign the Pikeville Puppy Mill Petition! Help Stop a Monster!
http://www.petitiononline.com/ca071204/petition.html

-Please visit if you are considering BUYING a pet...Please adopt!
http://www.itsmeowornever.org/homeless.html

-Petition: Stop killing Greek Dogs!
www.petitiononline.com/OG2004/petition.html

-Stop the Aerial Slaughter of Alaska's Wolves!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/372846429  

-Help Pets Daily!
http://pets.care2.com/