Walt Disney’s Pigs Is Pigs

Astoundingly, the most viewed post on this blog is one in which I just posted a picture of a guinea pig lifting weights. It was not anything original or even something that was new, as this picture and several others like it cameout before the 2008 Olympics, yet people just seem to like that picture. It is cute but not really something that I put effort into or anything.

I have also posted some much sadder stuff, about the death of my own little Guinea Pig Pablo, and the trials, tribulations, heartache and pain that we had after his death with the pet funeral service Pets At Peace. I really wish that I could have posted more stuff about Pablo when he was alive!

Now I am going to post a cartoon about guinea pigs. Hooray!!! Since this blog is named Cartoons And Comic Books I thought that it was about time that I posted something animation related as I don’t think that I have posted any cartoon stuff for a couple of months. Disney’s Pigs Is Pigs is a cute cartoon that is as much about what can happen if you don’t occassionally bend the rules, as it is about guine pigs.

ENJOY!!!

Have I Been Too Harsh?!

I have been thinking about the Pets At Peace saga and wondering whether I have been too harsh in my criticism of them. Perhaps as they state, it was all an innocent accident and the pet’s bodies did just fall out of their van because of a faulty door? Should I feel bad that Pets At Peace in Bendigo look as though they are going out of business over this incident? Should I feel horrible that Today Tonight did not give them a fair go and let them tell their side of the story? Maybe? Then again maybe not!

Whether this has been an innocent mistake or not, I don’t know. I do know that in America, where the pet cremation industry is booming and like us, unregulated, pets instances of bodies being dumped is not uncommon. Just on Saturday it was reported that in Texas one cremation company had dumped deceased animals in a landfill at least fifty times.

The thing is that these companies are only ever contacted by the people at very difficult times in their lives. To many people their pets are like their own children, and are important members of the family. For any company that has been entrusted to help you out at this stressful time to then deceive you either deliberately or not is beyond forgiveness. Hopefully something can be learnt from all of this and the industry ends up being regulated, so that no one has to go through this trauma ever again.

Pets At Peace – The Saga Continues

I think that I now know what has happened with the Pets At Peace and am a little relieved that I am now 95% certain that Pablo was not of the pets dumped in bushland. From what I have now heard, the Pets At Peace van was involved in an accident which caused the vans doors to not be able to be closed properly. Whilst the van was driving along the highway after this accident, on a couple of occasions, the doors flung open and animals fell out. This is what Pets At Peace have told people.

It seems that there may be some truth in this. When we were waiting for Pablo to be returned to us, the date of return was changed because the van was involved in an accident the day before. SO, it does seem that there was an accident and that it is feasible that the animals could have fallen out. Whether this really happened is another thing.

More Pets At Peace Stuff

I wrote about the dodginess of Pets At Peace the other day. At the time when we dealt with them we felt they were compassionate and professional, but since then the story about them dumping pets’ bodies on the outskirts of Bendigo has come out and we’re not so sure. The more I investigate Pets At Peace the dodgier they seem.

The Sydney branch of Pets At Peace is currently in damage control, disowning the Victorian branch and saying that Pets At Peace in Victoria are using the name illegally without the Sydney head offices’ permission. UNFORTUNATELY, up until recently the website of Pets At Peace proudly proclaimed the Victorian branch to be an OFFICIAL FRANCHISE. From what I understand, the Sydney branch and head office of Pets At Peace is owned by Craig Mitchell, who is the son of Geoff Mitchell who runs Pets At Peace in Bendigo. It seems that father and son are now estranged for whatever reason, but for Craig to say that Pets At Peace in Sydney has nothing to do with the franchise in Melbourne is a lie.

As for poor old Geoff, apparently he has been getting death threats. He is still sticking to the claim that the bodies just fell out of the van (on three separate occasions) but this story does not sit well with me. Surely somebody would have noticed the bodies were missing and gone back to look for them. I also find it difficult to believe that the bodies could have fallen out (on three separate occasions) and rolled down an embankment thirty metres from the road. Surely after the first incident they would have fixed the van so that this WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!!

Even though it looks as though no pets sent for cremation were dumped, just those who were euthanized by vets who then asked Pets At Peace to dispose of the bodies, it looks like Geoff has gone out of business. I am not surprised and I am not sympathetic. Everyone is entitled to make mistakes, but at least own up to them. This is a very sensitive issue and I feel that they have acted unethically. Hopefully this will teach those who are in this business a lesson that they need to be accountable for their actions.

Message board post about dumped bodies being found.
Original story about dumped bodies.
Message board discussion on current Pets At Peace saga.
Story about death threats to Geoff Mitchell.

Pets At Peace – As Seen On Today Tonight

In May I blogged about the passing of our beloved Guinea Pig Pablo. Both my partner Priscilla and I were devastated by Pablo’s passing and we have really just only started to get over his death. Unfortunately we are both upset again after watching tonight’s edition of Today Tonight. We chose Pets at Peace to cremate Pablo as they seem to be very understanding of our situation and very caring. The website said that Pets At Peace was started after the owner lost a pet and was horrified that his best friend was cremated together with other pets. He started Pets At Peace so people could be sure that when the ashes of their pet returned home they could be sure that it was actually their pets ashes.

Unfortunately the Melbourne franchise of Pets At Peace that we used, has been caught dumping pets bodies in the bush rather than actually cremating them. The said that this was an isolated incident that occurred when their car was involved in an accident, but their is evidence according to Today Tonight that it has happened at least one more time. This is devastating news and now we can’t help but think that Pablo was dumped rather than cremated as we wished and paid for. (If he was not cremated, then what did we actually pay for?!) I am really angry about all of this and Priscilla is extremely upset. I’m not sure what my next move should be, but I should do something!

The worst thing is that Priscilla asked them several times that he would be cremated and not just thrown out. They reassured her that they would not do something as unethical as that.

R.I.P Pablo

Yesterday I woke to some very upsetting news. My friend for the last six years, Pablo, passed away. Pablo was my pet guinea pig and while he may just be a little animal, I loved him a lot. My partner Priscilla is absolutely devastated. She has been in tears ever since yesterday morning and she is not coping at all. She liked to turn to Pablo for company when I was away at work (I do shift work) and she feels extremely lonely now that he has gone. I don’t think that she has fully comprehended that he has truly gone away. She keeps telling me that he is never coming back and that she now has a void in her heart that she just cannot fill. It will take a long time for both of us to get over Pablo’s passing and that will will never here his little squeaks or see his happy face again. I think that I will miss him a lot, especially the times where I give him pats under his chin before I go to work.