Articles: politics

Chicago Alderman Ray Lopez (15th Ward) is back at it. When asked about what animal experts he collaborated with to craft a bill regarding controlling farm animals in Chicago, he said a city lawyer, his staff and the Director of Chicago Animal Care and Control (who technically works for Lopez). “We are very surprised that…

Chicago Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas actually has a pet platform. As far as I know the first Mayoral candidate of a major city to do that. As he indicates HERE on my WGN Radio Steve Dale’s Pet World Radio show, I was a motivating force for him doing that. And thrilled now to provide my…

Illinois state legislature hopes to ban sales of dogs and cats at pet stores in Will and DuPage counties. I speak with Suzanne Hart, Will County Board Chairperson, with Paul Lisnek, host of Politics Tonight on CLTV. I have no issue with responsible breeders. I point out that the American Kennel Club (AKC) is out in…

Check out some of the best of my podcasts from Steve Dale’s Other World on WGN Plus, heard 2 – 5 a.m. filling in for Nick Digilio, right HERE. I replayed excerpts of some of my favorite podcasts from 2017, including: * Behind-the-scenes stories from the Lincoln Park Zoo with former Director Dr. Lester Fisher,…

President Donald Trump was reportedly “embarrassed” about Vice President Mike Pence deciding to bring his pets to Washington D. C., and deems the Pence family to be “yokels.” In a lengthy feature story about Vice President Pence, an advisor to President Trump told The Atlantic that the U.S. President informed his secretary he thought it was “low class”…

European ferrets are a domestic species. That’s not my opinion; it’s a fact. And they’re not newly domesticated, either. The domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is thought to be domesticated from the Western polecat (Mustela putorius putorius) or Eastern European polecat (Steppe polecat Mustela eversmanni) a couple of thousand year ago in Europe to help keep vermin away.…

Is the universe attempting to send a message to America? Bald Eagles are America’s symbol of Freedom and Independence. In Orange County, FL, what likely happened is that one eagle battled with a second eagle in-flight for territory. Somehow one dived and get stuck in a storm drain. The victorious eagle didn’t appear trapped in…

I believe I write about making our world a better place as dogs and cats give us a daily dose of unadulterated goodness. Pets also teach us empathy daily. Studies confirm that children growing up with pets are more empathetic adults. I agree with President Elect Trump on many issues, from keeping our military strong…

When I wrote about the Trump sons killing big game in Africa (and elsewhere), including endangered species – I’d like to share some of the in social media responses from that post, followed by my comments: “This is all a left wing media conspiracy to get at Trump – which you are a part of.”…

The Chicago Rescue Roundtable is an informal contingent of rescue groups, shelters and animal advocates in Chicago that gather information to make our communities safer for companion animals. Their Vote Pet Friendly Chicago project is designed to inform voters on how their aldermen feel about companion animal welfare. The Aldermen were interviewed and ranked. This is interesting…