Anime and SciFi Collecting

The old adage “you can lead an animal to water, but you can’t make him drink” was definitely coined by someone who knew nothing about affection-based animal training. If that person had known about and had applied the principles of training animals based upon affection and relationship-building strategies, the phrase most probably would not even exist.

Let’s begin by exploring the basis of training exotic animals, which is called operant conditioning. This primary training strategy lays the foundation upon which the principles of affection-based training are built. Through operant conditioning, exotic animals learn from their own behaviors as they are relevant to the environments in which they exist. The probability that a specific animal behavior either increases or decreases is directly proportionate to the consequences the animal experiences. In other words, positive results produce positive behaviors in exotic animals, resulting in the increased chances that such behavior will be repeated.

It is amazing how similar affection-based training in exotic animals compares to the same techniques when applied to human beings. For instance, a child who brings home a fantastic report card simply because he chose to apply himself at school is likely to continue making high marks when he receives recognition and praise from his parents. If the same child’s parents pay no attention to his accomplishments at school, it is exceedingly likely that the child’s enthusiasm for a job well done will be significantly, if not completely diminished. The child’s attitude quickly changes to a “why bother?” mindset.

Exotic animals respond precisely the same way … no praise, no motivation to repeat the positive behavior. Without a favorable outcome, the animal is far less likely to duplicate the positive, desired behavior.

Acclimating Exotic Animals to New Environments

Building a strong relationship with an exotic animal should begin in the earliest possible stage of the animal’s life. Whether you have a young tiger cub, a newborn brown bear, a baby elephant or any other exotic animal, it is essential that the animal becomes acclimated and is comfortable with the human voice and the human touch. Begin with bottle-feeding and raise the animal as part of your family, much as you would a new baby. As the animal grows, so does the relationship, with the animal accepting you as a part of its tribe.

Again, this part of the exotic animal training experience is intriguingly like that of the human experience. Consider the situation in which a new employee comes on board as the result of her company’s being acquired by your company. If the new employee is treated with a “hands-off” attitude, it is highly probable that her potential for high performance on the job will never be realized. However, if she is warmly received, treated with respect and given credit for what she brings to the table, it is extremely likely that she will perform well in her new business environment and be a valued member of your team.

Positive Reinforcement in Training Exotic Animals

It is a given that exotic animals respond to experiences they perceive as physical. In other words, a tiger will perform as desired if it receives a positive response in the form of an experience it can feel, hear, see or taste. These forms of reinforcement are primary and tangible, providing the tiger with a stimulus, whether in the form of a rub down, voiced praise, food or even opportunities for mating.

A perfect and amazing example of how training exotic animals with positive reinforcement generates desired behavior can also be witnessed by observing the results in humans when they are likewise provided their respective stimuli. Think back to your younger days when you and your classmates each received a case of chocolates to sell in order to raise money for your school. What could possibly motivate kids to give up riding their bikes and playing ball after school to go door-to-door trying to sell candy? Simple, it was the promise of an ice-cream party for the class who sold the most.

Another technique for training exotic animals to exhibit and repeat positive behavior involves using conditioned reinforcement. This form of reinforcement is not routine or involuntary, but rather is learned. Your exotic animal will learn over a period of time and through repetition that if she performs the appropriate and desired behavior that she will earn a hearty “Good Girl” and a well-deserved back rug.

For an idea of how conditioned reinforcement works in training exotic animals, consider a truly exotic species we call the human teenager. He will most probably move slowly each morning the first week of his new summer job. However, once he earns his first paycheck, he is more likely than not to have a little spring in his step the second week. He has learned firsthand, and much to his delight, that going to work equals a paycheck, which is his stimulus. Likewise, if the top annual producer on your sales staff is recognized with an “all expenses paid” golf trip, it is a sure bet that he will be an amazing go-getter next year and put forth his best efforts towards achieving the same reward.

Regardless of the species of exotic animal with which you are working, a strategically devised training plan that incorporates elements of both primary reinforcement and conditional reinforcement ensures you the best possible outcome in achieving desired results with your animal. Relationships that are established and fostered early on in which the animal is nurtured intensely enable you to become the leader rather than trying to assume the role as master, which inevitably leads to frustration for both you and your animal.

Achieve amazing results in exotic animal training by putting relationship-building, affection-based training concepts to work for you today. This technique ensures optimum results every time. Both you and your exotic animal deserve the best possible opportunity for success, and hands-down, these principles of animal training are the stepping stones upon which you can achieve the success you each deserve.

(c) 2007, Dan Stockdale and Rick Kelly.

I would like to challenge you as an animal lover to visit your local pound and spend a good portion of your day there . As you visit with the animals it will dawn on you that many of societies cast offs will not see another tomorrow. They will not feel the touch of their special owner when they need comfort. They will not be able to chase their favorite tennis ball in the big front yard or wait anxiously for their master to toss it for them. They will not be able to greet their favorite loved one at the door after a long day at work. They will not live to see another day… that is the plain hard truth that many of us choose to ignore.

At some point during your visit you will be overwhelmed as you look into the pleading eyes of the doomed animals. You will feel helpless as yearning hearts look at you begging to be your new best friend. You will be filled with sorrow for all the neglected unwanted animals that I promise you. Your heart will break for the litter of puppies barely old enough to eat , their only crime was being born. Your soul will ache for the little kitten who was thrown out by the curb because her owner could not give her away. Your soul will scream out for the old crippled dog who’s only infraction was that he was just getting too old. The endless reasons an animal ends up at the shelter goes on and on. The reasons to me are not justified . The responsibility lies totally with the people.

We as humans can do better by our pets and the animals of the world. All it takes is time and education of the public. The first and most important step is to educate the public about spaying and neutering of our animals. I have heard so many excuses from people about why they can’t spay/neuter their animals and the most common one is “ I can not afford the surgery for my pet”. To me this one really bothers me and is often times without merit. If a person can not afford to pay for a one time procedure that is so important why do they even own a pet? If it is looked at it this way it all comes in to perspective. If a person can buy a pack of cigarettes per day for a month they can pay for spay/neuter. Cigarettes cost almost $3.00 per pack that is $21.00 per week which in turn equals $88.00 per month that is normally enough to neuter any male animal and spay a small female animal. If a person pays a cell phone bill every month that averages $100 per month then they could sacrifice a months service to take care of their animal. If a person goes out to eat once a week at a nice restaurant then they probably spend around $25.00 that totals out to $100.00 per month. Can you give up some of your luxuries to do the right thing by your pet? It’s only fair that you do. A person should be aware that one unspayed female can result in 50,000 to 350,000 offspring in only 5 years. A person should burn those numbers in their memory and think about them daily. Just consider all the suffering that will result when most of those animals die by being gassed at the pound.

Another step in spay/neuter education is spreading the word about low cost spay/neuter programs for those who really need help financially. You can get a list of low cost services in the US at the web site Love The Cat http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#states . You can also find options at the local Humane Society in your area. You can find a listing of Humane Societies on the web site Green People. Org at http://www.greenpeople.org/humanesociety.htm.

We can also help support services like the FREE animal placement services such as 4 The Luv Of A Critter at http://www-4-the-luv-of-a-critter.com. They offer assistance with placing an unwanted pet in another home. They list any animal no matter the location or type of animal on their website for free. In turn those looking for a specific type of animal can search the database for a listing in their area. The founder funds the website and all efforts herself with no expectations of being paid for her service. Her vision is to help make pet owners aware there is other options out there for their unwanted animals instead of dumping them off at the pound. The shelters are over crowded as it is and the truth of the fact is about 85% of all animals sent to the pound do not make it out alive. They leave on the back of a truck to be dumped at the local landfill.

We can help raise awareness of animal care,rescue & over population by creating an on line presence. The more information that is out there the better. People should not under estimate the power of the Internet to get a message to a broad array of audiences. So if you do rescue work I would suggest that you have some one to design a website or do it yourself. With most rescues being on a limited budget you could employ services such as the one Techbydesign offers at http://www.techbydesign.org. They offer discounts to animal rescues as well as low affordable prices. They sell & donate design services and also offer webhosting options for those who want to build their own site. They even offer FREE hosting accounts in some instances. The staff at Techbydesign are always willing to help tutor anyone who may need help with any aspect of designing a website. A person should realize that creating an online presence is not that expensive. It could go a long was toward getting the word out about your animal cause.

We as humans owe the animals of the world respect and compassion. Together we as animal lovers can unite together and make a better life for all the animals of the world. We can commit to educating the public on ways to help prevent over population. We can educate people on ways to re home unwanted animals other than sending them to the pound. Last but not least we should never turn a blind eye to an animal in need !

Animals are the reason I live and breathe…without them in my life I would just as soon be dead! ~ ~ quote Betty Sue Haynes

There are four basic techniques to be used in animation.

These are:

• Drawn animation

• Cut-out animation

• Model animation or stop motion animation

• Computer animation or computer generated imagery (CGI)

(1) Drawn animation– Drawn animation, also termed as traditional animation and classical animation, is the oldest and historically the most prevalent form of animation. In a traditionally-animated cartoon, each frame is drawn by hand. This encloses any form, where one drawing is put back by another in a progression. Each drawing is somewhat unusual from the one which is placed before.

Animated films are made up of thousands of drawings, depicted on screen very rapidly one after the other. It works in the same manner as the flip book does.

(2) Cut-out animation– The world’s earliest known animated feature film was cutout animations, made in Argentina by Quirino Cristiani. By using flat characters, such as—strings, stiff fabric, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper; and by using buttons, matchsticks or even photographs, you can create cut-out animation. It embraces any figure of animation where cut-out forms be in motion or substitute by the other cut-outs.

(3) Model animation or stop motion animation– Model animation is a form of stop motion animation designed to merge with live action footage to create the illusion of a real-world fantasy sequence.

By using materials, such as—clay, wire that can be bent or formed into another shape, you can create model animation. This engrosses the filming of puppets or any other form of three-dimensional models. Before moving slightly and screening, it is placed, filmed and than these shots are placed jointly as a section of the film and will give the hallucination of moving models.

(4) Computer animation or Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)– Computer animation is the skill of building the moving images by means of computers. This refers to the portrayal of three-dimensional models and locations on the computer. Images can be scanned into the computer via digital photography or made within the computer itself.

To produce the delusion of movement, an image is presented on the computer screen which is swiftly put back by the new image that is alike to the preceding image, but shifted to some extent. Computer animation is basically a digital successor to the art of stop motion animation of 3D models and frame-by-frame animation of 2D illustrations.

In a method known as—Tweening or Morphing, the variations in appearance between the key frames are automatically considered by the computer and finally Animation is rendered at the end.

Animal abuse or animal cruelty refers to ill treatment or substandard care that result in needless harm, distress, or suffering. Standards of animal abuse laws, implementation, and tolerance vary across the US. So conditions that constitute abuse are decided on a case-to-case basis.

For example, at least five issues have caused divided opinions among the American public.

1. Fur Farming

2. Factory Farming

3. Animal testing of cosmetic products

4. Medical research using animal subjects

5. Using animals (especially wild animals) in a rodeo or circus

Practices that are considered cruel in other countries, which are tolerated in the US, include tail docking, ear cropping, and the Geier Hitch (using a rope through a nose ring to herd livestock).

Welfare Vs. Rights

Perhaps one reason for the divided opinion of the American public over issues of what constitutes cruelty is the fact that two active animal advocacy movements have responded differently to the question.

Animal welfare advocates say that using animals for human gain may sometimes be justified. But they aim to work at both improving treatment and ending unwarranted suffering.

On the other hand, animal rights advocates believe that an animal has rights just like a human being. That is, each animal has a right NOT to be used for human gain. They work at stopping humans from handling animals like commodities.

Psychological Implications

As mentioned, animal abuse has far-reaching implications on the state of mind of the abuser. The FBI, for one, states that a history of animal abuse is a recurring trait in profiles of murderers and serial rapists.

Furthermore, studies have shown that children who are animal abusers are often victims of abuse themselves or have, at least, seen abuse committed against a member of their family.

The US Humane Society released findings from two studies to this effect: Around a third of families experiencing domestic violence had one child at least who’d hurt/killed a pet.

How Cruelty Is Dealt With in the US

Anyone involved in animal care and training in the US should check out the cornerstone legislation, Cruelty to Animals Act. The law focuses on minimum (rather than optimum) care requirements, such as:

1. Food, water, and shelter

2. Medical care

3. Outlawing torture or inhumane killing

Animal advocacy groups and pet lovers decry the law’s ineffectiveness or silence on practices at circuses and rodeos and the treatment of animals considered pests. Moreover, that enforcement across the US is lamentably inconsistent.

But some states take animal abuse more seriously than others. In New York, for instance, humane society representatives are appointed by the state to enforce laws against animal cruelty. Another state with a similar policy is Massachusetts.

The US is also home to two of the most active animal advocacy groups in the world:

- The Humane Society of the United States

- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

As penalties for animal abuse are minor, the best thing animal lovers can hope for is that once cases of cruelty are exposed the abuse will end.

If you think animals have no feelings, don’t tell Carla Persons. The Phoenix-born resident knows them better than just about anyone and she’ll tell you they sure do have feelings. In fact, she talks to them!

As a youngster, Carla found she could talk to her spirit teachers and friends. She also had a cat that was what she calls “a higher being” with whom she connected closely to. Then in high school, she began studying mysticism.

It wasn’t until 1987, however, that a Shamanic healer told her that she was particularly oriented toward animals and should learn how to communicate with them. She immediately contacted the Foundation For Shamanic Studies and completed her formal training in 1998.

Today, the 39-year-old is a Shamanic healer and Animal Communicator. She operates a successful business helping people to better understand their animals, whether it is a fluffy little kitten or a horse in your stable. And it doesn’t matter if your beloved pet is dead or alive. Either way, she can tell you what their thinking, what is bothering them and how to correct the problem. But how she does it is fascinating. First she goes into a Shamanic trance.

“I use a drum and rattle, and I sing sacred songs,” said Carla.

She does not hear the animals speaking in our reality, but rather during the time she’s in the trance-like state.

“Only once in a while does spirit manifest so strongly that I can perceive them in three dimensions with ordinary reality senses, incarnate and temporal. It has happened, but it is rare. I hear the loud and clear in non-ordinary reality.”

Most people today are aware of Shamanic healing. It is the oldest for of healing, which has been practiced since the binning of humankind.

What a Shaman actually does is connect with compassionate spirits and seek their help to heal people. In Carla’s case, she uses their expertise to heal animals instead.

“The Shaman enters a Shamanic state of consciousness through listening to rhythmic percussion. He or she then journeys to the world of spirits and connects with spirit allies for healing work. These spirits are available to help everyone and the Shaman’s role is often to reconnect clients with their helping spirits, restoring their personal power.”

In the case of animals, Carla said they have powerful animal spirits that can help them. Once the particular animal spirit has been contacted, the Shaman then asks for diagnoses of the animal’s problem. A domestic pet like a cat or dog may have emotional issues or physical problems that cause behavioral problems. Other animals, such as horses, may suffer with lameness or some other illness and needs pain relief. Carla says that an animal’s ailments are often both physical and spiritual, and it’s important to understand the animal’s point of view. When she is first asked to help an animal, she will visit with it in non-reality and find out such things as the pet’s past memories and current impressions.

“In that journey, I also enter the animal’s body and see if there is pain or injury. I ask my spirit to heal the hurt and learn if there is any treatment that would be good to pursue.”

Carla noted that one horse in Arizona told her he was lonely and really wanted to be with the horses in another paddock. The horse also missed a particular colt he was fond of. When the horse was reunited with one of the mares and her colt, the horse was happy.

Other Entities

“When people and animals are vulnerable and dis-empowered, it is possible for entities that don’t belong to enter our bodies. These misplaced entities can cause persistent sickness, soreness and other undesirable things. As a Shaman, one of my key functions is to work with my spirits to extract these misplaced entities and deliver them to a neutral place where they can contribute to the overall good of things, instead of causing harm. After an extraction, we always fill the space with positive healing power of some kind.”

Carla said her spiritual ally might sing a sacred song to an animal through her. She captures the song on audiotape and then gives it to the animal’s owner to pay to their pet over and over again.

Some animals are healed through the instruction of the spirits to give them specific herbs, essences, diet changes, poultices, message, aromatherapy, exercise and more. Carla admits that she is not an expert in such things, so she relies heavily on the advice she is given, and so far, all prescriptions have proved positive for the animal in question. In some case, the spirit ally may actually touch an animal to bring about a healing. In such cases where energy is used to cure an animal, Carla might use a plant, light, crystal or other powerful item and chant over the animal to bring relief.

If your animal has passed over, Carla can find out if the animal has happily settled in the spirit world and will communicate any messages that the animal may have for its previous owners.

“A loved one’s death can be a most sorrowful and heart-wrenching event. It helps to contact the animal (or person) and learn what its new world is like, and make sure he or she is doing okay. It is also nice to hear soothing messages from the loved one and to learn if he or she has plans to come back and live with you again.”

If animals die suddenly, it may not go directly to the light and cross over. This can be a problem for the soul of the animal, as well as for its previous owner.

“Ghosts are often those lost wandering souls. Sometimes too, a soul stays her for a while before moving on, to comfort others or just get used to the idea of being dead. This is generally not a problem and the soul moves on when it’s ready. As a Shamanic practitioner, one of my jobs is to journey to these lost souls. My spirits and I help them understand they are dead, and help them move to the light where they will find peace and healing.”

The concept of reincarnation also comes into play in Carla’s work. If an animal has had a bad experience with a particular person in a previous life, it will likely act out in some way in this one.

“My spirits and I can perform healing on the past and current relationships to help things go better today.”

Another interesting aspect of her work with animals is called ’soul retrieval.’ Shamans believe that when a person suffers from a physical or psychological problem, it indicates that part of one’s soul has split off and cannot contribute to the person being whole. This can show itself through such things as memory loss or just a feeling of incompleteness.

Often people lose a part of themselves as an emergency measure, to keep them from remembering such things as accidents, abuse or other trauma.

“There are pretty predictable situations that will call for soul retrieval – loss of memory, sense of not being all there, extreme shyness, etc.”

In order for a person or pet to become whole again, they must retrieve their missing parts. In Carla’s case, she contacts her animal spirit allies to find out what part of an animal’s soul is missing and brings it back to them. She claims to have good results in this area with horses, dogs and cats. On her site at www.spirithealer.com, she lists several success stories, including a Pekinese, a cat named Pepper, a horse named Harley in Arizona, horses in Florida and a litter of Doberman puppies.

On her site, she also offers courses and workshops for anyone interested in becoming a Shamanic Animal healer and communicator. As well, she has Shamanic books, tapes and other resources available for purchase.