UW-Milwaukee Tells Students Polyamory Has Many ‘Benefits’ Like Extra Pets, or ‘Petamours’

The University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center recently posted an Instagram infographic regarding one of the “hidden gems” of polyamory: “petamours.”

The post defines “petamours” as “a pet you get to enjoy due to being part of a polyamorous relationship or polycule.” The term is a portmanteau of the words “metamour,” which the Polyamory Dictionary defines as “[someone] that your romantic partner is in such a relationship with, but you are not,” and pet.

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Prosecution of Woman Who Rescued Animals Amid NC Hurricane Shows No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

by Amanda Botts and John-Michael Seibler   During Hurricane Florence, a North Carolina woman, Tammie Hedges, graciously took more than two dozen animals into a warehouse that she is converting into an animal shelter. Using supplies purchased with private donations, Hedges offered the space—as part of her nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter, Crazy’s Claws N’ Paws—for animals to stay in while their owners evacuated. Hedges and volunteers stated that the animals were “to be returned to their owners after the storm.” One might expect heartwarming stories of the animals Hedges helped, or perhaps her nomination for an animal caretaker “hero award.” Instead, Hedges was arrested on 12 counts of practicing veterinary medicine without a license. After the hurricane passed, Wayne County animal control authorities told Hedges that she could hand over the animals voluntarily, or the department would obtain a warrant for her arrest. Hedges did so, but “a few days later, they called me in for questioning and [later] arrested me,” she said. Crazy’s Claws N’ Paws listed the charges on its Facebook page: One count of administering amoxicillin to Big Momma. One count of administering tramadol to Big Momma. Three counts of administering amoxicillin to a white Siamese cat. Three counts of administering a topical antibiotic ointment…

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Pet Owners Loath to Leave Their Pals During Evacuations

baby hugs young dog

Nila Belfiore-Dulay and her husband, Henryk, took seven days to drive cross-country to their new life in Charleston, South Carolina, last week, because they didn’t want to risk flying their dogs, Josie and Annie. Soon after they arrived, they were told to turn back. Charleston, in the line of Hurricane Florence, was in a mandatory evacuation zone. “We were there about five days before they told us we would have to evacuate,” Belfiore-Dulay said, sounding politely upbeat but a bit uncertain from a La Quinta motel in Jacksonville, Florida. Who goes to Florida to escape a hurricane? (Florida is the most “hurricane-prone” state in the U.S., according to several weather-forecasting sites and the U.S. government.) Some pet owners from South Carolina and Georgia wound up there because they couldn’t find rooms any closer as they evacuated the area Hurricane Florence was expected to pummel. “The hotel is packed with dog owners. The dogs are having a blast,” Belfiore-Dulay said. “They were unsettled at the beginning. But now that they are settled, they are having a blast.” Proprietor’s call While rumors have been spread on the internet thathotels and motels have to accept guests with pets during emergencies, it is up to…

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