A Nightmare Moment Down the Street

I was driving to work one Friday morning two weeks ago, and only yards from my house on my own street I felt a bump under my car. I froze and looked in my rear view mirror to see an orange cat flailing in the road behind me. It quickly ran across the street into a neighbor’s yard, and a nauseous feeling swelled in my stomach. 

A cat had literally ran underneath my car—I didn’t see it and I didn’t even have time react and try to slow down, much less avoid it. Luckily I wasn’t going very fast, since it’s a narrow residential road, but I immediately felt tears well up in my eyes because I didn’t know if the cat was okay or not. A million things were running through my mind. Where is the cat now? Oh, no, I hope I can find it! What vet will I take it to? It's Friday, so our staff vet and vet techs wouldn’t be at work that day so I’d have to see if a local vet would help me. Who does the cat belong to? I work at a humane society and commit every day to helping animals—how could I, of all people, have just hit a cat?!

I stopped my car on the street and jumped out to try to find the cat. Two ladies were on their morning walks close by, so I asked if they’d seen where the cat went. One didn't respond and walked away unphased, while the other showed me where she saw it. She frustrated me because she didn’t seem to think it was that big of a deal to find it, which made me angry. She said, “You’re so sweet--I can’t believe you actually stopped!” I thought, who wouldn’t stop? But I also knew the answer to that. Not everyone feels as passionate about the well-being of animals, nor would some people know what to do if they did stop.

The Little Things that Make Us Smile, Again and Again and...

Helping me prepare for a presentation last year.

One of the volunteers at my workplace wrote a great story about his recent volunteer experience, and it made me realize how much I’ve been neglecting my own blog! I love my job and helping animals in various ways at work, but sometimes I overlook the little experiences that I can write about in my personal “animal life” that captures the very reason why I devote the majority of my professional and volunteer life to helping animals who aren’t as fortunate as those in loving homes (yet!).

Just as I sat down and started writing this, Cleo (one of my two cats) got in my lap between me and my laptop and forced me to take an early break while she made biscuits. Now she’s just sitting up against my side, content while I type. I love the little funny, cute moments every day like this that make me stop and smile. I definitely won’t be allowed to forget to spend time with either of my cats each day, because I wouldn’t want to but also because they wouldn’t dare let me! Let me take you through a typical day in my life with two cats (my boyfriend is pretty darn great too, but unfortunately for him, my blog isn’t about boyfriends):

You'd believe how beautiful her eyes are by her photos...

When my alarm goes off in the morning, I tend to snooze a couple times before I actually get up. But it’s easy not to sleep through the snoozes, because as soon as the first alarm goes off, Cleo is chirping at me and takes her position on my chest laying facing me until I pet her for a bit and then get up. If I’m too sleepy and don’t pet her quickly enough, she head butts my hands and pets herself until I get the point. I am then followed to the bathroom where I start getting ready for the day, and she stays by my side during my whole morning routine (we have it all down to a science without realizing it). She even lays in front of the tub while I shower, which I’m pretty sure isn’t typical of cat behavior.  Stormy stays sitting close by, staring at me with her big green eyes and using her loud raspy meow to get my attention, making sure that I don’t forget to feed them while I am getting my own lunch ready for the day.  Once I start making my lunch, Cleo takes her cue and jumps up on the table by the window and sits patiently waiting for me to open the blinds so she can assess the morning happenings in our back yard. When I leave to go to work, I can usually look up as I drive away and watch her seeing me off for the day. I’m so used to my morning cat routine that sometimes I forget how cute it really is, but I definitely get a few smiles in from them before going to work.

Reasons to Adopt Adult Shelter Pets

I stumbled upon this while doing some research on adoption events at work yesterday. It's the PetExpo's top 10 reasons to adopt an adult shelter dog, and most of them can transition to be reasons to adopt an adult shelter cat, as well. (I've combined some of them that are similarly themed). I always support adopting based on the pet, rather than the pet's age!:

1. Adopting an adult dog means that they can wait much longer to go potty during the day, so there's less chance of accidents while you're away at work. Also, most adoptable dogs are potty-trained, either by the rescue, foster parent or previous owners.

2. You don't have to go through the puppy stage where there will be lots of chewing... on whatever they can get their mouths on! You also won't have to worry about the chewing phase affecting your human kids, as puppies tend to be more mouthy with their playing (while they learn not to be). Most adult dogs will have outgrown these pesky puppy habits.

3. Puppies can be demanding during all hours of the night, but adult dogs will generally sleep through the night. They can also have lots of work waiting for you in the form of messes when you come home, which most adult dogs will spare you of.

Bringing Baby Home... to Pets!

There’s been a bit of a baby boom in my life over the last year or so, and most of my friends and family who've had babies (or are now pregnant) also have at least one pet. In preparing for their new arrivals, each of them seemed to have concerns about how their pets would react to a new baby, but there didn’t seem to be many resources immediately available to them for making the pet-baby transition a smooth and safe one. I’ve found Pet Meets Baby: A Guide for Families Bringing Children Home to Pets by the American Humane Association and summed up some of the tips below.

1.     Preparation is key—your pets need time to adjust just like you will, so include them in your baby preparation time while you’re still pregnant. Think about how much time you spend with them now compared to how much time you will once your baby is here, and try to start adjusting accordingly. Increase your quality of time with pets if you must decrease the amount of time with them. On the same note, if you think you won’t be able to give your pets the appropriate amount of exercise or time once the baby comes, consider asking friends, family or a pet-sitter to help out until you can resume your normal pet exercise routine. The thought of making this big change sounds like a difficult one, but it’ll be best for both you and your pets once your baby arrives! 

2.     If you pet has any behavioral issues that you foresee as a problem when the new baby arrives, address is now! Your dog doesn’t listen when you say “no”—sign up for pet training classes. Your cat hates loud noises—introduce a cd with baby noises, starting it low and gradually getting louder as time passes. You get the idea.

3.     Some of us allow pets on couches and beds, but you may want to rethink this habit, especially for larger pets. You don’t want your dog jumping up on the couch where your baby may be laying, as it’s an accident waiting to happen (even though your pet probably means no harm). So break the habit well beforehand to make these areas safer for your baby when the time comes.

Amanda's Holiday Gift Guide!

The holidays are quickly approaching (along with those holiday birthdays that require extra gift ideas), so I did some online shopping to help you with some animal-friendly gift ideas that also help the animals! These are some of my favorite gift ideas, split into who you’re looking to buy for.

Amanda’s Animal Holiday Gift Guide

For Babies/Kids

For Her

For Him

For Anyone

For Pets

Online Stores

A-Little-Less-Guilt-Free Shopping!: Help Animals While You Shop

I can't believe it myself, but the holidays are approaching quickly! Halloween is almost here, Thanksgiving isn't far behind, and then it's a mad rush to get your Hanukkah and Christmas shopping done! Whether you're an early shopper or just want to get yourself an early present, there are some great options for a-little-less-guilty purchases that will benefit our furry little friends!

Starting from the more expensive and working my way down...

If you're looking to splurge on a new purse or wallet, Samantha Thavasa is donating 25% of purchases to the American Humane Association's Second Change Fund from October 13 through October 20, 2011. This AHA fund helps animal welfare organizations pay for veterinary services of animals rescued from abusive and negligent situations.

Some of my favorite/animal-related purses for purchase:

 

Article: Mind Readers

A coworker recently shared this newspaper clipping with me at a meeting:

"A British researcher has confirmed what pet owners have long suspected--that animals can actually sense when their masters are coming home. Rupert Sheldrake, former director of cell biochemistry at Cambridge University, reported that 46 percent of the dogs he studied began preparing for their owners' return up to an hour before they got home, even if they worked odd shifts.

The animals usually became agitated and went to the window to watch for their owners' return. Some cats and other pets showed similar psychic bonds with their masters, said Sheldrake, who collected 1,500 case studies from around the world. One myna bird would begin shouting, 'Robbie's coming home,' when its owner was returning from a trip."
This article is from September 6, 1996 (newspaper and author unknown). 

Many of us can relate to our pets greeting us when we get home as if they knew we were on our way, whether it be from the sounds of our cars or a psychic feeling as this article suggests. One of my cats greets me at the door most days (unless she's soaking up some serious sun or in a deep catnap), but she doesn't go to the door when neighbors come in the house. Maybe it's the way I walk up to the door or the specific sound of my keys jingling--I'll never know! But it's definitely always a nice feeling to be greeted by a furry friend after a long day.

Think Twice Before Bringing Pets to Outdoor Festivals This Summer

It’s summertime in Athens, which means lots of fun outdoor festivals. Pet owners tend to take these opportunities as a cue to get their dogs out of the house, but you may want to think twice about bringing Rover with you. AthFest suggests not bringing your dog because of grass scarcity and the problem of waste disposal. But there’s a more pressing reason you should be concerned about—your pet’s health.

We can quickly become hot at events, but imagine wearing a fur coat and not being able to sweat! Animals can succumb to heat stroke in a matter of minutes if their body temperatures rise above 106 degrees, and humidity exasperates the problem. Have you walked outside lately? Temperatures have been well into the 90’s, which can be dangerous for dogs and present the potential for heat stroke.

“Signs of heat stroke are intense, rapid panting, wide eyes, salivating, staggering and weakness,” says United Animal Nations (now RedRover). If your pet has these symptoms, treat it immediately.  

Other things to keep in mind: your pets’ paw pads can burn on the asphalt (try walking around barefoot and see how it feels), some dogs become nervous or get stepped on in crowds, and uncompassionate people may be mean to animals left unattended.

If you find it necessary to bring your pet, take a bowl and plenty of water, keep your pet out of direct sunlight when possible, and find cool indoor spots to cool off periodically. For more information, visit MyDogIsCool.com.


*I wrote this letter to the editor for the Athens-Banner Herald last week before AthFest, but alas it did not get published. I still think it's a very important message, and it's relevant to all outdoor activities in this summer's incredible heat and humidity. So I hope that you will take this message to heart and will share it with your pet-owning friends and family.

I Found a Stray… Now What?

It’s happened to too many of us—we come across a stray animal clearly in need of a new home, scoop it up, and take it home to decide the next step. But then what? Below are some ideas that you can share with friends and family who will inevitably face the same scenario. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for these situations, but there are definitely some things you can do with a little effort to find your stray a new forever home!

Is it really a stray?

The first step is to decide whether the animal you’ve found is truly a stray or if it’s just been lost by its owner. Check to see if it’s wearing a collar and if the collar has tags with contact information. If it’s not wearing a collar, it may be microchipped. A quick visit to a veterinarian office or animal shelter will connect you with someone who can scan the animal for a microchip, and provide you with information to contact the owner if it does indeed have a chip.

It’s a good idea to post “found pet” flyers in your area and to post a found listing on petfinder.com, craigslist.com, and/or online newspaper classifieds. You can also call local animal shelters and report a missing pet, which they will put on file in case the owner contacts them and to check for a match in their missing pet files. Put yourself in the position of your pet getting loose and not being able to find it or know whether it’s safe or not—you would want to check around and hope that someone made some effort to help reunite you. This is not always the case, especially when an overly-neglected animal is found, but it’s just good practice to try. 

*A note about posting found flyers: Sadly not all people have the best of intentions and use found posters to go pet-shopping. I suggest only putting general details about the animal. If someone calls about the posting, ask them to provide you with distinguishing markers or behavioral characteristics to be sure it’s really their lost pet. I would also ask for a photo to compare.

Stormy: The stray who meowed at our door in 2010.

Provide medical treatment and grooming

Ok, so you’re convinced the animal is a stray. How is its medical condition? If it’s in your financial power, I suggest taking it to the vet for a checkup and vaccinations. If the animal isn’t spayed or neutered, go ahead and get that done as well. You want to find the animal a new home in the best condition possible, and having it checked is going to help you find it a home much faster. And spaying/neutering it will ensure that the number of stray animals in your area will decrease.

It’s also smart to take it to the vet if you have other animals. It may have parasites or other treatable but contagious medical condition that could be spread to your pets.

*There are many low-cost spay/neuter programs that also offer low-cost vaccines. Contact your local animal rescues to find out where the nearest low-cost spay/neuter center is located. Some vets and groomers will also give a rescue discount for cases such as these.

Grooming the animal will make it clean while it’s in your care and will make it much more appealing to potential adopters. Give it a bath, clean its ears, clip its nails, and give it a good brushing. You may need help with this from a groomer, depending on the animal’s temperament and your own grooming experience.

Steps to finding a forever home

If you can’t keep the animal as your own pet for whatever reason, you’ve got to get out there and find it a new home. This is the hard part, but it can be done—just be patient!

Steve Schuman Art: Pet Portraits

While walking through shops in Savannah's City Market this past weekend, I came across an artist in one of the shops who I fell in love with. His wonderfully quirky wife (wearing huge rhinestone cat earrings) told me and my boyfriend all about her husband's work. Steve Schuman uses only oil paints to create incredibly colorful pet portraits, among other subjects and media. All of his artwork available in the A.T. Hun Art Gallery are of his own pets or pets of family, extending into the hundreds! The mascot of Schuman's section of the gallery is Rocky, whose large portrait hangs above the other artwork.


Schuman's lithograph prints are available in the A.T. Hun Gallery or online for $60, and the paintings run from a couple hundred dollars into the thousands. I believe custom pet portraits are also available upon request.

Please visit Steve Schuman's website to see more of his fabulous pet portraits and other artwork--you will not be disappointed!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! What a beautiful day to celebrate our wonderful moms!

Here are a just few fun ways to celebrate moms who have pet "children" today:

• In addition to a paper card (or to substitute a paper card and save a tree), many animal-related organizations offer cute holiday e-cards, such as the World Wildlife Fund. 
• Give a card to your pet parents from the pets, signed with their names and paw prints.
• Make a paw print ceramic tile for the garden or to hang on the wall. You can usually find these kits at any crafts store. (Be sure to clean the pets' paws immediately after so they don't ingest any of the materials.)
• Create a certificate for the "Best Pet Mom of the Year" along with coupons from you for 5 pet-sitting days (very useful for vacation-time planning!).
• A cat or dog (or other animal species) necklace, bracelet, or keychain is a great gift for the pet mom, such as ones available in the HSUS online store.
• Make a donation to your pet mom's favorite animal-related organization in her name.
• And of course, flowers always brighten the day!

Felines and Toxic Plants: Blog Link

RIP Rascal

A fellow classmate of mine recently lost one of her cats suddenly. After making a trip to the veterinarian who performed a necropsy, she found out the cause of death was a large amount of a toxic plant in his intestines. Below is a link to her blog post which describes her story about Rascal and her journey to find out why he died in order to protect her other cat and others' pets in her complex. It's never easy to lose a pet, especially when it's so unexpected and sudden. My heart goes out to Chelsey during this difficult time.

CATharsis: Felines and Toxic Plants

Is Your Pet Prepared?

It’s springtime now and we’re seeing more natural disasters in the news, like the storms, tornadoes, and flooding in the South today. We take time to prepare ourselves for emergency situations, like stocking up on food, water, and flashlights, but is your pet prepared too?

A “disaster” doesn’t necessarily mean just a huge event—you should be prepared for events that you may not normally think about when you hear this word, such as power outages, ice storms, tornadoes, fires, and other natural or man-made emergency situations.

Remember to never leave your pets behind in an emergency situation, even if you think it’ll only be for a short time. Things can change quickly in a disaster and you want your pets with you at all times in case something unexpected happens.

Your pet disaster kit should include:

1.      At least one week’s supply of food and water for each pet, including separate bowls for food and water. Rotate the food and water every few months to ensure their freshness. If your pet eats canned food, be sure to include a can-opener if you don’t use pop-top cans.

2.      A collar, identification tag, and leash for each pet. Also, make sure each of your pets is micro-chipped--it’s an extra precaution to prove that your pet belongs to you if you become separated or if your pet’s collar or tag comes off. (It’s a good idea to have you pets micro-chipped and wear collars with tags on a regular basis in case they get lost.)

3.       A carrier or crate for each pet. Try to get your pets comfortable with their carriers and crates so that getting them out of the house quickly, if necessary, doesn’t become a problem in a hectic situation. Include a blanket or bedding in each crate for comfort and warmth, as well.

4.      Medications and treatments (if applicable), a pet first aid kit, and medical records/documentation in a waterproof container. Keep copies of updated medical records, including rabies certificates, to prove that your animal is up-to-date and to prove that it’s taking any medications that may need to be refilled. If you need to stay in a pet-friendly temporary shelter, you will need likely to prove that your pets are up-to-date on vaccinations. This documentation can also be proof of ownership.

5.      Photos of your pets and photos of you with your pets. If you get separated from your pets, you should be able to prove not only that it’s the same animal in your photo but that you are indeed the owner. Also, be sure the photo of each pet shows the entire animal and any unique features that will help identify an animal, especially those that can easily be confused (like a black cat or yellow lab). Including more than one photo with your records is a good idea, and be sure to update photos if your pet is very young.

Keep Your Dog Cool

As I was leaving a store today, I noticed a SUV in the back of the parking lot with its windows cracked and two large dogs sitting on the front seats inside. The weather here today is in the mid to high 70’s and sunny, so after just a few minutes of being in the store, my car was already pretty toasty. Seeing the dog was a reminder of the United Animal Nation’s My Dog Is Cool campaign. They have a great website with information about the seriousness of leaving your dog in the car when it’s hot outside.

Here’s a clip from My Dog Is Cool:

“A little heat outside a car can quickly make it very hot inside. On a summer's day of only 85 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, even keeping the windows slightly open won't stop the inside temperature from climbing to 102 degrees in 10 minutes, and to 120 degrees in 20 minutes. A dog whose body temperature rises to 107-108 degrees will within a very short time suffer irreparable brain damage—or even death.”

The site has flyers and brochures, and I like to print a few of the flyers to keep in my car during the spring and summer months. Why? I put them on the windshields of cars with dogs in them on hot days. It may sound a bit “out there” to do this, but I’m not trying to be mean--owners may genuinely not realize the seriousness of leaving their companions is the car for what seems to only be a few minutes.

“If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, call the local animal control agency, police, or 911 right away. If possible, you can also try to find the dog's owner.
Signs an animal is in distress include:

• Excessive panting
• Excessive drooling
• Increased heart rate
• Trouble breathing
• Disorientation
• Collapse or loss of consciousness
• Seizure
• Respiratory arrest” 

* MyDogIsCool.com

Remember to think twice before loading up your car and your pet for a trip around town—be sure your dog’s safety is a priority, even if he’ll be bummed about staying home for the day. And if it’s a good day to get your dog out, don’t forget to bring along plenty of water (and a bowl) to keep him/her hydrated!

What's Your Breed?

Yesterday Animal Planet played several shows from its Cats 101 and Dogs 101 series. Its companion website actually has quite a lot of resources about dog and cat breeds, including guides to help you better choose which breeds might fit into your household best and how to prepare for their arrival. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, various cat and dog breeds are rated according to broad characteristics (with the disclosure that individual animals may or may not necessarily conform to them exactly): playfulness, need for attention, affection toward owner, vocality, docility, intelligence, independence, healthiness and hardiness, need for grooming, compatibility with kids, and compatibility with other pets.

Though the show is fun to watch, it’s not the main reason for this post. I want to talk a little bit about not only choosing which breed is right for you, but about where you go to get your new pet once you decide on a breed or mixture of breeds.

Here are a few statistics to get you thinking:

There are approximately 3,500-5,000 animal shelters and rescues in the United States.

There are currently 5-6 million cats and dogs entering shelters every year, and an estimated 3-4 million of them are euthanized every year.

25-30% of dogs entering shelters are purebred.

*Statistics taken from The Humane Society of the United States’ website.

Those numbers are always startling to me, no matter how many times I read or type them. It makes me wonder why people still buy from breeders, especially for family pets, when there are millions of adoptable animals euthanized every year. One of my family members recently purchased a puppy from a breeder, even after other family members urged her to consider adoption instead. She has adopted other dogs in the past, but she was determined to get a specific breed.  Let’s look at some of the ways you can break this cycle and have the best of both worlds—adding a dog breed to your family that is right for you and finding that new addition at a shelter or rescue.

Since 1 in 4 animals admitted to shelters is purebred, your chances of finding your chosen breed aren’t as bleak as you might expect. You can call or visit shelters in your local area, state, or region to see if they currently have adoptable dogs of your preferred breed.