New Book: Dog Sense

I recently received an email with a link to this NPR article about John Bradshaw's new book, Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet. The article is pretty interesting--it includes the link to Bradshaw's interview as well as interview highlights and an excerpt from Dog Sense. You may want to pick up the book if it looks like a good read for you or someone you know!   
(Disclaimer: I have not read the book.)

NPR: The New Science of Understanding Dog Behavior

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!

News Story: "Dog Submerges Herself in Bathtub to Survive Fire"

A link to a story about a pretty amazing dog who was home along during a fire, but she was able to save herself while firefighters worked to put out the flames:

"Dog Submerges Herself in Bathtub to Survive Fire"
(Greenville County, S.C.)

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.