Michelle Obama announced on Entertainment Tonight that the family will indeed, “adopt a rescue dog.”“As you know, adoption is an amazing gift of life to a homeless animal… and it is something that all of us, no matter our political leaning, can enthusiastically support. The Obama family’s decision to adopt will be a great example, and will result in many dogs and cats being saved from euthanasia across the country. This is exactly what we hoped for when we launchedthis website, and we hope you feel as proud as we do about this development.”
From Best Friends Society’s website ObamaFamilyDog.com

“More than 55,000 people, mostly in Africa and Asia, die from rabies every year  - a rate of one person every ten minutes. The most important global source of rabies in humans is from uncontrolled rabies in dogs. Children are often at greatest risk from rabies. They are more likely to be bitten by dogs, and are also more likely to be severely exposed through multiple bites in high-risk sites on the body. Severe exposures make it more difficult to prevent rabies unless access to good medical care is immediately available. This major source of rabies in humans can be eliminated through ensuring adequate animal vaccination and control, educating those at risk, and enhancing access of those bitten to appropriate medical care.

In 2006, a group of researchers and professionals formed a global Alliance for Rabies Control. They created and began inviting partners to join the World Rabies Day initiative. The inaugural World Rabies Day initiative now involves human and animal health partners at the international, national, state/provincial, and local levels, veterinary, medical and other specialized professional and student organizations, and corporate and non-profit partners.” (from WRD website)

www.worldrabiesday.org

This is a great initiate for dog lovers to support!  In North American countries and abroad, poor local  governments address the problem of dog overpopulation and the spread of rabies by poisoning and shooting the animals.  Awareness, funding and education will save human and canine lives across the globe.

Visit the Events tab to see the clinics, contests and trainings being offered right here in the United States.

You may have heard a few people mention Etsy.com, or you could already be a full-blown member of the community.  If its all new to you, Etsy describes itself as “an online marketplace where you can buy and sell items that are handmade, as well as vintage goods and crafting supplies.“  Basically, its some of the coolest handmade artists across the US and abroad in one online location.  Ranging to stay-at-home-moms to professional artists with studios, this site is extremely buyer and seller friendly.

A group of artists formed Team Etsy for Animals and from April 2007 to June 2008, team members contributed almost $10,000 to animal charities.  EFA members also donate their hand-crafted items to animal charity events, assist with animal rescue, and contribute time, talent, and money.  The group rallies at times of specific need and recently raised $6700 for the Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter following the Iowa Floods this summer.  One way money is raised is through the EFA Team Store where team members donate their craft and 100% of the sales go to the EFA Charity of the Month.  Check out a few examples of items currently available in their “shop.”

Blue Flowers Pocket Mirror by albinarose in Honeoye Falls, NY

“All of my mirrors are 2.25 inch (5.75cm) and hand pressed by me.  The mirror is a real glass and Mylar protects the image.  My images come from a variety of sources that include scrap booking paper, small portions of images from 50 year-old magazines or old damaged books, (25 yrs. and older), and scraps of fabric”

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I’m too Cute greeting card by 9LivesPhotography in Chicago, IL

“I’m Stella, and I was adopted from a local cat shelter with my sister, Sadie. I’m the cute one (at least I think so!)”  4X6 photo printed on Kodak Professional Endura luster paper and mounted on a 5×7 blank white acid-free Strathmore notecard. Includes matching envelope. Packaged in cello sleeve with pretty ribbon.

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Large Sterling Silver Fawn Pendant by safarilee in Australia

“This precious sterling silver, handmade, prancing fawn comes on a sterling silver chain. The fawn is approximately 43mm x 30mm x 1mm and weighs 4 grams. Both the necklace and the fawn will be mailed in a gift box handmade in India from recycled newspaper using a design from an Aboriginal man in Australia.”

While Hurricane Hanna heads for the east coast of the US, Caribbean animal shelters are working hard to get things back to normal after Gustav.   

The Animal House in Ochos Rios, Jamaica suffered shelter damage, is with out power and suffered a loss of supplies.  Maureen from the facility explains, “We are in serious need of help following Gustav - damage to our electrical wiring which needs re-doing before power can be restored, loss of medical and food supplies, damage to our perimeter fencing, etc., and are asking for assistance anywhere we can think of.

The good news is that not one of our 150 plus animals was injured,..despite over 24 hours of battering by what proved to be a horrible storm.”

 While WellPetUSA’s focus is on domestic pets, its important to keep remeber that people are working worldwide to assist the homeless pet population.  Animal House is only one of two shelters on the island and they did a terrific job of keeping their animals safe from the storm, BRAVO!  There is no HSUS, ASPCA or FEMA so they did it all on their own on an island no less.

Visit the animalhousejamaica.org if you are interested in helping.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency and according to published news reports Georgia could begin voluntary evacuations Wednesday. The HSUS urges residents to check their local Web sites such as the Florida State Agricultural Response team, flsart.org, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, gema.state.ga.us, North Carolina State Animal Response Team, ncsart.org  and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, scemd.org for updated information. Availability at shelters can be limited and residents are strongly urged to be self sufficient in caring for their families, including their animals.

A pet disaster kit should include:

·  A three-day supply of food and drinking water, as well as bowls, cat litter and a container to be used as a litter box.

·  Current photos and descriptions of pets.

·  Up-to-date identification, including an additional tag with the phone number of someone out of the area in the event the pet becomes lost.

·  Medications, medical records and a first aid kit stored in a waterproof container.

·  Sturdy leashes, harnesses and carriers to transport pets safely as well as blankets or towels for bedding and warmth. Carriers should be large enough to comfortably house your pet for several hours or even days.

For more information about disaster preparedness, visit humanesociety.org/disaster.

PresidentialPetMuseum.com has a great record of the pets belonging to US presidents.  Very interesting spectrum of pet ownership amongst the white house residents!

Did you know…

Jimmy Carter’s daughter received a dog named Grits from her teacher.  The family later “returned” the dog.  Even the presidents family can be an example of why pets do not make good gifts!

Gerald Ford’s golden retriever, Liberty had a litter of puppies while living at the White House in 1975.  Not a big believer in spay and neuter it appears!  Late one night Ford “snuck out” to take Liberty to do her business with out alerting the secret service.  His living quarters went into lock down mode (as it did every night at the same time) and Ford found himself having to fess up so that the agents would unlock the elevator to his bedroom.  Nice to know even the president himself gets locked with the dog every once in a while!

The Kennedy family received many pets, and kept them.  Including a shepherd and her pups from Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and a Pony named Macaroni from Lynden Johnson.  The Kennedy family topped out at more than one dozen pets while in the White House.

Woodrow Wilson brought in sheep to “mow” the white house lawn in order to cut costs during World War I.  One of the rams, Old Ike ended up being a tobacco chewer!

Thirteenth President Millard Fillmore (1850-18530) was a founding member and president of the Buffalo chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Jacque Lynn Schultz, C.P.D.T. Companion Animal Program Advisor, National Outreach ASPCA (from Petfinder.com)

Of all dog behavior problems, perhaps the most distressing one is the dog who barks when left alone. Incessant volleys of yips, woofs and whines are an irritant to those who live in close quarters or for those who need some peace and quiet in their life! These latchkey barkers fit several profiles. It is important to determine which one or more describes your dog; misreading the dog may result in a failure to extinguish the problem.   continue article…

Semi-Monthly Effort with Humane Society of Utah Fills Need in Salt Lake City

By Gayle Alexander and Sandi Cain, Best Friends Network volunteers

One city is overflowing with little doggies. Another has more demand for small-size pooches than there are available in the shelters. What is the solution? Take the dogs to the people who want them!

This is the mission of the newly instituted Pup My Ride, a special transport between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City that runs about every two weeks. The dogs get VIP service between their shelters or foster homes to Kanab, courtesy of Best Friends Programs volunteers and staff. They’re met in Kanab by the Humane Society of Utah, which gets them all spiffed up before placing them in new homes where families await with open arms.

So far, 62 dogs have been taken to Salt Lake City and 57 of those already have forever homes. LA Programs coordinator Robin Harmon makes most of the arrangements. There are plans to expand this into a national program, available in different regions, and operated under Beth Mersten Outreach.

Sometimes the return trip involves dropping off Utah dogs at various rescues or transfer points for those pups who are continuing their journeys to more distant new homes.

This should be a piece of cake, right? Pack up the dogs, drive, unload, and repeat.

Not exactly; remember, these are needy little critters who may not be too excited about this long journey by car.

A (long) day in the life of a transporter

Co-author Gayle Alexander went along on a recent ride, which went something like this:

5:30 a.m.: Destination - Kanab, then Salt Lake City! Have we got everything? Crates for everyone, towels so all passengers are comfy, Rescue Remedy, water? Yup, it’s all there and off we go.

The first stop is on the OTHER side of town, through commuter traffic, to pick up nine dogs in boarding. Let’s hope everyone is organized and ready for loading. Not bad, only an hour to get them all cuddled, pottied and into the van.

7:30 a.m.: Ah yes, the traffic. But now we’re off to Baldwin Park to pick up 16 more little guys. Robin’s got her paperwork in order, an employee in tow and we’re ready to load! We organize crates as we go; two Chihuahuas in that big crate, this little nippy guy in one of his own, and two puppies can play together to tire each other out. Wow, that one really needs to be groomed; put him in the back.

Just before noon: Okay, everyone’s in, the crates are secured, and we’re ready to go. You in the back, no more whining! We’re only 10 minutes into the trip and someone already isn’t happy. Now we’re an hour into the trip and he’s still at it. A quick stop to give a little more Rescue Remedy and make sure he’s not stressed. All is good.

Ok, ok, enough of the whining, we have a long trip ahead. At another stop we try a cover on that crate. We’re not even to Barstow yet! The cover worked and all is quiet - for now. Oops, the cover fell off; we’re going to need to try again. (cut)

Ahhhh, everyone is quiet, we’re nearing Las Vegas, and…what? Traffic is stopping. Let’s see if we can get a traffic report. Uh-oh, a truck accident and fuel spill on I-15 with a seven-mile back up. It takes us an hour to get past the site. (cut)

11:00 p.m.: Arrival! We meet Jessica from HSU and she’s ready for us. Her van is open, there are water bowls in the grass and baggies ready for those nasty clean-ups. Everyone is noisy and anxious to get out. You can just hear them, “Me, me, me first!” One at a time and all 25 dogs get a little walk, drink, potty and then back into a crate in the other van. Everyone gets a separate crate. Less than an hour and they’re off on the last leg of their trip.

In the next couple of days they’ll all be checked, bathed and ready for adoption. Within two weeks almost all of them will be in new homes, running with children and sleeping on the sofa; a life they had only dreamed about while in the shelter. It makes it all worthwhile.

How You Can Help:

Anyone interested in helping with the Pup My Ride transports should contact Robin at robinh@bestfriends.org.

Assistance might include any of the following:
• Picking up one or more dogs from a local shelter and fostering it overnight before departure.
• Picking up one or more dogs and taking them to someone else for the night.
• Helping to load dogs and supplies the morning of the transport.
• Driving the transport (a good driving record and car insurance is required).

For more about transporting in your area, please see the Movin’ On Transport and Rescue group.

Photo courtesy of Rilee Fagan

By ANDREA JARES- Star-Telegram.com

Trigger’s owners moved and brought him to the Humane Society shelter, where he is up for adoption. STAR-TELEGRAM/RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

When a homeowner has to leave his home because of foreclosure, often his pet is left behind.  Now services are emerging to help pets navigate the mortgage-crisis fallout.

 Moving is the primary reason people give when they drop off pets at the shelter, said Peggy Brown Aguilar, shelter manager at the Humane Society shelter on East Lancaster Boulevard in Fort Worth. She doesn’t know how many of those are foreclosures, but the shelter gets between 150 and 200 animals a day. At least some are brought in because of the rising number of pet owners losing their homes.

“They have been kicked out, and they leave the animals,” Aguilar said.

Why it’s happening

Cheryl Lang, president of Houston-based Integrated Mortgage Solutions, has seen the effects of the foreclosure problem through her contractors, who inspect foreclosures across the country. Integrated Mortgage Solutions inspects and fixes 100,000 homes a month for banks after they are sold back to the bank at a foreclosure auction.

Lang was moved about 10 weeks ago when she saw photos of dogs in Arkansas that were abandoned in a kennel in a home back yard.  “That’s when we jumped into action,” she said.

Foreclosures present a peculiar problem for pet rescue because pets are considered property. There may be legal issues with taking a pet from a property, Lang said.

What it means

This spring, the national Humane Society organization based in Washington started giving up to $2,000 per shelter specifically for dealing with foreclosure problems.  It is far better for displaced homeowners to give their pets to a shelter where they will have a chance than leave them with the house, Lang said.  “Please, please don’t abandon them,” spokeswoman Nancy Peterson said. “Take them to the shelter. That is why we gave the shelters some extra money.”

Tips for pet owners facing foreclosure

• Give yourself enough time to move.
• Call a pet shelter or apartment-locating service for a list of apartments that allow pets.
• Get an agreement from a future landlord that pets are allowed.
• Get reference letters to show a future landlord that you are a responsible pet owner.
• Tell the veterinarian that pet-care affordability is an issue and only get the minimum vaccinations to keep the pet healthy.

Source: Humane Society of the United States

Where to get help (foreclosure grants for shelters and rescues)

www.nopawsleftbehind.org

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_shelter_services_grants_foreclosure

by Jack L. Stephens, DVM

President, Pets Best

We all know we feel good when we are with our pets. We look forward to coming home and the exuberant greeting we receive from our pets. But did you know that the feeling you have is biologically wired into your chemistry?

Scientific studies are now demonstrating conclusively that pets have positive effects on us by altering our hormones, neurotransmitters and other chemicals that not only make us feel better, but lower stress and improve our health — such as decreasing our blood pressure, among other things.

Studies have shown that a quiet interaction of sitting and petting a dog — even a strange dog — lowers our blood pressure, decreases our cortisol levels (the stress hormone), increases oxytocin (the happy hormone), increases prolactin (the bonding hormone), increases endorphin (the warm feeling or high feeling hormone), increases phenylethylamine (the attention hormone), increases dopamine and epinephrine (nerve transmitters) and increases serotonin (the chemical involved in preventing depression).

You may not have heard of all these chemicals, and probably haven’t heard them used in reference to you and your pets. As a pet lover, you just know you feel better when you are around your pets. Now you know why.

We certainly have all experienced the stress of the day evaporating when we are with our pets, but I think we are just learning the true extent physically and emotionally of the relationships we have with our pets. In fact, studies have proven that specific hormones and chemicals are at different levels when we are with our pets than when we are alone or even with a robotic dog. Wait a minute. Did I say robotic dog? I did. More on that later.

After experiencing an amazing bonding with our miniature pinscher, Spanky, when I was diagnosed and subsequently cured of throat cancer many years ago, I started a journey of discovery to determine why we love our pets so much and if they favorably impact our health. My own transformation — and Spanky’s many benefits to my healing — is an amazing story. I went from veterinarian, big dog person who really did not believe in the bond, to “certified pet nut” and small dog fan. Me, the hard-headed, logic-driven businessperson, prescribing pets for people under stress (such as an upcoming surgery, an illness or loss of a spouse).

In my journey to discover the magic hold that pets have on humans, I was provided a study, performed by a South African veterinarian, Dr. Oldendaal, that measured some of the hormones mentioned above prior to and immediately after petting a dog and when simply sitting alone. The results were a revelation to me and provided me with the science, or logic, to my own transformation — and validated my observations that pets are good for us.

After reading the study, I agreed to fund a replication of the study at the University of Missouri Veterinary School and School of Nursing, through The Skeeter Foundation (named after another of my dogs). I had them add a third group of people interacting with a robotic dog, because I did not believe a machine could provide the same benefits as an animal. Indeed, the study verified the prior study, and has now led to many other studies to identify the interaction between animals and mankind. And the robotic dog did not provide the same positive benefits that the live dog did.

As is often the case, our intuition about why we feel good around pets turns out to be factual. Pets really are good for us. In the years to come, I am confident that more studies will find that our pets help keep us from depression, cheer us when we need comforting, and provide benefits that go beyond what most people think of as simple pet ownership. With more and more pets being welcomed into the family, cared for as family members and respected for their unique gifts, I’m glad to be part of groups who champion pets and the proper care of pets. They deserve it!

(Dr. Jack Stephens is the founder of pet insurance in the United States and most recently of Pets Best Insurance. A former practicing veterinarian, Stephens is a pet enthusiast who shares his home with multiple dogs, two cats and several horses. Jack has written and published numerous articles about pet health insurance, was a contributing author for a leading veterinary trade magazine, and is a vocal advocate for the positive effects pets have on our lives.)