Crazy for Critters

Splendor in the Grass

This is Katie Lady, a year-old Maltese. Her mom. Greta, sent the beautiful photo. If you'd like to see your critter on the blog, e-mail a JPG to pets@MiamiHerald.com, and I'll post it.

Low-Cost Pet Vaccinations

Broward County’s Parks and Recreation Division and Animal Health Services will host a low-cost pet vaccination clinic Wednesday, January 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach. Several vaccination packages, administered by state-licensed veterinarians, are available for puppies, dogs, kittens and cats. Cats must be in carriers, dogs on leashes.

Rabies vaccinations are $6 per pet. For fees for other vaccinations, residents should call 888-680-7387 or click here. 

Juliet Needs a Romeo to Save Her

This poor little pup is called Juliet, and she appears to have  been abandoned by whoever lived at 1397 SW 22nd Ter. in Miami. A would-be rescuer named Ivis was able to get her name by checking the address with Animal Services.

"The conditions this poor girl is living in are horrible,'' writes Ivis, who said she's been unable been able to catch her (likewise Animal Services).

If any rescue group thinks they can help, please go to that address and try to lure her to safety. Ivis will pay for vet care (e-mail me at pets@MiamiHerald.com for more information).

Doggie Diplomacy

Russian President Vladimir Putin's pooch made an unexpected visit to his office while serious talks were underway with German Chancellor Anglea Merkel. Merkel, apparently, was not amused. Click here to read more.

Walkin' in a Weiner Wonderland

That's what you were doing if you were on SoBe Saturday, when the Fifth Annual Dachshund Winterfest was in full-throated progress. Alas, I was unable to make it, but got several reports that it was the best ever.

Click here to see enough weiner-dog photos to keep you from doing much of anything else today. Enjoy!(Photos by Yvonne Conza).

Mastiff Needs a Home

From Pam Sansbury, cat rescuer extraordinaire:

This my path in the course of a possible adult cat adoption, and its plight as an unusually large dog in need of a good home in an area that prizes its purse pups struck a chord.

Oliver is a 1-year-old purebred Mastiff bred on a Missouri farm. His father and grandfather were AKC champions. Oliver was not neutered (as of my last conversation with the owner), but he is current on his shots and other vet care. He is due in March for annual shots. He is healthy, heartworm-negative and has been on a heartworm prevention program.

He weighs an estimated 150 to 160 pounds, is fawn-colored with black, and is described by his Broward County-based owner, Scott Davis, as smart, alert and having a good personality. Scott is very sorry to give up Oliver, but he must relocate for business purposes and cannot take him along. Despite Oliver's substantial purchase price, Scott is willing to give him to the right person, someone with the space and other resources to care for him properly and who will give him a good home.

Oliver has had some obedience training and responds to voice and hand commands. He is used to someone being around most of the time, as Scott has been working in a home-based business. Oliver is accustomed to living with a single man lately but he lived with a family and children for the first few months of his life.

Scott says Oliver is good with other large neighborhood dogs; he doesn't know about smaller dogs or cats because he's had no experience with them to date. For more information, please contact owner Scott Davis at (954) 854-4684; or e-mail SDavis1578@aol.com.

Weiners on Parade!

Tomorrow (Saturday), is the fifth annual South Beach Dachshund Winterfest, which promises to be a laugh a minute. They're expecting 300 dachshunds. Now, just close your eyes and visualize that. There'll be carnival booths and of course, the singing of the Dachs Song. Click here to read my story about it in yesterday's Herald.

Note: the location has been moved on block north, to Ocean Drive between 11th and 12th streets.

To quote Miami Beach personality Frank Del Vecchio: "By fiat, our South Pointe Neighborhood Association adopted the dachshund, on the occasion of the first Dachshund Winterfest, as our official mascot. We had compelling reasons to do this. First, since we are a historic district that limits overdevelopment, the dachshund is a fitting symbol, since it has the lowest floor area ratio of all dogs...As South Beach is an entertainment capital full of chauffeured celebs, the dachshund is the stretch limo of the dog kingdom.  Lastly, since outdoor entertainment noise is the bane of residential quality of life in our area, the dachshund, with his floppy ears, affords him canine quality of life in our lively scene.''

She Talks the Talk and Walks the (Pet) Walk

Cherie Wachter is the longtime spokesperson for the Humane Society of Broward County, an organization that tries to place every cat and dog that comes through its doors. It's not so easy, because pet-seekers generally want young animals. The oldsters often languish for the rest of their lives, which is terribly sad.

So what did Cherie do? She added this little sweetie, Violet, to her brood. Violet was surrendered by a family that no longer wanted her. Cherie gets todays HUGE attagirl!

Cherie writes:

She is 13 years young, 6 ½ pounds, has 2 teeth and her tongue hangs out constantly. She had several mammary lumps removed that were cancerous, but hopefully we got them all out. She has a hard time going up the steps on the porch. Lola (her dog) is not thrilled with her, but she’ll get over it and the cats look at her like “you’ve got to be kidding!”

Chinese Authorities: Take Note

You probably recall that the Chinese government has been killing dogs - strays and pets - in the most brutal, heartless way to try to stem the spread of rabies. Um, how about vaccinating?

Anyway, here's a different and much more humane approach to solving an eco-problem, courtesy of the Indian government.

KOLKATA (Reuters) - Authorities in eastern India have decided to round up thousands of stray dogs on the coast to stop them eating the eggs and hatchlings of the rare Olive Ridley turtles, officials said on Wednesday. Some 300,000 of the turtles, an endangered species, visit the beaches of Orissa every year to lay their eggs, providing a feast for some 2,000 stray dogs.

"Ahead of the important egg-laying period in February, we thought of undertaking the population control of dogs to save the turtles," Bishnu Pada Sethi, director of the state veterinary and animal husbandry department, told Reuters.

Hundreds of health workers will round up the dogs and sterilise them before releasing them in villages away from areas the turtles head for, Sethi said from state capital Bhubaneswar. The sterilisation could stop pregnant bitches from looking for eggs to feed themselves and later their puppies. Thousands of Olive Ridleys are also killed every year for their meat and what many people see as their medicinal value.

India has banned trawlers in turtle areas off the east coast. But still 8,000 to 10,000 dead turtles are washed ashore every year after getting caught in fishing nets, Greenpeace officials said. "When you consider that only one out of a thousand hatchlings makes it into the sea, controlling the dog population is one of the many efforts required to save the turtle," Sanjiv Gopal, a Greenpeace expert said.

Dog Saved From Early Grave

This is one of those stories that makes you shake your head and say: What is WRONG with people? A bull mastiff was rescued in Pensacola after being buried alive. A good Samaritan heard whimpering and saw a nose poking out of the ground, then called authorities who carefully dug the dog out. So far no arrest has been made, but I hope there'll be one soon and that whoever did this goes to jail. Sick, sick, sick. The good news is he's going to be ok, and will find a home.

Click here to read the story.