Crazy for Critters

Critter Safety on Thanksgiving

It's tempting to let the critters partake in the holiday feasting, but it's not really a great idea. Much of what's on the table - and most of what's in the garbage - could cause them problems. Click here to read some sensible tips for keeping everyone happy and healthy on Thanksgiving.

Now, getting to the heart of the holiday: the "thanks'' part. I've got a lot to be grateful for, not the least of which are my wonderful and entertaining dogs and stepdogs: Gracie, Shadow, Moose, Harley and Cowboy. I can't imagine life without their antics and inquisitive looks, their furry and reassuring presence on my bed, their unqualified, tail-wagging affection and enthusiasm when I come home from work. I'm sure everyone reading this knows exactly what I mean and feels equally thankful for their own critters.

Enjoy the holiday. If you have to work, may it be an easy day.

Ellie B

Rabies Alert

A rabid racoon bit a dog- the 37th case in Broward County since July 2000. Be careful!

From the county: Laboratory tests performed on a raccoon that bit a dog came back positive for rabies, according to the Broward County Health Department. This is the 37th rabies case in Broward County since July 2000. The bite occurred on Saturday, November 10, 2007, at the 800 block of S.W. 18th Court, Fort Lauderdale. The County Health Department has advised that the rabies alert issued in 2006 for areas west of A1A to U.S. 27 and from Southwest/Southeast 17th Street South to Sheridan Street remains in effect. This area includes the cities of Cooper City, Davie, Southwest Ranches, Weston, Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. Following the attack, the rabid raccoon was taken to the Health Department which sent it to a laboratory where the tests were performed.   

Howl-o-ween Pix

From the delightfully daft Wendy Doscher-Smith. Enjoy.

Max the Surfer!

Now there's a happy dog! Send me your pet pix: pets@miamiherald.com. I'll post 'em.

Snowbunny Pomo!

Our little friend, Pomo, WOOF Patrol mascot, recently rambled back south after the first snows of the season frosted his furry self in Upstate New York. Brrr!

Coming Up....The Eukanuba

  MIAMI CANINES HEAD WEST TO COMPETE FOR TOP DOG HONORS AND
$225,000 AT SEVENTH ANNUAL AKC/EUKANUBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

   WHO: Nearly 2,500 of the world's best dogs will compete to be
named Best in Show at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship on
Dec. 1-2 in Long Beach, Calif., and 11 of them are from the Miami
area.

   WHAT: The world-class canines have qualified to compete in one
or a combination of the following categories at the planet's
greatest dog show.

   AKC/Eukanuba National Championship (Best in Show) - Those
invited to contend for this prestigious honor are: the country's
top-25 dogs (based on points) from each of the 169-AKC recognized
breeds; every Best in Show winner from AKC all-breed shows;
reigning National Specialty winners; breeder/owner handled
Champions from the Bred-by-Exhibitor and/or Puppy class; and
international competitors from around the globe.

   AKC Agility Invitational - Considered the fastest-growing
canine sport, agility allows dogs to demonstrate their
athleticism and versatility by racing against the clock and
overcoming a challenging obstacle course of tunnels, weave poles,
jumps and seesaws. It's a sport of physical skill, control,
patience and - most importantly - teamwork between handler and
dog.

   AKC National Obedience Invitational - Obedience trials
demonstrate and showcase accuracy and precision, as well as the
natural movement of the handler and the willingness and enjoyment
of the dog.

   Junior Showmanship - The excitement of competing isn't just
for adults - 159 Junior Handlers (ages 9-18), who have met high
academic standards and qualification criteria based on year-round
competition, will compete for prestigious wins and scholarship
money.

   WHERE/WHEN: Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, Calif.,
Dec. 1-2, 2007 (8 a.m. - 4 p.m. PT; 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. PT daily).

   AKC/Eukanuba National Championship will be simulcast on Animal
Planet and the Discovery Channel on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 from 8
- 11 p.m. (ET/PT).

   AKC Agility Invitational highlights will air on Animal Planet
on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. For more information please visit topdogshow or akc.org.

Good Counterpoint to the Remarks Below

MIAMI, November 14, 2007) - Miami-Dade County Animal Services
Department will host its 3rd annual Home for Every Holiday Pet
Adoption event to be held on Saturday, December 1, 2007, from 5
p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will be held at the Animal Services
Shelter located at 7401 NW 74 ST, Miami, FL 33166.

This adoption celebration will give County residents the
opportunity to adopt some of the shelter's many dogs and cats who
are in need of a loving home. Anyone who adopts a pet at the
event will receive a complimentary toy and have the opportunity
to take a picture with Santa.

For additional information on Miami-Dade County Animal
Services Department or this event, please contact Xiomara
Mordcovich at 305-844-1102 ext. 255.

Attendance is free and open to the public. Donations of dog
and/or cat toys are appreciated and will be accepted at the door.

Adoption Requirements:  Interested adopters must be at least
18 years of age and have proof of home ownership or that their
landlords allow pets, i.e., lease agreement or notarized letter.
Adoption fees apply, including a $50 refundable deposit if pet
is not yet spayed or neutered.

The facility is accessible. For sign language interpreters,
assistive listening devices or materials in accessible format,
please call Xiomara Mordcovich at 305 884-1102, ext 255, at least
five days in advance.

From a Craig's List Posting

Very tough words from a righteously indignant shelter operator, in response to breeders who post there. We all know she speaks the sad truth.

Reply to: see below
Date: 2007-11-12, 3:32PM EST

I am posting this (and it is long) because I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.

First off, this is a forum to for adoption and/or rehoming as clearly stated in the rules. All of you breeders/sellers on craigslist should not only be flagged (and I hope the good people on craigslist will continue to do so with blind fury), but you should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day.

Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know that puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore.

So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not!

About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really?

Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets?

Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would".

How big did you think a German Shepherd would get?

"We don't have time for her".

Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs!

"She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family?

They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is?

Well, let me tell you your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy if it sniffles, it dies.

Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals.
It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk.

If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose.

If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed.

If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution not for long though. Most get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment.

If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash they always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails.

Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door it must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them.

Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process they will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff".

Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind it was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I do everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me or flag me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say “I saw this thing on craIgslist and it made me want to adopt. THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.

Cat People vs. Bird People: It's Getting Ugly

From the NY TImes, a story about a veteran birder who shot a cat that he says was endangering some wild plovers. His story: the cat was feral, so there's no crime. The state's story: a bridgetender had been feeding the cat, so even though the cat lived under the bridge, it wasn't feral, and killing a pet is against the law. It's going to a jury.

Animal Thieves At Work

This is a really funny video on YouTube - critters snatching snacks, hats, etc., from unsuspecting humans.