Crazy for Critters

Families Invited to Animal Care for Halloween 'Pawsitive' Fun Time

Celebrate Halloween fun at the Broward County Animal Care Adoption Center, 1870 S.W. 39th St., Fort Lauderdale, on Sunday, October 31, from noon to 3 p.m.
 
Children are invited to come in costume and trick-or-treat through the shelter. In addition, for an $8 donation, families can get their pictures taken in a special Pumpkin Patch. Those who adopt a pet will also be given a special gift bag.

"We are inviting everyone to come out on Halloween and share the day with our homeless dogs and cats," said Lisa Mendheim, public education coordinator, Broward County Animal Care and Adoption. "Instead of going home with just bags of candy, why not make the day extra special by giving the gift of a loving home to a pet in need?"
 
Broward County Animal Care and Adoption is dedicated to providing shelter for lost and surrendered animals as well as the adoption of pets. The agency also coordinates the licensing of dogs and cats and provides rabies vaccinations in order to encourage a healthier pet population. For more information about the agency, visit www.broward.org/animal or follow us on Twitter@ BrowardPetPals.

Mellow Yellow

Cisco is a sweet, adorable English-style yellow Lab who appears and acts purebred. The vet says he is 3 years old. He was a shelter stray, heartworm positive, He has just finished his heartworm treatment and is feeling and acting like a typical Lab again!

Cisco is a Dudley Lab, which means his lips, eye rims and nose are are pinkish-brown in color, instead of brown or black like most yellow Labs. It's the result of having two genes that encode for chocolate. All it affects are appearance -- Cisco is 100% Lab in every way.

Cisco is 75 pounds of solid muscle! He has his playful moments, but mainly he loves to get hugs and belly rubs. He is very well-mannered on a leash, housebroken, and is fine in a crate when you're not around. He is a handsome, handsome fellow and will make a wonderful family pet.

If you are interested in meeting or adopting CISCO or one of our other labs contact Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida by visiting our website www.labradorrescue.net  or call 1-866-464-LABS. LRROF has all our Labs microchipped, spayed or neutered, up to date on shots and each adoption comes with a 30 day pre-paid pet health insurance plan. All applicants will have a home inspection and vet reference (if applicable) 

 

Authors of Animal-Related Books Coming to the Book Fair

Miami Book Fair International is a huge, fascinating event, Nov. 14-21. You might want to check out these authors, who've done books about critters.

John Adkins is an artist, author, illustrator, professor and Chair of Arts & Philosophy at Miami Dade College. He has been a working artist for over 20 years with exhibitions in: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta. His illustrated children’s book, Animals Get Scared Too, Just Like You! (Jalzo Artist), taps into children’s innate fascination with animals to show that all living things—even animals—get scared sometimes.  Through examples richly illustrated, the book shows children that, just as animals can adapt to fear, so can they.  In the process of enjoying the book, children will see that imagination and creativity are powerful antidotes to fear and that being scared just isn’t quite as scary as it used to be. 

Doug Alderson, former associate editor of Florida Wildlife magazine and current Florida Paddling Trails Coordinator for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, is the author of several books about Florida’s unique ecosystem:  New Dawn for the Kissimmee River, Waters Less Traveled,  The Ghost Orchid Ghost and Other Tales from the Swamp.  His latest book Encounters with Florida’s Endangered Wildlife (University Press of Florida), combines adventure and natural history as Doug tracks a host of endangered animals in order to report firsthand about the encroached-upon lives and fragile habitats of these indigenous creatures.

 

Let’s Have A Bite! A Banquet of Beastly Rhymes (The Overlook Press) is a collection of thirty-three children’s poems about animals naughty and nice. Written by Robert Forbes and featuring illustrations by master cartoonist Ronald Searle, the playful rhymes and charmingly intricate illustrations are intended to please readers from seven to seventy. Forbes serves as president of the lifestyle magazine, ForbesLife, and is the author of Beastly Feasts! Searle’s highly influential career as a cartoonist and illustrator spans more than sixty years, during which he has published or illustrated more than thirty books.

Coconut Grove Rescue Yard Sale

Paw-fect Super Yard Sale!!!

 

Come join us for a weekend of Halloween fun, BBQ, raffle, adoptable pets and more!

 

All Proceeds Benefit Pets Abandoned and Left to Survive on Their Own in Residential Areas of Coral Gables and Coconut Grove as Well as Those Saved From Miami-Dade Animal Services' Euthanasia List.

 

Saturday Oct. 23 and Sunday Oct. 24

8am - 3pm

 

3072 Mary Street

Coconut Grove

 

 We’re Currently Accepting Donations.

If you wish to help or know someone who does please feel free to email us at groverescue@gmail.com 

 These pets need your help. Any contribution is greatly appreciated by the pets left abandoned and those that are here to help them.

 

Thank you!

*Saving just one animal won't change the world... but, surely, the world will change for that one animal*

Animal Abuse Registery-- Great Idea from Long Island

Posted: Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Suffolk approves animal abuse registry bill

BY JENNIFER GUSTAVSON | STAFF WRITER

The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a bill Tuesday to create a law establishing a county registry for animal abuse offenders, the first of its kind in the nation.

The new law allows the county to create a public registry of convicted animal abusers, in which the names, aliases, addresses and photographs of animal abusers would compiled in a searchable database, much like the state's sex offender registry. The convicted abusers would pay a $50 annual fee for upkeep of the registry, and those who fail to register would be charged $1,000 or face jail time.

A public hearing for a second bill, which would require pet stores and animal shelters to check the registry before allowing anyone to purchase or adopt an animal, was tabled for a later date.

If approved, that law would prohibit pet stores from selling an animal to a convicted abuser.

Roy Gross, who heads the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said his group, which deals with over 2,000 animal abuse cases in the county per year,  believes the animal abuse registry will help to save animals.

''Most serial killers began as animal abusers,'' he said. "t's a known fact: people who hurt animals hurt people too.''

 

Pet Store Stops Selling Puppies; Encourages Shelter adoptions

Bravo to GIGI + LUCA Pet Boutique, in Lighthouse Point, which has decided to discontinue the sale of commercially-bred puppies. Instead, it will showcase animals from rescue groups and pledge to return half of their adoption fees to animal shelters. If more stores would go that route, it could make a huge difference in the number of animals dying in shelters every year - 3-4 million. - and maybe close down some pup[y mills.

"Our main concern is saving their lives,” Elizabeth Correa, owner of GIGI + LUCA, 1825 NE 24th St., said in a news release. “We hope to adopt more pets and continue placing these innocent creatures in loving homes.” "

"After learning about the alarming record number of pets that are put to death monthly, Elizabeth decided she had to do something. Her vision is one hope and inspiration: “to create a new life for all rescue puppies.”

"GIGI + LUCA is working with licensed shelters to select rescue pets and ensure they are spayed, and neutered, and treated for any medical need before placing them with a new owner. Before they can qualify for adoption, they are cleared from kennel cough, fleas, or any other “common” ailment. Correa charges a small fee which helps cover food and medical costs for each dog while they wait to be adopted. Half of all proceeds go to collaborating animal shelters.''

"“Only a mere 20 percent of pets are adopted from shelters,”  said Correa, in the release. “We want to increase that number and provide all types, from mix breeds to designer breeds to pure breeds for pet lovers to adopt.”"

 "She talks about how one day a gentleman came in looking for a Min-Pin puppy. Although she did not have one, she was fostering one for a rescue group. At first he was not interested, but his attitude changed once he met the puppy and played with her. Then he learned how the puppy had been saved from death row. He immediately adopted her and today, says Correa, “she’s being treated like a princess. I realized that as long as we sell puppies, dogs like her won’t have a chance to find homes,” states Correa.''

Happy Howl-O-Ween

Annual Costume Contest - HAPPY HOUR 2010 to   Benefit FRIENDS FOREVER RESCUE!!!

Please join us for a night of fun!!! Saturday, October 16, 2010        6:00pm - 9:00pm  White Lion Cafe 146 Northwest 7th Street, Homestead, Florida  Call today and make your reservation! 305-248-1076

Cute Terrier Needs a Home

She’s a terrier mix, around 40 lbs, 8-9 years old, tan color, loves to run around the backyard, good with cats, dogs and kids.  Contact Top Paw Rescue: tpgsr.com.

Yellow Lab Losing Family

They're moving to Peru and have to leave him behind. He's 8. Here's what I know:

We have a wonderful yellow lab called Taby looking for a loving family since we are moving abroad and are heartbroken because we can't take him. He is great with kids, we have a 2 year old who plays with him and he is always gentle and loving with kids.  He is healthy, eight years old, neutered, loves to exercise, play catch and is easy to take care of. Gets along great with everyone and loves to be with the family.

Contact me @ Fernandasamper@Mac.com

Blue Buffalo Food Recall

From the company website:

Dear Fellow Pet Parent,

At Blue Buffalo, nothing is more important than the health and well being of our dogs and cats, so it’s consistent with this guiding principle that we are voluntarily recalling specific production runs of our Wilderness Chicken-Dog, Basics Salmon-Dog and Large Breed Adult Dog products, as we have reason to believe that the products from these runs may contain a higher level of Vitamin D than is called for in our product specifications.

We came to this conclusion after discovering that our ingredient supplier had made a scheduling error and produced a Vitamin D supplement immediately prior to preparing the ingredients for the BLUE products that are in question. We believe that some of the Vitamin D supplement may have been carried over into our products, resulting in more Vitamin D than is called for in our formulas.

While the potential of increased Vitamin D presents no serious health risk, and any negative reaction to these products has been confined to a very small segment of the canine population who appear to be sensitive to higher levels of Vitamin D, we have a zero tolerance for any product that does not meet our specifications. I think you’ll agree that our decision to withdraw these specific products is simply the right thing to do.

From a next steps standpoint, all products with the specific manufacturing dates in question will be removed from retailer’s shelves. If you have any products with the codes shown below you should stop feeding them immediately.You may call Blue Buffalo at
1-877-523-9114 to arrange for return of the product and reimbursement.

These are the ONLY code dates being recalled:

Product	Bag Size	Best Used By Dates
BLUE Wilderness Chicken (Dog)	4.5 lb., 11 lb., 24lb.	JUL1211B, JUL1311B, JUL2611Z, JUL2711Z, JUL2811Z
BLUE Basics Salmon (Dog)	11 lb., 24 lb.	AUG2111B, AUG2211B
BLUE Large Breed Adult Chicken	30 lb.	SEP 22 11 P, SEP 23 11 P, OCT 26 11 P

This Vitamin D issue does not effect any other code dates of these products or any other Blue Buffalo dog or cat foods. In addition, new bags of Wilderness Chicken, Basics Salmon and Large Breed Adult Chicken will be available on the shelves so you can continue to feed BLUE with complete confidence.

If your dog has shown any adverse reaction to the recalled products, have him checked by your veterinarian. Typical symptoms might include excessive water intake and/or excessive urination, and in some cases vomiting. Blue Buffalo will reimburse any veterinary or testing expenses related to illness caused by these products.

As Blue Buffalo is a family founded and run company, I am personally very upset about this and apologize for any discomfort or inconvenience that this situation has caused you or your pet family members. Product quality and safety have been, and always will be our top priority, and we’ve taken some serious corrective action to insure that this type of human error will never happen again.