Crazy for Critters

A Day to be Thankful (unless you're a turkey)

   That should be every day, of course, but tomorrow being specially set aside for gratitude toward one and all, let me wish my faithful blog readers a day of peace, harmony, love, and good eats. But NO TURKEY FOR THE DOG! I know you want to give - and I know your dog wants to get, and will undoubtedly make his/her desires known in unmistakably doggy ways - but it's not a good idea.

I'm thankful for my guys - Moose and Shadow - my stepdogs Harley and Cowboy, and for the cockatiels, Bart and Chaucer. They enrich my life beyond measure, and connect me in so many ways to the "heart dogs'' no longer with me: Gracie, Kendall and CC, gone in the past few years. I'm also thankful for everyone who saves and rescues animals in need. May all good things come to you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Animal Rights; People Wrongs

On election day, Californians took a giant step away from animal cruelty. Proposition 2 passed, banning three dreadful forms of factory farming confinement. Some 60 percent of those who voted went for it. It could be a harbinger of good things to come in other states (Florida was actually ahead of California on some of this, which is amazing, considering we're not exaclty progressive).

Prop 2 outlaws gestation crates and veal crates, and battery cages for laying hens. Hens also get a break on their living conditions. Starting in 2015,they'll have to have adequate space to spread around and spread their wings (as it is now, they can barely move).

This is all good. But I'm going to veer off my 'beat' here for a moment to say how sadly ironic it is that the same electorate who voted for animals with their hearts voted against some of their fellow citizens at the same time, approving Prop 8, which bans gay marriage.

This is America, where, with the election of a non-white president, we can proudly say we can all aspire to the same goals, with a realistic chance of achieving them. But we persist in denying civil rights to the one last group that it's apparently safe to discriminate against. I say this as a straight person.

Please -- don't tell me about what the Bible says. The USA is governed by the Constitution. It's a secular document - no matter what it says on our money. Our laws are based on that document, which includes an ''equal protection'' clause in the 14th Amendment. It could not be clearer.

While there were all kinds of sound reasons to protect the rights of chickens and calves in California, I have yet to hear a compelling argument about how gay marriage would harm traditional marriage. Indeed, how would it have any impact on it at all, given that half of "traditional'' marriages end in divorce, which seems a lot more damaging to the institution than two people of the same gender signing a piece of paper at city hall.

So while I rejoice for the critters - and for the collective consciousness that rose to protect them - I despair for the hard hearts that insist on penalizing their fellow citizens.

A Poem For the Dog I Miss So Much

It's been five days now since my sweet Gracie took her last breath in my arms, and some kind people have sent poems to comfort me. There's a surprising amount of poetry for this sad event - way more than I imagined - but I have to say that for me, the most touching and poignant is the following, by Robinson Jeffers, whose long narrative poems I discovered as a moody teenager, and read endlessly.

This is called The House Dog's Grave, and it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. I share it with one of the last pictures taken of my Gracie.

         The House Dog's Grave (Haig, an English bulldog)

I've changed my ways a little; I cannot now
Run with you in the evenings along the shore,
Except in a kind of dream; and you, if you dream a moment, You see me there.

So leave awhile the paw-marks on the front door
Where I used to scratch to go out or in,
And you'd soon open; leave on the kitchen floor
The marks of my drinking-pan.

I cannot lie by your fire as I used to do
On the warm stone,
Nor at the foot of your bed; no, all the night through
I lie alone.
But your kind thought has laid me less than six feet
Outside your window where firelight so often plays,
And where you sit to read--and I fear often grieving for me--
Every night your lamplight lies on my place.

You, man and woman, live so long, it is hard
To think of you ever dying
A little dog would get tired, living so long.
I hope than when you are lying
Under the ground like me your lives will appear
As good and joyful as mine.
No, dear, that's too much hope: you are not so well cared for
As I have been.

And never have known the passionate undivided
Fidelities that I knew.
Your minds are perhaps too active, too many-sided. . . .
But to me you were true.

You were never masters, but friends. I was your friend.
I loved you well, and was loved. Deep love endures
To the end and far past the end. If this is my end,
I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am still yours.

Robinson Jeffers, 1941

New Broward County Bite Law Imperils Four Beloved Pets

This is from South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue - but everyone with a dog should take heed:

A new law recently set forth by Broward County Animal Control,
and still largely unknown by many law-enforcement representatives
and the general public, is threatening to be the catalyst for
killing four Siberian Huskies who are currently being held at
Broward County Animal Control. The Huskies are scheduled to be
îîhumanely euthanized'' within the next 10 days.

   The four Siberian Huskies, all tagged, spayed, up-to-date on
shots, with no previous bite history or history of aggressive
behavior and with an identified owner, Julie Roberts, were named
responsible for the death of a neighborhood dog in Miramar on
Aug. 25.

   While law enforcement representatives arrived and stated they
would not be removing the dogs from their home, Broward County
Animal Control representatives showed up and stated that due to a
new law, labeled as îîDangerous Dogs: Section 4-12,'' the dogs
would be quarantined and euthanized within 10 days.

   This new law seemed to îîslip'' into effect on May 20, without
much discussion or public awareness, and stipulates that no
clemency will be given for first-time offenders, regardless of
the mitigating circumstances (whether a death or incident is
accidental, etc.).

   The dogs in question will be euthanized unless their owner,
Julie Roberts, can come up with a $500 cash deposit bond per dog
to schedule an appeal. In addition, she will also be required to
pay the boarding expenses for each dog for the length of time
they were held at Broward County Animal Control.

   The hearts of the representatives from the South Florida
Siberian Husky Rescue Inc. (SFSHRI) go out to all of those
involved with the recent incident, though they feel strongly that
the death of one animal does not justify the intentional killing
of other animals.

   However, as saddened as we are that this particular incident
involves Siberian Huskies, we must not lose sight of the bigger
picture: This new law is NOT breed specific; it applies to each
and every dog living in Broward County.

   Every dog owner in Broward County needs to be made aware of
this legislation and needs to understand that their dog is now
subject to this new law.

   Furthermore, the general public also needs to realize that the
new law does not allow for second chances and first-time
offenders with no prior incident record will be not be granted
any leniency.

   SFSHRI representative, Bobbie Weinstein, ""hopes that this
current incident will not unnecessarily label the Siberian Husky
breed as dangerous,'' and "encourages Broward County Animal
Control to look at the total situation and make a decision based
on what is best in this particular situation, not one based on
the emotions of the moment or an elusive new law.

   "There are many options available to Broward County Animal
Control other than the ultimate death of these four, cared-for
and loved, pets,'' said Weinstein. "Furthermore, we have
requested that the dogs in question be turned over to our rescue
group so they will be well-cared for until a final disposition is
reached.''

   For more information on this new law and how it will affect
you and your pet, please go directly to the Broward County Animal
Control website at
http://www.broward.org/animal/ani01700.htm#Dangerous.

The REALLY scary part is this  - part of the new "dangerous dog'' definition:

''A dog that when unprovoked approaches a person in a menacing fashion or with an attack attitude.''

Now, I'm not a lawyer, but that seems pretty darn vague to me. Does this mean a growl? A bark with flattened ears? A jerk on the leash in the direction of a passerby? I hope that someone tests the legality of this definition in time to save the dogs that might fall victim to it. And I sure hope folks will help Julie Roberts and her Huskies.

Tethering Up for a Vote

Sample letter and emails follow.

Very soon, the city of Miami, which is in Miami-Dade County, will
be voting on an ordinance to restrict dog tethering. This is
important legislation that must be passed. Please email city of
Miami officials asking them to pass this anti-tethering
ordinance.

Emails for city of Miami officials:

mannydiaz@ci.miami.fl.us, agonzalez@ci.miami.fl.us,
msarnoff@miamigov.com, jsanchez@ci.miami.fl.us,
tregalado@ci.miami.fl.us, MSpence@ci.miami.fl.us

Sample letter:

Dear City of Miami Officials:

I understand you will soon be voting on an ordinance that
restricts tethering dogs in your city. This is important
legislation that should be passed. Miami wants to be known as a
glamorous and fun tourist destination. A dog suffering on a chain
in the hot tropical sun tarnishes this image. The ordinance
imposes humane conditions for tethering, including requiring
people to be outside when their dog is chained.

The evidence demonstrates why chaining is cruel and inhumane,
often making "vicious monsters" out of otherwise gentle and
social animals. Dogs are social animals who instinctively want to
be part of a group or pack. Leaving dogs chained outside makes
them aggressive. The Center for Disease Control reported that
chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite. Children have
been injured or killed by going into a chained dog's area, or by
a dog who has broken free from a chain. A dog loose in
neighborhoods could be one who was made aggressive by chaining.

Tethered dogs are easy targets for attacks by other animals. They
are killed or injured by extremes in weather, poisoned by humans,
and made sick from animal feces or bird droppings. In many cases,
the necks of chained dogs become raw and covered with sores from
the dogs' constant yanking and straining to escape confinement.
Dogs have been found with collars embedded in their necks.

Many other places protect children and dogs by having tethering
ordinances, including Fort Worth, St. Louis, Washington DC, Fort
Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Hollywood, FL, Macon, Georgia and the
entire States of California, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and
Connecticut. The city of Miami should pass one, too.

Sincerely,

So Sad

This is from someone who witnessed a  heartbreaking shelter surrender in Jacksonville. A dog chews a phone cord - penalty is death. Read it and weep. I did.   

Date: 2007-12-12, 7:37PM EST

I just had to share with you an email that I received from a rescue friend in Jacksonville. Please read and know that although this is in Jacksonville, this is also happening hundreds and thousands of time in Broward County. PLEASE take pet ownership seriously! These precious, loving, loyal animals do NOT deserve this!! They ARE man's best friend! In good times and bad times, they'll always be there for you and never judge you! Be kind to them and love them the way they deserve!!

Please go to Animal Control and adopt one of the animals whose life is in danger! Also, there are many private rescuers you can adopt from. When you adopt from them, there is another space for another animal who would be euthanized, if not rescued. Please be sure that you're ready to commit, and give an animal a forever, loving home. There are also a zillion cats who need homes! Don't forget them.

"I saw you with Scrap today. You were smiling and for a while Scrap was sitting next to you with his tail wagging. You were standing in front of the intake counter at Jacksonville Animal Control. You were explaining that you couldn't keep him because he chewed through a $5.00 dollar telephone cord. I heard the lady tell you that they take in at least 100 dogs a day and that Scrap would most likely be euthanized, because he is a bigger dog. You were still smiling and Scrap was still looking up at you with his tail wagging wondering if the new adventure with you was going to involve some new dog friends that he could hear frantically barking all over the building. The lady asked if you wanted his collar and his leash you took them off as the lady put on his new plastic Animal Control, ID collar and an Animal Control leash. Scrap was still a good boy still wagging his tail. As you walked out the door you were still smiling.
When you walked out the door Scrap stopped smiling. As he was tied up Scrap's tail stopped wagging and went between his legs he started crying. Scrap kept trying to get to you long after you were gone. The lady at Animal Control felt bad for him and tried to give him a treat but all Scrap wanted was to be with you he kept crying. The Animal Control Officer came to get him and Scrap left with him his tail between his legs and his head down. Scrap knew then that you were leaving him at that place and you weren't coming back.
Scrap has seven days until he dies, Scrap probably won't live until Christmas. This is a true story this just happened yesterday. I don't expect that anyone is going to run down to Jax Animal Control and get Scrap but please if you are thinking about taking your pet to Animal Control don't. If you are looking for a pet then check at Animal Control there are so many Scrap's there."

In the picture below, you can see Scrap turning. That is when his owner was WALKING OUT THE DOOR and leaving him! What would Scrap say if he could talk?? Instead, he whimpers!!! How sad is that???!!!!!

Book Editor Opines on Dog Books

My colleague, Connie Ogle, is the Herald's book editor/film reviewer and a dog lover. Click here to go to her blog, wherein she opines about the dog-book trend and submits some of her own "rules'' for dogs (with a very sweet photo of one of hers). Enjoy.

A Lovely Tribute to a Special Kitty

BY PAM SANSBURY
psansbury@MiamiHerald.com

   To anyone who might have noticed her furtive movements between the bags of mulch, she was just another cat.  Just another unwanted cat. When the time came to give birth to her litter of unwanted
kittens, she was an unwanted cat that somehow found her way into a Home Depot garden supplies section.
   That's where I met Jill three years ago, after a boss in the store told someone to get rid of her kittens. They had become a nuisance, emerging on spindly legs to explore their world. A young employee began passing out the tiny, blue-eyed newborns to customers, some of whom happened to volunteer for the same Naples animal-rescue group that I do: Friends of Gummi.
   We were doing adoptions next-door at PetsMart that day when the volunteers came in with the kittens and told the story. I asked if they'd seen the mother cat, and they had. They led me back to the spot where she'd been and there she still sat, patiently waiting for her babies to come back.
   The store management refused to allow me to set a trap inside the store, where the mama kitty 
waited, so I went back with just a carrier and some smelly canned food. Because she was so hungry, I was able to lure her from her hiding place simply by setting an opened can on the concrete floor.
   When the cat became preoccupied with the unexpected wealth of food, I leaned over quickly
to scruff her by the back of the neck and stuff her into the carrier. It was not without
bloodshed -- the blood all mine -- but I won the battle despite her valiant attempts to maim me with
her teeth and claws.
   I returned to PetsMart with my prize, to the congratulations and admiration of others like me, who find an unwanted cat and her unwanted kittens worth saving. Worth a little bloodshed. I reunited the stray with her little family and took them all home to give mama a chance to raise her babies. She was a good mother, also raising as her own an orphaned kitten that was turned over to Friends of Gummi that same day.
   Jill was named for the female character on the "Home Improvement" sitcom; some of her kittens were named for the show's kids. They grew up to find good homes through  Friends of Gummi. Meanwhile, we got Jill spayed and I fostered her, hoping she might become socialized enough to find a home, too.
   It never happened. She remained shy, merely tolerating me but always adoring my other cats -- two older females and three younger males. The boys loved her back with all their hearts; the girls, not so much.
   Jill, meanwhile, blossomed on regular, nutritious meals and a safe environment. Before my eyes she was transformed from a scruffy, nondescript alley cat into a gorgeous, golden tortoiseshell Maine coon-mix. Her golden eyes were complemented by medium-length fur, with curling tufts emerging from her ears, a pure white bib and four white paws. She would swish her huge, bushy plume of a tail to express her moods and opinions.
   Eventually, in her own way, Jill told me her story. A few months after her rescue, I accepted a job at The Miami Herald and was preparing to move from Naples to Miami. As the boxes piled up, Jill grew increasingly despondent. It became apparent that she was acquainted with the concept of moving, and while for me it meant a prestigious job and exciting new city, to Jill it meant losing her home.
   When moving day arrived and the boxes went on the truck, the six cats went into carriers and we drove across Alligator Alley to begin our new life in Miami. When we arrived at the new house, Jill seemed astonished to discover that she had moved along with the furniture and other belongings, and with all the other cats.
   That night, for the first time, she slept on my bed.

   In the years that followed, Jill grew less wary of me. She would let me pet her at an arm's length and at times invited my attention. We had a feeding ritual during which I would ask, "Who's my pretty, pretty girl?" and in reply she would preen and prance, swishing that big tail around in what seemed like a little dance.
   I once saw her jump onto the bathroom vanity, where she appeared to admire herself in
the mirror and perform what I'd come to think of as her "pretty, pretty girl'' dance -- with no prompting from me.
   She was never shy when it came to meals. I'd divide two cans of wet food into the six identical bowls lined up on the counter. Jill and the boys often were too impatient to wait for me to set the dishes on the floor, and they would jump up to watch me dish out the food. Petey was always the first in line, then Buddy, then Jill.
   But she wasn't always inclined to wait her turn. She didn't try to push Petey or Buddy aside, though -- no, Jill was much too clever for that. Instead, she would reach a paw into one of their dishes, then swiftly slide it over in front of herself. Unfortunately, I waited too long to capture that move on video.
   Jill died on Nov. 17, having spent her last six days tethered to tubes and taking powerful antibiotics by injection, fighting for her life. I had gotten home the previous Monday to find her lying lethargicly on my bed, and realized that the mere fact I could pick her up and put her in a carrier without any resistance did not bode well.
   But she was no longer a cat that nobody wanted. The vet tried hard to save her life for me. Jill was my pretty, pretty girl and a member of our family. We miss her very much.
   
   Pam Sansbury is a copy editor at The Miami Herald and a volunteer for Friends of Gummi. She lives in Homestead.

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.

Kennedy Cat Situation Editorial

From Newsday: sensible thoughts about the airport cats situation. Click here to read it.