Watch Tip Classic – Watch for Strays

Posted on August 29th, 2012 by Trish Roman-Aquilino

Watch Tip LogoThis Watch Tip was originally written by Anna Nirva.

With the upcoming holiday three-day weekend almost upon us, this classic watch tip bears repeating – many families will be traveling with pets to strange areas, and many pets will be either boarded or watched over in their homes by either professionals or friends and family.

Watch and listen for stray dogs and cats that could go missing while traveling with their families, or be frightened by holiday fireworks. Take action to save them. Read the rest of this entry »

Volunteers rescue dog from top of Mount Bierstadt – The Denver Post

Posted on August 22nd, 2012 by Trish Roman-Aquilino

This is such a hot-button topic right now, it seemed only appropriate to share this on our blog, and get feedback from our readers.  There are several issues rolled into this event – safety of pets on rigorous mountain hikes/outdoor recreational activities, the need for emergency plans for pets in these types of situations, definitions of abuse and abandonment, and laws governing those acts.

Volunteers rescue dog from top of Mount Bierstadt – The Denver Post.

The owner of Missy abandoned her to save his own life, and that of a younger hiker that was with him.  But instead of going back, he spent eight days trying to discern Missy’s fate (and although he contacted authorities for assistance in retrieving her, he did not attempt to return for her himself).

Missy’s rescuers (the couple that found her, then recruited their hiking group to go back with them and assist in getting her off the mountain) want to adopt Missy, and feel her owner should not have her back.  Her owner claims that he loves Missy, and that she belongs to him, even though he made the mistake of assuming she had died on the mountain.

What do you think?

Book Review: “Little Boy Blue”

Posted on August 12th, 2012 by Anna Nirva

Little Boy Blue cover imageMemorize this book cover. I want every dog-lover in America to read this book and pass it along to a friend. I want every dog-lover living in a county served by a taxpayer-funded animal shelter to call their local health department and ask for live-outcome statistics; if refused, I want that dog-lover to file “Freedom of Information” forms to get access. I want every dog-lover that discovers their local “shelter” is actually killing the majority of dogs to join with others and raise their voices high, hard, and long to demand change in leadership. If those dog-lovers knew what horrors their tax dollars funded in those animal control facilities (don’t call them shelters), things would change.

Now maybe they will. Author Kim Kavin’s book “Little Boy Blue” exposes the hideous truth about dog-killing facilities operating in many municipalities of our dog-loving nation: killing owner-surrendered dogs within hours, killing dogs with minor treatable ailments such as ringworm, killing dogs slowly in gas boxes while they scream and claw at the hatch to escape, tossing their bagged bodies in the dump, all the while lulling the public with happy stories of adoption in the local paper.  Read the rest of this entry »

Watch Tip: Restraining Pets in Automobiles

Posted on August 1st, 2012 by Trish Roman-Aquilino

Watch Tip LogoThis morning, as I drove to work, I passed a car with a medium-sized dog with at least half of his or her body hanging out a half-open window, completely unrestrained.  As the car made a left turn, I watched from my rear-view mirror, worried that the pooch was going to fly out of the window as the vehicle careened around the corner.  The dog did not, and I was grateful, but it is an example of the need for pet restraint and/or containment in a vehicle.

Loose Pets in Vehicles Pose Many Risks

There are many dangers in letting pets roam freely in automobiles, to them and to others.  The group, Bark Buckle UP, has a detailed and thorough website that includes not only why pets should be safe, but all types of pet travel tips and product reviews.  From their site: Read the rest of this entry »