Watch Tip: Free to a Good Home

Posted on November 27th, 2010 by Anna Nirva

If a friend or family member plans to give away a pet using “free to a good home” ads, you must warn of common “stranger dangers,” which include pets being used as dogfighter bait, puppy mill breeding dogs, research lab victims, or food for pet snakes. Or the pet might simply be neglected and starved by a hoarder.

Lucy, a Give-Away Pet Advertised on Craigslist, became Dogfighter Bait

Her family didn’t want her any more and the craigslist ad worked just fine to get rid of her. Three years later, Milwaukee Animal Control discovered a microchip in a drowned, bleeding, starving, dying dog and called that family. Her name had been Lucy once. The new and old wounds from head to foot revealed her long suffering in dogfighting pits. But the cold, suffering dog was shaking so hard, they could hardly examine them. Read the rest of this entry »

Watch Tip: Holiday Hazards

Posted on November 19th, 2010 by Anna Nirva

Watch for pets sickened by eating rich holiday leftovers or cooked turkey and ham bones. Don’t feed turkey skin or fat trimmings. Chocolate, candies, and sweets (especially those with xylitol) are dangerous. Remind visitors to enter and exit quickly so pets don’t escape!

For your Dog’s Sake, Read “The Safe Dog Handbook…

Safe Dog Handbook image… A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Pooch, Indoors and Out” by Melanie Monteiro. This is one for your bookshelf, a thorough and detailed reference to help keep your dog safe from the many hazards around the home and neighborhood. But wait… the author recommends you keep the book with your dog’s first aid kit instead of a bookshelf. Good idea!

Buy your copy here: www.thesafedoghandbook.com .

What can you learn from this book?

  • Emergency first aid
  • How to check temperature, heart rate and pulse
  • Signs of choking and the Canine Heimlich Maneuver
  • Rescue breathing and CPR for dogs
  • How to induce vomiting
  • Safe transportation to the vet
  • How to stings and snake bites
  • Safe restraint methods
  • And many many more important veterinary topics

In addition to providing essential health care knowledge, the author guides families to make dog-safe home, yard and garden environments. Finally, this well-organized book is coil bound to lay flat, so you can refer to the book while performing urgent actions if needed. This could be the best $20 you ever spent.

Watch Tip: Stray, Wandering Pets Increasing

Posted on November 13th, 2010 by Anna Nirva

Watch for pets that are banished from the house before new carpet or furniture arrives for the upcoming holidays; they will be wandering and hungry. More pets are found as strays in winter than any other season. Can you distinguish between strays and resident pets in the neighborhood? Make it your personal standard to keep up with new pets near your home.

Holidays are hell for some pets

Our little rural shelter is already seeing the annual rise in stray dogs and cats. Those cute puppies and kittens grew up and some busy, disorganized families didn’t have time to train them. Now they need to replace the carpet and the couch before the big family potluck and those adolescent dogs and cats are permanently banished from the house. Everyone else lets their pets run loose. What’s the big deal, they say?

Around here, it is a big deal. Death by traffic. Death by rifle. Death by poison. They get lost and starve. They get caught in leg-hold traps and bleed to death. But luckily for some, a kind neighbor makes sure the poor young thing is fed and watered and sheltered, and tries to find a home or rescue or trusted shelter to take over care.

The kind neighbor knows most or all of the neighborhood pets by sight because he or she is observant and cares deeply for the well-being of those dependent four-leggeds in homes and yards and barns and pastures. The kind neighbor watches every home and yard when passing to make sure all is well. The kind neighbor often provides advise about pet care and does some pet-sitting too. When a stray dog or cat shows up, the kind neighbor is ready to help. If a neighborhood animal appears to be in distress, the kind neighbor approaches the owners to offer support. Yes, sometimes these efforts can be misunderstood, but the kind neighbor tries to get it worked out.

Is this you? Please tell your stories — I want to hear them. You can inspire others. You are making a difference!

Watch Tip: Violence toward Pets

Posted on November 6th, 2010 by Anna Nirva

Watch for family members, friends, or neighbors who act violently out of frustration or anger toward their young untrained dogs and cats—small children and male youths are particularly likely to act out. Those pets are in danger of losing their lives one day because they learn to bite and scratch defensively. Biting pets may die violently by their abuser’s hands, or be abandoned, or be euthanized for their learned vicious behaviors. Try to help re-home the pet before it is too late.

It was too late for Moonshine; everybody failed him

Ten-month-old Moonshine was beaten to death a few weeks ago by a young man who had a history of abusing him out of frustration. Animal control had twice been called to the home, responding to calls from neighbors who heard the puppy yelping frantically. Friends reported witnessing violent behaviors toward Moonshine by one of his two owners. The co-owner even bit him twice and bragged about it later, calling it “discipline.” Despite these serious signs of impending disaster, no one helped him.

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