Month: March 2010

This week news that West Hollywood will ban pet sales, of all animals that are not from shelters. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban stores from selling cats and dogs in a move aimed at curbing puppy mills and kitty factories. Pet shops will be permitted, however, to offer animals from shelters. City officials acknowledged the new ordinance would have little bite — no pet stores in the city currently sell animals — but they’re hoping it will have a lot of bark and other municipalities will follow suit.

As a little girl growing up in New York City I did not have much interaction with horses. I recall seeing the carriage horses waiting for tourists outside of Central Park and felt a sadness as I knew if they had a choice they’d likely choose to be running in pastures with their kin. Through my work in rescue, I’ve become increasingly aware of the plight of these sensitive, majestic creatures. Too often the needs of humans trump even the basic needs of these gentle giants. And it takes gentle humans with giant dedication to remedy this. Tawnee and Jason Preisner, founders of NorCal Equine Rescue, are just such dedicated souls. They live and breathe their commitment to all animals and are true angels to horses in need.

While the contribution made by Tawnee, Jason and everyone at NorCal Rescue to the greater good for horses is far-reaching in and of itself, this duo’s commitment to making a difference permeates everything they do. Having seen how hard it was to adopt out pairs of horses who loved each other and needed to stay together, Tawnee and Jason decided to adopt a sibling group of humans so they could be together!

They also live a compassionate lifestyle that includes not eating animals and always rescuing others in need if the situation presents itself. Just this week they bought an emaciated goat being sold for $5 at auction. Sadly, the little guy was so weak that he did not make it through the night. At least he passed away amid kindness, with Tawnee stroking his head.

Read the rest of this the post by clicking here.

Pia blogs often at The Daily Wag on MarthaStewart.com, the home of episodes from Francesca and Sharkey – Martha Stewart’s two dogs. Dr. Pia Salk is a psychologist, animal welfare advocate, and expert on the human-animal bond. Pia frequently highlights the important role that animals play in our lives and how our societal treatment of animals conveys important messages to our youth. In her own work, Pia often credits the animals as being “the real therapists.”

You can find a horse to adopt near you at
http://www.adoptapet.com/other-pet-adoption#horse

horse photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1213087

The following Happy Beginnings tale comes to us from Linda Latelle, founder of Magnificent Mutts Rescue in Illinois: “What if someone you loved and trusted tried to kill you just because you got sick?  That’s what happened to Jessie, a sweet and trusting 3 year old husky mix. Jessie lived outdoors, on a farm in rural Kentucky, and was plagued by allergies and dermal fungal and bacterial infections to the point of misery from itching, irritation, and hair loss.  Jessie’s owners had no interest in paying to have her infections treated, so they decided to “put her out of her misery” by shooting her.

Jessie before

In January 2010, Jessie was following her would-be executioner and his .22 rifle out the woods when a concerned neighbor approached.  The neighbor was horrified to learn of the plan, and more so to hear that this was the second attempt to destroy Jessie- the first time, she was shot 3 times, but survived and made her way back to the farm!  The neighbor talked the farmer into surrendering Jessie to her on the spot.

Jessie was taken to a local vet, where she was started on antifungal and antibiotic medications, the matted parts of her remaining raggedy coat were shaved off.  Unfortunately, the kind and compassionate neighbor who saved Jessie’s life could not keep her, and sought help for Jessie through her local animal shelter.

A sick dog at a rural shelter has virtually no chance of being adopted, so a plea to save Jessie went out to the animal rescue network.  Magnificent Mutts spoke up for Jessie, and she was transported to Mutts’ vet in Elmhurst, Illinois.  Thanks to generous donations from Mutts supporters, Jessie received further treatment there, including removal of the .22 caliber bullets and care for the resulting abscesses.  Jessie was then spayed, dewormed, and vaccinated.  From there, Jessie went to her foster home, where she enjoyed plentiful food, a warm bed, and loving care.

It was expected that Jessie would spend a long time recuperating in foster care, but things moved more quickly for her.  Less than 6 weeks after Jessie’s life was saved she met Chris and Jenny, who were deeply moved by her tragic story and intent on giving it a Happily Ever After ending.

Chris and Jenny had looked at a number of dogs together before Chris met Jessie on his own, and he immediately felt a connection to her.  Chris knew it would be tough to persuade Jenny to even meet poor bedraggled Jessie, but he appealed to Jenny’s kind nature:  (Jessie’s) “ kind of messed up right now but I was a bit of a mess when you met me and you took a chance on me so can we take a chance on her?”  Jenny couldn’t resist his plea, and Chris took her to meet Jessie.  Jessie won Jenny’s heart as well, and she went home that day with her new family.  Jenny writes, “We just knew we’d find a dog that was meant to be ours when we saw it, and we both knew it when we saw” Jessie.

Jessie after

Jenny keeps Magnificent Mutts informed of Jessie’s progress.  She writes that Jessie “is the perfect fit for our family and we are so happy to have found her… she seems happy to have found us, she’s adapted to our house like she’s always lived there.”  And Jessie’s coat is growing back beautifully- her new vet expects her coat to re-grow all over within 6 weeks, and eventually regain its original lush golden glory.  Jenny promises to send pictures of Jessie as she recovers, because “it’s fun to see the before and after pics”.

Stories like Jessie’s are testimony to the kindness of strangers and to the trust and gratitude of the dogs they help.  Millions of dogs pass through the shelter and rescue system each year, but not enough of them live to enjoy a Happily Ever After the way Jessie will.  Jessie’s new Forever Family, Magnificent Mutts Rescue, and Jessie’s old neighbor are all proud to have been a part of this Happy Tail story.

You can see Magnificent Mutts’ adoptable pets here.

Don’t you just love products that are good for the planet, good for our pets, and help homeless pets all at the same time? That’s what inspired one of Hollywood’s most coveted interior designers, Kari Whitman, to create a signature line of dog and cat beds. She was searching for earth-friendly dog beds for a celebrity client who was going entirely green in her high-end home. The products Kari found were either unstylish — or not eco-friendly. So Kari combined her many passions and talents and the result was Greener Pup and Greener Kitty!

The beds are made in the U.S. and the filling is made from 100% recycled plastic. A single pound of filling is made from 10 plastic water/soda bottles. Depending on the size of each of the dog beds, which have 7-12 pounds of filling each, its recycling 70-120 plastic bottles! It makes a soft, durable filler which is breathable, hypo-allergenic and won’t attract insects. All their beds come with one free removable, washable cover in your choice of recycled fabrics. We really like the planet earth pattern!

100% of the profits from Greener Pup and Greener Kitty pet bed sales goes to saving homeless dogs. Kari is the founder of the nonprofit Ace of Hearts Rescue in Los Angeles, California. Ace of Hearts is dedicated to rescuing shelter dogs and finding them permanent, loving homes. Her rescue adopted out over 2,000 dogs in ten years!

To check out all the styles of beds and covers, visit www.greenerpup.com and www.greenerkitty.com

One way to be a responsible pet owner is to be prepared for your pet’s expected and possible emergency vet care costs. So far, there isn’t any discussion of pet medicare or a nationalized pet heath care plan! It’s up to you to take care of your  pets medical costs. Even the healthiest, indoor-only, most “low-risk” pet can have an accident or suddenly develop an illness. With a little planning, and exploring the options below, you can be ready to provide the best vet care possible for your pets, without breaking open your piggy bank!

1. Pet Health Insurance. Yes, there is health insurance for your pets! Plans are often very affordable, and cover everything from “maintenance” care such as yearly checkups and vaccines, to accidents and serious illnesses. Make sure to read the full policy to know what is covered by the plan you select. Ask your vet which pet health insurance they recommend.
2. Credit Card. You can open a separate regular credit card so that you have a card with an available balance in case of an emergency, or if that might be too much temptation for other spending, there is a vet version of CareCredit www.carecredit.com/vetmed/ – check with your vet to see if they accept CareCredit before applying. You will be responsible for paying the full cost of the vet services – it is not insurance. But you can pay it and the interest off over time.
3. Regular Savings Account. How much would you be willing to spend if your pet got sick? If you can, set aside that amount in a regular savings account. If your bank offers a savings account that you can link to your credit card or debit card account, set it up that way, so if you rush to the ER vet on a Saturday night, you’ll still have access to those emergency funds if needed.

Adorable recovering puppy photo thanks to http://www.sxc.hu/photo/625780

This week features a story from CA where a community came together and helped end puppy mill sales of one local pet store. Owners of a Rocklin pet store say they were flooded with e-mails and phone calls, asking them to stop selling purebred puppies. The requests started soon after a Roseville pet store which sold dogs closed last year. “We won’t be selling puppies anymore at the store, we just want to be a good member of the community and it’s clear that people don’t want us doing it,” said Rocklin Family Pet Store owner, Dale Glazer. The store will host an SPCA pet adoption event this Friday.