Dealing with Obstacles

This picture comes from a site with other interesting content too. It's a great way to remember that sometimes we just have to take charge of a situation. What better time to be reminded of this than on a Monday.

Have a happy one...

In the Most Humane City...

San Francisco is ranked number one as the Most Humane City. However, the news of the past couple of weeks concerning the killing of two coyotes in Golden Gate Park has the City in full debate.

I've been following this story, but to be honest, I haven't been sure what to think, which side to support. Would it be the public officials chartered to look after the safety of humans and pets alike in the park? Or the growing voices of the people of San Francisco, who have expressed an avalanche of opposition to the killings?

There were two compelling opinions on this topic:

Jon Carroll defended the killings, citing erratic behavior of the pair of coyotes (their behavior would have been more understandable if cubs were found and if the female was lactating). He talks about coyotes being everywhere, and challenges us to consider whether this issue is something easier for us to latch on to than broader world events (for instance, Darfur).

Jerry George very eloquently builds his case that the killings were unnecessary, that it was clear to anyone who knew coyote behavior that they were giving a warning nip to a 100-pound leashed Rhodesian Ridgeback to protect their den. He cites that pups are born in the Spring, so the female would not be lactating at this point.

Separate news articles tell about a pup being found dead very close to where the adult pair were shot. And humans have been feeding the coyotes for some time, which always results with peril for wildlife as they lose their fear of humans.

So, here's what I take away from all of this. We live in a world where many different species cohabitate, domestic and wild. When I walk with Chocolate off leash in open fields, I know I'm taking a chance that he could become prey to a larger carnivorous animal. While I love him immensely and always consider his safety, I take the chance because his love of running free is so evident. As a friend put it, if he were to die this way, he'd die happy. I wouldn't want to limit the population of wild animals for the convenience of my dog, I'd just want to make sane decisions for everyone's safety and well being. To get past the "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. It seems the right thing to do in the City named for the patron saint of animals.

Horses Great and Small

Here's the new entry into the Guinness World Records for largest (6ft 6in or 19 hands 3.5 inches) and smallest (17.5 inches) horses. They were brought together for the photo shoot that will be included in the 2008 edition of the book, available August 7th. Radar is a Belgian draft horse and Thumbelina is a miniature sorrel brown mare.

In Today's News...

Oscar is making news today as a cat who lives at a hospice in Providence, Rhode Island, and seems to have the ability to predict within four hours when nursing home patients will die. For the most part, families appreciate Oscar's providing comfort in their loved one's final hours. The nursing staff notes when when Oscar settles in with a patient and contacts families so they can have additional time to say goodbye. The full story is covered as an essay in today's New England Journal of Medicine and is being reported via the Associated Press.

The more scientific among us would like to see Oscar's time documented between the living and the dying and note such things as whether there's a heated blanket that would be more attractive to him that's provided to the dying versus the living.

But the nursing staff doesn't care. Because Oscar has given comfort to both patients and families, he's been awarded with a plaque that commends "compassionate hospice care." May we all be so lucky as to have an Oscar with us at the end of our lives.

Think Your Job is Tough?

Check out what this rat has to deal with - he's being trained by the Colombian police force to detect explosives in minefields. Rats have an acute sense of smell which would help find the mines. And with a low body weight, he wouldn't activate them if he were to walk over them. The training also includes the cat, who helps the rat stay focused and become accustomed to predators.

That can make for a challenging day in the office....

Your Mommy Kills Animals

Bet that got your attention, eh?

This is the name of a new documentary film that analyzes animal welfare, animal rights, and animal liberation groups. With the news on Michael Vick and his indictment for dogfighting, I thought it was worth checking out the film and getting a more in depth look at what motivates these very different groups. I wanted to get a sense of the issues they deal with, that we as busy pet owners, may not be aware of past the press releases or high level news reports.

Well. The film delivers that plus a whole lot more. Here are the thoughts that are uppermost in my mind since seeing the film:

• Right up front, and especially if you want to see it, you need to know that while this film works very hard to be balanced, it contains very violent scenes of animal abuse. If you are sensitive to violence as I am, you should be cautioned that there are images that will haunt you hours and days after you've seen the film. You walk out wondering how some idiots think it's ok to inflict such extreme abuse on animals. You wonder how widespread it is and you worry that's it much more than you fear. More thoughts on this at the end of this post...


• The title of the film comes from a comic book PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) put together in 2003. Be Warned: the comic book and the accompanying video are also violent.


• So, being a past PETA member and a mother, I watched the entire film thinking PETA must regret this particular "PR" campaign. But then I came home and checked out the PETA Web site. The comic book and video are not only easily obtainable on the site, but they get double billing via their "Fur is Dead" site. In the blog commentary that introduces the video, linked above, the PETA team sees this effort as "full brilliance." I shudder.


• PETA is not the only group that comes under scrutiny in the film. Most of the big organizations are examined, and I was reminded how important it is to understand how contributions are used within a particular organization. As a contributor to the Humane Society of the United States, I realize there's a role for their work in lobbying for better laws and regulations for animal welfare, which is how they are described during the film. The controversy comes in just how much on-the-ground service they provide. The content on their website can be interpreted as being hands on, or it can be interpreted as providing training and support to those who are hands on. You should research and make a decision on what is important for you and follow through with that. For me, this next bullet was extremely eye opening...


• The film interviews those who were on the ground rescuing pets during Hurricane Katrina. The interviews show it was the US military, proceeding without orders (a significant action), and small, private groups and organizations of people - many within the community, and most we've never heard of. One group highlighted was Pooch Heaven, based in Encino, California. It occurred to me that this is what happens in many crisis situations: the unsung heroes of the day are barely known because the big PR machines are blasting out their messages and overshadowing these extraordinary community efforts.


• Interesting tidbit and sidebar: the SPCA laws (Society for the Prevention of Cruelity to Animals) were in place before child abuse laws. So the first child abuse case used the SPCA laws to gain conviction.


• The groups fighting for animals rights and liberation are, for the most part, very young (late teens to early twenties) men with an extreme depth of passion for their issues. They articulate an absolutist mentality, along the lines of "no action can be immoral" when fighting for what they so strongly believe in. It's a little bit scary. Some groups interviewed were ALF (Animal Liberation Front), SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Abuse Campaign), and Hugs for Puppies (no kidding).


• I'm aware that thoughout our history, it's many times the extremists of the day who push the envelope of change forward (think of the Vietnam protests), so I believe there's a role and a benefit to having a wide variety of voices being spoken on an issue, however...


• We have become a nation of political extremes. Animal rights and animal liberation are now in the heart of the battle by being declared the number one domestic terrorism threat from the other extreme. Political vilification happens both ways, and no reasonable middle voice is being heard.

Which makes me think: is it time for the "Reasonable Middle" to speak up? I think of myself and my friends as part of this demographic. We care deeply about many issues, but are unsure how to participate where it will make a difference. In the case of animals, it's noted in the film that all factions have the same core value: a love of animals. But if only the extremes are being active in the debate, do we shortchange what we could be doing overall for animal welfare? During the California Healthy Pets Act debate, I watched the CVMA (California Veterinary Medical Association) very closely in their participation and opinion of the bill. They were my "Reasonable Middle" - if the vets were happy, I'd be happy. In the larger animal rights issues, I'm not sure such an entity exists. And that makes me worry, for ourselves and our pets...

Happy Saturday

For those in vacation mode, here's a bit of light summer musings...

Harry Bliss is a New Yorker cover artist and cartoonist who does a strip called "Bliss" - this is his entry in today's papers...

and here's another good one from his site:

Quote of the Day

The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can't ask his patient what is the matter -- he's got to just know.

Will Rogers

From Tragedy Comes Opportunity

Pet news today is inundated with the story of Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick's indictment for dogfighting.

Most of us have limited knowledge of what goes on in the dogfighting world. We may be aware of its existence, but may not know how serious it is or what, if anything, we might be able to do. Here's a short primer, using this case and the examples being written about:

• Dogfighting is a cruel blood-sport in which two dogs are pitted against each other in a fight to the death, or until one dog cannot continue. They are trained to be vicious—sometimes confined in trunks or closets, fed gunpowder, or beaten—all for the amusement of spectators and high-priced wagering. Fights can last for hours, as the dogs are trained to continue even after brutal wounds are inflicted.
  
• According to court documents regarding Vick's case, even if the losing dogs survived, they met a cruel fate, "sometimes put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gun shot, electrocution or some other method."
• Purses for the fights ranged from hundreds of dollars to the thousands, and participants and spectators placed side bets, the document said.

Here's the challenge for us. Our sports figures are idolized. Through misinformation, it is possible that dogfighting could become "glamorous" due to Vick's involvement, sending the wrong message to our children who follow Vick and see him as a role model.

There are so many things that happen today that we sometimes feel overwhelmed and helpless in what we can do. The good news here is that the US Humane Society has made it easy for our voice to be heard. They have dedicated a part of their website for us to send a letter to the NFL Commissioner. It is very easy, I did it in about 1 minute. I also tried calling the NFL Public Relations Office (1-212-450-2000) as suggested on the USHS site, but they have stopped picking up the phone or even letting it roll over to voicemail. So sending the letter is important. Do it now, before you get back to your busy day, and let's get the right message out on the seriousness of this issue.

A Twofer

Roxey

Today's post has two great benefits:

1. The picture is adorable.


2. Roxey is being groomed as a part of Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS), an organization that helps low income disabled people, including those with HIV/AIDS and seniors, with their pet's care.

Go Fetch!

Something a bit more lighthearted for Monday... Cleo and Tony (pictured) love to collect stray socks out and about in their Los Altos neighborhood. And all this time, we thought the washing machine was eating them.

Divorce, American Style

This article ran in several Sunday papers in the United States, it was worth placing here to document the importance of pets within the family, and how when a union ends, a contentious battle can ensue over who gets custody of the pets.

The summary: Just like custody battles over children, things can get very nasty. Since pets are seen as property, a judge can award a pet to one of the spouses, or if it's unclear which one should receive custody, the pet can be shipped to the local humane society. Wow. That alone would make me try to forge a workable middle ground.

When the Unspeakable Happens

Adam
In Northern California, two teenage girls set a kitten on fire. Adam is recovering, but tragedy abounds in this story. How do children find themselves in a situation like this? What thought process did they go through to make this seem ok to do? Did one bully the other? Were there any signs prior to this tragedy that would have alerted their parents, teachers, neighbors? At first, I feared that acts like this are the result of a culture of violence that many in the United States are concerned about. But when I ran a Google search of animal torture, four of the first six entries were about equally tragic stories outside the US. It's not something I can even pretend to be expert at, but I'd like to do whatever I could to help educate, rehabilitate, and help the world be a better place for all animal life.

For Real?

A friend and I saw this picture posted elsewhere on the Internet yesterday, and were certain the heart was airbrushed in. From this story, it's real and is the first time a puppy has been born with this marking from the overall 1,000 puppies bred by this breeder. Amazing.

Adorable

Just ran across this great picture - last week was Zoonoses Day in Hyderabad, India. Zoonoses are diseases and infections which are transmitted between animals and man. Zoonoses Day is celebrated on July 6 every year to bring awareness of the diseases and infections which can be transmitted between pets and humans. The day is dedicated to remind pet owners to take action and get their pets vaccinated.

In The News

Yesterday, the California Healthy Pets Act (AB-1634) was due for a vote but it didn't happen. In culling through the news reports, it seems this was a bill that got off on the wrong foot and never seemed to recover. In the end, the draconian restrictions that would be put on breeding generated 20,000 letters from breeders, pet owners and animal activists before today's hearing alone.

What is sad is the last minute, drastic steps to get the bill passed without evidence of thinking through the true spirit of the legislation. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

When Levine [Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys (Los Angeles County)] realized that there weren't enough votes in the five-member committee to pass his measure, he suggested weakening it so that spaying and neutering would not be mandatory. Instead, he proposed that spaying and neutering would only be required if a dog or cat was running free or a complaint was lodged against an animal owner. "If in violation of other animal laws, you have to spay and neuter," Levine said in describing his proposed change.

The California Veterinary Medical Association gives their story too, which has an interesting quote:

AB 1634 is a good example of why the CVMA needs to “be at the table” on important issues. The CVMA was approached by the sponsors of the bill and asked to be a co-sponsor. The draft form of the bill required every dog or cat over four months of age to be spayed or neutered. There were no veterinary or medical exemptions. There were no requirements that the surgeries be performed by a California licensed veterinarian. And, there was nothing in the bill stating that veterinarians are not responsible for enforcing the bill. During the subsequent months of debate on the bill, the CVMA worked hard to improve this legislation.

The bill's sponsor and supporters now six months to mend fences and bring the necessary voices together to make a bill that works for our pets. I'll continue to watch the position of the CVMA, who changed their position from co-sponsor to neutral during the course of negotiations on the bill. They have come across as very even-handed, weighing what is best for our community and our animals.

Hug your veterinarian today. :)

This One's for the Cats

Doodah: Always uses her litter box










Minnie: Rarely uses her litter box










Chocolate: Does disgusting things
when he has access to litter boxes





There are some interesting nuggets of information in an article titled Digging Deep Into the Cat Litter Question. The quick summary is:

• Most all problems of cats not using their litter boxes are fixable. Mostly it's us that needs the fixing, because we don't clean the box often enough or keep trying new products that are more geared to our needs (read: scents) than theirs (cats don't like scents).

• When we don't keep the box clean, it's akin to us walking into a grody porta-john. To quote,

  Think about how you feel when you go into a porta-john that's overdue for service on a hot day, after being used by too many partygoers, all of them drunk, and you'll get an idea of how cats feel about using soiled, smelly litter boxes. Have some compassion for these animals, whose sense of smell is much more acute than ours, and for whom godliness comes a very distant second to cleanliness.

• For those of us who are looking for "green" solutions, there's a variety of litters that are available that are easy on the earth - wheat, corn cobs, orange peels, pine shavings, and old newspapers are a couple mentioned in the article.
• Something very important to keep in mind: even though litters will be advertised as "flushable", for those of us in California, flushing clumpable litters is suspected of causing toxoplasmosis in sea otters off our coast. We need to put into a sealed bag in the garbage can, not put down the sewer lines.
  
• If you are introducing new litter to your cat, it's suggested to try mixing the old litter with the new, gradually increasing the new over a period of a week or two. This helps them adjust to the change, which is something they don't like as a matter of course.
• There's a great quote to remember:

  We're either not cleaning the litter box often enough, using a cat litter our cats don't like, the litter box is not in a place the cat feels safe using it, or we have too many cats and not enough litter boxes. In other words, yes, your cat is right: It's all your fault.

Ugh, I hate it when Minnie is right. :)

Lifetime Dog

I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of Eileen Mitchell, who writes a column about her dog, Elvis, for the San Francisco Chronicle. She recently had an article that has had me thinking hard - "For dog lovers, there is only one 'lifetime dog'." It was followed up by a bunch of wonderful testimonials from readers about their own "lifetime" dogs.

It's a wonderful read, but you may start thinking about your own ranking of the dogs in your life, and for me, that's when things become much harder. I couldn't be as clear about who I loved more and why. Each dog that is a part of my life has brought something special to me. I wonder if this is how parents of multiple children feel?

Chocolate and Lily
Chocolate goes with me pretty much everywhere, whenever he can. Just as in the article, I get questions about his well being on the very few occasions he isn't with me when I'm out and about in the neighborhood. He's "my guy", "my buddy", and "my furry son." My life is very definitely enriched with him by my side, but then I start thinking about other dogs, and even the dogs of my friends, and I find that each one brings something special to my life.

Take Lily. She positively melts my heart with her Golden Retriever easy going, loving personality. When she's around, her serene Alpha stance calms Chocolate and makes him less "Terrier." Those of you with Terriers know what I'm talking about! She is graceful, trusting, and always a joy to deal with. Those of you with Retrievers know what I'm talking about! She is simply always a joy to be around.

Kody
Then there's Kody. He is sitting in my lap as I write this. I have never met such a cuddly dog. The month he'll be spending with me will provide me with more love and attention than I could hope for from any other being. He radiates affection.

One dog lives with me all the time, the other two I see on a regular basis. Each brings something special to our relationship, and I wouldn't trade any one experience for another. I'd like to think that this doesn't make me look like I love Chocolate less, but that my heart is big enough for more than one lifetime dog. In fact, within a lifetime, I believe I'll look back and cherish the time I've had with all of them, together and separately, and feel blessed that I had a special relationship with each one. Together they bring a lifetime of love, devotion, and experience that is deepened because I haven't limited my heart to just one.

If there are others that feel this way, I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to share your comments.

In the News...

I've had some great folks keep me in the loop on AB-1634, the California Healthy Pets Act. A significant blow for the bill has come with the California Veterinary Medical Association changing their position from co-sponsor to neutral. I'm glad the CVMA is staying engaged in the bill, but also glad that they are taking a stand against the numerous amendments that the Board of Governors expressed concerns with.

The next big date for voting is July 11th. It will be interesting to see the impact CVMA's withdrawal will have on this proposed bill.

Lost Dog

Last week, I traveled back East to do the biennial family tour. Like many of you, I have a network of friends and responsible kids that I trade support with when traveling so that my pets get as close to the care I give them when I'm not there.

This year, Chocolate went to spend time with Lily, but Minnie and Doodah stayed home with Bumpers the fish and got daily visits from a good friend's daughter, who earned extra cash by keeping the cats happy in their own territory.

There's so much trust in this network that we can sometimes skip the details of what needs to be in place if an emergency strikes.


Kody

As it happens, my friend called to ask whether the cats needed to be fed before I got home Sunday night. I said yes, but also let her know that she'd see a new addition, Kody, a Havanese and a wonderful guy. His family was getting on a plane to Europe just hours before my plane landed, so we arranged to have him at the house so I'd be able to start caring for him as soon as I returned. With summer and busy lives, this isn't so unusual.

What no one expected was Kody's uneasiness in being in the house alone and then seeing my friend come in, someone he didn't know. He bolted out the front door and into a neighborhood that wasn't his own. I was about 30 seconds from having to shut my phone off when I got the call of Kody's escape. I told her to call the Humane Society and get their help. I also gave her a couple of friends phone numbers who I knew would drop everything and help get Kody back safely to the house. Then I had to turn my phone off and hope we got this great guy back quickly and safely.

We pet lovers are an amazing bunch, I can't tell you the depth of support and concern that everyone involved displayed. Folks out on late afternoon strolls helped to guide my friend down the streets they saw Kody run. Others joined in as they could. It was a limited, harrowing, but inspiring community effort to get Kody to safety.

But it wasn't enough. As soon as the plane landed, I heard the news: they'd lost track of him, and they had to give up as darkness came. I felt sick. I knew they had done everything they could, but there was a much loved dog somewhere who was scared, lost, and probably in pain as he ran for hours trying to find familiar territory.

Darkness or not, three of us took up the search and traveled the local streets until close to midnight. When we realized the combinatorics of streets he could travel was huge, we decided to wait until daybreak and go in separate cars. Just before 8am, my friend called - on a lark, she called the local police department (not 911, the local number), and learned Kody had been spotted by an officer shortly after 5pm, about an hour after he first left the house. He was now at the Humane Society, waiting to be picked up. I burst into tears of relief and joy. This wonderful guy was safe and uninjured and hadn't been out long. I felt very lucky.

My thoughts have been consumed with this experience. What did we do right, what could we have done differently? How could we affect change so that anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation would feel supported, guided, and given the right information and tools to act quickly and efficiently on a pet's behalf?

Here are some additional observations and learnings from this experience:

• I am a huge supporter of the Humane Society, but found their focus to be mainly on adoption, not lost pet support. As a contract service for my local county, they accept and shelter lost pets, but have limited capacity beyond that. Some examples:
• My friend called the Humane Society right away. She explained she wasn't the owner, but wanted and needed to know if Kody was brought to the shelter. She left her cell number. She was never called, and that's why we continued searching into the next morning.
• When we went to the Humane Society right after the call to the Police, there were numerous signs for pet adoption hours, but nothing specific for lost pets. I can tell you first hand that even a sign outlining their process would have been hugely comforting to me. Ideal would have been an after hours attendant available by phone to answer questions. Instead, we had to wait until their 11am opening time and follow signs to the Lost Animals desk and wait our turn in line.
• Training is hugely important here. Nerves are frayed and emotions high. The trainee at the desk told the man in front of me that his dog wasn't there because Animal Control was a different government entity. While that's true, pets under Animal Control supervision are housed at the Humane Society as part of their contracted services. He almost left when I let him know to wait to see his pet there.
• The same trainee looked at my form and told me I would not be able to take Kody with me because I wasn't the owner listed on his chip. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been something that would upset me, because I knew I had the necessary paperwork to show I was his temporary custodian. However, with no sleep, worry, guilt, and fear, it cut through me like a knife. My friend had the presence of mind to jump in and suggest we identify Kody first, then deal with this issue later. That gave us time to find a more senior employee and show the letter that confirms my supervision of Kody while his pet parents are away.
• The police can be a huge asset in a situation like this. We know now to call them as soon as we call the Humane Society. Of course, it's by calling the 7-digit local number and not 911.
• Paperwork is critical. Kody's pet mom was detailed in listing my name, her name, her full itinerary, and even gave me Kody's backup paperwork for his microchip ID. If I didn't have this, it was unclear whether even a phone call to her in Paris would have enabled me to take him home yesterday morning.
• We were extremely lucky that Kody was picked up and taken to safety quickly. But I've had to wonder - what if this were to have extended for several days? We didn't have a picture of him to make lost pet posters. If he was found by a neighbor, they might decide it's best to keep him at their home until someone answers the number listed on his tag. That would have been a month away and precious time and energy would have been lost getting him back as quickly as possible.

As busy people with pets, we have a loose system of support that is tailor made for each family. While it may get us what we need most of the time, one instance like this shows how delicate it all is, and it seems like it might be a good time to explore new systems that bring a sense of safety and well being in times of emergency - knowing that the more eyes, hearts, and hands looking out for your pet, the happier everyone is in the end. They give us so much, it's so little for us to do for them in return.