Lucy Lou doesn't want to go blind!

From our friend Stacy Parmer, who runs the San Diego dog rescue, The Barking Lot.

So this is sweet little Lucy Lou...she came to us from Mexico. Lucy was sitting in the Perrera (Mexican dog pound) awaiting her fate of electrocution when we happened upon her. We brought her back to the states thinking this little gal would be a slam dunk for getting adopted quickly, but all that got sidetracked when we discovered that Lucy Lou could hardly see!! Who knew this gorgeous, pudgy purebred Cocker was going blind? Yep, Lucy is 23 lbs and only 2 yrs old & has juvenile cataracts...all she sees is fuzz at the moment and she bumps into the occasional wall, but there is a treasure at the end of the rainbow! Lucy Lou's cataracts can BE FIXED!! She needs some rather expensive surgery ($4000), but once she's had her operation, our little lady will be able to see better than ever & our fun-loving gal can get on with life! She's an ABSOLUTE doll!! She loves people and is so engaging & excited to say hello, clumsy as it may be! Her friendly & outgoing disposition wins her many canine companions and she loves their company too!! Lucy deserves to have her sight and family that's willing to love and adore her for years to come! Please, please, please do what you can to help!! Even $10 will move us toward our goal & Lucy will once again be able to see!

Thanks, Stacy.  Please go to Lucy Lou’s Fundable’s site to make a donation.

California Assembly Bill 250 Needs Your Support

From the Best Friends website:

Bill that aims to reduce pet overpopulation and euthanasia in California moves forward in Senate
To California Residents Only
SB 250, the Pet Responsibility Act, needs your help to pass.
This legislation aims to reduce pet overpopulation and euthanasia in California.
The group Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL) has set up an entire website devoted to this bill.
Over half of the 1 million animals in CA shelters are euthanized
According to SCIL, each year, over $250 million dollars is spent housing and euthanizing homeless dogs and cats in California. Approximately 1 million dogs and cats enter California’s shelters each year, and over half of them are euthanized (killed) simply because there are not enough homes.
This enormous number of homeless pets actually means that every dog born in the state of California today has nearly a 1 in 4 chance of ultimately becoming homeless and dying in a shelter. Two-thirds of the cats entering California shelters are euthanized. And, the number of dogs and cats entering our shelters is currently on the rise.
SCIL reports that SB 250 provides a reasonable, fiscally responsible step towards reducing pet overpopulation in California. The bill simply requires that dogs be spayed or neutered unless their owner/guardian obtains an unaltered dog license when they license their animal.

This bill deals a blow to irresponsible dog and cat owners throughout the state and will help to drive breeders out of business. 

Similar ordinances were passed in Santa Cruz County and it has been a clear success in driving down the number of euthanizations.  The SF Examiner interviewed the director of the Santa Cruz SPCA.  Read about how it’s worked here.

Fourth of July Advice for Dog Owners

From the ASPCA website’s July 3, 2009 News Alerts.

As the country dons its red, white and blue to celebrate Independence Day, nothing says patriotism like a good old-fashioned barbecue with a side of fireworks. But beware pet parents, what’s fun for people can be a downright drag for our furry friends.

The ASPCA recommends keeping your pooch indoors as much as possible during backyard parties and Fourth of July festivities, even if he is a pro picnicker. From toxic food and beverages to raucous guests and fireworks, the holiday weekend is a minefield of potential pet problems.

"Even the most timid dog can leap a six-foot fence if he’s spooked by loud noises," says Dr. Pamela Reid, Vice President of the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center. If your dog shows signs of distress from fireworks or boisterous revelers, Dr. Reid suggests giving him a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter. "The persistent licking should calm his nerves," she says.

The ASPCA offers some more expert advice to keep your pet singing, "Oh Say Can You See," all the way to the fifth and beyond:

• Keep your pet on the wagon. Since alcohol is potentially poisonous to pets, place all wine, beer and spirits well out of paws’ way.
• Avoid scraps from the grill. Stick with your pet’s normal diet—any change, even for a day, can result in stomach upset. Certain foods like onions, avocado, chocolate, grapes and raisins are especially toxic to pets.
• Skip the sunscreen. Avoid lathering your pet with any insect repellent or sunscreen not intended for the four-legged kind. Ingestion can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy.
• Stay fire-smart. Keep your pet away from fireworks, matches, citronella candles and lighter fluid, which if eaten can irritate the stomach, lungs and central nervous system.
• Be cool near the pool. Don’t leave pets unsupervised around a pool or lake—not all dogs are expert swimmers! Also, pools aren’t large water bowls—they contain chlorine and other toxic chemicals that can cause stomach problems.

As always, if you suspect your pet has ingested something poisonous from the picnic table, please contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. And be sure to check out our more complete list of holiday pet care tips for a safe and happy Fourth!

Twins arrested in pit bull's death face new charges

 

Two teenage twin brothers charged as juveniles with fatally burning a pit bull are being held without bail on new adult charges after police said they raided their Southwest Baltimore rowhouse and found guns and marijuana inside.
Travers and Tremayne Johnson, 17, are each charged with possession of firearms, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to police and prosecutors. Court documents say the two were suspects in the dog burning last month, and their father confirmed that they are charged as juveniles with animal cruelty in the case.
The death of the dog, which had been doused with gasoline and set aflame, attracted national attention, led to donations for a reward fund that grew to $26,000 and prompted calls for stiffer penalties in animal cruelty cases. Caregivers, who named the dog Phoenix, had to euthanize the animal because she had burns on 95 percent of her body.

This depressing story comes from the June 25 Baltimore Sun.

A Volunteer’s Journey

This is the first in what I hope will be an ongoing feature.  Wanting to be a little more “hands on” with rescuing I recently decided to become a volunteer at the Contra Costa Animal Services facility in Martinez.  I’ll hopefully be chronicling my thoughts and experiences.

I attended the orientation yesterday.  I haven’t actually been accepted yet so I don’t have experiences to share as an actual volunteer but I learned quite a few things from the orientation.

Contra Costa County Animal Services serves as the county’s law enforcement agency where animals are concerned.  It’s their ACOs (Animal Control Officers) that serve the same kind of duties as the ones featured on Animal Planet programs such as Animal Precinct, Animal Cops Detroit, etc.  They’re not simply the “dog catchers”.

The one criticism I have of the otherwise wonderful “Hotel for Dogs” movie is that the municipal animal shelter portrayed in the film was basically a death camp and its ACOs were mean spirited buffoons.  These individuals are total animal advocates that definitely don’t fit the “dog catcher” stereotype. 

In recent years the county’s euthanization rate has dropped from 70% to 30%, still one of the highest in the Bay Area, but hardly makes it a “death house”.

 

County regulations require all abandoned, stray, and seized animals go through animal services first, and are not allowed to turn any animal away.  This is a double-edged sword because the most attractive, most healthy, most adoptable dogs must go through the county first, all the least of those dogs go through as well.  Further, other rescue organizations get their dogs from animal services as well, including “no-kill” rescues such as ARF and non-profits such as the SPCA.  They get their pick of which dogs to take into their care.  But don’t take that as a complaint.  Without them it’s all up to the county to get them adopted out and euthanization rates go up accordingly. 

My older dog, Zoe, was one of those that had originally been taken in by Contra Costa Animal Services and  moved over to the East Bay SPCA branch in Dublin where we found and adopted her.

Please remember that while nearly all non-profits like ARF and the SPCA are solely supported by public donations and county shelters do receive funding from local government municipal shelters are often no better off, sometimes worse.  When there are budget cuts during hard economic times like now local municipal animal shelters suffer greatly.

Hopefully, Contra Costa County will accept me as a volunteer and I’ll have more to report later.

Child Flushed Puppy Down Toilet

from NBC Bay Area News:

By LORI PREUITT

Updated 3:30 AM PDT, Wed, Jun 17, 2009

You can tell by this kid's face that he has done something wrong.

A little boy's love for his new puppy nearly cost the animal its life this week in England.

A little boy learned a big lesson about bathing a dog.

Daniel Blair decided his new pet needed a bath and what better place to do that then in a toilet bowl?

The four year old was going for a rinse when the one week old cocker spaniel was flushed right down the drain.

Daniel's mom said she panicked when she heard what had happened.

"As soon as Daniel told me what he'd done, I ran out of the house where the manhole was behind the toilet," said Alison Blair.

Alison Blair said she lifted the manhole cover, hoping to find the puppy.  She couldn't see him, but she could hear him.

The flushed pup was stuck for hours.  His ordeal was captured and posted on YouTube.

Rescue crews didn't have the right equipment so they finally called in a plumber.

A little camera designed to take a peek in sewage pipes not only found the stuck pup, it was also used to push him out the other end to the loving arms of a fireman.

The tool is called a Dyno-rod.   The once nameless puppy is now called Dyno in its honor.

Although getting flushed down the toilet had to be dramatic, the little guy made it through the ordeal without a scratch, proving cats are not the only ones who have nine lives.

This is a great illustration of why unsupervised small children and puppies don’t mix.  Please do your best to educate your dog-owning friends and loved ones with small children.

Little Cutie Needs to be Rescued

Those who know me personally know I have a soft spot in my heart for little dogs and pit bulls. That makes this little runt pit bull below just about perfect. Thanks again, Ryoko.

This is a MUST see video, guaranteed to make you smile. Please share this video on your page and network her far and wide. The Pasadena Humane Society is full again and this playful girl is in danger. She is a little insecure and can be shy in new situations, but I have no doubt she will blossom in a foster/forever home with a patient loving family. Another friendly dog or two will speed up the process as she LOVES to play with other dogs. Please give this 10 month old pup a second chance. If you can rescue or adopt, please call 626/792-7151 x137 and e-mail mobile@phsspca.org IMMEDIATELY. Thank you.