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NEW YORK — It's true cats land on their feet.
At least it was true for Copper, a 9-month-old tabby who fell 12 stories in New York City and survived with just a broken paw.
Owner Angela Lang tells the New York Post that veterinarians who treated Copper were amazed she was alive.
Copper apparently slipped through a narrow opening in Lang's 14th-floor window and landed on top of a two-story garage next door.
The kitty spent nearly nine hours on the roof of the garage because there was no access and Lang couldn't get hold of anyone who could help.
Finally building service manager Juan Dominguez spotted the cat from the window of his own apartment 10 floors below Lang's. He used a ladder to reach Copper.
Yoda's short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long, seemingly hairless legs were enough to earn it the World's Ugliest Dog title at a Northern California fair.
The 14-year-old Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix won the honor Friday night at the 23rd annual contest at the Sonoma Marin Fair.
Owner Terry Schumacher of Hanford, Calif., said the 2-pound dog had come a long way since she was found abandoned behind an apartment building.
Schumacher said she first thought the pooch was a rat.
Yoda's distinction comes a year after a one-eyed Chihuahua named Princess Abby claimed victory.
A pedigree Chinese crested won in 2008 and another Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix was the ugliest in 2007.
In past years, the winner's owner has received a $1,000 check.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have charged a West Palm Beach man with two misdemeanors after his pet Burmese python escaped its enclosure Monday and wound up in a parking lot of a nearby multifamily home.
David T. Beckett was charged with illegal possession of a Burmese python without a permit and improper caging, allowing escape. One of the requirements of a permit calls for the owner to keep the reptile in a secure enclosure.
Because the lid of its aquarium was left unsecured, the 7-foot Burmese python pushed its way out. West Palm Beach police recovered it a short time later. The snake is now being kept at a permitted facility.
The Burmese python, once listed as a reptile of concern, is now one of eight nonnative reptiles listed as conditional species. Conditional reptiles may not be acquired as pets. People who owned a conditional species before July 1, 2010, may keep their animal for the remainder of its life. These pet owners must maintain a valid reptile-of-concern license for the animals.
Kelly Osbourne is mourning the loss of her pet Pomeranian, Noodles.
"My poor baby girl Noodles is sick," the Dancing With the Stars alum tweeted Tuesday. "She had a seizure and they don't know why. I'm taking her to see a specialist two hours away for a brain scan."
Osbourne, who adopted Noodles in March, nicknamed the pooch "Noody Bear." Three months later, the puppy's health took a turn for the worse. "I can't even look at my baby girl without crying," Osbourne tweeted. "She just looks so sick and helpless."
A veterinarian performed a brain scan and delivered some bad news: Noodles was suffering from brain swelling.
"Noodles is not going to make it," Osbourne, 26, wrote. "She was born with a brain defect and I have to put her to sleep today. I'm devastated. I just can't believe it."
When one of Osbourne's followers criticized her for putting down her puppy, she defended her decision by saying: "She was not in peace. Her brain was swelling in her head. I don't play God! It was unfortunately necessary!"
Reese Witherspoon, who lives with her two pet donkeys, named Honky and Tonky on a ranch in Ojai, has been asked by her neighbours to silence her noisy pets.
The miniature donkeys are said to have upset the locals, who claimed that the asses are loud and disruptive.
"It's so bad that a few residents have sent her a letter," the Daily Express quoted a source as telling Us Weekly.
However, the neighbours do not want the Hollywood star to leave because she is 'beloved' in the area and a neighbour said that the busy star might not even know how noisy her pets are.
"I'm not even sure she know what's going on," one neighbour said.
Michael D. Roescher of Monson found all seven of his cats, alive, who went missing after the June 1 tornado destroyed his house. On Sunday, Roescher's cat Rocky was found in the rubble. Roescher camped outside his house at 8 Washington St. during the day and searched for his pets at night.
Felix and Plumley emerged two days after the storm. Samson and Franky were rescued on June 4 and 5, respectively. Cujetta was found in a wall on June 5. Cosette followed before Rocky was liberated. The felines are okay. Roescher is happy. "I'm thrilled to death," he said. "Beyond belief, I am shocked. How did they survive?"
Roescher had no insurance and lost everything. He described the tornado as "being in a blender." His concern was for the pets, including his blind goldfish Silver who also lived. "They were the only thing that has mattered from the beginning," his stepdaughter Kelly McClure said. "We didn't care about the stuff."
Roescher used tuna fish to help lure them out. Two cats are in a Shelter for now.
Showing up at a Motel 6 with a dog or two is usually no problem, as we repeatedly confirmed during our travels across America.
Show up with 15 and, as any fool could predict, there’s going to be trouble.
Police in Tewksbury, Mass., say one dog is dead and three more are fighting for their lives as a result of neglect and inhumane treatment at the hands of a 71-year-old Maine woman named Margaret Nickerson-Malpher.
Nickerson-Malpher was arrested at the Motel 6 in Tewksbury Tuesday, where, in addition to four dogs in her room, she had about a dozen more outside in her parked van.
She was scheduled to be arraigned in Lowell District Court today on 17 counts of animal cruelty, Patch.com reported.
Nickerson-Malpher told police she had left her summer residence in Maine Monday night and was driving back home to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when she stopped at Motel 6 to get some sleep.
She checked into the motel around 7 a.m., apparently bringing some of the 15 dogs with her into her room. The rest remained in her van. Police say motel guests saw her carrying the body of a deceased dog from her van to her room that afternoon.
A motel employee went to her room, and after seeing the deceased dog and other dogs that appeared to be ill, called police.
Police say the officer who responded found inside her room one dead dog and three more in critical condition, due to suspected malnourishment and dehydration.
The surviving animals — 14 dogs and two cats –were taken initially to the Tewksbury Pound, then transferred to the Massachussetts SPCA facility in Methuen.
Police in Tewksbury said Nickerson-Malpher appeared to have been living in Maine for at least four years, despite the South Dakota plates on her van, and that state police investigating her for animal abuse there were preparing to seize her animals on Wednesday.
According to the Bangor Daily News, Nickerson-Malpher had been charged with animal cruelty in 2006, when 20 dogs and one cat were removed from her home. She was convicted in connection with that and, under the terms of her probation, restricted from owning more than two dogs.
MANILA — Animal rights activists and thousands of members of the public expressed outrage Wednesday over a photo on Facebook showing a puppy pegged to a clothes line in the Philippines.
The photo was apparently posted by a young Filipino man on his Facebook account, where he initially ignored reprimands by pet lovers and boasted he would not be jailed for "washing" his dog.
"We hope that Philippine prosecutors will take action and prosecute this young man," PETA legal officer Agnes Tam told AFP.
"This is not child's play, this is blatant animal cruelty."
Tam said her organisation had asked police and their local counterparts to help search for the man, who according to his Facebook page lives in a suburban area south of Manila.
While she acknowledged that Internet pranks were common, Tam said she believed it was not a hoax.
The controversy also made national television news, and the man behind the Facebook site took down the offensive photos on Wednesday while offering an apology.
"I hope you could forgive me and I promise it would never happen again," he wrote on his Facebook site on Wednesday morning.
However, thousands of people within the Facebook community refused to forgive, signing up to a plethora of new pages dedicated to expressing their outrage against him.
"Forgive? Never," wrote Melvin John Girado, warning the puppy pegger that he was being hunted down by his college fraternity brothers.
A 1998 law bans cruelty to animals, which is punishable by up to two years in jail.
That law is seldom enforced to its full extent.
However a Manila court last month ordered a university student who tortured and killed a cat, then bragged about it on his online diary, to perform community service.
A sweet old Pennsylvania couple, Harold and Ruth Rought, who are 83 and 89, respectively, became very upset when a neighbor got mad at them (allegedly) for feeding stray cats. Allegedly, this angry neighbor got back at them by dumping cat poop all over their yard. (Allegedly, the cats might have deposited the poop in the yard themselves.) What happened next? You'll never guess.
The darling Roughts told their neighbors they would shoot them if they kept up this cat poop harassment! The neighbors did not take kindly to this, and reported them to the cops, who charged the Roughts with terroristic threats and harassment.
Poop. Also: None of this is a recommended course of action for life.
With the official start of summer just around the corner, you may find yourself spending more time outdoors and planning family vacations. Many of these activities can be enjoyed with your pets in tow, but there are precautions that should be taken. Here are some tips on how you can safely participate in summer activities with your pets.
Hot Weather
· Never leave a pet in a car on a hot day. On an 85-degree day, the temperature inside your car can reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes. According to veterinarians, a pet can only withstand a higher body temperature for a very short time before suffering irreparable brain damage or even death. Cracking windows on a hot day isn’t enough to keep your pet cool.
· Be safe at the beach. Not only can dogs get overheated in hot cars, but also on steamy summer days. Make sure your pet stays cool outside by always providing shade and cool water. The ASPCA says you should be especially careful with dogs that have short, pushed-in faces (e.g., bulldogs, pugs, and Boston terriers), puppies, and elderly pets. Experts warn that you should be cautious of pets with light-colored noses, ears, or fur as they are especially vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancer. Talk to your veterinarian about choosing a sunscreen.
· Adjust your pet’s exercise routine. On very hot days, exercise should be limited to early morning or evening hours. Also, be aware that asphalt gets very hot and can burn your pet’s paws.
· Watch for heat stroke. According to the American Red Cross, an overheated dog can suffer brain and organ damage after only 15 minutes. Some signs of heatstroke include excessive panting, bright-red tongue and gums, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and body temperature of 105-110 degrees. If your pet gets overheated, you can give immediate first aid by getting him out of the heat, laying him on cool shaded grass, and pouring cool water over him. You can also give small amounts of water or ice cubes. Call your veterinarian immediately.
Water Safety
Never leave pets unsupervised around a pool. Contrary to popular belief, not all dogs are good swimmers. Make sure to introduce your pet to the water gradually. Keep in mind that supervision is required even for dogs who know how to swim, as they may jump in a pool and not know how to get out. This is especially true if you have a covered pool. Also, try not to let your dog drink pool water. Chlorine and other chemicals in swimming pools can cause an upset stomach.
· Practice safety on boats. Experts recommend that all pets wear flotation devices on boats. Additionally, dogs should be rinsed off after swimming in the ocean.
Backyard Safety
· Be cautious of chemicals in your backyard. People tend to fertilize their lawn during the summer months and certain fertilizers can be fatal if ingested by your pet. In addition, plant food and insecticides can be dangerous if your pet consumes them. Citronella candles may keep away pests, but they contain a chemical that could be harmful if swallowed.
· Don’t allow your pet to partake in parties. Just because you’re enjoying a backyard barbecue or party, doesn’t mean your pet should suffer. Human food and drink aren’t always fit for pets to consume. Alcoholic beverages can cause depression, comas, or even death. Certain foods such as avocados, chocolate, garlic, and onions can also be poisonous.
· Make sure your windows are secured. The ASPCA states that there is an increase in injured animals as a result of “high-rise syndrome,” which occurs when pets fall out of windows and are seriously injured. Since people tend to open windows more in warm weather, make sure to check all your window screens to ensure they are properly secured.
Riding in Cars
· Secure your pet while traveling by car. Pets should always be placed in a carrier while traveling in a vehicle. If this isn’t possible, harnesses can be purchased to ensure your pet stays safe while you drive.
· Don’t allow your dog to ride in the bed of a pickup truck. If you travel with your dog in the open bed of a pickup truck, not only are you putting your dog at risk, but you’re endangering the lives of other motorists. The State of California prohibits unsecured animals from traveling in an open truck. If you must travel with your dog in your pickup truck, you can secure him in a crate in the truck bed or secure him to a crosstie in the open truck bed so that the dog can’t reach the sides of the truck. It is my belief that if a dog doesn’t fit inside your car, they should stay at home.
Traveling with Your Pet
· If you decide to bring your pet with you on your travels, you will need all necessary supplies-food, treats, toys, bed, cold water, and bowls for the road. Make sure to check out hotels ahead of time to see if they allow pets. Here’s a great Web site to look for listings petswelcome.com.
· Make sure your pet is healthy. If your pet hasn’t had a health check recently, you may want to make an appointment with your veterinarian before you begin your journey. While you’re there, update your pet on any vaccinations that are needed.
· Don’t schedule air flights during peak hours. Peak periods typically mean delays and stopovers, which means your pet will be in a crate for a longer period of time. You should also try to choose early morning or evening flights when the sun isn’t as hot.
If you follow these tips, you can enjoy the summer months with family and friends along with your pet by your side.
Dear Readers: Hermit crabs can make wonderful pets. Why? They require very little maintenance and are interesting to watch. Keep in mind, though, that hermit crabs are nocturnal (they are active at night).
Keep hermit crabs in a glass aquarium with sand from a pet shop. Hermit crabs are social, and they prefer to be with other hermit crabs.
You can feed a hermit crab fresh veggies and fruit, such as lettuce or grapes. Don’t let fresh food sit for more than a day in the cage, because the food can attract gnats, etc. A pet store also should carry special hermit crab food. The crabs also need a pool of water, and this should be changed every day.
What are some negatives about hermit crabs? They MIGHT pinch you, but gentle water will release them. They can get mites because of humidity in the cage. Carefully clean the cage with water and vinegar. Hermit crabs can live between five and 15 years, or longer. -- Heloise
PET PAL
Dear Readers: A reader in Hammond, Ind., sent a picture of her white-and-black cat, Maggie, letting out a BIG yawn after watching birds and squirrels all day. To see Maggie and our other Pet Pals, log on to www .Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” -- Heloise
HEDGEHOG FOLLOW-UP
Dear Heloise: There was a recent article in our daily paper regarding hedgehogs as pets. When my son was little, we had Sophie the hedgehog. I’d like to share a few more hints for those considering a hedgehog.
If you live in a colder climate, you need to provide a warming pad for your hedgehog. If hedgehogs get too cold, they could go into hibernation. Also, their nails need to be trimmed. -- Trisha in Wisconsin
Trisha, thanks for the added information. Hedgehogs should be kept at temperatures between 73 degrees and 76 degrees. -- Heloise
TRAVEL WATER
Dear Heloise: I feel that when traveling with your dog, you should carry bottled water with you. Water from a different city water system may be chemically different, or water from campsites may not be as clean as that to which the dog is accustomed. If the dog drinks water he’s not used to, it could pose a diarrhea risk. -- G.M. in California
SOLE SOLUTION
Dear Heloise: I have discovered that my textured, rubber-sole sneakers can pick up pet hair on the carpet along the baseboards! Who knew? The hair just balls up, and I can suck it up with a vacuum. -- Betty in Texas
SUPER SCHEDULE
Dear Heloise: I work very hard to keep my animals “on schedule.” Every evening when I come home, I take my three dogs for a walk. Then we get home, rest a little bit, and they eat dinner. Then it’s time to go out, followed by bedtime. The dogs seem happier because they know how their days will unfold. -- S.J., via e-mail
Send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Tex. 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. Please include your city and state.
By John Delcos - patch.com
Who knows what went through the mind of the woman who walked into Ridgefield’s animal shelter that day with a puppy?
Already owning six dogs and going through a divorce, the woman told Allyson Dotson, director of Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue, or “R.O.A.R.,” she couldn’t care for the puppy any longer, primarily citing economics.
Dotson said R.O.A.R. has a screening protocol it goes through when an animal is dropped off at the facility. Preferably, the animal should be one that is easily adoptable.
“We were pretty sure we could adopt the puppy out, so we took it,” Dotson recalled, her antennae down at the time.
However, when the woman’s soon-to-be-ex wanted to adopt the puppy back, it raised a serious red flag.
“I knew something was up,” Dotson said. “It became too sticky for us when the husband called us and wanted the dog. They weren’t upfront with us.”
Did the woman use the puppy to get at her husband? Was she trying to hurt him with something he loved? If she was sincere and really couldn’t care for the puppy, why didn’t she at least ask her husband to take it?
Though for most outsiders thinking of divorce, custody battles center on children and asset division focuses on houses and other major items, lawyers and divorcees say the family dog often is at stake.
In this R.O.A.R. case, the woman eventually returned for the puppy and the couple is still splitting, presumably with a little more anger than before.
“The philosophy of let’s put the other guy through hell exists in some divorces. It can be children, dogs or your mother’s silverware,” said Christine O’Sullivan, a divorce attorney with offices in Westport and Norwalk. “I don’t know who said, ‘love is one step away from hate,’ but, when love goes sour it goes very sour. The hardest divorce of all is when you want to punish the other person.”
To many people, dogs are more than simply pets, and are definitely more than what the state of Connecticut decrees them to be, which are assets to split up like artwork, books or a CD collection.
“To some people, their dogs are their children,” said Eva DeFranco, a Danbury divorce lawyer. “You just can’t give them up.”
Typically the dog knows whom it would rather live with, but the animal can’t speak for itself and hopefully the parties will do the right thing, said Stamford divorce attorney David Scalzi.
“Usually, it is one party who is the primary caretaker of the pet,” Scalzi said. “Usually, one likes (the dog) more and the dog likes one more. Usually, they aren’t equal caretakers for the dog.”
Connecticut Statute 46b-82 can be used by a judge if an agreement can’t be worked out as it considers such factors as the length of the marriage, the causes for the dissolution of the marriage, and even the needs of each of the parties.
Who can best care for the dog? Who is more emotionally attached? All are weighed.
For example, if one party does considerable traveling for work, the judge might rule for the other person. Or, if one brought the pet into the marriage the judge could favor that person.
O’Sullivan recalled a case where the wife ran off with the kids and the dogs, and the husband said, “at least leave one of the dogs.’’
Emotions get rubbed raw during a divorce, and sometimes the best interest of the pet isn’t always considered.
“Some of it has to do with how much grief one is willing to put the other party through,” O’Sullivan said. “It is a heartbreaking thing when you’re deprived of something you love.
“A dog is a friend. A dog is a member of the family. These cases don’t come up often, but when they do it is very emotional. Your feelings about your animals are as strong as they are a member of your family.”
And, the breaking up of a family is never easy.
The changes wrought in divorce can be tough even when there is no tug-of-war. Trumbull resident Amanda Leo said her five cats suffered when she moved out of her house during her divorce.
"I know that they [suffered]," she said. "They would meow and whine and cuddle" when she visited them.
"They weren't being treated very well," Leo said. The cats were ultimately removed from the home by animal rescue volunteers at her request.
They were "very luckily" placed in a special area of the Milford animal shelter, at least one was adopted. Leo kept one of the cats, which she said helped her through the divorce.
"Divorce is a traumatic process and it affects every aspect of your life," she said. "The animals should not suffer because you can't get along."
When you make your plans to celebrate the Fourth of July, don’t forget your pets’ safety. Various parts of the festivities can present a risk for pets, especially those who don’t like big crowds and loud noises, such as fireworks.
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters offers these tips and recommendations for a healthy and safe day for pets.
DON’T’s:
—Never leave alcoholic beverages unattended around pets.
—Don’t let your pet wear or chew on glowing holiday ornaments such as popular glow-sticks or glow-necklaces. They may seem harmless, but ingestion can irritate or block intestines.
—Don’t let your pet eat burgers or hot dogs; you risk giving them indigestion.
—Don’t leave your pet outside for the grand finale on the Fourth of July. Loud fireworks can disturb your pets, and if close enough, the pyrotechnics could injure them. Keep pets indoors at home in a quiet area during fireworks ceremonies and consider leaving a TV or radio on to provide familiar noises while you’re out.
DO’s:
—Make sure pets are wearing identification tags or are microchipped so that if they get lost, they can be returned promptly.
—Make sure the sunscreen and insect repellant you use on your pet is “animal friendly.”
—Keep citronella candles or any other oils out of your pets’ reach; ingestion can irritate their stomach.
The following is from the Pet Psychic column by Catherine Ferguson.
My 9-year-old cat Lotus lives the good life in that she sleeps and eats all day. My question for you is as follows: She tends to meow and twitch a lot when she sleeps. I’ve often wondered if she is reliving a previous life. Could this be the case?
Lotus tells me that you are very wise, in general. But, she is quick to add that you are way off base this time. She does admit to having a past life as a Roman general, but that’s not what she’s viewing when she sleeps.
Instead, she is frequently living scenes of great conquest in animal form. She is a tiger, or sometimes another big cat, stalking then pouncing on her prey. She is proud to wind up with hard-to-catch, but delicious fresh food.
Dreams are wonderful pastimes where she can achieve what is impossible in her daily life. Even if she were not a house cat, it would be impossible to have the success rate she is proud of in her dreams.
In her waking state, she often fantasizes about conquests. In her dream state, she is adept at manipulating the inner images to achieve a close to 99% rate of success.
Lotus would like for you to include more fresh food in her diet. That could include freshly cooked meals. For convenience, you can cook then freeze in small portions.
She would also be happy with a food puzzle, a toy where you hide small bits of food in the compartments of the puzzle and the pet will spend hours working to retrieve the treats. Just ask for food puzzles at your local pet store.
This lady does not intend to reveal any details of her life as a Roman general at this point. Perhaps you’d like to ask me about her past at some date in the future when she will be in the mood to share.
Contact pet psychic Catherine Ferguson at petpsychic7@yahoo.com. If you would like a published reading of your pet, send a photo of the animal, along with the pet’s name, age, sex, breed and questions to Waterfront Weekly, 30 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ 07306.
I am a dog lover. But I'm not sure how I feel about communicating with them or other animals. A person we know just hired an animal psychic to talk to a cat who is terrorizing the neighbor lady. The cat told her he does it for fun. The psychic told the cat he cannot go over to the neighbor's house anymore. This psychic was also hired to talk to a horse with an issue. The second time she came, the horse refused to talk to her.
My question: Is someone here {the psychic or the client} smoking something illegal or am I just not open minded enough?
We must assume animal psychics have good intentions in their mysterious ways to make a living. But do they really talk to the animals better than you do - or Dog Lady, who fancies herself something of a mutt mentalist? Once, when an animal psychic gave a complimentary reading of Dog Lady's dog, the spiritualist came back with a pronouncement, "He says he likes chicken." Hmm. This chicken insight seemed the full extent of a total dog brain dump.
The cheeky cat and the taciturn horse could very well have been communicating with the psychic. The people who pay for the services of the self-proclaimed telepathic are the ones who decide if the messages are the medium.
A year after we lost our beloved aged Labrador, we decided to get another dog. I had a Samoyed when I was young so we contacted Samoyed Rescue to give a new home to an older dog. I spoke to a very pleasant woman who sent me a load of paperwork. After we sent it all back, the woman told us we would soon be contacted for a home visit. I was impressed they were so thorough.
A couple of weeks later, a rescue examiner from another state arrived. She went through our house and yard with a fine tooth comb. She commented on the hole in the fence and we assured her we would fix that before any dog arrived. She also wondered about the lack of carpeting on small areas of our wood floors. (Because of their joints, large Samoyeds cannot walk on shiny, hard floors). Again, we assured her we would fill in the carpet.
Weeks went by before we got a letter telling us we had been rejected. The reasons? The fence, the carpeting and many other nit-picks. My husband and I were shocked. It is easier to adopt a child internationally than a domestic dog. Do you think this rescue group was too fussy? What should we do now?
Volunteer rescue people have strict standards for re-homing dogs. Still, they should be more situational in their judgments. You want a Samoyed. And you understand the needs of Samoyeds. When there are so many orphan dogs in need of homes, a rescue group should be more elastic and less persnickety. After all, you didn't welcome the examiner with a shotgun salute and a gallon of moonshine.
If you're set on a Samoyed, Dog Lady advises you to re-contact the rescue group. Appeal the verdict. The examiner might have had a bad day. All that driving and the high gas prices made her cranky. There's no good reason for them to deny you if you promise to fix the fence, lay the carpet and attend to whatever else a Samoyed needs.
• • •
Pet perplexed? Visit askdoglady.com or follow "Ask Dog Lady" on facebook. Listen to "Ask Dog Lady" on WGBH (89.7)
LOS ANGELES -- Ready for your dog's days of summer? Everybody seems to have a list of tips.
Most are no-brainers. Don't leave dogs in hot cars or let them walk on hot asphalt, play too hard or get too much sun. Apply flea and tick repellents, and if you're in a mosquito-prone area, talk to your vet about heartworm prevention pills. Take dogs on walks early or late to avoid heat and provide ample drinking water.
But there are other risks that come with heat, vacations and outdoor play. Here are some ways to keep dogs healthy and comfortable from veterinarian Louise Murray, vice president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City.
Grooming: A dog's coat is like insulation, warding off cold in the winter and heat in the summer. Trim, but don't give your dog a crew cut or such a close shave that it takes away that protection.
Dogs get sunburn and skin cancer, so never cut fur shorter than an inch. (In some breeds, even an inch is too short.)
Food: No food will keep your dog cooler, but food helps keep body temperature up, so dogs may not need to eat as much in the summer.
If your dog stays at a dog-friendly hotel with you or at a kennel, consider bringing food from home. A change in diet can cause diarrhea.
Barbecues and picnics are a veterinarian's nightmare. Keep pets in the house or on a leash to prevent them from being fed or lapping up things that are bad for them, whether it's spilled alcohol or onion dip. Onions, garlic, grapes, raisins and chocolate are the most toxic foods for dogs.
Overheating: Recognize overheating if you see it -- excessive panting, difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, seizures, and elevated body temperatures over 104 degrees.
"A lot of dogs will just keep running until they drop because they have so much heart and so much energy," said Murray. "You have to be proactive."
Animals with flat faces are more susceptible to heat stroke since they
cannot pant as effectively.
Sponge the animal with lukewarm water and seek veterinary care if you suspect overheating.
Windows: Murray's clinic sees two or three pets a week that have fallen or jumped from apartment windows, roofs, balconies or fire escapes. Multiple limb fractures or potentially deadly injuries often result. Use window screens, open windows from the top instead of the bottom, consider child-safety window guards.
At a wedding ceremony in Los Angeles this coming Saturday, poodle mixes Lily and Luna will walk down the aisle sporting pearl-white leather leashes and hand-crafted floral collars.
A wrought-iron feeder and stainless-steel water bowls will await them at the reception, before the dogs cap off the night at a pet-friendly hotel.
"They are family," says 32-year-old bride-to-be Sarah Royer, who shares ownership of the pooches with her fiancé, Jonas Koester, also 32. "They have to be in the wedding."
Increasingly, man's best friend is sometimes also man's best man—if not a ring bearer, flower girl or simply a member of the wedding party.
To meet this growing demand, wedding planners, niche retailers and other businesses are offering new services and products geared toward helping pets fulfill their special roles.
Mostly dogs but also cats, pot belly pigs and birds are getting outfitted with ornate wedding gear, including miniature tuxedos, veils and top hats. Trainers are prepping them for top performance and sitters are standing by for when the job is done.
TheWeddingOutlet.com saw a 28% increase in sales of wedding accessories for pets last year over 2009. Founder Deborah Weckesser says the Stoughton, Mass., Web retailer has so far this year sold more items in that category than in all of 2010.
Husband-and-wife team Dedi and Gary Wood of Plano, Texas, have been hired by six clients to oversee dogs in wedding ceremonies since launching Shadow & Marty's Pet Care Services in 2008. Another couple, Sheryl Bass and Neil Cline of Palatine, Ill., sell for $130 a petal-dispensing wooden cart that's hitched to a pooch to walk down the aisle. The pair invented the device so their Affenpinscher mix could be in their own wedding in 2006.
"When I found the (pet) petal-pull cart, that turned out to be perfect," says Sarah Dostal, a 26-year-old health-care worker in Ventura, Calif., who is getting married in July and will have her and her fiancé's two Shih Tzu take part in the ceremony.
Angel, a seven-pound, two-year-old, will serve as the flower girl, dispensing lavender rose petals. Hercules, an older Maltese-Shih Tzu mix, will act as ring bearer, carrying a $10 pillow she purchased at a crafts store on his back and fastened by a black ribbon with Velcro.
"It will be like having the spirit of my mom there," says Ms. Dostal of Hercules, whom she and fiancé, analyst James Darling, adopted from her mother after she died in 2009.
Some pet owners bringing their furry kin all the way to the altar are following the lead of celebrities such as singer Carrie Underwood and actress Tori Spelling, who included pets in their weddings. Others simply aim to personalize their nuptials.
"It brings in the personality of the bride and groom," similar to another growing trend of couples making donations to their favorite charities in lieu of party favors, says Anna Pohl, owner of Day Planners LLC, an event-planning business in Sarasota, Fla.
Five years ago Ms. Pohl says she hadn't planned any weddings with pets in them, but now she does about two out of 30 a year.
Even couples who invest in lavish weddings are incorporating pets into their nuptials. "You just have to be careful in how you handle them," says wedding designer Preston Bailey of New York, who charges rates for weddings with or without pets starting at $200,000. In the past 12 months, he designed three weddings with dogs in them for the first time, he says.
Accidents can happen even at well-planned ceremonies. Two summers ago, Nora Sheils watched in horror when nature called for a client's West Highland terrier moments before the bride was to come down the aisle at her parents' home in Portland, Ore. "There was a big gasp," says Ms. Shields, owner of Bridal Bliss LLC, who plans eight to 10 weddings with pets a year out of an average of 60.
Brides and grooms also run the risk of offending guests, and churches, synagogues and other venues often have a no-pets policy. Pets could also potentially upstage the bride on what is supposed to be her big day.
Making sure everything goes smoothly can be costly. Los Angeles animal trainer Colleen Paige, who readied pets to participate in 15 weddings last year, charges about $2,500 per event and more if multiple pets and travel are involved, or if an animal is especially badly behaved.
Though she mostly works with dogs, she has also prepped a pot belly pig, miniature horse and a goat for weddings, often setting up mock events for practice sessions. "It was a tug of war to get the pig down the aisle," she says. "It kept stopping to eat the flowers."
Write to Sarah Needleman at Sarah.Needleman@wsj.com
Animals thrive during the summer months. Unfortunately, so do fleas, ticks, and other pests that can affect their health. The good news? There are many preventive options. “Pest control can involve a combination of approaches based on the pet, lifestyle of the pet and owner, and where the pet lives,’’ says Melinda Miller, hospital director of Smith Ridge Veterinary Center in South Salem, N.Y. She advises owners to use natural solutions whenever possible. “Chemicals were the easy prevention and treatment default for years, but they can take a toll on a pet’s health,’’ she says.
Feeding your cats and dogs well is one of the top things you can do. “Healthy animals can repel fleas and ticks naturally,’’ Miller says, adding that pets that eat balanced, high-quality diets seldom have pest problems. Ultra-premium canned food or a balanced home-cooked diet are among the best choices. Beyond that, follow these tips, and make sure to consult your vet for more specific advice.
Fleas and ticks
Fleas can hitch a ride indoors on your pet and make a home in your carpets, baseboards, and bedding (though fleas feed off a pet’s blood, most don’t live on their bodies). As for ticks, they climb tall grass and foliage. So when animals or humans walk by, ticks can crawl onto their skin and embed themselves. For many pets, flea bites cause only slight skin irritation. Other animals have a more severe reaction, which can include hair loss, lesions, and ulcers. A serious infestation can trigger anemia, especially in puppies and kittens. Fleas may also carry infectious diseases and parasites such as tapeworm. Ticks can transmit Lyme disease; Rocky Mountain spotted fever (rare in cats); and Ehrlichiosis, a disease that can attack white blood cells, the spleen, the liver, lymph nodes, and bone marrow.
Prevention: For flea control, vacuum daily (dispose of the vacuum bag or debris outside), wash pet bedding in hot water, and keep grass short. Consider adding beneficial nematodes (microscopic worms that feed on young fleas) to your yard. You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth — a natural substance that causes fleas and ticks to dehydrate and die — indoors and out.
For fleas, a repellent spray made from herbal or food-based ingredients is one of the safest methods of direct intervention. Contact-kill sprays and shampoos aim to banish fleas (some target ticks) but require multiple applications, and many are chemically based. The most effective treatments are chemical insecticides, which you apply periodically to an animal’s skin. “These work against all life stages of fleas and ticks, but they’re also the most toxic,’’ says veterinarian Kenneth Fischer of Hillsdale Animal Hospital in Hillsdale, N.J. “Only use the minimum to get the job done.’’
If you find a tick, use tweezers to grab the head where it entered the skin (don’t squeeze the body), and pull it out gently but firmly. Then drown it in rubbing alcohol.
Mosquitoes
Itchy bites aren’t the issue for pets. Dogs and cats can get heartworms from an infected mosquito, resulting in heartworm disease. The serious condition affects a pet’s heart, lungs, and circulatory system.
Prevention: Have your pets tested annually for heartworms, reduce their exposure to mosquitoes, and use a monthly preventive as advised by your vet.
Ear mites
If your pet is scratching near its ears or shaking its head, these external parasites may be the culprit. Another indicator: An animal’s ear canal may look like it’s full of coffee grounds (it’s debris from the mites). This very contagious pest is easily passed from one animal to another (but not to humans). If left untreated, mites can damage the canal and the eardrum and cause permanent hearing loss.
Prevention: Don’t introduce a new pet to your household without having her checked for ear mites by a vet. If one pet in your home does get them, have her treated and any other pets examined right away.
When Tinkerbelle, our 17-year-old toy poodle, died, our family was distraught. I sent an email to our friends and family with the subject heading "Sad News" and got a tremendous outpouring of sympathy.
However, one of my oldest friends wrote back and said that when she received my email, she thought something awful had happened to someone in my family! Well, it had! Tinkerbelle was a beloved member of our family for 17 years. My friend, a very caring person, just didn't get it. The reason: she had never had a pet. That's when it occurred to me that petless people may indeed be a different breed. But are they?
Petless people have often been stereotyped as selfish, cold and uncaring. On the flip side, pet owners are sometimes pegged as socially awkward, excessively shy or downright antisocial, preferring animals to people. Although some pet owners and non-owners might fit these stereotypes, studies have failed to confirm them for most.
One thing is certain, however: petless people are definitely in the minority -- a shrinking minority. We're a pet-loving nation; about 62 percent of U.S. households have pets, an increase of over 12 percent since 2001, and most pet owners have more than one, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
There are more dog owners than cat owners, and a sizable number have both. Trailing behind are pet horses, birds, rabbits, fish, rodents, reptiles, and other exotic animals.
Even if petless people are in the minority, does it mean that they're a different kettle of fish? The AVMA survey did, in fact, find some demographic differences between owners and non-owners. In general, pet owners are more likely to:
•Be white
•Be married
•Have children
•Be employed full-time
•Have higher incomes
•Own a home
Researchers have uncovered other differences as well. A multitude of recent studies have discovered that pet owners may be healthier in some ways than non-owners, a subject I recently wrote about on The Huffington Post. Some of the health benefits of pet ownership include:
•Lower blood pressure
•Lower cholesterol
•Increased physical activity
•Better survival rates after a heart attack
Numerous studies also demonstrate some social and personality differences, starting in childhood. Compared with children not raised with pets, children who grow up with pets tend to:
•Be more empathic
•Have more self-esteem
•Have better social skills
•Have better nurturing abilities
In addition, children raised with pets are are more likely to be involved in sports, clubs, hobbies and other activities than kids without pets.
Some personality and social differences have been found to exist in grown-ups, as well. According to Barrie Gunter, author of "Pets and People: The Psychology of Pet Ownership," petless adults are less likely to feel a need for companionship and more likely to be more independent and self-sufficient than people with pets. They also tend to dislike long-term obligations; this may explain why they shy away from having pets, which can live for decades. Finally, according to Gunter, compared to people with pets, petless people are more inclined to place greater importance on keeping their homes very neat and tidy -- another reason they may choose not to have a pet.
Petless By Choice
People may choose not to have a pet for any number of reasons: they may have never had a pet and can't imagine having one, or they may have previously had a pet and didn't like the experience. They may like pets -- especially other people's pets -- but have no interest in having one of their own. Or they may dislike pets, believing that they are dirty, dangerous and disease-spreading. Whatever their reasons, they're probably happy with their decision -- or they would get a pet.
People who are petless by choice may, in fact, more accurately consider themselves "pet-free." Petless implies something is missing -- a deprivation. Rather than feeling like they're missing out on something, pet-free people are likely to feel free from the burden of raising a pet.
Petless By Chance Or Circumstance
Unlike people who are petless by choice, those who are petless by chance or circumstance may feel deprived or even depressed over their petless state. There are many reasons why they may be petless. (Interestingly, the most common ones are the same reasons that people who have pets relinquish them to shelters.) They include:
•Health problems: They can't have pets because of allergies or certain chronic conditions.
•Family issues: Someone in their household refuses to live with a pet.
•Financial concerns: They can't afford the cost of keeping a pet. Raising a pet can be expensive, especially in this economy.
•Housing issues: Their landlord or building might forbid residents to have pets, or there may be may not be adequate living space to house their preferred pet.
•Lifestyle issues: Long work hours or frequent traveling can make it impractical to have a pet.
Some people are petless because of the death or disappearance of their pet. It may take months or even years for them to even consider having another pet, if ever. When Tinkerbelle died, everyone told us we should get another dog. We just couldn't do it; we felt that no dog could ever take Tinkerbelle's place. Luckily, our daughter gave us a rescue cat that helped fill the void and ease our pain.
People who have never had a pet often have a hard time understanding the emotional intensity and attachment pet owners have to their pets. This is another way in which they are very different from pet owners and those who are petless by chance or circumstance.
Given the demographic, health and personality differences, I can't help but conclude that people who have never had a pet -- and never will -- are indeed a breed apart. And I can't help feeling sorry for hardcore pet-free people; they haven't experienced one of life's greatest pleasures: the human-pet bond. Yes, pets can be pests. But they also can provide us with endless hours of entertainment, companionship, physical affection and unconditional love. I also believe that if given the opportunity to interact with pets, some will join the ranks of pet owners -- or at least pet lovers.
If petless people are willing to give it a shot, they can reap the benefits of interacting with pets without the commitment of ownership. They can:
•Spend time with friends or neighbors who have pets
•Offer to pet sit for friends' pets when they go away
•Volunteer at a local ASPCA, Humane Society, animal shelter, pet adoption agency or other pet-related organizations.
If they then decide to get a pet of their own (hopefully after carefully weighing the pros and cons), they should strongly consider adopting a pet from a shelter. It's a win-win situation.
I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful fish, and by telling about them, I hope you will come to a greater appreciation of a living fish, rather than one served on a platter.
Nassau Grouper
My favorite is the Nassau Grouper--the most curious fish of all. A few years ago, when we were still allowed to give them food, they would quickly allow you to pet them and even cuddle them. The younger ones watched the older ones having all the fun and they soon joined in. In Little Cayman they rush up to divers to help point out where the Lionfish are so that the diver can spear it and feed it to them. Our grouper at Sunset House greeted us on hundreds of dives. He posed for magazine covers with a golfer, and for advertisements of computers. No other fish species has their intelligent temperament, and they are a valuable resource to the Cayman Islands diving tourism industry.
Unfortunately, several years ago, the spawning sites were terribly over-fished, and our adult population plummeted. We never saw our Sunset House grouper again after the breeding season. With a new ban on fishing the spawning sites, the population is making a slow comeback, and I am overjoyed whenever I see a shy young one watching me.
Although divers are no longer allowed to feed them, maybe that restriction can be changed and we can once again interact with these dear fellows.
Goliath Grouper
The huge Goliath grouper, previously called the Jewfish, can also be tamed to allow divers to touch them.
My favorite one lived on the Oro Verde. For many months, my photo classes would gather around him to take photos. He (she?) was seen being illegally taken by a fisherman who boasted that he got it legally on the north wall. Our taming him to be a friend made him vulnerable to a law-breaking, greedy person too lazy to get a wild one, so he easily killed our pet. Although Goliaths are wary, these huge fish are great fun to see. I hope that everyone in Cayman learns that they are more valuable for divers to play with for years than to be eaten in a day.
Golden Coney
A student took a photo of me with a gentle Golden Coney that I knew for many months. The student won a major photo contest in the US and the photo went on tour throughout the country. The fish was there for my class on Monday. That evening I watched a fishing boat anchor over the Balboa. On the next day, this one and many others were gone. My class was sad to see fishing line draped over the wreck instead of the numerous fish we had the day before. There are, of course, still Golden Coneys to be found. They are lovely to photograph, and I hope to find another special one soon.
I am writing about these things to encourage everyone to stop eating all forms of grouper and other fish species whose numbers are crashing. Watch for restaurants that follow the Sea Sense guidelines of serving environmentally friendly fish. Also, I would like to applaud our government for the continued protection of the spawning grounds of the Nassau Grouper.
Why are grouper important to our reefs? Life in the sea has been going on for hundreds of millions of years. Its myriad forms have evolved as an intricate web with a constant give and take to maintain a wonderful equilibrium. There have been many major and minor mass extinctions; the last one was 36 million years ago. Today, we are seeing a much faster decline in coral and fish species than occurs in nature. It is possible, however, to slow this down.
When a species is suddenly added or removed, the delicate system of checks and balances is disrupted. For example, lionfish multiply without any predators stopping them. The grouper and the mutton snappers seem to be the only fish interested in eating them. Without groupers, we may lose a vast amount of our reef fish.
Also, without the groupers eating the Dusky Damselfish, the damsels’ numbers grow dramatically.
Damselfish create an algae farm on several types of corals, especially the Staghorn coral. The Damsels (along with other coral diseases) have recently killed so much of our Staghorn coral that it is now endangered and headed for extinction.
According to “Science,” one-third of the reef-building corals are threatened with extinction, compared to only 2 per cent a decade ago. At this rate, it will ALL be gone fairly soon unless we make some changes.
Just a simple thing like not eating grouper may save one stand of Staghorn coral from being killed by a Damselfish.
To photograph groupers, get close, but not so close that you scare them. Use a zoom lens to allow you to fill the frame without having to be too close. Look for groupers being cleaned by small cleaner fish or shrimp as they are more likely to stay still and let you get a little closer.
For help with any underwater photo needs, visit us at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre and Gallery, 390 S. Church St., Georgetown, Grand Cayman, 345-949-7415.
