Dog Shelter Inmates Find New Life And Comfort With Each Other

 Survivor of life on the streets becomes service dog for blind dog.
The following story was first published on April 27,2012 by ABC News in an article written by Katie Kindelan. The story of two discarded dogs with no hope of adoption succeeding against all odds is so unusual and moving that I reprint the article in full length here.


“Putting two dogs of different breeds and from different backgrounds together in a confined space will usually end up in a lot of bark and likely some bite.  Rarely does that pairing end up in the two pooches becoming an inseparable pair.
That latter, more unlikely scenario was just the case, however, with two young dogs in Oklahoma who not only built a friendship but also cured each other’s ills.
Blair is a 1-year-old black Labrador mix brought to the Woodland West Animal Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., after she was shot while living on the streets.  After he recovered from his wounds, Blair remained at the clinic, a timid and nervous pup whose difficult history made her hard to place with an adopted family, the hospital’s director, Dr. Mike Jones, told ABCNews.com.
Then there was Tanner, a two-year-old Golden Retriever puppy who was born blind and with a seizure disorder so severe he was sent to Woodland Hospital as a last resort after his first owner died and the Oklahoma City-based Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue organization that had assumed his care, was unable to find a family to give him the around-the-clock care he needed.
“His seizure disorder was really, really bad and nothing — no medications — seemed to be helping,” Jones said.  “Anytime he [Tanner] seizes he expresses his bowels.  It’s a nightmare anytime you have a 90-lb dog experiencing this nightly; it made living in a home very, very difficult.”
Tanner and Blair lived with their respective conditions until the two were placed together a few months ago in a chance encounter, first reported by local ABC affiliate KTUL.
“One day they were exercising in a play yard together and they got together, Jones said.  “Blair all of a sudden seemed to realize that Tanner was blind and just started to help him around.”
Recognizing the dogs’ immediate connection, hospital staff began to board Tanner and Blair together, and the results spoke for themselves.
Tanner had been seizing almost nightly, Jones said.  ”After two or three weeks, we realized Tanner wasn’t seizing anymore.  He’s not completely seizure free but it’s not constant anymore.”
“We’ve worked with a lot of different service dogs to provide these services for people,” said Jones. “But it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this, the special relationship these two dogs have.”
The bond is so strong and instinctive that if Tanner has a leash on, Blair will pick it up and guide her friend around, according to Jones.  Likewise, he said, Tanner has had a calming influence on Blair, making the former street dog much less timid and anxious.
The next task is to find the two dogs a home together to continue their joint recovery.
“They absolutely have to be adopted together,” Jones said.  “But it’s going to take a special home with someone who understands their special relationship plus understands seizure disorder and is ready to take on the responsibility.”
The adoption search is being handled by the same Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue organization that brought Tanner to the hospital, a lucky decision that brought on the recovery process no one could have predicted.   The hospital has, to this point, taken care of Blair’s recovery through its own foster care account.
“The big thing about this is just finding the right home for Tanner and Blair, which is a very specific mission,” said Jones.  “This is not a typical adoption.  Tanner is only two-years-old.  We’re looking at probably ten years or so care for Tanner.”
Calls to the Sooner Rescue organization placed today by ABCNews.com for comment were not returned.”



It is unclear to me at this point whether any progress in placing the two miracle dogs has been made.
PJJ

More Moscow Subway Dogs

Here are a few more pictures of the smart feral dogs riding the subway in Moscow.

This feral  dog clearly has it better than the human.

A small space on the train is better than an ice palace.

This dog is comfortable, but not necessarily a welcome guest.

He is on his way to the escalator.

He has learned to use it to get from the train to his special, secret food place.



The following video is worth watching despite its length.




 The subway riding dogs in Moscow are smarter than these humans.

 For one it is a survival skill. For the other just a senseless thrill.

PJJ

(Pictures and videos from the website EnglishRussia, ABCNew, GoCart's Weathe, YouTube.)

Stray Dogs Riding Moscow Subway

Moscow the Russian capital is home to an estimated 30,000 stray dogs. Many live in parks, on construction site and vacant lots. the smarter ones have learned to use and navigate the vast subway system of Moscow. The know which trains to take, for how long to stay on the train and at what station to get off in order to beg for food in their favorite spots.

Here are a few pictures. I will get back with a more complete article later. The story of these dogs was reported first years ago. Bit it is still an amazing story of survival, acquired skills and the often underestimated intelligence of animals.

This one sets the scene for the next picture.

And here we go riding the subway . . .

and napping on a warm train.

(All pictures courtesy of odditycentral.com)

Check back soon for some interesting videos of these amazing dogs.
PJJ

Spay And Neuter Is the Solution to Pet Euthanasia

Despite the provocative title of my most recent article on pet euthanasia the overall picture is not as grim as one might think. Yes, there will always be pets that must be put to sleep for humanitarian reasons, mainly to prevent unnecessary pain and suffering in cases of terminal health conditions of the pet.

But when we speak of euthanasia or about the 'kill rate', we refer most often to dogs that must be put down because shelters are overpopulated – even if the affected animals are quite healthy.

The key word here is “overpopulation”. In nature and without undue interference from humans animal populations tend to balance their numbers by controlling reproduction rates naturally to achieve the best possible survival chances for as many animals as environmental conditions can sustain. If food and other vital resources diminish, 'excess' animals die off and reproduction rates of the survivors drop until better conditions return. At that time reproduction increases to make up for losses during hard times.

This natural population control mechanism does not work with our pets. They live in human environments and, most importantly, they do not need to forage for food. It is presented to them in abundance. They are also well protected against other natural disasters and threats to their life. Therefore, the natural, instinctive reproduction control does no longer control the mating behavior of our pets.

Left alone they will happily produce litter after litter after litter at least twice a year. The result is the flood of dogs and cats that overwhelm even the best managed animal shelters.

This disastrous situation is further aggravated by human folly and prejudice. Examining shelter intake of dogs by breed we quickly find that in Los Angeles for example pit bulls make up almost half of all impounded dogs. They are now being challenged by Chihuahuas as the most abundant shelter dogs. Why?

There are many reasons for that: Human folly made Chihuahuas first a fashion accessory and then movie 'heroes'. Or vice versa. Thus they have become in many circles a must-have item that is discarded as quickly as it was acquired when the owners are getting tired of taking care of them or are disillusioned by their incessant noise and nastiness. Where do the useless Chihuahuas go? Well, to the shelter of course where they populate holding kennels in great numbers.

Before them we had waves of Dalmatians, Golden Retrievers, Saint Bernards as the result of other movies. This list, though incomplete, illustrates a fatal trend – fatal for the dogs. Only pit bulls did not gain notoriety as movie heroes, though one of them starred in 'Homeward Bound'. They are so popular but for more sinister reasons. That is in itself a sad story to be addressed maybe another day. Nevertheless, they make up over 40 percent of all dogs euthanized in Los Angeles animal shelters.

Together with the ubiquitous Chihuahua great numbers of pit bulls are created in anonymous backyards and alleys all over Los Angeles - many times completely at random. This is only possible because of the prejudice against spay and neuter programs by certain human communities as well as the lack of responsible pet ownership. (Note that I am using 'Chihuahua' also as a generic term for all small dogs of dubious ancestry that excel in barking, nipping and running uncontrolled all over the place.)

But not everything can be blamed on human ignorance and carelessness. Studies done in several states have shown a correlation between low income and pet surrender rates to shelters. Animals living with the elderly on fixed income and in households at or below poverty below are facing a significantly higher rate of surrender than those in families with incomes above , say, $ 50,000 per year. In fact, according to a study from Indiana dogs in households with an annual income of under $ 20,000 faced the highest rates of relinquishment.

In Los Angeles the lowest average annual household income is concentrated in South Los Angeles. The area is transitioning from a predominantly white to a black area of the City. It is now well on the way to becoming predominantly Hispanic. Socioeconomically the population of South LA ranges from upper middle class to middle class and to underclass.

The South Los Angeles animal shelter reflects this wide diversity in its animal population. Frequent visitors to the shelter know that its denizens can range at any time from pedigreed, expensive animals to the lowest of all street mutts. More often than not this shelter is operating at or beyond the holding capacity it was designed for. Any drop in income almost immediately results in an increase of surrender rate of dogs and cats.

Los Angeles has 195 zip codes; 15 of them comprise the Metro district served by the South Los Angeles shelter. In 2008/2009 over 54,000 animals were impounded in Los Angeles. South Los Angeles alone contributed 13,000. Since then impound rates have increased by about 20 percent. And with it kill rates increased correspondingly as we have seen in my previous articles.

Of course, this unfortunate interdependence of pet relinquishment, socioeconomic structures and the overall state of the economy is not confined to Los Angeles. Other American cities struggle with identical issues created by pet overpopulation. New Jersey data found a kill rate of 10.8 dogs and cats per 1,000 residents in the poorest and of 2.9 in affluent areas. In 1995 in California 10.14 percent of dogs and cat populations in the poorest counties were euthanized while only 3.39 percent suffered this fate in the richest counties. (Animal Control Management: A Guide for Local Governments, a 2002 publication of the International City/County Management Association)

Recognizing the correlation between family income/poverty and surrender of pets to shelters and streets, the State of New Hampshire developed a successful program for lowering surrender rates by concentrating spay and neuter efforts on low income households. The goal was to spay or neuter five dogs or cats per year per resident on Public Assistance. Doing so reduced municipal shelter intake rates by 33.6 percent between 1993 and 2000. Euthanasia rates dropped by 75 percent in the same period of time. Since then kill rates in New Hampshire hovered around 2.4 dogs and cats per 1,000 residents. This rate remained stable at this level despite 11.6 percent more human residents. (ANIMAL PEOPLE: 16th annual ANIMAL PEOPLE evaluation of the most recent available shelter data, 2008)

Though a county in Florida achieved similar results using this program, not all communities had decisive success with the procedure. One of the reasons for this lies undoubtedly in target identification.

Given the strong relationship between income/poverty and pet surrender (and subsequent euthanasia) efforts to reduce overall kill rates must be concentrated on people on public assistance and the elderly on fixed income. Ethnic groups that associate altering animals with interfering with or taking away the manhood of the male head of household must be an essential part of these programs. Doing so would without doubt reduce the number of Chihuahuas in animal shelters decisively.

Breed statistics of dogs in shelters give another clue to the nature of more successful programs to reduce kill rates in shelters. We know from statistics I cited in this report and in my previous articles which breeds contribute disproportionately to shelter overpopulation: Pit bulls and Chihuahuas.

Pit bulls were traditionally the breed most frequently found in animal pounds. But bully breeds are now increasingly replaced by the ever increasing flood of Chihuahuas. These dogs live predominantly in low income areas. They are hardly ever trained, spayed, neutered or restrained from roaming wild at will because they mystically embody the affirmative, defiant strong 'male element' without which some members of certain ethnic groups find it hard to exist.

Impound rates and the number of dogs and cats destroyed in animal shelters can be successfully controlled with well targeted spay and neuter programs. Successful programs must target:

• Low income pet owners (public assistance),
• The elderly on fixed income,
• Ethnic groups with a quasi-taboo on dog and cat alteration,
• Backyard for 'profit' breeders.

These programs must be complemented by generous assistance with veterinary care, spay and neuter procedures, reduced license fees and educational programs in pet training and care. Many communities already provide pet owners with more or less generous assistance programs for their pets. Unfortunately, many pet owners either do not know about these programs or are reluctant to ask for assistance because they loathe the aspect of sterilization of their pets.

In extreme situations and if all else fails, lawmakers should consider making sterilization a mandatory prerequisite for pet licensing in conjunction with more vigorous enforcement of animal related laws by the affected communities.

Animal Rescue groups too have a much greater role to play in this better and improved concept than in the past. In my humble opinion they should invest a percentage of their annual income in educating potential and actual pet owners about the need for sterilization. Teaching pet owners about the disastrous effects of uncontrolled procreation of pets on life or death of surplus animals could go a long way towards higher sterilization rates. The big question then becomes: Will anyone attend these classes? Unfortunately I have my doubts!

Nevertheless, rescue groups should be eager to take on a leading role in overcoming objections based on cultural beliefs to spay and neuter programs and to become more active in fighting backyard breeding.

Look at it this way, my rescue friends: One female spayed prevents over 200 more Chihuahuas and pit bulls being born. That beats rescuing 20 adult dogs – and it is cheaper.

It is also a convincing argument when asking donors for contributions or when writing that winning grant proposal. Better yet, it makes for publicity and better photo ops than the successful rescue and placement of one tiny Chihuahua.

PJJ

Service Dog Series Soon To Continue

No, I did not forget the service dogs. There are still some unfinished parts of the series including the very important listing of laws, rules and regulations regarding service dogs by state. PJJ

Euthanasia Is Unavoidable

Unless we drastically change our ways.

Warning! Disturbing pictures ahead!

If you have a soft heart and are prone to cry, do not read on.

These title statements alone will make me a monster, a pervert, sadist and a ruthless murderer in the eyes of my peers with animal rescue groups and other animal lovers of all stripes and colors. It has happened before when well meaning rescue people called me a Bambi killer and the murderer of Miss Piggie because I also write books on hunting. Would it be acceptable if I wrote instead books on how to slaughter more 6 month old pig youngsters in less time?

It does not matter much to me what label one sticks on my lapel. Death is an integral part of our lives – and that of other living beings.

When considering euthanasia we need to examine for what reason an animal is put to sleep. There is a difference between killing an animal because he has outlived his use or has become inconvenient, the killing in animal shelters and euthanasia for reasons of compassion to name of few.

Let us address shelter killings first. As I pointed out in my previous articles, dog euthanasia rates in Los Angeles shelters dropped from a high of over 25,000 in 2001 (dog intake over 40,000) to a low of around 6,500 dogs in the years between 2006 and 2008 (intake of approximately 24,000 to 30,000 dogs a year). Pit bulls in shelters died at a rate of around 40 percent. However in 2008 the dog euthanasia rate in Los Angeles shelters increased by 24 percent.

Why are have dogs to die in shelters, you ask? Because shelter workers are merciless killers who come to work joyfully every morning in happy expectation of being allowed to help a few more 'cute' dogs to the great beyond? Wrong. True, there are shelter workers who treat their work assignments only as a job. But the majority of workers actually care for their charges and their well-being. Few enjoy having to put down dogs they have been taking care of.

Shelter dogs are euthanized in accordance with the law (legal holding periods), for health and for behavioral reasons.

There should not be any disputes over a dog that is relieved from his pain and suffering upon a request by medical staff. Likewise, if a dog is a danger to other animals and to humans, I can find no fault in putting the animal down – unless an animal rescue group that specializes in saving and holding highly dangerous dogs decides to pull the dog and to hold it in their kennels under strict control, supervision and rehabilitative training forever or until it is reliably rehabilitated. No rescue group without their own holding kennels should knowingly take such a dog out of the shelter. The risk to life and limb of humans and other animals alike is too high. And so is the liability the rescue group potentially faces.

It really does not matter how cute he is and how pretty she looks. Looks do not make the whole dog, personality does. I was attacked by one of those 'cute' dogs. Twelve stitches and a permanent scar are the visible result. I was lucky because he did not sever any arteries or nerves in my arm before he died.

That leaves the expiration of legal holding periods as the only gray area of shelter euthanasia. Here is where much is left up to interpretation of regulations and to the personal opinions of those in charge of a shelter. Some are more compassionate than others. It is a widely held belief among shelter personnel that it is cruel to hold a large dog in a small cage for extended periods of time because there is no other room in the shelter. If the dog is hardly ever looked at by potential adopters, it is more humane, they argue, to put it down than to let it suffer in his painful confinement.

I have seen large 95 pound working dogs that sat for weeks in small stackable cages designed to hold a dog temporarily during intake. That is cruelty. What is better: To see a dog slowly go crazy, become aggressive, go mad from lack of exercise for weeks or to put him mercifully to sleep?

And I have seen shelter personnel protecting, hiding and keeping alive dogs with a great personality and excellent pet potential against all rules, at times with the assistance of medical staff and silent acquiescence of superiors.

Animal shelters are a microcosm of life. Just as life is intricately interwoven with death, so is shelter life. Thus, no-kill shelters are a dream. A beautiful ideal, but a dream nonetheless.

The solution to the killing in shelters is not to rail against heartless functionaries and shelter personnel or to attempt to pull every old mongrel out of it, but rather to engage actively in combating irresponsible human behavior, such as puppy farms, backyard breeding, dogs as fashion statements, dog fighting, dogs in pet stores.

Emotional appeals that a life is a life and therefore worth saving do not save lives. Spaying and neutering does.

That is the hard part. As we have seen in my previous articles, campaigns to spay and neuter inevitably hit the wall. The wall of resistance, the hills of ignorance and the mountains of socio-economic and cultural barriers that most often only make sense to those who promote them.

Animal rescuers ought to concentrate their efforts far more and far better on preventing dogs from getting confined in shelters than from tearful attempts to liberate them from confinement. Rescue groups could save more dogs by designating a percentage of their funds to promoting population control methods in traditionally hard to reach and to convince communities than by the emotional rescue of one Chihuahua while dozens of his brethren are roaming the streets unaltered, unleashed and ready to mate with anything that moves.

I understand, prevention is less spectacular than rescue. Parading a rescued dog before potential donors or raising funds for the treatment of a rescued injured animal is even more rewarding – in a literal sense. However, by doing so, you have to admit to yourself that you lifted one small pebble from a mountain of rocks, but not dismantled the rock pile.The mountain will continue to give birth . . no, not to a mouse but to more Chihuahuas.

The challenge is to prevent the flood of pets in the first place. We need to increase awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering, regulate, license and control strictly all backyard breeding, reduce the number of commercial breeders and trap, spay and neuter all stray animals and release them instead of killing them in shelters.

Spaying and neutering of unlicensed dogs has to become mandatory when such a dog is found anywhere in public. Forget about the rights of the owners of the animal. They have established that they are unable or unwilling to be responsible by not licensing and spaying or neutering their animal. They do not deserve leniency and our compassion. Their animals do.

Yet, even when all this is done and the dog intake in shelters drops below the lowest intake rates so far, animals will still be euthanized in shelters and in veterinary offices. The reason is that there always will be pain, suffering and death in life. Think of the many dogs that are run over by cars every year on our streets. Most of them are injured beyond repair. Think of the animals that are suffering from painful diseases. Or those that injured themselves most severely. What quality of life do they experience? Is it worth living in pain and misery? I doubt their answer would be yes.

Instead of roaming shelters with overflowing love for incarcerated animals in your heart, consider taking some of your time to convert one or two die-hard knuckleheads who link their manhood to the ability of their Chihuahua to produce more disposable small nuisances.

WARNING! WARNING! 

Do not read any further if you have a soft heart and cannot handle upsetting pictures.

PETA fights vigorously not only for animal rights in general but also against individual cases of animal abuse. PETA can not be accused of wanton killing of animals, at least not by those who have a brain. Nevertheless, PETA has been accused of killing close to 100 percent of animals under their control. It forced them to publish an exculpatory article with pictures in their defense.

Though I am not always a friend of PETA because they are prone to extravagant operations and opinions, I am publishing excerpts from this article, including the pictures, in an attempt to drive home the point: Only prevention, much stricter animal control and mandatory spaying and neutering of pets will solve the problem of animal overpopulation and thus make most killings in shelters unnecessary. Here are excerpts from a PETA article:

“Why We Euthanize”

. . . I always wonder how anyone cannot recognize that there is a world of difference between painlessly euthanizing animals out of compassion—aged, injured, sick, and dying animals whose guardians can't afford euthanasia, for instance—as PETA does, and causing them to suffer terror, pain, and a prolonged death while struggling to survive on the streets, at the hands of untrained and uncaring "technicians," or animal abusers

Diamond was suffering from a painful facial tumor that was slowly eating away at his face.

Sasha had a severely infected bite wound.

It's easy to point the finger at those who are forced to do the "dirty work" caused by a throwaway society's casual acquisition and breeding of dogs and cats who end up homeless and unwanted, but at PETA, we will never turn our backs on neglected, unloved, and homeless animals—even if the best we can offer them is a painless release from a world that doesn't have enough heart or homes with room for them. It makes it easy for people to throw stones at us, but we are against all needless killing: for hamburgers, fur collars, dissection, sport hunting, the works.

PETA handled far more animals than 2,124 in 2008. In fact, we took in more than 10,000 dogs and cats and work very hard to persuade people to spay and neuter their animals and to commit to a lifetime of care and respect for them. We go so far as to transport animals to and from our spay/neuter clinics, where they are spayed or neutered and given vet care, often for free! Since 2001, PETA's low- to no-cost spay-and-neuter mobile clinics, SNIP and ABC, have sterilized more than 50,000 animals, preventing hundreds of thousands of animals from being born, neglected, abandoned, abused, or euthanized when no one wanted them. And on a national level, PETA is focusing on the root of the problem through our Animal Birth Control (ABC) campaign.

 Big Girl was still alive when a field worker found her

If anyone has a good home, love, and respect to offer, we beg them: Go to a shelter and take one or two animals home. The problem is that few people do that, choosing instead to go to a breeder or a pet shop and not "fixing" their dogs and cats, which contributes to the high euthanasia rate that animal shelters face. Most of the animals we took in and euthanized could hardly be called "pets," as they had spent their lives chained up in the back yard, for instance. They were unsocialized, never having been inside a building of any kind or known a pat on the head. Others were indeed someone's, but they were aged, sick, injured, dying, too aggressive to place, and the like, and PETA offered them a painless release from suffering, with no charge to their owners or custodians.

Every day, PETA's fieldworkers help abused and neglected dogs—many of them pit bulls nowadays and many of them forced to live their lives on chains heavy enough to tow an 18-wheeler—by providing them with food; clean water; lightweight tie-outs; deworming medicine; flea, tick, and fly-strike prevention; free veterinary care; sturdy wooden doghouses stuffed with straw bedding; and love.

What we see is enough to make you lose faith in humanity. One pit bull we gained custody of . . . looked like a skeleton covered with skin when PETA released her from the 15-pound chain she had been kept on for years. Asia suffered from three painful and deadly intestinal obstructions, which prevented her from keeping any food down. She faced an agonizing, lingering death, so our veterinarian recommended euthanasia to end her suffering. We pursued criminal charges against those responsible for her condition, leading to their conviction for cruelty to animals. That is just one of the dozens of cases we see every week.

The majority of adoptable dogs are never brought through our doors (we refer them to local adoption groups and walk-in animal shelters). Most of the animals we house, rescue, find homes for, or put out of their misery come from miserable conditions, which often lead to successful prosecution and the banning of animal abusers from ever owning or abusing animals again.

Santana had facial injuries so serious that his right eye was swollen shut and his jaw was ripped and hanging

 This dog was suffering from advanced cancer

As long as animals are still purposely bred and people aren't spaying and neutering their companions, open-admission animal shelters and organizations like PETA must do society's dirty work. Euthanasia is not a solution to overpopulation but rather a tragic necessity given the present crisis. PETA is proud to be a "shelter of last resort," where animals who have no place to go or who are unwanted or suffering are welcomed with love and open arms.

Please, if you care about animals, help prevent more of them from being born only to end up chained and left to waste away in people's back yards, suffering on mean streets where people kick at them or shoo them away like garbage, tortured at the hands of animal abusers, or, alas, euthanized in animal shelters for lack of a good home. If you want to save lives, always have your animals spayed or neutered. (PETA 03-30-2009 ttp://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2009/03/30/why-we-euthanize.aspx)

Sounds like a promotion for PETA, though it is not intended to be one. As I said, I am parting ways with them on many subjects. And I am anathema to them anyway. I hunt innocent little, cuddly, furry bunnies that would make such great Easter presents for the kids. I do so much to the delight of my state licensed service dog! He is s scoundrel too.

The truth remains the truth even when it is stated by PETA. Only when we prevent more animals from being born in the first place through well designed, well executed birth control methods and strict enforcement of all animal related laws will we be able to make animal euthanasia in shelters the exception and not the norm.
Are you ready to take up the challenge?

PJJ

Hip Dysplasia In Dog Breeds

Many large dog breeds are prone to a disabling disease, hip displasia, that makes their life and that of their handlers difficult at times, to say the least. In many instances it shortens their lifespan considerably. Small dogs rarely suffer from this illness. It is also much rarer in mixed breeds, even if one of the parent breeds is subject to this disease.
Since it has a genetic component owners of certain breeds ought to be aware that their beloved pet could be subject to this affliction only because it is of a certain breed. In recent years hip displasia, has become more frequent, mainly due to indiscriminate backyard breeding.

Anyone interested in one of the following breeds must be aware of this risk and, whenever possible, acquire their new family member from a reputable breeder. Of course, that puts dogs in animal shelters at a disadvantage because there is no practical way of determining the chances of a particular dog having the genetic component for dysplasia before acquiring the pet.
Hip displasia does not manifest itself in young animals. Normally it does not show until the dog is middle aged or older.
The good news is that there are procedures to correct the condition to a certain degree and other methods of ameliorating the effects of hip dysplasia. Talk to your vet or check some of the many Internet sites for treatment methods and ways to make life more comfortable for your pet.

Those of you who consider getting a new dog from an animal shelter, rescue group or even a breeder should have a look at the following list of dog breeds that can suffer from hip displasia. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has ranked dog breeds in order of frequency with which they suffer from hip dysplasia as follows:

"Among them, in order of frequency are Otterhounds (54%), Neapolitan Mastiffs (48%), St . Bernards (47%), Bloodhounds (26%), Newfoundlands (25%), Catahoula Hounds (25%), Chesapeke Bay Retrievers (21%), Rottweilers (20%), Golden Retrievers (20%), Norwegian Elkhounds (20%), Mastiffs (20%), Chows (19%), German Shepherds (19%), and Old English Sheepdogs (19%)."

Go to http://www.offa.org/hd_grades.html for detailed information and X-Ray pictures. Besides this very informative general material, they also let you search for certain breeds and individual animals of that breed which were tested by OFA.

Does this all mean that you should never own a German shepherd or a Golden? No, you just need to be aware of the possibility that your pet might eventually suffer from the effects of this disabling disease. Good nutrition, veterinary care and controlling strenuous exercise in later years will keep your pet active and happy for a long time.
PJJ

Service Dogs Need Vet Services Too

Where to get financial help when you need it most.

Service dogs get sick too. Even if she is not suffering from an acute illness at this time, your service animal deserves regular physical checkups and attention. Health and well being of your service dog are of utmost importance to you and to him. But veterinary services have become very expensive as we animal owners all know.
Low cost vaccination is available at veterinary clinics in cooperation with animal shelters. Some vets in private practice also offer low-cost vaccination at least once a month. But for  bills for emergency treatment of your animal or other major bills little relief can be found. True, there is pet health insurance, but it is riddled with exclusions and the ubiquitous preexisting conditions. It also can have rather substantial “co-pays” that make it in many cases a poor solution for a vexing problem.
Pet owners with low income or on fixed incomes may be able to garner assistance from several agencies that help you pay for pet care. Those of us with a service dog to assist us with certain daily tasks should not hesitate to contact some of the following agencies for help.
I found this list on Lisa's Sharebook (care2.com/c2c/share/detail/300198). Here is the list of agencies that may be able to help you pay for a vet bill. Let us also remember that these benevolent agencies always have a need for funds. Please keep them in mind when you decide to donate funds for a good cause.

American Animal Hospital Association
http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/home
" Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship."
Angels 4 Animals
http://www.angels4animals.org/
"Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment
to those pets and pet owners in need."
Care Credit
http://www.carecredit.com/
A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care.
"With a comprehensive range of plan options, for
treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan
and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every
budget."
(This may not work for low income pet owners at all. Owners still remain responsible for the vet bill and must repay the 'credit card' balance. It is essentially a method to defer payment or to stretch payments over time, not an assistance program.)
Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP)
http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/
"Seniors, People with disabilities, People who have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten - any of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved companion."
The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is a nonprofit 501
(c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and
kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save
their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes.
God's Creatures Ministry
http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html
"This fund helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help."
Help-A-Pet
http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html
"Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor."
(This looks like a good place to look for help with bills for veterinary care of your service dog.)
IMOM
http://www.imom.org/
"We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged."
The Pet Fund
http://thepetfund.com/
"The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care."

Though I am publishing the list mainly for those who need help with veterinary bills for true service dogs, the organizations on this list do not discriminate. They help all animals whose owners need a helping hand to pay their vet bills. Maybe those of us who can “spare a quarter” could send a dollar or two to one of these groups in return for their good hearts.
PJJ


PS: Just found this URL: http://www.felinediabetes.com/vetbills.htm. The list many of the groups shown above but add a few, mainly cat related, websites to the list.

DFG K-9 Handlers Take 2011 and 2012 Officer of the Year Honors

Service Dogs at their side.
 
Service dogs, real service dogs and not the pretenders, come in all shapes and sizes and from many breeds. Some even resided in animal shelters before they underwent their special service dog training. Most people envision a shepherd or a Golden when they hear 'service dog' just as many associate the term service dog with police canines and seeing- eye dogs. But true service dogs do more than guide the blind or assist police in their work.

Only few of us know that trained service dogs also take to the fields and forests with California game wardens of the Department of Fish and Game. It is not likely that many dog lovers who frequent Internet dog sites are active hunters. But those who are have most likely encountered one of these brave and tough dogs. Together with their law enforcement handlers they brave cold, heat, rain. snow and highly dangerous, armed criminals that either cultivate illegal plants or decimate wildlife by poaching. It takes tough and energetic dogs to excel in this job.
I have met several of these remarkable dogs on duty in the great outdoors.

The California Department of Fish and Game honored two of these men and their service dogs. Read their commendation below.

“March 13, 2012 DFG News
Two of the most energetic dogs in the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) K-9 program are teamed with perhaps the most energetic wardens in California. Today, these wardens were named Officer of the Year: Trinity County Warden Paul Cardoza for 2011 and Shasta County Warden Brian Boyd for 2012. (DFG’s Law Enforcement Division traditionally announces the Officer of the Year during its annual Advanced Officer Training, but because budget constraints pre-empted last year’s training, both this year’s and last year’s award recipients were announced today.)

“Wardens Cardoza and Boyd have developed a reputation for maximizing the effectiveness of their K-9 partners to catch a lot of poachers,” said Nancy Foley, Chief of DFG’s Law Enforcement Division. “We are proud of their efforts and accomplishments.”

Warden Cardoza and his K-9 partner Kilo have proven themselves time and again on a number of poaching and general law enforcement cases, including one investigation where Kilo searched a murder scene a few days after the incident and found a firearm that witnesses had attempted to hide. The duo’s find resulted in the arrested man being cleared of murder charges (http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/?s=Cardoza).

Both Warden Cardoza and K-9 Kilo are known for their extremely high-energy personalities. Cardoza’s tireless pursuit of poachers is well respected by his law enforcement peers, both in and outside of DFG. He is very serious about his role as a game warden and as a K-9 handler.

In addition to his patrol responsibilities, Warden Cardoza is a firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor and an armorer for all department firearms. He conducts quarterly firearms training and teaches quarterly defensive tactics to his own squad, neighboring squads and academy cadets.

Warden Brian Boyd and K-9 partner Phebe have developed an effective technique for apprehending some of the most difficult and dangerous suspects in law enforcement work: fleeing illegal marijuana cultivation suspects on remote forest lands. The suspects are actively engaged in the commission of a felony, extremely physically fit, know the area better than their pursuers and are usually armed. To date, Warden Boyd and Phebe have apprehended 40 suspects (http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/good-dog-bites-bad-guys/).

Warden Boyd and Phebe are prominently featured on “Wild Justice,” the National Geographic reality series about California game wardens. Fans of the show routinely comment on the high-energy personalities of both Boyd and Phebe. In one episode during the show’s first season, producers attached a camera to Phebe’s collar to give viewers a never-before seen K-9 view of a chase and apprehension. They will duplicate the effort this season, which premiered March 11.

Warden Boyd has a reputation for pursuing poaching suspects with dogged determination, both by physically outrunning them and by outsmarting them. He has been known to use everything from disguises to creative surveillance techniques in his efforts to develop evidence of poaching crimes. Boyd has had an above-average number of trainees (rookie wardens right out of the academy) who commonly claim they learned more from him during their brief training cycle than from any other game warden in their careers. Three of those former trainees submitted lengthy nomination forms for his Officer of the Year honor.”
DFG

To Kill Or Not To Kill

Are No-Kill shelters a dream? 

Back in the good old days, about forty or so year back, the overwhelming majority of all dogs and cats that ended up in animal shelters were killed. As if that was not enough, methods of killing were quite unsavory, cruel and torturous for the animals. Anyone who believes that disposing of unwanted dogs and cats was a merciful, quick and painless process in those days ought to read an article published at http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/Pets/PetCare/EuthanasiaFacts.htm. 

Mind you, it might be a little biased, but I have few doubts that the euthanasia methods described were indeed used, are cruel and still in use in certain states, counties and shelters.

Moreover, in the late sixties and early seventies many more pets were euthanized than today. For example, in 1971 the City of Los Angeles killed 110,835 dogs and cats in city shelters. It represents the highest kill rate in the history of Los Angeles. On the positive side the slaughter was a wakeup call to city leaders and the public alike.

As a consequence, Los Angeles started to fund spaying and neutering programs for pet owners within city limits. The project resulted in a steady decline in the numbers of pets killed. In the best year (2007) 'only' 15,009 animals were euthanized. That represents a tremendous decrease in the killing rate by 86 percent. The years between 2006 and 2009 saw the four lowest euthanasia rates in Los Angeles City shelters.

(L.A. City Animal Services)

Unfortunately, in the following year more dogs and cats ended up in shelters because of the worsening economic situation. More animals in city shelters also increased the euthanasia rate for dogs and cats. In 2008 shelter intake increased by 20.8 percent. The resulting kill rate exceeded that of 2007 by 30 percent. The kill rate for 2009 was estimated to be at the 2008 level or slightly higher.

The number of pets surrendered by owners to shelters or simply abandoned tripled in the years after 2009 according to estimates from shelters throughout the United States.

As a professional who visited animal shelters at least weekly in the last four critical years, I can confirm from personal observation that more dogs and cats than ever are housed in shelters. I also know from first hand experience that the number of Chihuahuas and Chihuahua derivates has increased disproportionately. Today Chihuahua mixes rival the number of pit bulls confined in animal shelters. Pit bulls and their mixes have traditionally been the strongest group of dogs in many shelters.

Contrary to what many Chihuahua lovers might want you to believe, shelters find it rather difficult to find homes for these critters.

I wonder why . . .

While in 2008 in Los Angeles alone almost 500 Chihuahuas met their maker, it can be reasonably assumed that at least three times as many of them went on the big journey home in the following years. Since the number of Chihuahuas in city shelters grew faster than the intake rate of all other dogs, it is only common sense to assume that the euthanasia rate for Chihuahuas also will be disproportionately higher than that of other breeds. And still the shelters are overflowing with this breed alone.

If this does not illustrate the folly of choosing a pet as a fashion accessory or because of a movie, I do not know what else would.

Unfortunately, the pet pays with its life . . .

The human culprits move on to another toy.

Now, some say that a life is a life and a Chihuahua is worth as much as, for example, a pit bull. True, in theory. In practice it is an injustice at best.

Of all animals in shelters, the groups and breeds most at risk of being killed include domestic and feral cats, neonate kittens and pit bull breeds. Let's disregard cats because this article deals with dogs. (Do you really want to know the shocking truth about the fate of cats in shelters? Neonates, anyone?)

That leaves pit bulls, the bad boys on the block. Their population also decreased when overall shelter intakes were down and increased in 2008 and thereafter.

(Source: L.A.City)

Correspondingly, the number of pit bulls euthanized also fluctuated in accordance with overall intake and kill rates. More than 6,000 pit bulls were destroyed in 2008. No doubt, the numbers for the following years will be much higher.

This breed has fallen victim to irresponsible breeding and abuse by reckless people. Not as fashion but to serve the greed of their human owners. Because of careless breeding or breeding for ferocity and aggression, they lead dog bite statistics. One of the reasons is the fact that they generally inflict much more severe wounds than small dogs do. Therefore, their bites get reported while almost all bites from smaller dogs do not make the front pages.
In reality, the biters are small and bark a lot. I devoted an entire chapter of my booklet "Kid Friendly Dogs - What Parents should consider before getting a dog for the kids" to this issue.

Together, pit bulls and Chihuahuas, which admittedly are an emerging but increasing problem, are among the most serious challenges to achieving No – Kill shelter status. Of the two, “Chihuahuas represent . . . (a) lesser concern, but one that should not go unnoticed.” (L.A. City Study)

Small dogs hardly ever are trained. Together with the ubiquitous flex leashes (if small dogs are even on a leash) and the noise pollution associated with them, comes their most significant problem: Most of them are not spayed or neutered. Unaltered dogs running free invariably result in more unaltered dogs.

Which brings us conveniently back to No – Kill shelters.

The fewer dogs in shelters, the lower euthanasia rates become. The best, proven method to reducing shelter intakes are spay and neuter programs. Los Angeles embarked on such campaigns quite successfully as evidenced by falling numbers of shelter dogs between 1971 and 2007.

However, experience gathered in many cities indicates that spay and neuter programs slow to a trickle after initial successes when all pet owners who are likely to fix their pets have been persuaded to do so.

Progress frequently stalls when the pet euthanasia rate is reduced to around 12 to 10 killings per thousand human residents of a city.

At this point further significant progress is limited until the more difficult human population groups have been convinced to participate. Prominent among these groups are for example, poor, elderly, non-English speaking residents and people who are opposed to spay and neuter because of some other, strongly held believes.

This is when the efforts of a city to achieve No-Kill status for its animal shelters hit the “wall”.

Los Angeles hit it in 2007 when it had reduced its pet euthanasia rate to 3.7 per one thousand human residents. Kill rates between 5 and 2.5 animals per 1,000 humans residents are considered normal 'wall' scenarios. The average national kill rate is 13.8. (ANIMAL PEOPLE’S 16TH Annual Shelter Statistics) Report)

In 2008 the euthanasia rate in Los Angeles was back up to 5. It was slightly higher in 2009 and will most likely show even higher numbers for the following years.

The average euthanasia rate for dogs in Los Angeles shelters is 24 percent. Forty three percent of all dogs killed are pit bulls.

Pit bull euthanasia compared to overall dog killings.

 

(Source: City of Los Angeles)

On average the euthanasia rate for pit bulls hovers close to 40 percent annually. It was the highest in 2002 at 44.5%. In 2008 it reached 43.6% as mentioned earlier and and continues to rise. San Francisco is the only city in California with declining pit bull populations, which is mainly attributed to aggressive spay and neuter programs targeted at pit bulls.

Since pit bulls already bear the brunt of all shelter killings, it would be unfair to burden them also with the proportional increase in dog euthanasia prompted by the avalanche of Chihuahuas hitting animal shelters.

The last thing shelters need is another 'fashionable breed' pushing the limits of shelter space, patience of employees and finances beyond any limit. Just as pit bulls are forced to pay for the sins of their owners and breeders with their death, so will fashion toys of fools have to do.

It may be heartless, but is a necessary educational step in conjunction with aggressive spay and neuter programs San Francisco style. It is not sufficient to find new homes for as many shelter Chihuahuas as possible at the expense of, guess what, more pit bulls. I realize fervent animal lovers favor this solution above all others and, maybe, even sincerely believe it to be the solution.

It is not.

Only an all out assault on puppy mills, retailers that sell puppies from the mills, backyard breeders and those that are against spay and neuter for cultural reasons has a chance of success. And let us not forget another main source of endless Chihuahua derivates: People that are afraid of becoming emasculated themselves when their macho Chihuahua undergoes the 'big snip'.

In addition, new, better and more effective spay and neuter programs will be required in order to reduce euthanasia to levels below the above rates. It will be hard, if not impossible, to achieve a permanent true no-kill status in a shelter.

Why do you think even PETA has a kill rate of close to 100 percent in at least one of their shelters?

If you do, please tell me. If you don't, I will tell you in my next article.

PJJ

Frenchie Adopts Wild Boar Piglets

While searching for articles about boar in the news worldwide I  stumbled on this story published by WCYB.com in Bristol, VA. It is noteworthy because it shows how mother instinct can transcend the limits of species. I re-publish it here in full length.

"Six abandoned wild boar piglets have found a new home with a bulldog at an animal sanctuary in Germany.
The French bulldog named Baby took to the piglets right away when they were brought in last weekend, shivering from the cold after being abandoned in a forest, officials at the Lehnitz animal sanctuary outside Berlin told The Associated Press.When the striped piglets were brought in, Baby ran over and started snuggling them and keeping them warm, sanctuary worker Norbert Damm told the AP."She thinks they're her own babies," he said.

The piglets, whose mother was likely killed by a hunter, weighed less than 2 pounds when they were brought to the sanctuary, but are being bottle-fed and growing well, Damm said.They won't be released into the wild, but could be set free in a nature reserve in about three months if they continue to thrive, he said."
WCYB.com 02/16/2012

The Curse Of 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'

A Flood of Chihuahuas is washing over animal shelters in Los Angeles Visits to animal shelters in the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County are on my list of weekly activities. One of the most noteworthy observations in the shelters is the ever increasing number of small dogs, particularly Chihuahuas and Chihuahua Mixes in almost all shelters. While pit bull type dogs used to be among the most common, if not the most common, dogs found in a dog shelter, nowadays that position of dominance is seriously challenged by all dogs small and noisy. Among them, Chihuahuas appear to be taken over the world.

Chihuahua (blue) versus all other dog intake

 Note how the number of dogs committed to shelters declines (it rises only with the economic woes). On the other hand, the number of Chihuahuas increases steadily as they become the fashion dog to have.
The draft of a still unpublished study by Los Angeles animal services gives facts and figures to confirm my hunch. Chihuahuas and their assorted mixes are increasingly becoming a major problem that taxes the resources of City animal services exceedingly, often to the detriment of other animals, dogs and cats alike, in shelter care.



Since 2001 the number of Chihuahuas showing up in city shelters has increased at a steady rate of between 14 and 29 percent annually. However, in 2008 the intake rate exploded to 53 percent. I could not find intake statistics for the years after 2008, but my experience allows me to conclude that the numbers have not come down significantly.
This impression is also bolstered by the empirical fact that my walks with my medium sized service dog feel more like running the gauntlet than taking an peaceful afternoon constitutional. Hardly a day and a walk passes without being harassed and screeched at by some diminutive wannabe Napoleon with not much more than hot air to back up a nasty attitude.

Chihuahua intake at shelters. (Source: City of Los Angeles)

The diagram above makes the point. Note the steady increase in Chihuahuas that landed in animal shelters. There is no reason to assume that this explosive trend has been broken already. There are still thousands of small tyrants to be dumped that were acquired as fashion accessories or simply because the dog in the movie was 'so cute'.
While irresponsible, misguided dog owners get away scot free when the animal has outlived his welcome or inflicted one bite too many, it is the poor dog that pays with his life for the foolishness and lack of respect for other creatures of his owner.
Consequently, with skyrocketing Chihuahua intakes, more and more of them were expedited to a better more permanent “life” at the end of the Rainbow Bridge.

Chihuahua euthanisia (Source: ibid.)

Look at the diagram showing the increasing rates of euthanasia.
Does this make Los Angeles shelters the culprit as many emotional dog lovers might claim?
No!
The real culprit for the misery and the suffering of these Chihuahuas are those who got them because it was cool to have one at home or riding around in a shoulder bag. They do not pay for the cost of their folly. They just pass on their discarded toys hoping that some merciful person or rescue group will come and get it. And on to the next toy we go . . .



I would be remiss in my evaluation of the Chihuahua problem if I did not mention another important factor that is not pointed out in the yet unpublished draft study.The city has to be politically correct. I do not have to.
Chihuahua surplus situations are not only the result of fashion statements or movies, a trait they share with, for example, Dalmatians. Chihuahuas are very popular dogs with certain ethnic groups. In my travels around Los Angeles I sometime come to neighborhoods where every single house is home to one or more of them.
What do they all have in common – besides the incessant barking and frequent nips at owners and strangers alike?
Well?
OK, I'll tell you if you do not know:
Hardly any of them are spayed or neutered. It is a very rare exception if one is.


What else do they have in common?
They never, hardly ever maybe, are on a leash, roaming the neighborhood free at all times of the day. They are only restricted at night because the coyotes would get them otherwise. If they are in rare cases on a leash, it is more often than not a flex leash.
What is the result of free roaming unaltered Chihuahua hordes?
More and more Chihuahuas.
May I humbly suggest at this point that you now go back and look one more time at the euthanasia diagram?
I repeat: Do not blame heartless city bureaucrats for 'wanton slaughter' of innocent small dogs. Blame irresponsible dog owners and breeders for not spaying and neutering the animals.
The city and the taxpayers cannot be asked to pay forever for the irresponsible actions of certain dog owners. Does the overgrown ego of a macho Chihuahua owner really get diminished when the pocket Napoleon undergoes some snipping?
You can still be proud of your barking Chihuahua that harasses dogs many times its size despite the fact that they could dispose of him in seconds. His bark is still the same – lots of hot air.
More importantly, does a little snipping on your Chihuahua really equal snipping at your manhood? I don't think so. Maybe you do . . .

And to dog rescue groups and heart-bleeding self-appointed dog rescuers I say:
The solution to the Chihuahua problem is not to rescue every little noisemaker in a shelter. You will never be able to rescue and place them all. The 'free' ones will make more Chihuahuas faster than you can ever rescue the imprisoned.
Instead true friends of dogs should stop whining and blubbering and concentrate their efforts and their funds more on convincing dog owners and potential dog owners to spay and neuter their pets. That is the real challenge; it also offers the highest reward and satisfaction. One Chihuahua neutered or spayed is better than a dozen rescued from a shelter.
Believe it or not.
Now go do the right thing!
PJJ

Want to Help Service Dogs - Call Or Write Your Lawmakers

A few days ago I found a proposal prepared by animal control authorities in one of our largest urban centers on how to reduce significantly the number of dogs killed annually in shelters. I will report on the proposal in a separate, detailed article.
One of the findings has a more or less direct bearing on the topic of my articles on working service dogs. The draft proposal proves clearly and unmistakably that the number of Chihuahuas in shelters has increased significantly in the last few years. This confirms my own finding that we are coming close to a situation where small dogs, mainly Chihuahua mixes of all sorts, outnumber the traditional bad boys of the shelter world.
Walk your medium or large sized dog in certain neighborhoods and you will see and hear that this is also true for regular life situations.
What does this have to do with working service dogs, you demand to know.
Ask any landlord or manager of an apartment building and you will hear stories of purported service dogs of that kind, talk to store managers and you will hear similar stories, question library personnel or anyone who works in public buildings and you get an earful of complaints. Almost all cases involve 'service dogs' of that nature.
Abuse of the service dog privilege is not primarily perpetrated by owners of working dogs but rather by owners of breeds that were meant and bred as pets. These dogs hardly ever can perform a 'specific task' to assist their owner. They excel maybe in being companion dogs or even therapy dogs, but that is about it. I cannot see what service three Chihuahuas on flex leashes can perform in a grocery store.


If managers, store owners or other employees of public facilities have given you and your service dog a hard time, you owe it to yourself and to other people who rely on the services of their true service dog, to write or call your senators or representatives.
They need to hear about the huge loopholes in the ADA sections related to service dogs. They need to hear about every day difficulties you experience because someone before you abused the law.
We do not need more exemptions and more vague additions to pacify vocal interest groups, we only need a better defined and formulated law.
Please, go do the right thing: Pick up the pen or crank up you computer and let your duly elected representatives know what you think about ADA and service dogs.
PJJ