pet connection

We’re all back home and (mostly) rested from our whirlwind experience at the Global Pet Expo.  Therefore, I’m getting back to the business of news updates.

Digging down for the truth about “experts”: Every journalist knows you can’t believe what you’re told at face value.  As someone I respect said to me recently, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”  Our friend KC Dog Blog takes on dogsbite.org, which purports to be an expert resource on canine attacks.   In a scathing  post, KCDog shines a bright light on this site’s questionable credentials.

For example: at the end of 2008, Dogsbite.org named Lucas County (OH) Dog Warden Tom Skeldon their “Dog Warden of the year.” Their reasoning is that “Skeldon has vigorously worked to prevent horrendous pit bull maulings resulting in serious injuries or death of human beings, their domesticated pets and livestock.”  Interestingly, in the same year that Skeldon received this “award”, the actual number of dog bites in Lucas County had gone up 23%.

So dog bites go up, and they give the man the dog warden of the year award because he is targeting ‘pit bulls’.   Does that sound like the resume of an award winner for a group advocating for public safety to you? Me neither.

Within a year of them issuing the “award”, Skeldon stepped down from his position under significant public pressure. The actual citizens who had to put up with Skeldon’s behavior, outrageous shelter kill rates and lack of improved public safety, actually forced him out of office.

There’s much more, and I encourage you to read the post, but the moral is unequivocal and should be heeded by all: When someone is pushing an agenda, don’t take their expertise for granted.  Check it out. By the way, Lucas County now has a replacement for the departed Mr. Skeldon, and she is at least saying the right things.  Time will tell.

Rhode Island veterinarian unclear on the failure of trap-kill:  Two weeks ago, I cited a study showing that for feral cat populations, trap and kill shows less efficacy and costs more than TNR.  I now realize I’m not being read widely enough in my neighboring state of Rhode Island, where the top veterinarian thinks it time for more killing.  Meanwhile, the Ocean State pet community isn’t sitting still for Dr. Scott Marshall’s proposed bill.

Dennis Tabella, director of Defenders of Animals, calls the idea “inhumane and outrageous” and says that “no cat, domestic or feral, that spends time outdoors, will be safe.”   “If this becomes law, your neighbor will be able to take your cat and turn it over to a shelter, where your cat is likely to be euthanized,” he says.

In a following paragraph from the Providence Journal-Bulletin, one line jumped out at me:

He doesn’t have any estimates of feral-cat populations, but he is not backing away from the premise of the bill.

So you have no estimates, much less any real numbers.  You therefore admit you don’t actually KNOW what your feral cat population is, yet you still believe a campaign of killing will solve your problem and represent a wise use of state tax dollars?  Exactly how does that work, Dr. Marshall?

Not all growls are created equal: I initially thought we all knew that my dog’s “play growl” when we’re having fun (playing tug of war with her favorite rope toy, for instance) is fundamentally different from her growl when she sees another dog intruding in her territory.  Science now proves there’s a difference, and that other dogs can tell one from another.  (insert sarcasm) No, really?

Clicker and mirror method training: I just love this examiner article about trainers in Hungary at the People’s Island Dog School who successfully use clicker and “Mirror” training to train for videos that have been international viral sensations. Just in case you don’t remember your intro college psych classes from way back when, mirror behavior is an effective technique in human communication.  If you’re negotiating a deal and your counterpart is leaning back in their chair, you lean back in your chair.

I have a question about my pet’s medication ….: ‘Fess up.  When you’ve had questions about medications being prescribed for your pet, did you speak up and ask the veterinarian what you wanted to know?  Did you even know what to ask?  Here’s a useful page from the FDA:   10 questions to ask about your pet’s medications.

Your dog as a font: The week wouldn’t be complete without a smile from my buddy Maria Goodavage at Dogster.   If your dog was a font, what font would he or she be?  Why did I choose Eurostile?  That’s pretty much how I felt after flying home from GPE on Sunday. Our Kim Campbell Thornton already mentioned this item, but I like it so much I’m mentioning it again.

And finally … goldfish?: Regular reader Laura Bennett, who also happens to be the boss at Embrace pet health insurance, sends us word of an imporant business development. From the Embrace blog:

Embrace Pet Insurance swims against the tide, adding goldfish health insurance coverage to its customizable product range.

Now that Embrace Pet Insurance is intimately familiar with the cat and dog health insurance market in the US, the company is leveraging its actuarial and insurance knowledge and is announcing its new customizable goldfish insurance product.

Laura Bennett, Embrace co-founder and the only goldfish insurance actuary in the US, explains the rational for such a move. “Goldfish might seem to be one dimensional and unfeeling pets to the uninitiated, but underneath their scaly exterior, they really have a heart of gold. Those who welcome goldfish into their family reap a lifetime of emotion from these loving pets.”

Embrace Pet Insurance Goldfish Mortality Table Bennett developed goldfish mortality and morbidity actuarial tables based on her own lifetime of experience raising the domesticated fish.

Before you rush to get a policy for your finned friends, you might want to check the date today. (Hint: April. Second hint: 1st.)

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Image credits:  Tom Skeldon, toledoonthemove.com.  Eurostile, dreamdogsart.

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