pet connection

Lloyd Levine may have lost his primary race, but his California legislation to force the spaying and neutering of the pets of people who aren’t putting any animals in shelters, AB 1634, is still not dead. In fact, it should return to a state Senate Committee on June 18.

You know, the bill that Mexican and Russian puppy-smugglers and ignorant, greedy and utterly clueless backyard breeders will completely ignore, paragons of civic responsibility that they are? The bill that targets reputable, ethical breeders but gives puppy-mill scum and their Internet and retail outlets a complete pass? The bill that won’t at all help the feral cat problem, or do anything about shelter reform as the nation’s shelters continue to bash the no-kill movement and do everything they can to blame everyone but themselves for not, you know, sheltering pets who need homes instead of killing them? The bill that disregards peer-reviewed scientific evidence that spaying and neutering — especially early — has risks for pets and needs to be made with informed consent as a result of a discussion between a responsible owner and a good veterinarian?

Yes, that bill. Or, at we call it here, the Pet Extinction Act, since groups like PETA are pushing hard for it. You know PETA, that animal “advocacy” group that kills more than 90 percent of the animals who come into their “shelter.”

Easy answers are rarely either, and sound-bite “solutions” are mostly crap.

I have run a breed rescue, never bred a litter and almost all my pets are spayed/neutered, even the rabbit. My kitten was just neutered at 10 weeks, a choice I made following discussions between me and my veterinarians, one of informed consent on my part. I manage to keep my only two intact dogs — one male, one female, both show champions, the boy proven as well for working ability — from producing unplanned puppies because, you know, I am strangely enough not an idiot. My girl may one day be bred — probably will be bred, in fact — after she has proven her working abilities and passed about a half-dozen expensive, documented veterinary health screenings that are a matter of public record. After considerable research, if she is bred at all it will be to a dog who is well-matched for her in all ways and who is likewise both a show champion with proven working ability, likewise certified clear of congenital health problems as a matter of public record. He may be thousands of miles away or even be passed on, the breeding the result of expensive artificial insemination with frozen studsicles. No matter. Because ethical, responsible breeders don’t make money on what they do, and don’t plan to.

I will, like any ethical, responsible breeder, always be there for any and all puppies who result. Always there for anyone who ends up with one of those puppies, too. That’s because all breeders are not the same, no matter what you’ve been told by the spittle-spewing backers of AB 1634.

I will do this, if I do, because some things are worth preserving and fighting for, and I truly do believe our heritage breeds of dogs are among them. Does that mean any of my dogs as individuals are “better” than any of those in shelters? Not at all. But it does mean that my two intact dogs are part of a larger picture, and I want to see that picture preserved.

You, responsible pet-owner, are not an idiot either, although animal rights zealots like those at PETA are sure counting on you to be. You are smart enough to see through to the real reason for legislation like AB 1634, and why animal-rights fanatics are so desperate to get these things passed. They want to pick off all domestic animals, one species at a time, so they cannot be “exploited.” That’s why they trash shelter reform, because no-kill communities embrace the idea that people want and will care for pets, given an opportunity. Not “exploit” them by keeping them “in slavery.” Care for them, as family members.

What can you do? (more…)

Hot dogs don’t float. That’s what we learned today during the bobbing for hot dogs competition at the second annual Darcy FUNDay to raise money for research into causes of and treatment for mitral valve disease in Cavaliers and other dogs.

My husband and I founded the Darcy Fund almost two years ago after losing our 6.5-year-old tricolor Cavalier to MVD. With the money raised from today’s event, it’s brought in more than $16,500 so far, which is being used to finance studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Edinburgh.

Approximately 45 Cavalier slaves brought their dogs for a day of contests–Best Costume, Best Trick, Race to Owner, the aforementioned bobbing for hot dogs and more–a raffle and silent auction and a potluck picnic. Author and pet “edu-tainer” Arden Moore spoke about cooking for dogs and the importance of weight control, all the while handing out samples of her Marvelous Mutt Meatballs to Maui the Cavalier, who kept nosing his way into the presentation in the hope of sneaking a snack. He was well rewarded.

Some of the Cavaliers tried out a mini agility course set up by Audrey Pavia, who competes in the sport with her Corgi, Nigel. Nigel was there as well, and I was disappointed Audrey didn’t enter him in the costume contest: Cavalier disguised as Corgi. Nigel’s been a good friend to our dogs over the years; he might have been able to pass. Normally I’m not in favor of dressing up dogs, but I have to say that the sailor girl here and the therapy dog/belly dancer and French sophisticate were pretty darn cute.

The silent auction and raffle raised more than $700, on top of the more than $1,000 in entry fees, about $400 more than last year. Winners went home with a set of two Cavalier art books, crates and carriers, gift certificates, books on training, treats, health and behavior, a couple of fancy wrought-iron dog beds, grooming equipment and a lot more. I don’t know who was happier, the people who won or my husband, who has patiently put up with all of this stuff piling up in our condo over the past year. He entered Harper in the “shortest ears” contest, then refused to enter any others after realizing that winning might mean taking items home again. (more…)

Tip of the hat to Pat for pointing out this AP story on behaviorist Dr. Emily Weiss of the ASPCA and her work trying to “cat”-egorize felines into personality types:

“People come in and say, I had a black and white tuxedo cat before, so that’s what I want,” says Jim Monsma of the Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C. “But cats are not all the same. They have widely divergent personalities.”

That’s why the shelter is now using the Feline-ality program, developed by behaviorist Dr. Emily Weiss of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Part of the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program, which also includes Canine-ality for dogs, the program assesses a variety of behaviors in individual cats. It rates the animals on confidence and sociability, which Weiss’ research has shown are independent of each other.

The program then tallies those assessments to place the cat into nine personality categories, which can be matched with a family’s situation and desires. [...] The program is used at 45 shelters, with additional facilities preparing to use it.

Our Pet Connection behavior team, Susan and Dr. Rolan Tripp, just wrote a piece (coming out next week) for our newspaper clients on how to judge personality types in kittens.

Cats aren’t as diverse in their personalities as dogs are, but certainly the person who wants a quiet lap-cat isn’t going to be happy with an adventurous, always in motion go-kitty. And of course the person who wants a playful, engaged cat will find the lap-kitty too boring.

I’m glad shelters are trying to look at feline personality types to help people make a better match.

Completely unrelated: Check out the lattice mane braid (click the image to see it larger) done and photographed by the amazing Sarah K. Andrew, lead photographer for our Ultimate Horse Lover book. Sarah, you rock! (I also like this picture revealing the secret of the equine photographer: Who needs a tripod when you have a quad-pod?)

More completely unrelated, but way cool: Thanks to everyone who sent me this one:

When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught - recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor’s roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.

He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.

“I’m Mr. Yosuke Nakamura,” the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

Not just “Yosuke Nakamura” but “Mr. Yosuke Nakamura”! Ha!

Alexandra Roumbas of the Dogs Trust in the the United Kingdom dropped me a note about a post on their blog, on case studies where dogs have helped people with a range of issues from Asperger’s Syndrome and depression to lack of confidence.

“Sometimes saving a life is different from classic image of pulling someone from a burning building,” she writes.

True, and here’s the link to that post.

Now, the really strange thing: I was drinking coffee from a Dogs Trust cup when I opened her e-mail, my first e-mail ever from anyone at Dogs Trust. Now, this is not like a mug from my local SPCA. I picked up the cup more than four years ago, at a booth (well, in England I believe it’s more properly called a “stall”) at the Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England.

I have lots and lots of cups. How strange to be drinking from that particular one at that particular moment! (Cup pictured below, with my dog Woody in the background — the real dog, not the metal one!)

I don’t have a problem with PETA advocating for animal rights, although I do not agree with their agenda which, if followed to its simple, logical conclusion, would mean the eventual end of all domestic animals, including pets.

This is America, after all, and you can advocate for any point of view you want. What I have long had a problem with is PETA jumping into every animal-related issue and neglecting to mention that agenda, which is, in PETA’s words, that “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment.”

That’s why, like Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly, I have a problem with PETA demanding the reform of horse-racing, when in fact what they surely want is abolition. I felt the same way when PETA showed up in support for the Michael Vick dogs, even though PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk has written in favor of pit bull bans. Again, she’s entitled to her opinion, but her organization needs to be consistently open about these views in their outreach to animal lovers, especially the majority of us who don’t share them. This is even more important when fund-raising is involved.

As it stands, what PETA has put out regarding horse-racing is disingenuous.

On Dolittler, Dr. Khuly writes in response to a PETA e-mail (which she reproduces in her post):

1-How does sanctioning the jockey fit into this? Since Sunday when this news broke (sans e-mail), I’ve been marveling at PETA’s dumbfoudingly ridiculous jab at the jockey. What’s that all about? Almost all those jockeys whipped their horses. Why not call for a uniform suspension of all jockeys?

2-And the trainer? Show me one that bests Big Brown’s for his well-documented, disgusting, horse-doping behavior. After examining this guy’s pedigree, you’ll never convince me that Eight Belles’ trainer deserves a special sanction over all the other guys in his field—just because his horse was the one to go down.

3-And finally, am I really to believe that PETA seeks to reform the sport? If their approach to pets is any measure, it’s clear to me they’d love nothing better than to see the entire shebang shut down overnight and its animals summarily dispatched by a bevy of vets wielding pink juice.

But they don’t say so. Nope—they won’t. They’d rather have you believe their aims are to make the sport safer. Their target? The average animal lover who wants to believe they’re helping animals wherever they can…even if it takes sending PETA a few bucks to help make it happen.

Look, horse-racing has had years — decades, really — to work on its downward spiral, and it hasn’t. Let’s take it all the way back to the first time it lost lots of fans: The day Ruffian died. And then … Go For Wand in the Breeders Cup (worst catatrophic breakdown I’ve ever seen) … more fans gone, unable to stomach the carnage. Barbaro, of course, and now Eight Belles. Plus thousands and thousands of cheap claimers no one ever paid attention to, dying on the days when you could count track attendance in the hundreds, not the hundreds of thousands as on Derby Day.

Instead of reforming, American horse-racing chose to look the other way on rampant drug use that keeps horses who shouldn’t be running on the track. It chose to embrace and accelerate the “quick return on investment” trends by concentrating faster, more fragile breeding lines, and by pushing young horses to the breaking point, literally. It stuck to its BS traditions instead of actively seeking changes that would make the sport safer for horses and jockeys alike, such as moving away from fast, hard dirt tracks towards more racing on turf and synthetic tracks.

Instead of working to keep or even grow a base of fans, racing decided to double-down on a losing bet, chasing a smaller and smaller pool of dying off horse-racing gamblers (younger gamblers play online poker or go to casinos) and demanding of state legislatures that racetracks be allowed to put in slot machines to prop up the falling profits.

Much as I loathe PETA’s opportunistic concern for race horses — where were they the day before the Derby, when I was writing about these issues? — horse-racing brought this on itself. They had a chance to make changes after Barbaro, but they haven’t done much. (Especially with regard to drug use … nada.)

Horse-racing is not getting it even yet, but they’d damn well better, and soon.

Unlike PETA, Dr. Khuly and I truly are calling for reform, not secretly hoping for an end to horse-racing. You can start by refusing to watch any more Triple Crown races. And letting the tracks, the networks and the sponsors know why.