Austin approves no kill policy: The Austin, Texas, city council last week approved a no kill plan for the city’s major shelter.  From the Austin American-Statesman:

The plan includes three dozen provisions aimed at reducing euthanizations and increasing adoptions. The plan’s goal is, within two years, to have 90 percent of the animals leave the shelter alive. The city euthanized 7,003 animals last year, or 32 percent of the animals it took in.[...]

There are still funding questions to be worked out, and as always the devil is in the details, but the Austin city council deserves a hearty handshake for standing up for what’s right. And no, there’s no truth to the rumor that they did it just to impress Christie, who was there for the  South By Southwest Interactive conference.

Georgia House sends  Grace’s Law to Senate: Gas chambers for animals are one step closer to becoming a thing of the past in Georgia after the House approved HB 788 by a vote of 115-46.   We haven’t crossed the goal line yet, though.  Now it’s on to the Georgia state senate for consideration, and after that, Gov. Sonny Purdue’s desk. Purdue, interestingly enough, is one of very few veterinarians holding public office.

Pets returning to Santa Cruz? If you live in Santa Cruz, Calif., you haven’t been able to walk your dog (or any pet, for that matter) on downtown’s main drag since 1976.  That may change soon.  The downtown merchant’s association voted overwhelmingly to recommend the city council repeal the ban, in order to add shoppers who might like to bring their pooches with them (like the dog peering out of the passing vehicle).   From the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

The Downtown Association’s specific recommendation includes the following restrictions:

• Leashes can be no shorter than 3 feet and no longer than 5 feet.
• No dogs after dark.
• No panhandling with dogs.
• A maximum of three dogs gathered together in close proximity.

Widening pet access often comes about as a result of grassroots efforts, and in this case a driving force is a woman named Whitney Wilde:

The founder of Woofers and Walkers, a dog-walking group that advocates for responsible ownership and expanded access, has collected at least 335 signatures for a council petition to repeal the ban.

“Everybody is so happy,” she said.

I wasn’t able to get confirmation as to whether or not banana slugs (the mascot of the University of California, Santa Cruz) would be allowed downtown, but I doubt it.

Pyrethrin suit in New Jersey: A series of lawsuits over the use of pyrethrin in flea and tick control products have been filed, alleging pets have been sickened by the medication, and violations of New Jersey consumer fraud laws.  The Morning Call of Allentown and Lehigh Valley and North Jersey.com say the suits have been filed  in New Jersey, as four of the five defendant companies are based in the state:

Secaucus-based Hartz Mountain Corp., Summit VetPharm LLC of Rutherford, Morristown-based Bayer Healthcare LLC, Merck & Co. Inc. of Whitehouse Station and Sanofi-Aventis Inc. of Bridgewater are named as defendants in suits filed over the last four months.[...]

Five pet owners filed suit against Hartz Mountain and Summit VetPharm last week in U.S. District Court in Newark, alleging that their flea or tick treatments contained Pyrethrin, or a synthetic version of the chemical Pyrethroids, which are ”known to poison animals.”

The suit accuses the companies of negligence, violating New Jersey’s consumer fraud law and liability for creating an ”unreasonably dangerous product.” The products named include Hartz Ultra Guard flea and tick drops and Summit VetPharm’s Vectra 3d.

Sergeant’s Pet Care Products, based in Nebraska, and Merial Ltd of Georgia are also named as defendants.  From NorthJersey.com:

Rich Parsons of California said he worried he might be carrying fleas when he returned from helping reconstruct parts of the Mississippi Gulf after Hurricane Katrina, and might infect his Scottish Terrier, Duffy. So Parsons treated his dog with Hartz flea and tick drops, the suit says.

“Duffy tragically died at the veterinarian’s facility three days later,” the suit says. It adds that the veterinarian said the death was due to a “reaction to the insecticide.”

In related news, the EPA announced it would be stepping up efforts to make topical flea and tick products safer for pets:

Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said new restrictions will be placed on flea and tick products, with additional changes for specific products likely — including possible changes in some product formulas.

[....]

The EPA said it received 44,263 reports of harmful reactions associated with topical flea and tick products in 2008, up from 28,895 in 2007. Reactions ranged from skin irritations to vomiting to seizures to, in about 600 cases, death of an animal.

[....]

In a 29-page report, the EPA said the majority of problems for dogs occurred in smaller dogs, weighing 10 to 20 pounds. Some incidents occurred when products intended for larger dogs were given to smaller animals, the report said. Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, miniature poodles, Pomeranians and dachshunds were among breeds where problems occurred the most, the EPA said.

Similarly, many problems for cats occurred when they were given treatments intended for dogs. The EPA is likely to require companies to revamp labels to clarify that products intended for dogs should never be used on cats, Owens said.

No dog insurance necessary in Great Britain:  It was a silly idea, anyway.  However, there’s one line in the story that I must share with you:

The opposition Conservatives accused ministers of turning the issue into a “political dog’s dinner.”

Irish kitteh: And finally, since I didn’t have a chance to check in yesterday, a late St. Patrick’s Day smile, courtesy of lolcats, a tiny little division of Icanhascheezburger.com :

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

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.

Photo credit:  Hopeful dog in Santa Cruz, Dan Coyro/Sentinel.

Throughout the day, our systems confront a dizzying array of pathogens. If we are healthy, we have a good chance of fending off these disease-causing agents and repairing damaged tissue while carrying on complex chemical reactions. These normal, physiologic defense mechanisms keep our systems humming happily in a state of homeostasis.

Even though the length of our life depends on numerous variables and many fall outside of our control, we do have myriad opportunities to improve our quality of life if we tune in to health and tune out stress. The same principles of reducing stress to restore health apply to our animal companions.

Stress, whether physical, mental, or emotional, upsets both the mind and body. Individuals may resort to self-destructive behaviors or habits as maladaptive coping mechanisms. As a result of stress, pain increases, blood pressure goes up, and circulation to and from our organs diminishes, further compromising their ability to normalize function after illness. Physical problems become harder to treat and often turn chronic in the face of unrelenting stress.

These days, drug companies are more than ready, willing, and able to sell us medications for stress, but why not find ways to stop the problem at its source?

Let’s consider, for example, how stress affects our canine companions and what we can do about it.

Eyes

What’s stressful? Television (flashing lights), boredom (lack of visual stimulation), cigarette or other sources of smoke and pollution, blindness.

Natural ways to relieve eye stress: Shut off the TV, provide walks in nature and safe toys in a healthful and stimulating environment. Stop smoking and provide fresh air. For blind dogs, keep furniture in the same place so dogs learn the layout and cope better with blindness if medical treatment is not an option.

Ears

What’s stressful? Acoustic stress, such as TV (again), loud music, other dogs barking, humans arguing, loud children, video games, car alarms, home construction, slamming doors, etc. Thunderstorms leading to noise phobias.

Natural ways to relieve ear stress: As the canine music therapy folks at “Through a Dog’s Ear” advise, take a “sonic inventory” of your environment to uncover and pinpoint noise pollution in your home. Once you realize how much and how often your dog’s ultra-sensitive ears endure the cacophony of human existence, you can work to eliminate this form of stress. Replace noxious noise with quietude and/or slow, specifically formulated music such as that from “Through a Dog’s Ear.”You’ll be surprised by how rapidly it alters the psychological atmosphere for the better.

Natural approach to thunderstorm phobia: An anti-static cape called the Storm Defender was developed and tested as a means to protect dogs against static buildup, the idea being that thunderstorm phobia might arise from dogs’ fear of shocks from static during unstable weather patterns. However, placebo-controlled research suggests that the benefit of snug-fitting canine capes and related apparel involves the comfort of tactile pressure rather than static electricity reduction. These mechanisms would then closely correspond to the “squeeze machines” designed to reduce tension and anxiety in autistic children.

Nose

What’s stressful? Strong odors, including perfumes, excessive or irritating essential oils, hair spray, air fresheners, cigarette and other types of smoke.

Natural ways to relieve odor stress: Instead of relying on air fresheners to mask odors, eliminate their source. What’s bad for your dog to inhale is also bad for you, and this includes airborne chemicals! For anxiety and fear, some find success with DAP, or dog-appeasing pheromone. Lavender aromatherapy has shown value in reducing restlessness in dogs in shelter environments, but how much is too much is unknown. I have given clients and myself headaches by using too much lavender aromatherapy in exam rooms.

Mouth/Digestive System Stress

What’s stressful? Poor diet and dentition (teeth). Lack of fresh water. Having to compete with other dogs for food, fear of being attacked while eating, etc. Low quality food, or the same food every day. Difficult to chew or swallow food. Bad-tasting or rancid food. Food that causes indigestion, gastrointestinal inflammation or infection, and malabsorption syndromes caused by pancreatic problems.

Natural ways to relieve mouth-related and digestive system stress: Regular dental examinations and prophylactic cleaning. Fresh, clean water and well-balanced nutrition. Peace and safety while eating. Dietary changes may help as well, ensuring enough protein and digestive enzymes if indicated. Some supplement with tryptophan or other serotonin precursors to impart relaxation and counter depression.

Body, or Whole-System Stress

What’s stressful? Acute and chronic illness is typically uncomfortable and stressful. Temperature stress and climatic factors such as wind and exposure to rain, snow, and ice produce different types of stress. Untreated or undertreated pain takes a long-term toll on health. Excessive exercise (“weekend warrior syndrome”) or imprudent rehabilitation practices can worsen spinal disease and joint pain and cause fear, stress, and more pain in dogs that are exercised beyond their capacity or limitations.

Natural ways to relieve body stress: Comfortable living area and supportive bed, temperature-controlled setting safe from the elements outdoors, regular moderate exercise, medical and home massage and/or other body-benefiting treatments. Some dogs enjoy heating pads or the application of cold on painful areas; what is appropriate depends on the individual and whether the pain responds better to heat or cold.

The list goes on and on. I welcome your input and feedback on what you find helps keep stress at bay in your own dog and cat families. But remember, just as it’s important not to cover up harmful or offensive odors with air fresheners, it’s important not to whitewash an illness by attributing it to “just stress”. The best way to address a bladder infection, a painful tooth, or disk disease is through definitive veterinary care and regular physical examinations.

.
Pretty cool dog-training, absolutely. But I gotta wonder: Do people in England recognize that’s the theme from “Hawaii 5-0″? Also: Do you get extra points for wearing shorts in March? When I was at Crufts a few years back, it was freeeeezzzzinggggg.

My daughter, Mikkel Becker Shannon, and I are in Los Angeles talking to producers about a possible new television show. We brought along our number one spokespug, Mikkel’s dog Willy. We figured we can’t resist him, so most likely the producers wouldn’t be able to, either.

We flew down with him from Spokane, and because he’s both small and well-trained, he was able to fly in the cabin with us. Even before we boarded he was charming his fellow passengers. From Mikkel:

We flew from Spokane to Salt Lake City, and then to Los Angeles. I thought that flying with a dog in the cabin would be stressful and that I’d have to keep him in his carrier while we were in the airport, but I was able to have him out with no hassles other than a few barks exchanged with another dog.

Most travelers and staff at airports are hurried and distracted, but dozens of people, including many airline employees, stopped to get some mutt lovin’, and they each had stories of their own dogs. It was best training experience for Willy, as he was totally immersed in new experiences — all types of people, sounds and different footing, from slick tile to escalator steps.

The best thing of all about the travel portion of our trip was what we found at Los Angeles International Airport: a completely fenced dog yard with a water fountain and bowl, pooper scooper bags and, of course, the essential fire hydrant.

We checked into the Ritz Carlton at Marina del Rey, where Willy’s rock star treatment continued. They even gave him his own specially bottled doggy water and gift box.

This was Willy’s first time on a plane, first time dipping a paw in the ocean (and tasting it, not a particularly successful experiment), and first time wheeling and dealing with the Hollywood power machine.

He visited Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, the Polo Lounge (outside only, due to public health laws he’s working on having overturned), Grauman’s Chinese Theater and Universal Studios.

Traveling with pets isn’t always as easy as it is with Willy. He has the right temperament and he’s had the best training and socialization. He’s even a Delta Society registered Pet Partner:

Delta Society’s Pet Partners program trains volunteers and screens volunteers and their pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other facilities.

The Pet Partners program was established in 1990 to ensure that “both ends of the leash,” people as well as animals, were well-prepared to participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. Pet Partners is the only national registry that requires volunteer training and screening of animal-handler teams.

Delta Society’s national network links volunteers with facilities in their own communities that request visiting pets and helps Pet Partners contact facilities to begin visits in new locations.

And he’s pretty good with the Hollywood moguls, too.

Photos by Dr. Marty Becker. You can view more photos from Willy’s Hollywood adventure on Dr. Becker’s Facebook fan page.

• $12 million will be appropriated to build a brand new shelter, and more importantly
• Austin will commit itself to a citywide no-kill policy, joining Charlottesville, Va., and Reno, among others.

Congratulations, Austin.

Microchip and insurance requirement in the UK? There’s a movement afoot in the United Kingdom to mandate microchips for all dogs.  A separate proposal would require  dog owners to buy insurance against injury to a third party.   I don’t like this as compulsory policy, but I was interested in reading Dr. Shawn Messonnier’s opinion on this.

Speaking of reporting back, an update on a previously discussed story:

No bark-softening in the Bay State: Following up on previous stories discussing the controversy over bark softening (also called debarking and devocalization), the Massachusetts House voted 150-1 last week to prohibit the procedure for any reason other than the health of the animal.   Petside’s opinion on the matter is clear:

This cruel and unnecessary procedure, along with tail docking and feline declawing, has already been humanely banned throughout the United Kingdom. But, sadly to say I was unable to find any other state in this country that has either passed or that has pending legislation to ban this senseless and dangerous surgery. In fact, California, New Jersey and Ohio have already attempted to broadly ban the procedure without any success.

…or Arizona, for that matter: Meanwhile, Chandler, Ariz. would rather assault the dogs in and near its parks with high frequency sound (thanks for that one, Anne T).

[T]he proximity to homes where backyard dogs might be exposed could upset neighborhood dogs that aren’t barking but sense they are being punished, Smith said.

Kimberly Searles, spokeswoman for the Arizona Humane Society, said the Dog Silencer “does have the potential to negatively affect dogs who are not barking, in that it can make them not want to go to the dog park if doing so is going to hurt their ears.”

You have the right to remain silent….you have the right to an attorney.  However, your pet doesn’t.  At least not in Switzerland.  (thanks, Deb)

Like, totally vetted, man: OK class, pop quiz time.  Hey, pipe down in back.  If you’ve studied this won’t be a problem.  Everyone check out that red bar on the left side of the page where all the interesting pet blogs are listed.  See anything different?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Two links are missing.  Which ones?  Nobody?  OK, I’ll give you the answer.  Pet Connection’s BFF Dr. Patty Khuly has started a brand new blog, called “Fully Vetted.”  It’s an amalgamation of her two older blogs, Dolittler and Daily Vet.  You’ll notice they’re both gone.  This will be easier for her, and of course (more importantly), easier for me to get all the good stuff in once place.

Not so much for the tootsies: And Dr. Khuly has already started us off with a short but totally sensible mini-rant on why she’d prefer not to trim toenails (I presume she’s referring to those of the pets she sees).

Let’s be honest: a dog that gets a nail trim once a year is receiving an all-but-useless service that only serves to make him more afraid of the veterinarian’s office. After all, they’ll have grown out within a month or two — less in some cases. And some dogs really don’t need trimming at all as long as they walk on surfaces that sufficiently file their toenails.

That’s why I’ve begun a campaign to reduce nail trims at my workplace. Unless the animal is easily amenable or under anesthesia, annual or semi-annual nail trims are counterproductive when conducted by a veterinarian or her staff. You want his nails trimmed? Go to the groomer. Go to PetSmart. Go anywhere else except the place where stress should be minimized for medical reasons.

She’s right.  I don’t remember the last time we had to trim Cami and Harry’s nails.

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.

Photo credits:  Austin skyline, utexas.edu. Pink nails, petmd.com.

My cat Dickens has health issues that meant a diet change, but he arrived here at the age of 9 months as a kibble addict. When we discovered he had struvite crystals at the age of one and a half, I tried to incorporate canned food, but he wasn’t having any of it. Apparently canned food is, in this cat’s opinion, inedible.

He’s not alone. Dr. Lisa Peterson of CatInfo.org says that cats are often extremely hard to switch from one diet to another. Many are “addicted” to kibble, but more and more feline experts are suggesting that diets high in moisture content are healthier for cats. Others need to make the switch to a diet formulated for a specific health problem. Either way, diet change can be a difficult prescription to fill:

There are few things in life more frustrating than dealing with a finicky cat. The members of this species can be incredibly “set in their ways” when it comes to their dietary preferences. Cats, like children, often resist what is best for them.

The two most frequent comments that I hear from people when trying to convince them to feed their cats a healthier diet are “my cat won’t eat canned food” and “but my cat really likes his dry food.” Children really like potato chips and ice cream but that certainly does not mean those food items constitute optimal nutrition.

The transition process often involves much more than just plunking down a new food item. Time, patience, and tricks are often required.

One reason that cats like dry food so much is because the pet food companies do not play fair when manufacturing this sub-optimal food source. They coat the kibble with extremely enticing animal digest sprays which are very pleasing to a cat – making a poor quality diet very desirable to the target animal.

In addition to the aforementioned coating of dry food with animal digests, another issue is one of a crunchy texture which is very different from canned food. Cats are very resistant to such a drastic change in the texture of their food.

What can owners do? Fortunately, Dr. Peterson has suggestions and step-by-step tips:

The key is to do it slowly and with patience and incorporate various tricks for the stubborn cats. The most important issue is actually making the change, not how fast you accomplish it. I must say that my cats tested every ounce of patience I had over a 3 + month period of time during their transition from dry to canned food. They had been on dry food their entire lives and did not recognize canned food as food. My cats ranged in age from 2 years to 10 years at the time of the transition.

The single biggest mistake I see people make time and again is to say that their cat “won’t touch” the new food and then panic and fill up the bowl with dry food. In many cases, it is simply not that easy to get cats off of dry food! So, roll up your sleeves and be prepared to patiently out-stubborn your cat.

Boiled down to the basics, Dr. Peterson recommends switching diets when a cat is healthy, not when he gets sick. She recommends starting by mixing the two types of food together, and not to free feed because no one will change when they’re not hungry. You will end up throwing away some unconsumed canned food.

On the flip side, never let them go without eating for more than 24 hours maximum because they could get the potentially fatal hepatic lipidosis.

She offers numerous tips – freezing tuna water, sprinkling parmesan cheese, offering deli meat, dipping some kibble in juice from the can, crush the kibble and sprinkle it over the wet food, pet the cat while he’s eating wet food, and so on. The real trick is to have lots of patience for these enigmatic pets (or as I often call them, c*ts.) This is where we all need to stand up to the yowling and not buckle under to the pressure of the pleas. Keep reminding yourself that this change is the best thing for their health, and therefore for your peace of mind and wallet.

A year after Dickens had struvite crystals, he was having increasing difficulties with chronic constipation. I changed his kibble, shaved his long hair into a lion cut, gave him canned pumpkin, and gave him a stool softener at every meal. At the advice of a feline specialist I work with at the Veterinary Information Network, I made other changes. I started him off with little bits of heated, cooked chicken and then stopped heating it. Then I increased the amount of chicken. Then I started incorporating a commercial raw chicken mix  (I don’t even prepare food for myself most of the time.) Eventually he was eating only the raw chicken mixture, with the exception of an occasional rodent.

On Christmas day, Dickens and I spent the morning in the ER where he had an enema that removed a two-inch “clay-like” piece of stool. This blockage meant we were back to the drawing board for his diet.

Through trial and error with my veterinarian, we’ve arrived at a solution that seems to work for his obstipation (that’s the fancy word for chronic constipation).  Half of his meal is chicken I cook, and the other half is a high fiber kibble. He gets stool softener with every meal. Once or twice a week he gets flavored chewable cisapride.  Once in a great while I’ll use tuna instead of chicken. I want to get to the point where he’s not eating any kibble again, but for the moment this delicate balance of food is working for his urinary and digestive issues.

The good news is that he does not seem to have megacolon. The bad news is that we don’t know what’s wrong, but his low folate levels have improved, he’s gained weight, he’s pooping and peeing pretty normally, so for right now he’s doing well. Now he eats the chicken before he eats the kibble, whereas before kibble was his world. His diet over his lifetime – and his third birthday is in a couple of weeks – will undoubtedly see saw depending on his health issues.

The more willing he is to eat whatever is best for him at  any given time, the better off he’ll be. We all need to remember that and ignore the yowling, even if the neighbors think you are somehow torturing your c*ts.

The fact is a humble item can have the power of life over death.

That item? A leash.

Every day, veterinary hospitals everywhere receive thousands of trauma patients. For many of them, the lack of a simple leash led to injury. Some fell prey to the unlatched gate, some the open door and an opportunistic dash for freedom, but for many it is the naive belief that their master’s voice holds more sway than the tasty squirrel across the road.

In an instant, a joyful romp turns to tragedy, all set to the soundtrack of squealing tires and screaming brakes.

It is simply amazing the amount of trauma two tons of onrushing steel and aluminum can wreak upon tiny, furry bodies in just a split-second of impact. I am constantly amazed these impacts are even survivable.  Collapsed lungs, torn diaphragms, ruptured bladders, broken bones — these are all the sometimes invisible outcomes of trauma. Some of the injuries are dramatic and obvious, such as the many patients we see in ER with open fractures (what used to be called “compound” fractures, where the broken bones protrude from the skin). Some are more subtle, sometimes taking hours or even days to become apparent.

But most of these injuries were preventable with just a bit of planning and common sense.

When we are are faced with a trauma victim as doctors, we have a unique opportunity. Many trauma patients were perfectly healthy prior to getting injured, and can get right back to their previously scheduled lives after we patch them up — if nothing too serious is going on. But separating the seriously injured from the merely bruised and beaten can involve a mountain of testing and anxious waiting.

Not all accidents can be prevented, and most pet owners, especially the kind who read PetConnection, are responsible and have their pet’s safety topmost in their minds.  But there are still the lucky few out there who have managed to dodge a bullet for a while and walk with their dogs off-leash, or allow their dogs to roam unfenced. Luck tends to run out after a while, and I am here to tell you the consequences can be deadly. Costly and heart-wrenching for you, deadly for your dog.

Perhaps a bit of the glorious, glamorous and dangerous history of the dog leash (or ‘docg leigsh‘ as it was known in the original Gaelic) will convince some to adopt it.

Invented by by Archibald MacLeish in 1715 in Glasgow,  the leash was originally made of sheep parts that were deemed too awful to include in a Haggis. MacLeish’s wife, Peter (known to their close friends as Lucy), grew tired of the mountains of sheep innards that were scattered about their humble home and pestered her husband to do something about it.

At the same time, the neighbors just to the east of the MacLeish’s had a litter of Scottish Whisky Hounds. Now, nothing is cuter than a puppy,  but as those puppies grew up they were drawn to the overpowering and irresistible smell of sheep offal that wafted over from the MacLeish’s (a series of events which, coincidentally, gave rise to the common Gaelic saying of cluthd grrewl cwm ngongo lgthulan, or “cuter than a puppy covered in sheep pancreas”).

The neighbors, frustrated at having their prize sporting dogs come home every afternoon covered in intestines and pancreas (as cute as that is) decided to take matters into their own hands.  They built a sturdy fence and walked the dogs using the only available source of linear and easily knotted material available in highland Scotland in 1715 –  those selfsame sheep intestines! Invention surely is the bastard child of necessity.

Every time the neighbors would take one of the dogs for a walk, one would ask the other for a ‘MacLeish.’ Over time, and after a few rounds at the pub, this was shortened to, simply, a leash.

We don’t get too many chances in life to prevent badness and there’s no going back once your dog gets hit.  Don’t squander this chance: please use a MacLeish.

Dr. Waters’ team spent a decade collecting and analyzing medical histories, longevity, and causes of death for 119 Rottweilers in the United States and Canada that survived to 13 years of age. These dogs were compared with a group of 186 Rottweilers with more typical longevity.

Researchers found that female Rottweilers have a distinct survival advantage over males—a trend also documented in humans. That advantage appears to be determined by whether the female dog is sexually intact, however. “Taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage,” Dr. Waters said.

This isn’t just an interesting factoid that will impact the spay-neuter debate with respect to dogs.  It could have a lot to say about research into human longevity as well.

Dr. Parker’s group studied more than 29,000 women who underwent a hysterectomy for benign uterine disease. The findings showed that the benefits of ovary removal—protection against ovarian, uterine, and breast cancer—were outweighed by an increased mortality rate from other causes. As a result, longevity was cut short in women who lost their ovaries before the age of 50, compared with those who kept their ovaries for at least 50 years.

How ovaries affect longevity in Rottweilers is not understood, but Dr. Waters’ research points to a new set of research questions, recalibrating the conversation about removing ovaries.

Breed-specific legislation redux: Florida legislators are throwing the baby out with the bathwater by moving toward enacting sloppy, breed-specific laws again, substantively reversing their prohibition of such a thing more than 10 years ago.  The bill under consideration is Florida HB 543 (Senate version: SB 1276).

In effect, they will be turning back the clock to a time when blaming the dog, independent of contextual evidence, was acceptable.   State Rep. Thurston (D-Plantation) isn’t suggesting any move towards owner responsibility.   And the fact that identifying breeds accurately is, at best, a crapshoot, has eluded Thurston, as well as his co-sponsors.    Solving those problems can’t be done through the legislative process.  The losers here will be good, innocent dogs and responsible owners. If you live in Florida, it ’s time to make your voice heard (thanks to Cathy A for the cite).

Cat killed despite microchip:  Sorry, but we’re not done with the Sunshine State yet.    A couple in Broward county lost their Bengal cat, O’Malley.  Fortunately, O’Malley was microchipped.  That’s good, right?  If he is found by authorities, he can be quickly identified and returned to his anxious parents.   Good news:  O’Malley was found by the authorities.  Bad news, according to the Sun-Sentinel: he was put to death anyway.

The cat’s death has the family and county commissioners wondering if the scandal-plagued agency – which was restructured in 2008 after facing criticism for animal abuse and misconduct – has reformed its ways. The county is apologizing, but officials aren’t sure what exactly happened and are waiting for an internal investigation to be completed.[...]

An audit of the agency two years ago found food for dogs and cats in short supply, animal carcasses rotted in maggot-infested bags and workers taking valuable dogs for their own profits. Officials were forced to change procedures to reduce the problems.

“I’m furious,” said Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, who led the drive to reform the agency. “I’m tired of it – how many years will this keep going on?”

Excellent question, Mr. Mayor.

For some good news, we fly up to New York…

The angel of Union Square: Emelinda Narvaez has rescued 10,000 dogs out of her mobile van in lower Manhattan.  You read that right.  Ten thousand dogs.    This profile of Ms. Narvaez, a cancer survivor herself, shows her to be a truly remarkable woman.

[She] believes dogs are the “Angels of This Earth.” But to the more than 10,000 dogs she’s rescued in New York, Emelinda is the angel. She does her miracle work through her nonprofit, Earth Angels, a no-kill canine rescue and adoption organization established to rescue homeless and abandoned dogs.

For the past 41 years, every single day, rain, shine or sleet, Emelinda has been saving dogs on the streets and taking canines from overcrowded shelters (that otherwise would’ve been euthanized). She then nurses the dogs back to health and finds happy, healthy homes for her four-legged friends.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Emelinda.  I have to agree with the author of the Huffington Post article, on behalf of the 10,000 lucky dogs.  You are the angel.

Bow to wow: Now let’s hop on the subway and head a little north, to midtown.  We’re stopping at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.  As part of the adoption drive for Animal Care & Control of NYC, a gorgeous golden retriever named Bailey was on the set of The Today Show last week.   Also present was gold medal winning U.S. Olympian Steven Holcomb, pilot of the victorious and historic “Night Train” four-man bobsled team (the U.S. had never won a gold in bobsled before the Vancouver Games).  Steve met Bailey, and promptly adopted her…a golden for a gold medal winner  (a golden tip of the cap to Jennifer Fearing of the HSUS for the story).

Paws for poetry: Switching gears entirely … April is National Poetry Month. (I learn so many interesting tidbits on this beat.)  In celebration, I’m volunteering you, so listen up.  Paws for Poetry is running a contest, and you are invited. See rules and regulations here for prizes and details.  The deadline is April 15, so you have a little more than  a month.  Good luck!

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.

Photo credits:  Chow and pit bull terrier: Laura Dapkus, examiner.com.  Steve and Bailey: msnbc.com.

Four voices on lessons learned:

This world is too precious not to take an active role in understanding its other tenants.  While killer whales will always remain wild animals and command respect and reverence, gifted animal trainers like Dawn Blancheau and Julie Scardina devote their lives to furthering the boundaries of relationships humans can have with them. Dawn gave her life in the name of science and discovery, and her efforts brought enlightenment to thousands of people.

Second, consider Jean-Michel Cousteau’s compelling, eloquent YouTube commentary.   Next, a response from widely respected training guru Karen Pryor’s clickertraining.com blog.  Finally, our friend Heather’s sharply acerbic rant the day of the tragedy in the most wonderful RaisedByWolves.

Drive or walk — not both: The weird story of the week comes to us from the London Guardian.   A 23-year old man in County Durham had his license revoked after he was caught walking his dog — from his CAR.

Sharon Lowrie, prosecuting, said a cyclist alerted police that two men were dragging a dog along from a car. She said: “The driver was hanging on to the dog’s lead through the driver window, approaching a blind summit.” [...]

Paul Donoghue, defending, said Railton had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. “He accepts it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness. He does not usually drive in a such a manner,” Donoghue said.

“Not usually”?  Why does that not make me feel better?

The problem with bad breeders: One more example of FAIL, courtesy of trusty reader/researcher Susan and the fabulousness of YesBiscuit…we take you to Greenville, South Carolina.  A pit bull breeder had entirely too many dogs of the wrong color.   Well, he can’t dump them with his pickup, right?  So he drops them off at the Greenville Animal Shelter in a U-Haul.

Shelter manager Shelly Simmons says it’s evidence of a growing problem…. “We’ve never had a U-Haul before,” she said.  Simmons said the owners were trying to breed “blue” pit bulls because they sell for higher prices. Instead, they got 17 puppies in every color except blue.”You have amateur breeders who try to have puppies for the wrong reason and when they do that they end up over their heads,” Simmons said.

This isn’t funny.  The Greenville facility where the puppies were dumped is a kill shelter.   I won’t get into the whole fallacy of the color issue.  It’s bad enough as it is.

Beautiful and amazingly creative furnishings: Another tip from YesBiscuit….if you have a cat, need a new coffee table and have the money to spend, you have got to check this out.  A seriously gorgeous table with an integrated cat hammock.  You read that right: cat hammock.

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 email.

Photo credits:  Trainer with whale, KCPT. Cat table, O VALOR DO DESIGN, via bookofjoe.com.

Now I am not and have never been a fan of breed specific legislation and have written and talked about this numerous times. But as a former Marine, I know fighting the Marine Corps would be difficult, so in this instance, we decided our efforts should go towards helping the residents of base housing keep their family dogs.

As I posted here previously, our association was a little rocky at the start; very few of the dogs had any training and almost all needed at least some basic obedience training. But the owners were motivated, we had three dogs pass the CGC within a month, and many more were in training.

In the first few months we had a few dogs show aggression towards other dogs that was worrisome and we had two who showed aggression towards people. But overall, things settled down and we have been working dogs through the training they needed and most passed the CGC. More will pass this month.

The deadline for the dogs passing the CGC is rapidly approaching – April 1. Now we’re seeing the dogs who have known — to their owners — behavioral problems. Far too many owners tell us their dog never leaves the house or backyard because they can’t control him.  We’ve had a few walk into our training yard so aggressively we can’t deal with them at all.

This past week, a Rottie scared me badly and I don’t scare easily. And they have two kids at home. Plus the woman kept making excuses for him, “He was trained as a puppy but the kids keep me busy now. His jumping on you (and wrapping his front legs around your body and holding on while staring you in the eyes) is friendly.” Yeah, right, lady, his hackles were up and he was growling.  He’s not going to pass the CGC.

In more than 25 years of dog training, I’ve been bitten a few times. But, when talking about the problems with breed specific legislation, I always said, “I have never been bitten by a pit bull.” I can’t say that any more.

A few weeks ago a pittie was walked into our training yard by his owner, the wife of a Marine, and immediately the dog lunged towards another dog, aggressively, dragging his owner behind him. I stepped in to prevent a problem, grabbed the dog’s leash and he went for my face. I stopped him, asked him to sit and he jumped for my face again. I stopped him again, but he went for my face a third time and this time he got me. Luckily I’m pretty fast and it wasn’t bad. Most of the teeth punctures have healed well but one is going to leave a scar.

There was a back story, of course. The dog is an intact male, used for breeding, never attended a socialization puppy class, never went to a training class, and never goes on walks because the owners can’t control him. The young couple, who have two young kids, don’t know anything about dogs, breeding, genetics, or temperament. The only reason they came to us was because they needed the dog to pass the CGC, which he will now not pass.

Kate and Petra, my partners at Kindred Spirits, and I were talking the other day about some of the dogs who won’t be able to pass the CGC and we said the rescue groups were going to be overwhelmed. After calling some friends I found out the shelters and rescues are already over capacity. Because so many of the dogs being given up now have aggression problems, they are not going to be considered adoptable.

This past weekend I talked to a friend who does pittie rescue. She says now she has gotten much better at evaluating which dog to bail out of the shelters, not only because she can’t save them all, but because she was recently bitten quite badly by a pittie she took out of the shelter in northern San Diego county, just south of Camp Pendleton. She’s going to be okay, but she’s more careful now.

It’s a sad situation all the way around.