So far, she has done all the right things, especially for not really being a dog person. The first time, she stood still, was careful not to stare at the dog and backed away slowly. She yelled for help but no one came out. She ended up just going back the way she had come to get back to her house. The next time, the dog waited until she was on the road in front of his house and ambushed her, running out at her and barking. She had brought bear spray with her this time. The spray seemed to startle him and he backed off to his house but was still barking at her, so she didn’t think it disabled him any. She sprayed it from quite a distance, though (15 feet, maybe), and unfortunately sucked in some of it herself.

Other people, including children, have been threatened by the dog. Animal control has been called but they’re on the other side of Santa Fe County and by the time they get there the dog is inside and the people won’t answer the door. The dog apparently belongs to the homeowner’s live-in boyfriend. The homeowners association has been notified and has gotten a lawyer, but so far the people have ignored demands to confine the dog.

I suggested that she get an air horn to blast at the dog but am otherwise at a loss if animal control and the HOA have already been notified and even a lawyer and the threat of a lawsuit haven’t made the owners budge. I don’t want to get a call that she’s been bitten or worse, and I don’t especially like the idea of her getting a gun and blasting away at the dog (at the neighbors, maybe).  Advice?

No matter how many dogs you’ve owned and no matter how good you are with dogs, there’s no replacement for socialization and going out to partake of the big world. That’s why puppy kindergarten is so important for puppy development, not to mention great photo opportunities.

After lengthy waits for puppies from responsible breeders, two of my friends each ended up with puppies who were born one week apart: Olivia, a lovely and earlicious German Shepherd dog with a wise face, and Niles, an adorable, fluffy miniature schnauzer with natural ears. Their owners decided they should go to puppy kindergarden together. The puppies met before the first class when they got into the same car (different crates).

For these two puppies, there were no less than five women with them at their first day of school. I wanted to stand at the bus stop and wave at them as they left home to go to school. I don’t think anyone cried. Oh wait, I did. It was the perfect antidote to living with a beloved geriatric.

I have never been to puppy class before because I generally adopt adult rescues, and I have to say it was just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. Seriously. Dogs of every size, color and activity level seemed to be there, all in darling, sweet, miniature baby form with puppy breath, puppy faces, and sharp little puppy teeth.

The best part of class was play time. The instructor, a lovely woman from Patricia McConnell’s Dogs’ Best Friend, said that they would break the puppies into three play groups based on their personality and activity level.

“Some dogs like to play football, and some prefer to have tea,” she said.

She also said that over the course of the class some puppies would switch back and forth between those three levels and people shouldn’t worry about it. Don’t worry, be happy…it’s puppy school!

The football players, including Olivia, went outside where there was a wading pool with water. The average-activity puppies, which constituted the largest group and included Niles, goofed around in the large sectioned-off area of the main room. The two or three puppies who preferred to have tea went to the small sectioned-off area. It took a while for the tea puppies and the average puppies to get going.

Outside, the football players were rocking. There was a Labrador, and there was a wading pool with water – need we say more? Olivia didn’t go in the pool, at least not when I was looking, but she chased the lab around and was clearly having a great time.

Niles took a moment to get into the spirit of playtime. “Really, I’m supposed to go out there without you? And do what, exactly?” He eventually did get himself into the crowd, although it also may have come to him. One of the puppies skittered across the linoleum like a wind-up toy.

The tea party had a hard time getting started, as you can imagine. It’s hard to party hearty from between mom’s legs, but the people stood close together.

The first change was a puppy who came in from the footballers to the average group, but ended up playing too hard for the average guys and thus had to play on a leash. One of the average guys went for a cuppa tea. Eventually another dog was removed from the footballers, but so late in the game that she just stayed outside standing behind her people.

Next week everyone will know what to expect, but none of the dogs will be any less enthusiastic. After all, they’re puppies!

“We believe the increase is due to economic times,” Lisa Peterson, a spokesperson for the nonprofit group, which has been tracking pet theft for several years, tells Weekend Edition Saturday guest host Jacki Lyden.

“You have people who want pets … but can’t afford to purchase them or pay the adoption fees, so we find that they’re just taking them for themselves or to give them as gifts,” she says. “But then on the other hand, you have the criminal element that steals dogs and tries to sell them to unsuspecting buyers.”

Peterson says the top two ways dogs are being stolen are during home invasions and out of parked cars. She cites a case in Florida where criminals took a 55-inch television set and also Boo-Boo, the Yorkshire terrier, with all of his belongings.

Large-screen televisions can be replaced. Best friends can’t. The article discusses steps pet owners can take the safeguard their pets, including microchipping.

Cats behind bars: Inmates at a jail in Nebraska have new friends: cats. Excellent stress reducer. HuffPo‘s got the story, with an accompanying video report.

Thoughts on Pacifica: Outstanding post by BadRap, one of the most consistently thoughtful pet blogs out there.

New therapy reaps benefits: A pit bull in Reading, Penn. had his paws burned by spending hours on a black roof top on a roasting hot day, but thanks to a first-of-its-kind treatment, his ruined paw pads can be repaired. The groundbreaking therapy is based on stem cell research. Details at the Reading Eagle.

Veterinary client ethics: Your veterinarian explains that an upcoming procedure entails risks of complications. All you hear is blah blah blah procedure blah blah blah surgical blah chance of improvement.  When complications arise, do you have a right to yell at your veterinarian that the treatment wasn’t perfect? Pet Connection’s BFF Dr. Patty Khuly weighs in.

Picture of the week comes from our favorite photographer of all things horse: Sarah Andrew, the wonderful presence behind Rock and Racehorses.

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: microchip, latimes.

1. There are so many varied species that owning an exotic animal can be an incredible learning experience.

Exotic pets are fascinating. With their unique behaviors and incredible social interactions with each other and with us, they really can teach us all sorts of new information. But this is a Catch-22. Before you embark upon the journey into exotic pet ownership, be sure to learn enough about the social, nutritional, and environmental needs of the exotic pet species you are considering so that you don’t end up with a pet whose needs are more than you bargained for.

2. Many exotic species don’t take up much space.

For many city dwellers that live in cramped, tiny apartments, a pet such as a dog or cat that requires a lot of space just isn’t an option. A small mammal (such as a hamster, gerbil, guinea pig, chinchilla, or rat) or even a reptile or small bird that can live in a fairly small cage, might be a more feasible choice.  Ask anyone who owns one of these smaller exotic species, and they’ll tell you that these pets can provide the same love and companionship that a larger dog or cat can offer.

3. Some people are allergic to hairy pets.

Although many people would love to have a dog or cat as a pet, they often cannot because they or their family members have allergies to the dander that hairy pets carry on their fur.  These seemingly unfortunate people can still have a loving pet, however, if they choose a reptile (such as a lizard, turtle, tortoise, or snake) that has neither hair nor dander on its skin.  If they are not allergic to feathers, they might also choose a bird. So don’t despair if you’re allergic to hair!

4. Most exotic pets don’t need to be walked.

For many busy pet owners who work long hours, owning a dog that needs to be walked every few hours is not an option because they can’t get home to do it and don’t have the finances to pay a dog walker. The good news is that most exotic pets don’t need to be walked. While they do need time out of their cages to be socialized and to have a good quality of life, most birds, small mammals, and reptiles can adapt to our busy human schedules when it comes to “time out of cage.” In general, as long as we make some time to interact with them on a daily basis, the time we make available for most exotic pets can be flexible.

5. Some people only want pets that will live a long time.

People comment all the time that they could never own a pet because they’d get so attached to the pet that they couldn’t bear losing it. Of course, no pet – exotic or otherwise – lives forever. However, certain species, such as larger birds and some reptiles, can live for 20-40 years in captivity. Certainly, these animals must be taken care of properly: fed appropriate diets, housed according to species’ needs, and receive regular medical check-ups to live to their genetic potential. But for many people who have grieved over the loss of a relatively shorter lived pet such as a dog, cat, or small mammal or tiny bird, the prospect of having a potentially very long lived pet can be very appealing. Once again, this is a double-edged sword in that before you rush out to buy or adopt that reptile or large bird, you should seriously consider whether you have the lifestyle, finances, and future provisions available to support a pet that might outlive you!

Photo credit: amsccanton.com, blogginpet.com

The other day I noticed an orange had just fallen to the ground so I picked it up, bounced it in my hand a couple of times, and once I got the dogs’ attention, I threw it the length of the yard. Sisko was the first one to the ‘ball’ and grabbed it.  He then spit it out, sneezed, picked it up again with just his front teeth, carried it a few steps, dropped it again, and gave me the strangest look. I couldn’t help it, I had a good laugh over his confusion.

So I encouraged him to get it, praised him when he did, and the watched as he disemboweled it and then interestingly enough, ate it. Good puppy!

Of course that may not have been the wisest thing to do, he’s already eaten all the ripe blueberries off all three bushes and any tomatoes he could reach.

1. SPACE – Do you have the room to house more than exotic pet?

Many exotic pets have very specific requirements for housing, lighting, heat, and food that take up more space than that of the average cat or dog. The requirements for varying species can be radically different. Plus, different exotic species cannot usually be housed together because of the potential for fighting, injury, etc. Before you run out and purchase more than one exotic pet, be sure that you have the space to properly care for all these animals.

2. TIME – Do you have time to dedicate to more than one exotic animal?

To be properly socialized, many exotic pets (birds, reptiles, ferrets, rabbits, and rodents, alike) need to be handled and worked with daily, not only when they are first purchased or adopted, but also on an ongoing basis. Before you consider having more than one pet that will require socialization, be sure you have time available to dedicate to each of them. While some people think that getting a “playmate” for an exotic pet is the answer, not all pets necessarily want friends or roommates. Plus, the kind of socialization an exotic pet gets from being handled by a human cannot be substituted for by interaction with another un-socialized pet. To get a well-behaved, interactive animal, there is no substitution for regular human contact.

3. FINANCES – Do you have the money to care for more than one exotic pet?

Many people forget the fact that all pets (even exotic ones) need regular medical care, and veterinary care, especially on an emergency basis, can be costly. If you double the number of pets you own, you double the cost of care. And if one gets sick with something infectious (parasites, a virus, etc.), the likelihood is that both may get sick and require treatment. So, unless you are independently wealthy, you might want to think twice about doubling up on the number of exotic pets you have, or you may find yourself scrimping on basic medical care for each of them.

4. BREEDING CONTROL – How will you control unwanted breeding among your same-species pets?

There are 3 ways to ensure your same-species pets do not inbreed:

• Separate them by sex, and house them separately
• Own all only all males or all females
• Spay/neuter opposite sex pairs before housing them together

The problem is that not even same sex animals housed together are guaranteed to get along. Some same sex species will actually kill each other over territory, food, etc., when housed together. Be sure you think about this before buying that extra-large cage.

5. SPREAD OF DISEASE – Are the different exotic species suited to live in close quarters?

Even if you don’t house your different species of exotic pets together, there are some species that can potentially spread disease to each other if they are living in the same air space. Take guinea pigs and rabbits, for example. Each one carries a respiratory tract bacterium that does not affect the species that carries it but that can be spread to the other species through the air. Good reason not to house guinea pigs and rabbits in close proximity, don’t you think? Many pet owners aren’t aware of these little known facts until their pets are ill.

The point is, before you decide that since one exotic pet is fun, more than one will be even more fun, there are a lot of factors to consider. While we may like company, many exotic pets may not. And even if they are found in large groups in the wild, the same groupings may not be appropriate in captivity, because these pets have not necessarily been raised together. So, before you buy twice, be smart, and think twice.

Photo credit: tennesseeanimals.org, myhouserabbit.com

Oceanside, Calif. is a mid-sized city just south of the US Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. For most of its history, Oceanside was defined by the Marines. There were bars galore, tattoo parlors, strip clubs and other businesses that catered to young men away from home. In the last twenty years, however, the city has grown up. At the same time, the Marine Corps has taught their young men different manners, too, so the base and the town now get along fairly well.

Although still known for its proximity to the base, Oceanside is now also known for its harbor. A small but nicely protected harbor, there are slips for boats of all sizes, from kayaks to yachts.

It’s also a great place to walk. From one tip to the other and back is about three and a half miles. It’s one of my favorite places to socialize puppies because there are a variety of sights, smells, sounds, and people for puppies to meet. About eight months ago (give or take) I took Sisko for a walk at the harbor soon after Paul and I adopted him. Sisko was born and raised to the age of five months on a dairy goat ranch in the mountains east of Tucson, Arizona. It was major culture shock when I took him for a walk at sea level at a harbor that opens to the Pacific ocean.

But now Sisko gets to be the old hand. My friend and fellow trainer at Kindred Spirits Dog Training, Melissa, has an English Shepherd puppy named Toby. Recently Melissa and I took Bashir, Sisko, and Toby for a walk at the harbor. There was some uncertainty in the beginning, but soon Toby had decided the very best place to walk was alongside Sisko. Even better, if he could, he’d walk in between Bashir and Sisko. His whole attitude said, “I’m with my friends!”

During our walk, the dogs heard sea lions barking. Bashir is calm about such things and although Sisko perked up at the sound, he opted not to go searching for the source of the barking as he did months ago. Toby heard the noise, listened, looked at Bashir and Sisko, and continued walking. Good boy!

The dogs watched sea gulls, saw a pelican on the rocks, heard the boats creaking and groaning as the tide came in, and saw surfers out on the waves. The harbor has a small restaurant area and as we walked the dogs past, one gentleman pushed his plate of fish and chips close to the edge of the table. As I told my boys “Leave it,” and we walked past, I saw him pull his plate back and laugh. Wonder what that was all about?

We also met a variety of dogs walking with their owners. The vast majority were well behaved, but one man was walking four Shih Tzus on four retractable leashes. All four dogs were reactive towards other dogs and he let them have all twenty feet of the leashes. Needless to say he had absolutely no control. Again, we told ours “Leave it! Watch me! Yeah, good!” and walked past. Good dog training!

Top: Toby, left, and Sisko use a retaining wall as an agility obstacle.

Bottom: Toby and Bashir peer at a pelican. She was tangled in fishing line but we called in help for her.

Photos by Liz Palika

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, led the dog caucus, arguing that canines are cheaper and less invasive than body scanners. Dogs are exceptional at sensing explosives, do not require software upgrades, don’t depreciate with use and might even be able to detect bombs implanted under a person’s skin.
“The single best way to find a bomb-making device or bomb-making materials is the canine,” Chaffetz said.

And dogs are widely accepted by the public, he said.

“Who doesn’t like dogs?” chimed in Inspector William Parker, head of Amtrak’s K-9 unit.

Canines are missing one thing that body scanners have, Chaffetz said. Lobbyists.

“That’s what the problem is,” Chaffetz said. “If you look at those lobbyists who pushed through those machines, they should be ashamed of themselves, because there is a better way to do this and it’s with the canines.”

Transportation Security Administration Assistant Administrator John Sammon promised to look into feasible (and potentially more intelligent) alternatives to the scanners we endure today.

Oakland Zoo’s new veterinary hospital: In the past, any time the well-regarded Oakland Zoo needed veterinary care for its animals, they had to be shipped more than an hour north, to the world-class hospital at the University of California, Davis. Now, according to SFGate, Oakland will have their own facility.

The Oakland Zoo broke ground Wednesday on a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital to treat its 600 animals and help train veterinary students. When completed next summer, it will be the largest zoo veterinary hospital in Northern California, second statewide only to the hospital at the San Diego Zoo.

“This is a tremendous step up for us,” said the zoo’s director, Dr. Joel Parrott. “It’s the beginning of a new era for the zoo.”

It won’t come cheap. The hospital will cost $10.8 million, but it will be able to handle everything from the zoo’s smallest amphibians to their largest mammals.

The latest from Joplin: Our own Phyllis DeGioia reports for VIN News on the ongoing progress being made in Joplin, Missouri’s recovery from May 22′s devastating tornado.

Veterinary clinics are not quite back to life-as-usual, but they’re well on their way.

Dr. Jim Christman’s Parkview Animal Hospital is operating out of a trailer in the clinic’s parking lot. Early reports that the clinic would close permanently were erroneous; the clinic will re-open in mid-August.

“The entire inside was destroyed and the back wall and runs were torn apart, but as far as the structural part, it was okay. We had to replace bricks on the front,” said Rachel Schwartz, a receptionist at Parkview. “All of our boarders were okay. We lost some clients; we had several that passed away.”

Dr. Ben Leavens of Main Street Pet Care also lost a few clients to the tornado, though he has no tally of how many among his 15,000 patients were affected.

Work on his 10,000-square-foot clinic and 5,000 square-feet parking structure isn’t quite done – the roof was lost and water damage was extensive, and the HVAC system destroyed – but the business has been open since July 5. “We’re extra busy now that we’re open,” Leavens said. “All areas are up and running.” That includes grooming, boarding and day-care services.

In a little less than two months, Joplin has made tremendous progress.

News from north of the border: I was in Toronto all last week, and I brought back two great stories. One, sent in by reader Anne Ahiers, tells us about a blog you should read, called I Want a Pound Dog. Additionally, I found a refreshing column by Amberly McAteer in Toronto’s Globe and Mail about the heartwarming surprise of finding the right shelter pet.

Tortoise news: Good news/bad news stories in the hard shell world, courtesy of SchnauzerFan. First the good news: a reunion in Iowa that will make you smile. Sadly, we must bid a sad farewell to Methuselah (pictured at right, circa 1954), who passed away at one hundred thirty years of age.

“I’ve known Methuselah since I was around 3 years old, so losing him is like losing an old, good friend,” said John Brockelsby, director of public relations at Reptile Gardens. “I had a lot of daily contact with him so having to say goodbye was very sad.”

By the way, the boy riding Methuselah in the picture is Mr. Brockelsby, when he was probably around three years old.

News of the weird: Once more, I must warn you the following story is not from The Onion. It was sent to me by Susan Fox, who tirelessly scours news tickers for the strangest, most head-shaking tidbits she can find, then generously forwards them to me so I can share them with you. This story is hard to stomach and even more difficult to believe (do check out the dog’s name), but I have to have faith that SFGate didn’t make it up. Nobody’s that demented.

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: Bomb-sniffing dog, cnn.com. John Brockelsby and Methuselah, RapidCityJournal.com

My retrievers love to swim so much that one of them once attempted to squeeze herself through a cracked window to jump out of a moving car heading over the Mississippi River.

Heather was a smart dog, but the very sight of the Big River overwhelmed her common sense. She wanted to swim, and had it been possible, she would have.

Had she survived the fall, that is.

To be sure, most dogs aren’t so crazy about water to leap off a tall bridge, but all dogs can be at risk when water is involved. Many dogs enjoy swimming as much as people do, and cool times in the local swimming spot or backyard pool are one of the best parts of summer.

But play it safe. The keys to water safety for dogs are prevention, preparedness and awareness.

Check out Gina’s tips here.

And from Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker:

On an average weekday, Canadian pet owners spend nearly twice as much time surfing the Internet (48 minutes) and three times as much time watching television (79 minutes) as they do playing with/exercising their pets (25 minutes). The statistics come from Canada’s “Pet Wellness Report,” a research study of 1,000 Canadian dog or cat owners and 100 veterinarians conducted by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

Read all that and more here!

Photo: Gina’s FayBee gets wet with friends.

Michael Boyd, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director of As You Like It, released the following statement today:

The Royal Shakespeare Company has decided not to use rabbits for its performances of As You Like It in New York.

The production opened in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2009 in the rural heart of the U.K. The dead rabbits used for the performances in Britain—part of a scene illustrating the contrast between court and countryside, where life was harsher and people hunted and prepared their own food—were sourced locally from gamekeepers as part of a farming control program.

The RSC and the RSPCA (the U.K. equivalent of the ASPCA) were satisfied that the rabbits used for the performances in Britain were sourced responsibly and killed humanely.

The moral of the story is: making your voice heard can make all the difference. (Thanks to Mary Cvetan for the heads up).

Rabbit bust in Oakland: Staying on the bunny theme, but with not as happy an ending, a scene out of a bad episode of “Cops” played itself out last week in Oakland, Calif. last week, when nearly two dozen rabbits were seized from a home in Lake Merritt. According to SFGate, the seized animals were malnourished and deformed.

The bunny bust comes just as Oakland enters into the debate over urban agriculture regulations, deciding how to monitor livestock – its treatment and slaughter – in one of the country’s hotbeds of urban homesteading.

“This blurs the lines for animal cruelty. When is it OK to raise something for food, and when is it cruelty?” said Megan Webb, director of Oakland animal services. “This is an issue we’re all going to have to sort out.”

In the case of the 21 rabbits, a neighbor alerted the East Bay SPCA to the rabbits’ condition last week, and on Tuesday, staff from Oakland animal services and the SPCA raided the home.

The additional details are grim, so read at your own peril. Thanks to Susan Fox for the link.

Generics meet veterinarians: It was just a matter of time. Generic medications are finding their way into the veterinary market.

Border Collie beach cleanup: Four different readers wanted to see this story covered, and it’s easy to understand why. Anyone who’s spent time at coastal beaches is familiar with the screech and the mess of seagulls. I’m a sailor, so I have a particular antipathy toward the obnoxious winged rats. The new solution? Border Collies! Back to SFGate:

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report today that suggests that using border collies to harass gulls has helped improve water quality at Illinois area beaches.

Trained to distinguish gulls from other varieties of birds, the collies patrol beaches from dawn to dusk to chase away gulls, whose droppings have been shown to contribute to E. Coli contamination.

Check out the accompanying video. I loves me some Border Collies.

Austin’s a doggy kinda town: Austin, Tex. is already a great city to visit and to live in. It already stands as a shining light of No Kill success. According to the Austin American-Statesman, it just got better if you’re a dog.

Differences between dog and cat people: Business Insider cites a survey from hunch.com that tries to detail the societal differences between dog and cat people. Check it out and see if you fit any of the survey results. I don’t, but perhaps you will.

Note: I’ll be away next week, but Christie Keith will be filling in as your news anchor. See you in two weeks.

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: Shakespeare, loc.gov. Ranger, bcxfour.