pet connection

Pet killing debate now high profile issue in Illinois: This November, Illinois voters will be going to the polls to select a new governor.  You remember the whole Rod Blagojevic mess?  Well, he was replaced by Lt. Governor Pat Quinn.  Quinn (a Democrat) is now running for election in his own right, and last week came out with a statement about who his prospective running mate might be:

“I think it’s important for our lieutenant governor to be someone who loves dogs,” Quinn said.

That might sound a little odd for a governor’s race, but The Huffington Post tells us the remark has its roots in an ongoing debate over the use of the carbon monoxide gas chamber to kill shelter pets in multiples.

In 2009, the Illinois legislature passed a bill banning the use of carbon monoxide gas chambers for the mass [killing] of dogs. At the time, Sen. [Bill] Brady voted against the bill. And recently, just days after the Feb. 2 primary [for the GOP nomination]  he introduced a new bill to re-legalize the practice.

Brady took considerable flak over the proposed legislation from the Humane Society [of the United States] and the story garnered a good deal of media coverage.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Brady was pretty quick to back off this porcupine:

Brady  gutted the legislation Wednesday and turned it over to another sponsor after the Humane Society of the United States condemned the measure and characterized the procedure as cruel.

“A constituent asked me to do it, and I have an obligation to represent my constituents,” Brady said.

“I was never for it, but I thought it was a subject that deserved discussion. But the politics surrounding me being the nominee created an environment that’s more attack mode than discussion mode, so we shelled the bill.”

The Sun-Times reports the “constituent” was an animal-control facility in Brady’s district, apparently one with management that believes killing pets in a cruel and terrifying way is preferable to, you know, just plain old killing them. Someone, please, get those people information on building a no-kill community. Or better yet, replace them with people who at least live in this century.

Oly the Olympic puppy: You may have seen something about a bunch of winter sports taking place in and near Vancouver over the last couple weeks.  Jordan Malone is an American short-track skater. He didn’t have a great Olympics, but he did have a best friend who got him through it all.

Uncanny canine carousel carvings: You may know Tim Racer as one of the co-founders of BADRAP. However, you might not know about Tim’s phenomenal talent in creating drop-dead gorgeous canine carousel sculptures.   Tim takes up to 700 hours getting these works of art exactly right, and has been known to fly across the country to meet his models, using the opportunity to take precise measurements with calipers.   Thanks to Susan and Gina for tipping me off to this SFGate article.

So what does “Cami Missy Diva Piglet Punky Girl” mean? I’m a sucker for psychological discussions that try to analyze tidbits about me and use those little factoids to draw broad-brush conclusions.    This one from Forbes Magazine is perfect, then.  What you name your pet gives clues as to your personality.

Your dog’s name says a lot about who you are. “The name of a dog reflects the personality and sense of humor of the owner,” says Lisa Peterson, spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. “For example if you name your toy poodle ‘Brutus,’ that shows a sense of irony.”

Ok, so maybe I won’t learn as much as I hoped, but you should still check it out.

Funny things that veterinary clients say: PetConnection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly has a funny piece on Dolittler about great stuff uttered by her clients.  The comments yield even more, so be sure to read them too.

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.

Image:  Ruff weekend on the campaign for state Sen. Bill Brady (HuffPo image).

Imagine the story: Dashing television veterinarian, jetting from one coast to the other for appearances in New York City, hobnob with the stars, eat fine cuisine, do some high-end shopping for the grandchild, then jet back to a luxury hotel on a lake before spending a day at a world-class specialty practice and then the next, scouting locations for a new television show.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Let me tell you what really happened.

I love living at Almost Heaven Ranch, but convenient to an airport it’s not. So I spent the night before my 6 a.m. departure at a hotel in Spokane, then boarded a flight to New York City, with a plane change in Minnesota, where I caught sight of them using SafePaws de-icer on the jetways — good for you, Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport!

That was the last of the good news for a while, though, because I spent most of the day not feeling very well. I’d describe the problem in gory detail, but I’m going to guess that even those who like to talk obsessively about their dogs’ and cats’ every bowel movements don’t feel quite the same about those of their own species.

I landed in New York and was at ABC’s Times Square Studios first thing in the morning, where I took a lot of “behind the scenes” photos that I posted here — including this one of anchors Sam Champion, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Juju Chang, getting ready for a wide shot.

But you know how sometimes you get bumped from a flight because it’s overbooked? That happens in television, too. So although we filmed my segment on winter safety for pets, we got bumped from Wednesday’s live show. I’m not sure the folks in New York City realize this with the storm there now, but winter really is coming to an end. That’s why I’m sure the GMA producers will get on the segment on the air soon — and I’ll give everyone a heads up when to look for it.

After that, we filmed two additional segments, one for “The Pet Doctor” series on ABC’s affiliated channels and one for “GMA Health” on separation anxiety in pets. The separation anxiety one went live almost as soon as we recorded it, and you can catch it by clicking here or on the image at the top of this post.

At that point I had to head back to my hotel room for some radio interviews. The upside: The Millennium Broadway Hotel has a great view of the Art Deco Chrysler Building. (This is a view Jay Gavron, who does all the PetConnection design work, would love. See his poster of the building here. Wonderfully talented, isn’t he?)

The further upside: My stomach was feeling fine, so after the interviews I decided to stuff it as full as possible with greasy, delicious food from Virgil’s, the best barbecue place I’ve ever eaten, bar none — and I’ve eaten at the top-rated barbecue places in Texas, South Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Atlanta. This is their “Pig Out Platter,” chicken, ribs, brisket, pork and Texas links, served with cold Franzishaner wheat beer and sides of baked beans and mac-n- cheese.

Then I took a little stroll to the Times Square Toys R Us to do some shopping for my granddaughter Reagan, and immortalize Pet Vet Barbie for you all.

I was supposed to fly back to Spokane the next morning and meet Teresa at the beautiful Coeur d’ Alene Resort, one of our favorite places. The next day, Thursday, I was scheduled for a full day of work at the Lakewood Animal Hospital, also in Coeur d’ Alene.

The travel gods had other plans. My flight home was delayed for hours due to a computer problem at La Guardia. When I got to Minneapolis to change flights, Teresa phoned and told me we had been upgraded to the 3,000 square foot penthouse suite, featuring a glass-bottomed rooftop swimming pool, Japanese soaking tub, two fireplaces and a Jacuzzi. They’d even thrown in a big basket of wine, cheese, fruit and candy.

If you think that meant my luck had turned, you’d be wrong. The travel gods weren’t finished messing with me yet, and I missed my connecting flight.

While Teresa snuggled under a goose down comforter and fell asleep with the sound of Lake Couer d’Alene in her ears, I was being put up in an airport Ramada Inn, listening to the couple next door fight and, well, let’s just say “not-fight” all night long while I tried to drown them out with the Olympics on television.

While Teresa was nibbling fruit and sipping wine, I was putting tap water in a plastic-wrapped glass. While she was soaking in the Jacuzzi, I was trying to coax a trickle of warm water out of the nozzle in a shower so tiny it could have been designed for a submarine. And while she paddled in the heated rooftop pool and gazed out at the beautiful lake, I had a terrific view of the snow-filled Ramada swimming pool.

I finally arrived in Spokane the next day, too late to get to work at the hospital but still in time for some snuggling with my beautiful wife in our luxury suite. Unfortunately, my luggage didn’t make the last leg of the journey with me, and I spent the afternoon at an airport hotel instead, waiting for my bag to come on a later flight.

In the meantime, I’d posted a link to the separation anxiety clip from GMA Health on my Facebook page, and I’ve been bombarded with questions about it. It’s a little hard to do veterinary research on an iPhone (try it sometime; you’ll see), so I shot the questions to my good friend and colleague, and one of the smartest guys I know, top veterinary behavior specialist Dr. Gary Landsberg BSc, DVM, MRCVS, DACVB, dipECVBM-CA of North Toronto Animal Clinic in Thornhill, Ontario, who very kindly took the time to respond to the questions for me. He did a better job than I’d have done — I owe you, buddy!

So today, while I’m out scouting locations for a possible new television show, enjoy the question and answer session on separation anxiety with Dr. Landsberg (it’s under the jump!), and the next time I announce I’m going out of town, will somebody please, please stop me?

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[Update from Gina: A lot of trainers have something to say about the death at Sea World. Heather Houlahan not only has something to say, but also something worth reading and thinking about. A must read. Go here.]

A scarlet letter for abusers? Along the lines of public sex offender registries (which are ubiquitous) and arsonist registries (three states have them now), California is seriously considering the creation of an online registry for those convicted of animal cruelty-related felonies.  The drive is led in large part by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)

In the meantime, ALDF has launched a new campaign, ExposeAnimalAbusers.org to help all states establish public animal abuser registries. The ALDF hopes such registries would protect animals, pet guardians and communities by preventing repeat offenses from anyone with a known history of abusing animals. This could include violence (torture, mutilation, intentional killings), sexual abuse and animal fighting as well as neglect (such as hoarding).[...]ALDF is promoting the registry not only as a way to notify the public but also as a possible early warning system for other crimes. “We know there’s a link between those who abuse animals and those who perform other forms of violence,” says Stephan Otto, the group’s director of legislative affairs.

The SFGate Tails of the City article is worth reading, of course, but the comments are even more entertaining.

How the day goes wrong: I enjoy our buddy YourPetsBestFriend’s blog, and this one is a keeper.   Some days go bad before they’ve even started.  As I’ve heard both Dr. Tony Johnson and Dr. Marty Becker insist, if you think a veterinarian’s life is glamorous, just follow them around awhile.

I always knew P.T. Barnum was right: I assumed at first glance that this article was from The Onion, since it’s the best satire site in the history of, well, ever.   No such luck.  Business Week, of all places, tells us that when The Rapture comes, if you’re among the chosen,  you won’t have to worry about your pets’ safety and welfare. An outfit called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets will be happy to lend a hand.  They presume your pets aren’t as virtuous as you, and in fact are soul-less.  This is problematic, even with other Rapturous types.

“Pets don’t have souls, so they’ll remain on Earth. I don’t see how they can be taken with you,” he says. “A lot of persons are concerned about their pets, but I don’t know if they should necessarily trust atheists to take care of them.”

Hey, I’ll save you the bucks. I know I won’t be among the saved — all that stuff I did in college…we don’t need to discuss it here.  So if you’re making the trip upwards, I’ve got you covered.  I’ll be reasonable, too.  Just another of the many services I offer.   (Thanks to Susan for the tip on this one, as well as this week’s lede)

Adorable stamps for pet lovers: I don’t use stamps all that much anymore (do you?), but these are worth buying.  Once more we tag our pal Maria Goodavage at Dogster.  All the pets shown in these stamps were homeless, and most have been adopted.  Are you a pet-loving philatelist?  Want interesting stamps of your own?  Head over to BeyondThePerf.com.

First video of the week, courtesy of our friends at Disapproving Rabbits: Phineas wants to make it crystal clear that he doesn’t like his new toy.

Second video of the week, courtesy of Pedigree.  A friend sent me this, and I’ve already watched it 30 or 40 times.  Pedigree Dog ad, shot at 1000 FPS

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: Veterinarian visit: Flickr Tobyotter, creative commons.  Pet stamps:  beyondtheperf.com

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Image: Jerry Thornton

Hi everyone.  I’m back from sunny, gorgeous San Diego.  We won’t discuss how wonderful it was, because it’s currently cold and snowy again here in New England.  Meanwhile, a Scottie won at Westminster.  Yawn. (Unless you’re Terrierman, in which case you  furiously explain everything that’s wrong about the Scottish Terrier while taking yet another easy shot at fat people.)

Natural disasters, love, hope, human failings and survival. Of the thousands of heartbreaking stories to have come out of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, few were as saddening as the struggles of the thousands of pets left behind in the flood waters and devastation.  Philly Dawg introduces us to “Mine”, an Independent Lens PBS documentary, debuting this week.  “Mine” is an examination of love, despair, and the heroic efforts of rescuers and pets alike.   Check your local listings for airtimes.

We’ll pass on his cookbooks, thanks: 77-year-old chef Beppe Bigazzi was suspended Wednesday from his popular morning show on Italian TV after he offered a recipe for preparing “cat stew,” and said he had enjoyed the dish many times:

When his 27-year-old female co-host looked stunned as Bigazzi said he has eaten cat stew “many times,” the white-haired, grandfather figure defended his tastes.

“Why, people maybe don’t eat rabbit, chicken, pigeon?” Bigazzi said. He could have added horse meat, which many butchers and supermarket meat departments stock.

“Who’s not fat, kills the cat,” is how Bigazzi began his lighthearted prattle about cat stew.

Bigazzi claimed cat stew was a Tuscan specialty near the Arno river valley, but co-host Elisa Isoardi looked so embarrassed she ducked behind a cart of fresh salad greens whose healthy virtues the two were supposed to be chatting about.

Italian law protects cats from Bigazzi’s stew pot, officials noted. For those who understand Italian, the “humor” that has probably ended his career is apparently a hit on YouTube. You find that on your own, sorry.

No more doggies in the windows: West Hollywood, Calif.,  is about to enact an ordinance banning the sale of pets by retail pet stores.

Councilman Jeffrey Prang said the move would strike a blow to puppy mills and other cruel, assembly-line breeding. [...] More than 500 independent pet shops nationwide, including 38 in California, refuse to sell puppies in their stores.   Under the West Hollywood proposal, all pet stores would have to stop selling cats and dogs by September 2011.

Although it’s not the end of the industry, any law on any level that chips away at puppy mills is fine with me.

Anti-fur, meet anti-civility.  Again. All of you who follow the world of figure skating probably remember a kerfuffle over American skater Johnny Weir wearing white fox fur at at the U.S. National Championships.   In my humble opinion, Shirley at YesBiscuit nails this one perfectly (and eloquently, too) with a delicious, concise paragraph.

Gee, I wonder how receptive Weir will be in future to education on fur farming. I’m guessing slightly less than zero. It would have been a good opportunity to share an opposing view without condemnation but that’s probably lost now. And it’s a shame because I have no doubt he will be a huge fashion designer one day soon. So thanks all you death threat mailing, bucket of red paint throwing, creepy stalker types — way to help your cause.

Dickens’ collar: There are dozens of reasons why it’s great to see our friend Maria Goodavage writing for the Dogster blog, including wonderful tidbits like this.   A dog collar selling for over $11,000 at auction might sound silly, until you learn that the collar was used by Charles Dickens’ dog.  Good, sturdy leather and brass, too.  What else would you expect from one of the greatest writers in the history of English literature? (I meant Dickens … no offense, Maria.  You’re great, too.)

Pawsitively lovely protection: My mother likes animals, but what she really loves is fashion.   Hence, she was my source for this NYT photo essay on the latest in high end paw-wear, aimed specifically at city-dwelling pooches.  My only editorial comment on the highlighted items is this: Selling boots for dogs by the PAIR (instead of four) is sneaky.  Seriously, are you going to get boots for the left but not the right, or front but not the back?  I didn’t think so.

Perfect parrot with an off-switch: African Grey parrots are apparently brilliant birds  — remember Alex, who had an obituary in the New York Times and a best-selling memoir? — but they’re a lot of work to live with.  Think messy, bright and inquisitive toddler who never, ever shuts up. Fun, sometimes, but … well, not for everyone. If you’d like to enjoy a parrot pal, but only occasionally, you can check out streaming video of Bibi. So notes “Heckled By Parrots” blogger Rebecca O’Connor, who knows a thing or two about living with an African Grey herself. … and staying with the avian theme, check out the best in parrot foraging toys on the Best In Flock blog.

Human Choice? Check the ingredients: Gina mentioned the problem with the HSUS’ new dog food earlier this week, based on the sound thrashing given it on Terrierman. Raised by Wolves blogger Heather Houlahan has an even funnier take on the issue of feeding dogs like chickens.  Read the fine print, bottom line.

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: Katrina puppy, pbs.org.  Dickens’ collar, Bonhams.