pet connection

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.

Does the Pet Connection connection never end? After Dr. Becker’s stellar performance at Chat Month on PetHobbyist.com Friday evening, both Liz Palika and our own Gina Spadafori will hit the airwaves (or tubes, more accurately) on Saturday!

To join the chats, log in as a guest here and select “Auditorium” from the drop down menu!

Liz Palika: Disaster Preparedness for ALL Pets!
9 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium
Best-selling and award-winning pet author Liz Palika will be talking to us about one of the most important of all topics, “Preparing Your Pets for Disasters“.

In addition to her work as a dog trainer, Palika works with and keeps reptiles as well as cats, dogs, birds, amphibians and many other animals, and will focus on the special considersations of more exotic pets as well as dogs and cats.

Liz shared her expertise with PetHobbyist.com during one of the Southern California’s recent wildfires, and helped horse, dog, reptile and bird owners’ get their pets to safety during mandatory evacuations.

Bring your questions, concerns, and experiences, as you’ll be able to share them in our chat room while listening to the streaming audio interview!

Gina Spadafori on “The Backyard Chicken Revolution”!
10 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium
PetHobbyist.com is very excited to welcome Gina Spadafori to talk about “The Backyard Chicken Revolution.”

Gina has long been interested in sustainable agriculture and green living, and she’s combined that passion with her love of animals into a career as a blogger at PetConnection.com, a nationally syndicated columnist, and best-selling author.

Come find out just how easy and rewarding it is to keep chickens, and why it’s part of a bigger and more sustainable future for people, our pets, and the planet.

Gina will be interviewed by PetHobbyist.com’s Christie Keith in via streaming audio. Bring your questions!

To join the chats: Registered users of PetHobbyist.com log in here; if you’re not registered, log in as a guest here and select “Auditorium” from the drop down menu!

Haiti’s animals receive hope from around the world: The tragedy is immense, but the rescue efforts continue in Haiti.   Amy Worden from Philly Dawg reports Humane Society International, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the World Society for the Protection of Animals have all teamed up to launch coordinated efforts aimed at alleviating the suffering of Haiti’s animal population.    Helping pets will be important, but the aid efforts prioritize livestock first, as that will ultimately benefit the human population of the devastated country.

“We’re already concerned about a possible outbreak of rabies, leptospirosis, or another zoonotic disease,” said Ian Robinson, IFAW’s emergency relief director. “We need to set up vaccination and feeding programs as soon as possible. Finally, we need to get acute, critical care to the animals that need it most. There’s a lot to do. More than we can do alone.”

If you have already contributed to Haitian relief, thank you.  If you haven’t yet, please consider helping any way you can.  Even five dollars matters to a country that has lost nearly everything.

Relief for pets at airports: This one isn’t about tragedy at all, but the importance of relief for animals — particularly service dogs — here at home.   Last year, a new Department of Transportation policy went into effect, mandating reserved relief areas for service animals, though some airports will allow the spaces for other traveling pets as well.  That means new dog parks have opened at airports all over the US.  What you’ll see will include areas such as patches of natural grass pictured here near American Airlines’ terminal at JFK in New York.    Pet Friendly Travel has a complete list of relief areas, mapped by state.  Just click on the state you’re traveling from or through.     Helpful?  I think so.

Acupuncture helps Talyn the rescue dog:  In a previous update, we referenced efforts toward recognizing alternative veterinary care.   This week, KCCI in Des Moines (Channel 8 for Iowa viewers) has a great story about a rescue dog feeling much better through acupuncture.

“When we first started this, Talyn had sore spots on his hips and a couple of spots on his back,” Galow-Kersh said.The spots, much like a knot in your back, have eased since Galow-Kersh started giving Talyn acupuncture treatments.”You can actually feel them,” she said. “It’s like a big knot and once you can stick a needle in those and it just kinda relaxes that muscle like it activates it, but then it just relaxed around it.”

It’s so relaxing that Talyn hardly reacts to the needles. Handler Robin Habeger said he’ll sometimes even nap during the treatments.

Don’t try this at home: Motocross is dangerous. Roaring off road on a souped up motorcycle at breakneck speeds, with virtually no protection available.  Takes some serious nerve to do it, and even more to be any good at motocross. Ever seen a dog try it?  Now you have. Opee is an 8 year-old blue merle Australian shepherd, and like most Aussie shepherd’s I’ve ever met, he’s fearless. (tip of the cap to Linda for the link)

Reaction to Opee was magic. He was an instant canine ambassador to off-roading. Finding sponsors was no problem and soon Opee had his own custom gear, including a specially made neck brace, inflatable vest, backpack, water supply and several jerseys. He got his American Motorcycle Association card and his SCORE International card, the latter so he could race in Baja.

The dog does lots of other things, too. He’s been a search and rescuer, a California assistance dog and visits kids in hospitals with Schelin. They regularly work crowds at races in the area, including the Supercross in Anaheim.

Breaking up a relationship gets far harder with furry kinds involved:   Thanks to Schnauzer Fan Cindy for this link from the Rapid City Journal on the inherent complications present in dissolving a romantic relationship when pets are involved.   It’s serious stuff, but I’d be succinct.  “You can have nearly anything else you want but I get the dogs.”

A completely gratuitous bunny picture: It’s Monday, and it’s my column, so if I want to include a Disapproving Rabbit picture, I will.  Have a good week.  I’ll see you again on Thursday.

Got a tip?  Got a story?  Don’t keep it to yourself.  Send it to me, or give me a shout in the comments.

Photo Credits: JFK relief area, courtesy of American Airlines. Cinnamon, courtesy of disapprovingrabbits.com.

Why a dog learning Polish gets more attention than the disaster in Haiti: The first story today gets top billing because three different people (including Gina) passed the link along for me to include in my next update.     Last Wednesday, a story on the BBC’s website on a dog who was learning Polish received more hits than coverage of the Haitian disaster.  How is this conceivable?  The New York Times offers an answer from a psychological angle.

The watching world can’t cope with Haiti from an Enlightenment perspective, for it can’t get its “arms around the scale of the problem” (which is not a bad definition of the Kantian sublime). But thankfully it can’t cope with it from a Nietzschean perspective either, for some forms of awfulness are too much even for animals as sick as us. So we watch a dog learning Polish instead.

How have centuries of breeding altered DNA in dogs? As a followup, more or less, to an earlier post where I mentioned a cooperative study to compare the genomes of people and pets, there’s this from the Washington Post.  There’s a particular gene in a Shar-Pei that makes its skin particularly wrinkly.  Did you know that?  Neither did I.    In part due to this, the Shar-Pei is considered one of the four most genetically distinct dogs on the planet today.  Read the article to see who the other three are.

Flash the Labrador is going to the Olympics. I can’t get tickets to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics, but Flash, a former stray, can.  Then again, he can sniff out explosives, and all I can sniff out is pizza.  Flash, along with his trainer Cliff Sampson, is headed from Manitoba westward to Vancouver.

On Monday, the 70-pound pup gave visitors a friendly lick before jumping up on a York Avenue garbage disposal, sticking his long nose into openings to get a good whiff.

If Flash smells something suspicious, he alerts Samson by sitting down.

Samson found Flash after he was alerted by Hilda Hiebert, the founder of Safe Haven Pet Rescue.

She’d taken the stray dog from a pound and noticed he had a strong “play drive.”

Flash was about 18 months old when he met Samson in Steinbach on Hiebert’s lawn.

“Nobody wanted him,” said Hiebert.

Illinois shelter hands over nearly 200 pets: A not so happy saga.   According to the Chicago Tribune, a shelter in Bloomington, Illinois is surrendering a collection of 149 cats, 29 dogs, 15 doves, two guinea pigs and one rabbit to animal shelters because of ongoing allegations of neglect.  The shelter, called Pet Rescue, had been in business since 1973, but charges have been pending against Pet Rescue’s two principals since 2008.   If more comes out on this, I’ll follow up.  I’m hoping it’s the last we hear from them, though.

Major equine drug agreement reached: On a better note, the longstanding issue surrounding the dispensing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) to hunter-jumpers in competition finally has a happy (or at least negotiated) ending.

It was always a matter of dosages.   Under the agreement announced at the US Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) annual meeting last weekend in Louisville, trainers can administer one NSAID in competition.  Between April 1 and the end of November 2011, anyone administering a second dose would need to file a special form with the USEF.  Starting a year from this December 1, only one dose will be allowed, period.

Vets have a fluffy new tool to train on endoscopies: Do you know how an endoscopy works?   Your doctor has to — very carefully — thread a tube into your body to examine an organ (esophagus, stomach, lung, or other various scenic points) for diagnostic purposes.  The only way to become good at it is the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.  For veterinarians, practicing on live animals is understandably stressful.  Virtual reality simulators exist, but thy are expensive.  Now, Jennifer Fiala of the VIN News Service tells us there’s a new practice tool available.  A specially outfitted stuffed animal, named FRED ( Flexible and Rigid Endoscopic Training Device) makes practicing endoscopy easier, and could change the nature of training in veterinary medicine. (shout out to Gina for the heads up)

The notion of FRED has Dr. Brendan McKiernan, a Veterinary Information Network consultant and internal medicine specialist with Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, impressed. An inventor in his own right, McKiernan dried cadaver lungs to train his colleagues on bronchoscopy in the 1980s. He uses those same models to teach veterinarians the basics today.

“If (FRED) provides a good representation of the anatomy and a feel for scoping, it would be fantastic,” McKiernan says, noting that in the past, air-dried stomach models have been too rigid for teaching purposes. “Scoping is like learning how to drive. The purpose that the model would really serve is to teach the mechanics of the scope. Once that’s learned, it’s easy to transition to live animals.”

Got a tip?  Got a story?  Don’t keep it to yourself.  Send it to me, or give me a shout in the comments.

Photo credits:  Flash and Cliff: Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press Archives.  Ravel:  Nancy Jaffer/Newark Star-Ledger

We’ve had all kinds of crazy weather here the past couple of days: thunder, lightning, even a tornado. A huge tree in our neighborhood was toppled, apparently by high winds, and some of the streets are flooded. Good times.

On the serious side, people in some burn areas in Los Angeles County are facing mandatory evacuation this morning. People, take your pets with you. There are shelters where they can be cared for during the evacuation period, or you can find a pet-friendly hotel or impose on generous friends or relatives who don’t have allergies. Some shelters for people also have pet-friendly areas, a result of the Katrina debacle. Whatever you do, take your dogs and cats with you. You’ll be glad you did.

More  from PetConnection.com on coping with — and preparing for — disasters when you have pets.