Today is supposed to be a Black Dog Featured Rescue day but I thought I'd pass on this information first. I'll post a black dog another day this week instead. There is a Dog Food Recall in the USA as of December 18th. For those of you in the USA, please read the below info about the brands affected!
On December 18th, 2010, Kroger issued an official recall of many of its pet food products which are sold under a variety of brand names.
Why Is Kroger Issuing This Recall?
According to current information, Kroger initiated this recall due to the possibility that the recalled formulas were contaminated with Aflatoxin.
What is Aflatoxin?
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxin that is produced by a type of fungus. Aflatoxin may be present in grains while they are waiting to be processed into pet food products. Some of the crops that are routinely affected by aflatoxin include sorghum, rice, wheat, soybeans, corn and millet. Aflatoxins are one of the most carcinogenic substances known to scientists today.
What Are the Symptoms of Aflatoxin in my Pet?
Kroger has stated that there are a variety of symptoms that could signal that a pet has eaten food contaminated with aflatoxin. The symptoms are:
Lethargy/Sluggishness
Yellowish Eyes
Yellowish Gums
Lack of Interest in Food
Bloody Diarrhea
Severe Diarrhea
If your pet has any of these symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian immediately to schedule an emergency appointment. Aflatoxin can potentially cause serious health complications and may sometimes be fatal to pets.
List of Affected Brands
This pet food recall includes both dog food and cat food. The following brands have been included in the Kroger pet food recall (according to current information):
Pet Pride Cat Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111088128
Pet Pride Cat Food sold in 18 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071357
Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111088152
Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food sold in 18 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074580
Pet Pride Kitten Formula Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071903
Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food sold in 22 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074566
Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food sold in 50 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074563
Kroger Value Cat Food sold in 3 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111000018
Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food sold in 15 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071559
Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food sold in 50 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code:1111000108
What States are Affected?
Kroger stores in the following states have currently been affected by the recall:
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
North Carolina
Ohio
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia
Other Affected Stores
In addition to this, the following stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska should beware of these brands which are sold in the following stores:
Baker's
Dillons
Food 4 Less
Gerbes
Hilander
Jay C
Owen's
Pay Less
Scott's
This recall is brought to you by the Dog Food Reviews section of PetFoodTalk.com.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Featured Rescue ~ Julius the Bouvier
I've devised a new way to look at petfinder/petango/etc advertisements. It is a scoring system that analyses different aspects of an advertisement. It's important when you are advertising an animal to highlight specific information about it. In fact, a lack of information can actually deter potential adopters. (Let's face it, there are 169,420 dogs out there available for adoption on Petfinder RIGHT NOW so why is the dog you are fostering any better than the next guy? Don't give me the "if they aren't willing to make a phone call then they aren't good adopters" crap ... those aren't the target audience of these ads -- don't EVER forget who your target audience is!) See the bottom of this post for a breakdown of this scoring system.
Today's Featured Rescue is Julius the Bouvier des Flanders (mix). He's approximately 1.5 years old. With a name like Julius, I keep thinking Julius Caesar ... I wondered if that's who he was named
This is one of the longest descriptions of an animal I've seen on Petfinder ... it's very informative but it loses points with the organization. The comment about his 110% beauty quotient also lost points (pictures can say a thousand words, no?). I'd like to see the thoughts grouped together in some sort of logical pattern rather than random sentences about the dog. The pictures are great though - and they earn points for that.
Overall, this ad gets 3/3 for pictures, 3/4 for information and 1/3 for organization ... that's a total of 7 out of 10. Not bad but not great.
3 for pictures
__________ 1 for more than one picture
__________ 1 for different angles of animal (I don't want to see two identical pictures!)
__________ 1 for good picture quality
4 for information
__________ 1 for information
__________ 1 for quantity
__________ 1 for quality
__________ 1 for no fluffy bunny crap
3 for organization
__________ 1 for easy to read
__________ 1 for grouping your thoughts logically
Today's Featured Rescue is Julius the Bouvier des Flanders (mix). He's approximately 1.5 years old. With a name like Julius, I keep thinking Julius Caesar ... I wondered if that's who he was named for but couldn't find any info that might suggest this.
This is one of the longest descriptions of an animal I've seen on Petfinder ... it's very informative but it loses points with the organization. The comment about his 110% beauty quotient also lost points (pictures can say a thousand words, no?). I'd like to see the thoughts grouped together in some sort of logical pattern rather than random sentences about the dog. The pictures are great though - and they earn points for that.
Overall, this ad gets 3/3 for pictures, 3/4 for information and 1/3 for organization ... that's a total of 7 out of 10. Not bad but not great.
Pet Advertisement scoring system
10 points
3 for pictures
__________ 1 for more than one picture
__________ 1 for different angles of animal (I don't want to see two identical pictures!)
__________ 1 for good picture quality
4 for information
__________ 1 for information
__________ 1 for quantity
__________ 1 for quality
__________ 1 for no fluffy bunny crap
3 for organization
__________ 1 for easy to read
__________ 1 for grouping your thoughts logically
__________ 1 for the reader being able to pull necessary information out of the ad
Friday, December 10, 2010
DDF PSA ~ Pets as Gifts
Every year, many organizations publish the message about not giving pets as gifts. Just run a quick Google News Search and you will find thousands of posts about it. I try to ensure I have a post about it. This message is posted time and time again but the unfortunate reality is that the people who give pets as presents aren't necessarily the ones reading it. I have heard of shelters and rescues that make people wait until after Christmas to bring their new pet home however some places just don't have the resources available to do this.
I keep hoping that maybe this year, it will be different. There will be less pets given to those who don't want them. The optimist in me says that this year, those who buy or adopt pets at Christmas time will actually commit and want them for the long run. The pessimist in me says that the shelters will fill up and the streets will be full of homeless animals come January 1st.
So how do we fix it? What can we do?? I have a few ideas that you could do in your own local community ...
- Contact the local newspaper and see if they will write an article about this.
- Encourage people to donate to their local animal shelter and instead of buying a pet for that person, why not sponsor a shelter animal?
- Print up posters to put up in your area to show people the alternatives (like sponsoring a shelter pet)
- Donate a few bags of food / litter to your local shelter in the name of someone
What else could you do?
I keep hoping that maybe this year, it will be different. There will be less pets given to those who don't want them. The optimist in me says that this year, those who buy or adopt pets at Christmas time will actually commit and want them for the long run. The pessimist in me says that the shelters will fill up and the streets will be full of homeless animals come January 1st.
So how do we fix it? What can we do?? I have a few ideas that you could do in your own local community ...
- Contact the local newspaper and see if they will write an article about this.
- Encourage people to donate to their local animal shelter and instead of buying a pet for that person, why not sponsor a shelter animal?
- Print up posters to put up in your area to show people the alternatives (like sponsoring a shelter pet)
- Donate a few bags of food / litter to your local shelter in the name of someone
What else could you do?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Featured Rescue ~ Dublin the Greyhound
Long ago, I started running Featured Rescues every three days but lately I've been lucky to post three per month. That doesn't mean that there are any less dogs out there for adoption ... just that I've been slacking in the posting. I will try to re-start my black dog postings for Mondays and another Featured Rescue sometime throughout the week ...
Today's Featured Rescue is Dublin the Greyhound. Dublin is a black brindle beauty. She is 3.5 years old. The pictures of Dublin on Petfinder aren't that great so I snagged the best one for her post here. Dublin is not cat-safe and she is also toy possessive. From the sounds of it, she will need a little work to become the world's greatest dog (but she will and can get there easily and quickly with the right owner).Friday, December 3, 2010
Pupdate and upcoming posts
This weekend I will be getting back on track with posting to this blog. I haven't been posting due to a "series of unfortunate events" that happened over the last month. This series of unfortunate events begins with a vacation that shouldn't have happened and goes from there.
The vacation was supposed to be my husband and I with one of our nephews. The three of us. As each month passed in our approach to the vacation, another person joined our group. Ultimately, there were two nephews, a brother-in-law, a mother-in-law and a father-in-law. Yikes! Now, I enjoy spending time with each of them separately but when it came down to putting us all together into a vacation ... well let's just say that it turns sour PDQ.
The first few days after we got home seemed to go pretty smoothly. Until I got a phone call that a close friend of the family had died in his sleep. A heart attack. Turns out that when you quit drinking (after 40 years of alcoholism), your blood thickens and sometimes your heart just can't take it. At least, that's what the family was told. So, I pack up and hike it to the funeral. Unfortunately when you get back from vacation during a super busy time of the year, your boss frowns on taking time off. No condolences ... I had to fight to get the day off and ended up getting it off without pay when I contacted HR myself and pulled a few heart-strings.
While I'm at the reception for the funeral, I get a call to find out that a grandmother has died. Great. Ok fine. Pack up and head home. Call the office and let the boss know that I have to take another day off ... that went over like a sack of bricks. Of course, at this point I am so horribly behind in my work that my coworkers are starting to pick up the loose ends.
Next ball to drop ... a few days after the last funeral it snows. Not only does it snow, but it rains all evening, freezes overnight and snows on top. We have to go to a wedding that day and I made an appointment to get my hair done that morning. So, I pile into my husband's SUV (because he's taking my pickup truck to get the snowthrower he just bought) and head off into town.
Less than 5km away from home, I hit ice on an S curve. I loose control of the SUV. It goes left. Then right. I pick a spot to ditch the vehicle thinking "it better not roll or my dog's dead" (because of course I have my dog loose in the back seat! Dumbass). We sail over the ditch, smashing the bumper when we bottom out, and head straight for the trees. The SUV smashes into the copse of trees, knocking two of them over and popping up their roots. Surrounded by trees, the doors won't open. I have to turn the SUV back on and reverse out of this mess. Worse still -- now I'm late for my hair appointment!
If I did not have a bush bar on the front of the SUV, I would have written off the car. Some people tell me I have horseshoes in unmentionable places ... maybe - maybe not.
Luckily, my husband can fix the car, my dog is a-ok and I walked away with Phase II Whiplash. I've been told that it will take 4 to 6 months to recover with no treatment but we might be able to cut it in half with physiotherapy.
So here I am. Going to physio three times a week. Massage one day. Acupuncture and Chiropractor two days each. If this headache doesn't go away soon I'm going to go postal. I will be back to posting regularly now. I have to get back to my "normal" routine or I will go crazy.
The vacation was supposed to be my husband and I with one of our nephews. The three of us. As each month passed in our approach to the vacation, another person joined our group. Ultimately, there were two nephews, a brother-in-law, a mother-in-law and a father-in-law. Yikes! Now, I enjoy spending time with each of them separately but when it came down to putting us all together into a vacation ... well let's just say that it turns sour PDQ.
The first few days after we got home seemed to go pretty smoothly. Until I got a phone call that a close friend of the family had died in his sleep. A heart attack. Turns out that when you quit drinking (after 40 years of alcoholism), your blood thickens and sometimes your heart just can't take it. At least, that's what the family was told. So, I pack up and hike it to the funeral. Unfortunately when you get back from vacation during a super busy time of the year, your boss frowns on taking time off. No condolences ... I had to fight to get the day off and ended up getting it off without pay when I contacted HR myself and pulled a few heart-strings.
While I'm at the reception for the funeral, I get a call to find out that a grandmother has died. Great. Ok fine. Pack up and head home. Call the office and let the boss know that I have to take another day off ... that went over like a sack of bricks. Of course, at this point I am so horribly behind in my work that my coworkers are starting to pick up the loose ends.
Next ball to drop ... a few days after the last funeral it snows. Not only does it snow, but it rains all evening, freezes overnight and snows on top. We have to go to a wedding that day and I made an appointment to get my hair done that morning. So, I pile into my husband's SUV (because he's taking my pickup truck to get the snowthrower he just bought) and head off into town.
Less than 5km away from home, I hit ice on an S curve. I loose control of the SUV. It goes left. Then right. I pick a spot to ditch the vehicle thinking "it better not roll or my dog's dead" (because of course I have my dog loose in the back seat! Dumbass). We sail over the ditch, smashing the bumper when we bottom out, and head straight for the trees. The SUV smashes into the copse of trees, knocking two of them over and popping up their roots. Surrounded by trees, the doors won't open. I have to turn the SUV back on and reverse out of this mess. Worse still -- now I'm late for my hair appointment!
If I did not have a bush bar on the front of the SUV, I would have written off the car. Some people tell me I have horseshoes in unmentionable places ... maybe - maybe not.
Luckily, my husband can fix the car, my dog is a-ok and I walked away with Phase II Whiplash. I've been told that it will take 4 to 6 months to recover with no treatment but we might be able to cut it in half with physiotherapy.
So here I am. Going to physio three times a week. Massage one day. Acupuncture and Chiropractor two days each. If this headache doesn't go away soon I'm going to go postal. I will be back to posting regularly now. I have to get back to my "normal" routine or I will go crazy.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Pony Up, Asshat
Alright - this just makes me mad. Sometimes I just want to tell people to pony up ... I was at a shelter last week and saw something that made me furious ...
A couple drove up. Maybe husband and wife. Maybe just friends with benefits. I don't know and I don't really care. Either way they had a dog and a baby in the car with them. Can you figure out where I'm going with this?? They had come to the shelter to abandon their dog. Surrender him. Dump him off. Rip out his heart and stomp on it. Whatever you want to call it.
The surrender itself is not what makes me mad. That happens every day. I have come to accept this as a part of the pet industry. (I'd be interested to find out what percentage of dogs/cats out there are dumped in shelters, let loose outside or euthanized.) It was the manner in which it was done that cut me to the core.
The dog ... 2 years old. A Bichon Frise. Cute little guy. Got out of the car. Nice leash manners. Husband took the little guy for a little walk around the lawn. Peed on a tree. Sniffed around. You know, the sort of things happy little dogs do.
Then the husband and wife stood outside the car and had a cigarette. When the smoke was done, the husband knelt down, hugged the little dog, then walked the dog inside.
WTF!?!?!? I don't care if you felt that it was "too hard" to say goodbye. Suck it up. You just left your little dog at a shelter with strangers, strange smells and barking dogs. How scared do you figure your dog is? How horribly abandoned do you think he is??
He will wait for you to come through those doors for days. Maybe for weeks. He will look at everyone who comes in, thinking it's you. He will be disappointed every hour of every day. His heart will break when he realizes you aren't coming back. He may find another home, or he may not. He might stop eating. He might sulk during the day. He might cry all night. And he will wonder why you wouldn't say goodbye. He will wonder what he did wrong. Why you didn't love him enough to say goodbye.
Hopefully he's strong enough to recover. Hopefully you only broke his heart and you didn't break HIM. Hopefully he makes it out before he runs out of time. Hopefully ...
But yeah ... it was too hard for you to say goodbye. It was too hard for you, who stood beside your car crying after he walked away from you forever. It was just too much. Now you get to go home, raise your baby, pretend this never happened. Someday soon you will get another puppy. Hopefully it will fit into your home. But hey, if it doesn't, you can always dump it off at the shelter.
A couple drove up. Maybe husband and wife. Maybe just friends with benefits. I don't know and I don't really care. Either way they had a dog and a baby in the car with them. Can you figure out where I'm going with this?? They had come to the shelter to abandon their dog. Surrender him. Dump him off. Rip out his heart and stomp on it. Whatever you want to call it.
The surrender itself is not what makes me mad. That happens every day. I have come to accept this as a part of the pet industry. (I'd be interested to find out what percentage of dogs/cats out there are dumped in shelters, let loose outside or euthanized.) It was the manner in which it was done that cut me to the core.
The dog ... 2 years old. A Bichon Frise. Cute little guy. Got out of the car. Nice leash manners. Husband took the little guy for a little walk around the lawn. Peed on a tree. Sniffed around. You know, the sort of things happy little dogs do.
Then the husband and wife stood outside the car and had a cigarette. When the smoke was done, the husband knelt down, hugged the little dog, then walked the dog inside.
The wife didn't even say goodbye.
WTF!?!?!? I don't care if you felt that it was "too hard" to say goodbye. Suck it up. You just left your little dog at a shelter with strangers, strange smells and barking dogs. How scared do you figure your dog is? How horribly abandoned do you think he is??
He will wait for you to come through those doors for days. Maybe for weeks. He will look at everyone who comes in, thinking it's you. He will be disappointed every hour of every day. His heart will break when he realizes you aren't coming back. He may find another home, or he may not. He might stop eating. He might sulk during the day. He might cry all night. And he will wonder why you wouldn't say goodbye. He will wonder what he did wrong. Why you didn't love him enough to say goodbye.
Hopefully he's strong enough to recover. Hopefully you only broke his heart and you didn't break HIM. Hopefully he makes it out before he runs out of time. Hopefully ...
But yeah ... it was too hard for you to say goodbye. It was too hard for you, who stood beside your car crying after he walked away from you forever. It was just too much. Now you get to go home, raise your baby, pretend this never happened. Someday soon you will get another puppy. Hopefully it will fit into your home. But hey, if it doesn't, you can always dump it off at the shelter.
I have a lot of nasty things I'd like to say to you. You are an asshat of the worst kind. Unfortunately, I am more worried about the dogs you are going to ruin than I am about telling you off right now ... Just please remember to say goodbye next time you dump a dog off because you know what??
No matter how hard it is for you, it is thousands of times harder for your little dog.
So take a deep breath and PONY the fuck UP.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
PSA ~ HeLP - check it out and spread the word!
While we all make a concerted effort to provide the best care possible to our pets, sometimes they get lost. There are many resources you can use to help you reconnect with your loved ones. Please read on for one of these resources!
I received a link to the Helping Lost Pets (HeLP) website this week and I would love to share it with all of you. This is a site which provides a database of all the lost/found pets in your area. You can join, opt in/out of email alerts for animals in your area or you could even help pair up dogs/cats! This seems to be a great resource and it would be good to see it fly. Read below for the HeLP PSA.
Helping Lost Pets (HeLP) is not just a website to help you find your pet, it's a pet help network. A community of pet lovers with a common purpose, to help pets and their guardians to enjoy a long, happy and healthy life together.
This new central database will solve two major obstacles in finding a lost pet. The time required to notify others that may be able to help the pet home. Our solution to these two key problems are:
1) With a large membership base, this system will get the message out quickly and to a large number of people in the area. It will allow a poster to instantly printed and distributed. The faster a message can be put out, the better the chance of finding the pet. People with a missing pet are spending hours and hours posting on many different sites. They could be spending this time searching for their pet. If someone finds their pet, they may not make the connection because they are not looking in the same location.
2) This system has the ability to target lost pet information to specific areas so that people are not receiving lost pet information for pets that are no where near them. This will save people time.
Many similar services in use today charge a listing fee. The usage of HeLP is absolutely free. The development and on going costs are fully supported by advertising and sponsors.
So if you have lost or found a pet, or want to know if a pet is lost near you. If you want to find an emergency vet clinic, vet clinic, pet store, pet groomer, dog trainer, doggie day care, pet shelter, pet rescue or any other pet service provider, then join our community. It's map based, so you can pinpoint where a pet was lost or where pet services near you are.
Key Features
* It's map based, so it's visual
* Centralized database of lost/found pets and pet service providers
* Search for lost or found pets
* Set up your profile to receive email notifications of lost or found pets in your area
* Search for pet services
* Find pets available for adoption
There are posters you can use at this site here that will help you to spread the word. Who knows, maybe you can help out your community by using this site??
I received a link to the Helping Lost Pets (HeLP) website this week and I would love to share it with all of you. This is a site which provides a database of all the lost/found pets in your area. You can join, opt in/out of email alerts for animals in your area or you could even help pair up dogs/cats! This seems to be a great resource and it would be good to see it fly. Read below for the HeLP PSA.
Helping Lost Pets (HeLP) is not just a website to help you find your pet, it's a pet help network. A community of pet lovers with a common purpose, to help pets and their guardians to enjoy a long, happy and healthy life together.
This new central database will solve two major obstacles in finding a lost pet. The time required to notify others that may be able to help the pet home. Our solution to these two key problems are:
1) With a large membership base, this system will get the message out quickly and to a large number of people in the area. It will allow a poster to instantly printed and distributed. The faster a message can be put out, the better the chance of finding the pet. People with a missing pet are spending hours and hours posting on many different sites. They could be spending this time searching for their pet. If someone finds their pet, they may not make the connection because they are not looking in the same location.
2) This system has the ability to target lost pet information to specific areas so that people are not receiving lost pet information for pets that are no where near them. This will save people time.
Many similar services in use today charge a listing fee. The usage of HeLP is absolutely free. The development and on going costs are fully supported by advertising and sponsors.
So if you have lost or found a pet, or want to know if a pet is lost near you. If you want to find an emergency vet clinic, vet clinic, pet store, pet groomer, dog trainer, doggie day care, pet shelter, pet rescue or any other pet service provider, then join our community. It's map based, so you can pinpoint where a pet was lost or where pet services near you are.
Key Features
* It's map based, so it's visual
* Centralized database of lost/found pets and pet service providers
* Search for lost or found pets
* Set up your profile to receive email notifications of lost or found pets in your area
* Search for pet services
* Find pets available for adoption
There are posters you can use at this site here that will help you to spread the word. Who knows, maybe you can help out your community by using this site??
Sometimes making a difference doesn't cost a thing.
Monday, November 8, 2010
A Tired Dog - Hide and Seek
I've said before that A Tired Dog is a Good Dog. It is my mantra. I've also stated that mental stimulation is more exhausting than physical. In fact, some of the saddest dogs I've known have had all sorts of physical stimulation and no mental.
I met a Border Collie recently who was so depressed. He moped around everywhere. So sad to see. The owner didn't know there was anything wrong. She was a jogger and took her dog out every day for a jog along the same route. Although the dog was physically tired, his needs were not being met mentally. The owner had no idea. She just thought he was a laid back BC and that she was meeting his exercise requirements. When she started introducing mental stimulation on a daily basis, the change in her dog was phenomenal. She told me that he was wagging his tail (something he did very rarely before), that his eyes seemed to light up when it was game time and that he seemed more happy overall. If a dog could smile, he would have been grinning.
Now she is constantly asking me if I have any more suggestions for mental stimulation. This, of course gave me the idea to write a post about it. There are many ways to mentally exercise your dog. While training is important mental stimulation and toys are great fun, I love to play games with my dogs because it is light hearted. Everyone will have their preference. After a long day at work going outside to play a short game of hide and seek with my dogs makes me feel infinitely better.
Everyone plays Hide and Seek differently and the game will change depending on the dog, the environment, the bond between handler and dog and the situation. My dogs all return to me when called and have learned the rules of this game through play.
When we are outside: I wait till they are running in one direction, then I turn and run the opposite way. I hide (somewhere where I can see them but they can't see me) and call them. Once. Sometimes I simply run to the side in the tall grass and squat down. Sometimes I hide under a tree. Then they have to find me.
When we are inside: The dogs go into a sit. Then I go hide in a closet or behind a door. I call them once and they come searching through the house, room by room. It is best to play Hide and Seek indoors with only one dog "Seeking" at a time. Otherwise it becomes a crazy race in a multi-dog household!
The key is to call them only once. If they come directly to you, than you are either too loud or called too much. (Or your hiding skills are somewhat lacking and you gave away your location.) They should be using their senses to find you; there are more senses than sight. If your dog gives up, call again quietly. When the dog finds you, make a big deal out of it. Add a few "WooHoo"s and some "Yippee"s.
No matter what game you play, it is important that you are in control. Remember this and have fun! Believe it or not, by playing games with your dog, you are actually training him or her! It is a GREAT way to build up that bond between handler and dog.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
OT ~ Entrecard Drops and Ads
Sorry to get off topic from dogs ... but I should post something about Entrecard here since it brings me a fair amount of traffic. If nothing else, it has increased my readership as well as increased the amount of Followers to my blog by spreading the word about it.
Here are this month's Entrecard Top Droppers from my Blog. Thank you to you all:
Sparkle
The Ad Master
Slightly Sarcastic
Symbian Freeware
Art Shout!
Urban Art Blog
Urban Art by Paul Baines
T-Shirt Reviews
Guitarbench.com
Mbah Casino
Also, thank you for this week's advertisers ... they are:
BeadedTail
Lainy's Musings
The Ad Master
eastcoastlife
Some Assembly Required
Internation Musings
I'm Walking On Sunshine
Ancient Digger
Sparkle
Here are this month's Entrecard Top Droppers from my Blog. Thank you to you all:
Sparkle
The Ad Master
Slightly Sarcastic
Symbian Freeware
Art Shout!
Urban Art Blog
Urban Art by Paul Baines
T-Shirt Reviews
Guitarbench.com
Mbah Casino
Also, thank you for this week's advertisers ... they are:
BeadedTail
Lainy's Musings
The Ad Master
eastcoastlife
Some Assembly Required
Internation Musings
I'm Walking On Sunshine
Ancient Digger
Sparkle
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Happy Tails Books Rescue of the Year Competition
Check it out! Kyla is having a Happy Tails Books Rescue of the Year Competition which means that she is asking everyone to vote for their favorite rescue and then she will send them $500 worth of product! What are you waiting for?? Here's a way you could help out a rescue!
VOTE ... come on ... give in to the pressure ... VOTE then come back here and tell me whether or not you voted!!
Rescue of the Year Competition: VOTE for your favorite rescue!
We're doing our best to help animal rescue organizations, but we need your participation. Please click the link above to vote for your favorite rescue! The winning rescue will receive $500 worth of awesome items for raffles or fundraising sales. These items include Bissell vacuums, doggie diapers, books, note cards, etc. Voting is open now until November 25th.
VOTE ... come on ... give in to the pressure ... VOTE then come back here and tell me whether or not you voted!!
Rescue of the Year Competition: VOTE for your favorite rescue!
We're doing our best to help animal rescue organizations, but we need your participation. Please click the link above to vote for your favorite rescue! The winning rescue will receive $500 worth of awesome items for raffles or fundraising sales. These items include Bissell vacuums, doggie diapers, books, note cards, etc. Voting is open now until November 25th.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
DDF Mail Bag ~ Something to think about
I received this in my email and want to know what you think. It was written about deaf dogs but you could say the same about specific breeds, amputees, those with physical disabilities/disorders/diseases, or any other characteristic you want. Please take some time to read this and think about it. Post in the comment section what you think.
A number of times I have seen people post with comments about how at the 11th hour they saved this or that deaf dog from being PTS. Their intent is to show that these dogs went on to make good pets, and that it was wrong that they were so close to being PTS just because they were deaf.
But I think for many people outside the deaf dog community, especially those who aren't supportive of deaf dogs, these sorts of comments send a very different message, and one that is not helpful. A number of times I have heard responses to such comments that were along the lines of, "see, if it weren't for that one special person, who saved the dog just because they are a deaf dog fancier, that dog had no chance."
Their interpretation is that deaf dogs are unadoptable except for a small number of "special" adopters, and unfortunately that proves to them that deaf dogs ought to be PTS because they are not really adoptable. They see the situation as a deaf dog fancier coming in and saving the dog at the last minute because no one wanted the dog and it had no chance of survival if the fancier didn't save it. People's perceptions of things are always highly influenced by their preconceptions, and their biases.
We see it in politics all the time. Republicans and Democrats see the same problem completely differently, and each sees it as proof the other side is wrong. Same thing here.
It might be better to just talk about what great pets they make, and leave the issue of how they came to be a family pet, out of the discussion entirely. Just something to think about.
Should we tell people that the dog was saved from euthanasia or should we leave that part of the description out? How can this be applied in other ways?? Should we tell potential adopters the amount of behaviour modification the animal has undergone prior to adoption or will this scare them away?
Personally, I always tell my potential adopters everything there is to know about the animal - forewarned is forearmed in my opinion. I have no qualms about telling people about my own dogs or the dogs I am/have fostered. My thoughts are that people will always form their own opinion no matter what you say so you might as well be truthful.
A number of times I have seen people post with comments about how at the 11th hour they saved this or that deaf dog from being PTS. Their intent is to show that these dogs went on to make good pets, and that it was wrong that they were so close to being PTS just because they were deaf.
But I think for many people outside the deaf dog community, especially those who aren't supportive of deaf dogs, these sorts of comments send a very different message, and one that is not helpful. A number of times I have heard responses to such comments that were along the lines of, "see, if it weren't for that one special person, who saved the dog just because they are a deaf dog fancier, that dog had no chance."
Their interpretation is that deaf dogs are unadoptable except for a small number of "special" adopters, and unfortunately that proves to them that deaf dogs ought to be PTS because they are not really adoptable. They see the situation as a deaf dog fancier coming in and saving the dog at the last minute because no one wanted the dog and it had no chance of survival if the fancier didn't save it. People's perceptions of things are always highly influenced by their preconceptions, and their biases.
We see it in politics all the time. Republicans and Democrats see the same problem completely differently, and each sees it as proof the other side is wrong. Same thing here.
It might be better to just talk about what great pets they make, and leave the issue of how they came to be a family pet, out of the discussion entirely. Just something to think about.
Should we tell people that the dog was saved from euthanasia or should we leave that part of the description out? How can this be applied in other ways?? Should we tell potential adopters the amount of behaviour modification the animal has undergone prior to adoption or will this scare them away?
Personally, I always tell my potential adopters everything there is to know about the animal - forewarned is forearmed in my opinion. I have no qualms about telling people about my own dogs or the dogs I am/have fostered. My thoughts are that people will always form their own opinion no matter what you say so you might as well be truthful.
Friday, October 29, 2010
DDF PSA ~ Project Pet Slim Down
I have to apologize to everyone who has emailed me stories, products and PSA's they would like published on my blog - I've been busy and haven't had time to properly research your ideas. I'm going to try to get through the pile I've got in my inbox in the next little while but it takes time. I won't just copy and paste something without reviewing it and I refuse to promote a product without first checking it out.
If you are a company who sends me a FREE SAMPLE, please remember that this does NOT mean I will automatically give you a positive review. If your product is crap, I will blog about it. If your product is awesome, I will blog about it - probably more than once. I will let everyone know that they should purchase this product. I might even post some links on my blog for people to click on to purchase the item.
Now that I've said that, I have a PSA for you. It's not a product review because Purina wouldn't send me any food to test out; but that's ok. It's simply a review and a PSA with MHO!
I received an email about Project Pet Slim Down (http://www.slimdownyourpet.com/) There is a $20 coupon from Purina Veterinary Diets offered through this email. Here's a bit about what this email said:
Did you know 45% of all dogs in the US are estimated to be overweight or obese? It’s higher for cats – 58% are overweight or obese! A 3-pound weight gain for a 15-pound Boston Terrier is like a 30-pound weight gain on a 150-pound person. A 3-pound gain for a 10-pound cat is like 45 pounds for a 150-pound person! It puts a lot of stress on our pets’ bodies to carry that extra weight.
Project Pet Slim Down offers a three-step process to slim your pet down. Visit the site to get great tips for how to help your pet lose weight responsibly.
Plus you can check out eight adorable dogs and their weight-loss stories, complete with weigh in’s, how-to suggestions and before-and-after’s. Who doesn’t love a great before and after? These dogs managed to lose some serious LBS in just 90 days!
So I went to the website and what I found was ... interesting. There are videos about a bunch of different dogs, what they weighed, how much they were overweight and the weight loss regimen the animals were put on. It is obviously a spin-off of the weightloss reality TV shows (Biggest Loser, XWeighted, etc).
The dogs were put on Purina Veterinary Diets® OM Overweight Management® Canine. From the sounds of it, there was no gradual change-over (though I might be wrong about this). You will note that the people in the video do NOT tell you how much of their previous food they were feeding their dogs. Most "weight loss" foods have a lot of fibre and useless mass in them. This helps fool the humans into thinking they aren't depriving their beloved pets by reducing the food but really doesn't do much for a dog - they are NOT built like a human! It also keeps the dog eating a large amount of food (don't forget - there are only so many cups of food in a bag of dog food and the company only makes money when you buy the bags so it would make sense to lower the amount of calories per cup so you have to feed your dog more AND spend more money!). Now, I've seen dogs go from eating 6 cups of food per day to 2 cups of food per day (different food with different caloric intake); the dog was healthier with the 2 cups! Doggie metabolisms were NOT made to eat excess FIBRE. They are NOT vegetarians like horses are (who DO benefit from beet pulp in their foods sometimes), they are NOT omnivores like people (who should have SOME fibre in their diet but not TOO much!). They are carnivores. Their bodies were designed to eat meat. Yes, some of the bodies they would have eaten would have tripe in it ... that doesn't mean a LARGE portion of their diet was vegetation/fibre. Do we eat grass when we are dieting just to keep our bellies full and calories down?? Why would you do that to your dog?
Now, these dogs were overweight. The mastiff was 30 LBS overweight. The other dogs were all about 30% overweight (according to the vets). Each one of these dogs were put to task with an immediate (huge) increase in their exercise regimen even when the owners told the cameras that the dog gets tired with a short walk. Every one of these dogs were told to leap over jumps!! Ok ... HOLD IT! These dogs are overweight ... and not only have you more than quadrupled their exercise, but you are having them jump over bars!?!?!? ARE YOU INSANE???? Would you like to know what kind of stress you're putting on that dog's joints? Now you are not only adding anaerobic and aerobic exercises to an animal who has not been super active for a while but you are also adding plyometrics?! Good grief. That's like asking a person who needs to lose 30 LBS to do plyometrics ... You'll blow out the person's knee unless you've done strength training to build up those ligaments!! Why wouldn't you do some good water/swimming exercises to start with?? They will safely work the muscles without damaging the joints or ligaments.
I'm not overly impressed with this program. If you want your dog to lose weight, REDUCE the amount of food you are giving him/her!! IF you feed 2 cups twice a day, then feed 1.5 cups twice a day!! STOP FEEDING COOKIES!!!
Take the dog for an extra walk. Build your dog up slowly. Would you be able to get up one morning and run a marathon?? NO. You need to train for that. You have to practice. You have to work up to it. Treat your dog the same way. Don't think that a dog who has had ZERO exercise can just get up and run around the yard to burn off the calories. Take your dog for a walk! Go for a liesurly stroll to begin with! Once your dog is ok with that level of exercise, increase your pace to a walk; then to a fast walk; then to a speed walk; then to intermitten jogging then walking! You build it up over WEEKS ... possibly even MONTHS. You do not just get up one day and say "hm! My dog is fat. He needs to lose weight. Here is some agility equipment to jump over so I don't get bored with what he is doing." NO NO NO NO NO. You need to take your DOGS needs into account.
If you have a 135 LBS mastiff and you want the dog to lose 30 LBS, you should not expect the dog to lose any more than 5 LBS per week (this is the MAX). Expect the same thing for your dog as you would for a PERSON! Think proportionally. So you have a Doxie and it is 10 LBS overweight ... don't try to lose all 10 LBS in one week! As a 200 LBS human you MIGHT be able to lose that much that fast but to a 15 LBS dog, losing 10 lbs is like the equivalent of a 200 LBS human to lose 85 LBS!!!
Sorry if this turned into more of a rant than a review ... but these sorts of things DRIVE ME CRAZY.
If you are a company who sends me a FREE SAMPLE, please remember that this does NOT mean I will automatically give you a positive review. If your product is crap, I will blog about it. If your product is awesome, I will blog about it - probably more than once. I will let everyone know that they should purchase this product. I might even post some links on my blog for people to click on to purchase the item.
Now that I've said that, I have a PSA for you. It's not a product review because Purina wouldn't send me any food to test out; but that's ok. It's simply a review and a PSA with MHO!
I received an email about Project Pet Slim Down (http://www.slimdownyourpet.com/) There is a $20 coupon from Purina Veterinary Diets offered through this email. Here's a bit about what this email said:
Did you know 45% of all dogs in the US are estimated to be overweight or obese? It’s higher for cats – 58% are overweight or obese! A 3-pound weight gain for a 15-pound Boston Terrier is like a 30-pound weight gain on a 150-pound person. A 3-pound gain for a 10-pound cat is like 45 pounds for a 150-pound person! It puts a lot of stress on our pets’ bodies to carry that extra weight.
Project Pet Slim Down offers a three-step process to slim your pet down. Visit the site to get great tips for how to help your pet lose weight responsibly.
Plus you can check out eight adorable dogs and their weight-loss stories, complete with weigh in’s, how-to suggestions and before-and-after’s. Who doesn’t love a great before and after? These dogs managed to lose some serious LBS in just 90 days!
So I went to the website and what I found was ... interesting. There are videos about a bunch of different dogs, what they weighed, how much they were overweight and the weight loss regimen the animals were put on. It is obviously a spin-off of the weightloss reality TV shows (Biggest Loser, XWeighted, etc).
The dogs were put on Purina Veterinary Diets® OM Overweight Management® Canine. From the sounds of it, there was no gradual change-over (though I might be wrong about this). You will note that the people in the video do NOT tell you how much of their previous food they were feeding their dogs. Most "weight loss" foods have a lot of fibre and useless mass in them. This helps fool the humans into thinking they aren't depriving their beloved pets by reducing the food but really doesn't do much for a dog - they are NOT built like a human! It also keeps the dog eating a large amount of food (don't forget - there are only so many cups of food in a bag of dog food and the company only makes money when you buy the bags so it would make sense to lower the amount of calories per cup so you have to feed your dog more AND spend more money!). Now, I've seen dogs go from eating 6 cups of food per day to 2 cups of food per day (different food with different caloric intake); the dog was healthier with the 2 cups! Doggie metabolisms were NOT made to eat excess FIBRE. They are NOT vegetarians like horses are (who DO benefit from beet pulp in their foods sometimes), they are NOT omnivores like people (who should have SOME fibre in their diet but not TOO much!). They are carnivores. Their bodies were designed to eat meat. Yes, some of the bodies they would have eaten would have tripe in it ... that doesn't mean a LARGE portion of their diet was vegetation/fibre. Do we eat grass when we are dieting just to keep our bellies full and calories down?? Why would you do that to your dog?
Now, these dogs were overweight. The mastiff was 30 LBS overweight. The other dogs were all about 30% overweight (according to the vets). Each one of these dogs were put to task with an immediate (huge) increase in their exercise regimen even when the owners told the cameras that the dog gets tired with a short walk. Every one of these dogs were told to leap over jumps!! Ok ... HOLD IT! These dogs are overweight ... and not only have you more than quadrupled their exercise, but you are having them jump over bars!?!?!? ARE YOU INSANE???? Would you like to know what kind of stress you're putting on that dog's joints? Now you are not only adding anaerobic and aerobic exercises to an animal who has not been super active for a while but you are also adding plyometrics?! Good grief. That's like asking a person who needs to lose 30 LBS to do plyometrics ... You'll blow out the person's knee unless you've done strength training to build up those ligaments!! Why wouldn't you do some good water/swimming exercises to start with?? They will safely work the muscles without damaging the joints or ligaments.
I'm not overly impressed with this program. If you want your dog to lose weight, REDUCE the amount of food you are giving him/her!! IF you feed 2 cups twice a day, then feed 1.5 cups twice a day!! STOP FEEDING COOKIES!!!
Take the dog for an extra walk. Build your dog up slowly. Would you be able to get up one morning and run a marathon?? NO. You need to train for that. You have to practice. You have to work up to it. Treat your dog the same way. Don't think that a dog who has had ZERO exercise can just get up and run around the yard to burn off the calories. Take your dog for a walk! Go for a liesurly stroll to begin with! Once your dog is ok with that level of exercise, increase your pace to a walk; then to a fast walk; then to a speed walk; then to intermitten jogging then walking! You build it up over WEEKS ... possibly even MONTHS. You do not just get up one day and say "hm! My dog is fat. He needs to lose weight. Here is some agility equipment to jump over so I don't get bored with what he is doing." NO NO NO NO NO. You need to take your DOGS needs into account.
If you have a 135 LBS mastiff and you want the dog to lose 30 LBS, you should not expect the dog to lose any more than 5 LBS per week (this is the MAX). Expect the same thing for your dog as you would for a PERSON! Think proportionally. So you have a Doxie and it is 10 LBS overweight ... don't try to lose all 10 LBS in one week! As a 200 LBS human you MIGHT be able to lose that much that fast but to a 15 LBS dog, losing 10 lbs is like the equivalent of a 200 LBS human to lose 85 LBS!!!
Don't be a dumbass. Be a good owner. Feed your dog appropriately. Keep them at a HEALTHY weight. Exercise them regularly to their level of fitness (and yours!).
Sorry if this turned into more of a rant than a review ... but these sorts of things DRIVE ME CRAZY.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
News Reel ~ The Importanct of a Solid Recall
Here is another reason why it is so CRUCIAL to have a solid recall! Your dog should come back to you when you call. Simple. Easy peasy. So why don't people teach their dogs to come back?!?
Check it out ... Car hits Minnesota man chasing his dog on I-94
My first question ... why doesn't your dog come back when called?
My second question ... why did you allow your dog to run away near I-94?
My third question ... why? Just ... why?
This incident has resulted in a dead dog. IMHO there is no excuse for asshattery on the part of the dog owner. You are supposed to be the responsible one! You are supposed to be the one in charge! You are supposed to keep your dog safe. Idiot.
PLEASE teach your dog to come back when called!! PLEASE teach your dog basic obedience!!
Above you will note that I found you a Dogs for Dummies DVD. There is no excuse not to teach your dog (no, not even "I can't read" because I found you a DVD). Watch it.
Alternatively, the below amazon link is a book that might help you.
Check it out ... Car hits Minnesota man chasing his dog on I-94
My first question ... why doesn't your dog come back when called?
My second question ... why did you allow your dog to run away near I-94?
My third question ... why? Just ... why?
This incident has resulted in a dead dog. IMHO there is no excuse for asshattery on the part of the dog owner. You are supposed to be the responsible one! You are supposed to be the one in charge! You are supposed to keep your dog safe. Idiot.
PLEASE teach your dog to come back when called!! PLEASE teach your dog basic obedience!!
Above you will note that I found you a Dogs for Dummies DVD. There is no excuse not to teach your dog (no, not even "I can't read" because I found you a DVD). Watch it.
Alternatively, the below amazon link is a book that might help you.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Featured Rescue - Nana the Labrador Retriever
Today's featured rescue is Nana. She is a senior lady who needs someone to give her that super-special home where she can live out her life. Nana has a bunch of tricks in her "routine" including sit, shake a paw, lay down and roll over.
Unfortunately she does not seem to enjoy the company of other dogs which means that the shelter is looking for someone with no other dogs to adopt her. Fortunately, she is in a foster home and not in the kennels. I hate to see the older ones in the shelter ... and more so for those who don't like other dogs. It's a great environment to culture a negative behaviour that has been budding.
If you can offer Nana a home, please contact the Guelph Humane Society at •519-824-3091.
If you can offer Nana a home, please contact the Guelph Humane Society at •519-824-3091.
Friday, October 22, 2010
DDF ~ Love Life and Live
Today my dogs served me a reminder that I should stop focusing on all the things I cannot change and take pleasure in the world around me. How did they do this?? Well, of course I will tell you ... you thought perhaps I'd not bother to rant? Pah. It may be TGIF but the sky is still blue and hell hath not frozen yet!
Today there was snow. Around 3 inches of it stayed on the ground after falling last night. The dogs may not all get along very well right now (thanks to Red Dog) but that didn't stop them from frapping in the snow.
In fact, they were so busy loving life, running around the field like maniacs, that they forgot that wet snow makes it more difficult to turn on a dime ... one moment they were frapping around ... the next, two of them came straight at me, turning away at the last moment, when suddenly ... one of them didn't quite turn. She slipped, she slid, she skidded across the wet, cold snow ... right into the back of my knees.
Down I went. Into the snow. In the clothes I had planned on wearing to work today. DAMNIT! ARGH! SONOFABITCH! WRAWR!
And you know what? I was so busy focusing on everything going on that I forgot to laugh. I was busy trying not to fall on top of the 32 LBS of love that just crashed into me ... busy trying to control the Red Dog who for once is NOT trying to kill the other dogs and just wants to go frapping too ... busy trying (and failing) to stay dry and warm ... busy trying to control myself and NOT kill the two dogs who were simply showing the world how much they love life.
I looked around at the four dogs who had all come over to see if I was alright, to lick my face, to whine, to try and climb into my lap, to roll upsidedown and be silly goofy clowns that make me laugh ... and I realized that I had clean clothes inside; that nothing in my knees was damaged; and the craziest thing of all??
I think my dogs were laughing at me.
For most of us, the first day of snow is a negative thing. People skulk around. They mope. They snap. They are downright cranky. But perhaps there is another way ... perhaps we could stop complaining about what we are losing and look at what we have. That's what the dogs do. Maybe we should take a page out of their lesson book and stop being so cranky.
Today there was snow. Around 3 inches of it stayed on the ground after falling last night. The dogs may not all get along very well right now (thanks to Red Dog) but that didn't stop them from frapping in the snow.
In fact, they were so busy loving life, running around the field like maniacs, that they forgot that wet snow makes it more difficult to turn on a dime ... one moment they were frapping around ... the next, two of them came straight at me, turning away at the last moment, when suddenly ... one of them didn't quite turn. She slipped, she slid, she skidded across the wet, cold snow ... right into the back of my knees.
Down I went. Into the snow. In the clothes I had planned on wearing to work today. DAMNIT! ARGH! SONOFABITCH! WRAWR!
And you know what? I was so busy focusing on everything going on that I forgot to laugh. I was busy trying not to fall on top of the 32 LBS of love that just crashed into me ... busy trying to control the Red Dog who for once is NOT trying to kill the other dogs and just wants to go frapping too ... busy trying (and failing) to stay dry and warm ... busy trying to control myself and NOT kill the two dogs who were simply showing the world how much they love life.
Wait a minute. Here's where I had my epiphany.
I looked around at the four dogs who had all come over to see if I was alright, to lick my face, to whine, to try and climb into my lap, to roll upsidedown and be silly goofy clowns that make me laugh ... and I realized that I had clean clothes inside; that nothing in my knees was damaged; and the craziest thing of all??
I think my dogs were laughing at me.
For most of us, the first day of snow is a negative thing. People skulk around. They mope. They snap. They are downright cranky. But perhaps there is another way ... perhaps we could stop complaining about what we are losing and look at what we have. That's what the dogs do. Maybe we should take a page out of their lesson book and stop being so cranky.
Stop. Enjoy life. Don't get so busy that you neglect to feel and be aware of the world around because the world will pass you by without a second glance.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Training Rant ~ Housesoiling
Funny thing that I want to share ... about a year ago, I started offering dog training to people and the most common thing I get called in about is HouseSoiling (followed closely by Aggression and then Separation Anxiety). If they are bringing me in for housesoiling, it almost always turns out that the dog has other issues as well that they would like to work on (but didn't bother to tell me about).
The number one complaint from dog owners is housesoiling. However, housesoiling is NOT the most common complaint. The most common is aggression. (Campbell WE: 1986 - The prevalence of behavioural problems in American Dogs: Modern Vet Pract 67:28-31)
That means that although aggression is more common than housesoiling, people complain more about the housesoiling. People would rather have an aggression problem than a housesoiling problem in their house! Seems odd to me, but I suppose if you couldn't figure out how to resolve the housesoiling problem and you can manage the aggression problem (for example, by isolating your dog) then the aggression would be the lesser of two evils.
Interesting, no? For those of us involved in rescue, this is probably not a big surprise. How many of the foster dogs we bring into our homes are housetrained?? And yet ... in the majority of cases, how easy is it to do?
So there you have it. That's your tid-bit of useless information for today. So here's my question ... if aggression is more common than housesoiling, then why is housesoiling the number one complaint?
Monday, October 18, 2010
News Reel ~ Asshat Kicks Dog; Police Dispatcher Finds Stolen Dog
Check out this news article! Sick Thug Filmed Booting His Dog. You can't tell me that the reporter who wrote this article isn't an animal lover.
It is thought the footage was taken on October 1 and was filmed in Knee Hill Park in Woolwich, South London
How I'd like to put the boot to that guy ... like a piñata ... Instead, I am hoping that the RSPCA will be able to find this asshat and send him to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Damned SOB.
On a brighter note, the police dispatcher in Peterborough deserves a pat on the back today after she finds stolen dog online! The husky was left tied up outside a No Frills for 10 minutes on Friday ... the dispatcher heard about the stolen dog and started checking Kijiji ... The dog was being advertised as an eight-month-old husky for $600. Plainclothes officers arranged to meet with the sellers at a north-end car wash ... Two brothers, age 14 and 17, of Peterborough, have been charged with possession of stolen property.
It is thought the footage was taken on October 1 and was filmed in Knee Hill Park in Woolwich, South London
How I'd like to put the boot to that guy ... like a piñata ... Instead, I am hoping that the RSPCA will be able to find this asshat and send him to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Damned SOB.
On a brighter note, the police dispatcher in Peterborough deserves a pat on the back today after she finds stolen dog online! The husky was left tied up outside a No Frills for 10 minutes on Friday ... the dispatcher heard about the stolen dog and started checking Kijiji ... The dog was being advertised as an eight-month-old husky for $600. Plainclothes officers arranged to meet with the sellers at a north-end car wash ... Two brothers, age 14 and 17, of Peterborough, have been charged with possession of stolen property.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
OffTopic ~ National Feral Cat Day
This is a little off topic but I thought I would share anyway! Today is National Feral Cat Day! Help spread the word! Below post is crossposted from my other blog, Drowning In Cats. Feel free to crosspost this information. Education about Feral Cats is the key.
Happy National Feral Cat Day!
October 16 is National Feral Cat Day. Take a few minutes today to help spread the word about Feral cats! Tell someone about what they are, why they are feral, what a colony is, about the pros and cons of having a colony nearby, and about population management! If you spread the word to one person today, that is one more person than yesterday who knew about Feral Cats.
Here is what Alley Cat Allies has to say about National Feral Cat Day:
October 16 - Ten Year Anniversary
National Feral Cat Day (NFCD) is your opportunity to help protect and improve the lives of cats around the county!
In 1990, most Americans didn’t know the best way to care for stray and feral cats. Thanks to Alley Cat Allies, today, improving their lives through Trap-Neuter-Return programs is widespread—and the movement continues to build. Hundreds of local groups work on behalf of stray and feral cats, while millions of Americans have reached into their hearts and their wallets to care for and feed them.
Happy National Feral Cat Day!
October 16 is National Feral Cat Day. Take a few minutes today to help spread the word about Feral cats! Tell someone about what they are, why they are feral, what a colony is, about the pros and cons of having a colony nearby, and about population management! If you spread the word to one person today, that is one more person than yesterday who knew about Feral Cats.
Here is what Alley Cat Allies has to say about National Feral Cat Day:
October 16 - Ten Year Anniversary
National Feral Cat Day (NFCD) is your opportunity to help protect and improve the lives of cats around the county!
In 1990, most Americans didn’t know the best way to care for stray and feral cats. Thanks to Alley Cat Allies, today, improving their lives through Trap-Neuter-Return programs is widespread—and the movement continues to build. Hundreds of local groups work on behalf of stray and feral cats, while millions of Americans have reached into their hearts and their wallets to care for and feed them.
There is still work to be done. National Feral Cat Day—October 16th—is a perfect opportunity to tell others about our feral feline friends and truly make a difference in cats’ lives.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Featured Rescue - Fofee the Australian Shepherd mix
I went looking around to find a Red Merle Aussie to feature as today's rescue (spurred by Sweep's story) but when I ran across Fofee, I decided to feature him instead and turn this into a discussion ... I want your opinion.
I'm sure you're saying to yourself "Why would she post an 8 week old puppy? It's easy for them to get adopted" and you're right. However, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to look at different adoption processes and fees.
Fofee is in the care of the Mississauga Humane Society. Their adoption fee for an 8 week old puppy is a whopping $450! Some people might see that and turn and walk away. HOWEVER ... what we have to look at is what is included in this fee? The ad says: which covers 3 boosters, deworming, microchipping and neuter/spay when the puppy is five months old. If you went to an average priced veterinarian, the costs would easily be $600. Keeping that in mind, $450 for an adoption fee doesn't sound too far fetched.
I scrolled through the web page and found that almost each and every dog had a different adoption fee. Some were as low as $128; some $158; some $198; some $200; some $250; some $300; some $350; some $480!! Holy jumpin'! Talk about all over the board. The only one that seems to include future vet bills is the Aussie puppy. I thought it might have something to do with the age / breed of the animal but after scrolling through, it doesn't seem to be the case. Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of money / time they have put into the dog?? It's hard to say because most of these dogs are in foster homes.
What do you think? Do you think it's right for a shelter to change the adoption fees for each dog?? If not, why? If so, what would the criteria be??
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Pupdates ... Stolen Dog ~ Found ... Red Visit Today
Well today is a day of good news!
First off, I received this email today about Sweep the Red Merle Aussie ...
---------- message ----------
From: chantal
Date: Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 4:36 AM
Subject: Re: [Comment] STOLEN: My aussie SWEEP
Sweep was found! The police found her in Toronto. The thief even dyed her fur a different colour. The person is being charged..and my dog is home safe and sound!
Secondly, a lady is coming by to meet Red Dog this afternoon. Cross your fingers that she's "the one"! I think she sounds wonderful but ultimately the decision is up to Red Dog.
First off, I received this email today about Sweep the Red Merle Aussie ...
---------- message ----------
From: chantal
Date: Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 4:36 AM
Subject: Re: [Comment] STOLEN: My aussie SWEEP
Sweep was found! The police found her in Toronto. The thief even dyed her fur a different colour. The person is being charged..and my dog is home safe and sound!
Hooray!! I am so pleased to hear that Sweep is home, safe and sound. I have edited my post from yesterday to remove Chantal's phone number (but otherwise left it unchanged).
Secondly, a lady is coming by to meet Red Dog this afternoon. Cross your fingers that she's "the one"! I think she sounds wonderful but ultimately the decision is up to Red Dog. Short and sweet, eh?! Some days it's nice to have short and sweet ... uncomplicated and stress free ...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Stolen Dog ~ Sweep
Hope everyone had a great long weekend!
I received this in my email inbox on Sunday and want to spread the word. If I were in Chantal's shoes, I would want everyone to know in the hopes that I would be able to get my dog back. If anyone knows anything about this dog, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact the owner!
On Monday October 4th, while I was at work, someone broke into my home, entered, and stole my beloved dog from her crate. They did not take anything else. We would love some help in finding her!!!!!!
She is a nine year old red merle Australian Shepherd, spayed female, grey and brown with lots of spots, white paws, 45 lbs. She was wearing a pink collar.
She was taken from her home in Shelburne and possibly was moved to the Toronto area, although we really have no clue. Any help would be appreciated- even just keeping an eye open for her. If seen, you can call Chantal at [removed now that Sweep has been found].
Friday, October 8, 2010
News Reel ~ Burned Dogs Available for Adoption
Back in March 2010, two dogs were set on fire by their owner. 36 year-old Katherine Brotherton faces two felony counts of animal cruelty. Investigators said she doused her family’s two pet dogs with gasoline and set them on fire. Brotherton allegedly claimed the dogs bit her and setting them on fire was the only reasonable thing to do. May Brotherton says her daughter has exhibited schizophrenic behavior in the past month (of March) ... and that she refuses to take her medication.
Sick sick sick. You can't tell me she's not spun. She's not an Asshat ... she's a genuine, bonified CRAZY-MOFO
While there is little help for Brotherton (as an "adult" over the age of majority, it is within her rights to refuse treatment), there is help available for the two dogs. More than 8 months later, they can finally find a new [safe] home.
The Burned dogs [are] healthy again; up for adoption in Johnson County. Jake, a black Labrador mix, and Boomer, a blue heeler, both suffered extensive burns when their owner allegedly set them on fire as a form of punishment.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Foster and Rehoming Tips 3 ~ Don't Trust The Dog
Way back when ago, I started a series of posts that were Tips for Foster Homes or people who wanted to become Foster Homes ... then I realized that the same tips could be used for people who were bringing a new dog or puppy home! Anyone who is rehoming a dog can use these same tips. (See "Foster Tips" label)
It's been a long time since I posted the last Foster Tips but I have one today for you ...
What? Yep. You read that rightly ... don't trust the dog. People bring home dogs from various places (rehomed privately, from a shelter, from a breeder, etc) and more often than not, the people walk into their home and let the dog off the leash!! Then they can't figure out why the dog is going crazy (or why the dog attacked the kids when they were sleeping on the couch, or why the dog killed their cat, or why their existing dog started a fight with the new dog!).
In my opinion, that is one of the stupidest things you could do when bringing a new dog into your house. I don't care how KYOOT those eyes look. Why would you do that?? Even if you know the dog's history, you don't know the dog. I don't care if your friend owned this dog and you've known the dog for a while ... you don't live with the dog and therefore you don't know the dog. That means Don't Trust The Dog!
Small dog or big dog ... it doesn't really matter. Little JRTs or a Chihuahua can kill or do serious damage to your cats. Small dogs are just as capable of undesirable behaviour as big dogs are so don't write them off because they are so KYOOT.
Please ... for the sake of the dog you are bringing into your home. Think first. You don't know the dog so why would you trust it? It takes a bit more effort on your part to manage the environment and situation properly but it could mean the world if something happens and you are suddenly afraid of the dog you have just brought into your family. Here's to hoping you, your family and your other animals don't get hurt in the process ... It's your responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen.
It's been a long time since I posted the last Foster Tips but I have one today for you ...
Don't Trust The Dog
What? Yep. You read that rightly ... don't trust the dog. People bring home dogs from various places (rehomed privately, from a shelter, from a breeder, etc) and more often than not, the people walk into their home and let the dog off the leash!! Then they can't figure out why the dog is going crazy (or why the dog attacked the kids when they were sleeping on the couch, or why the dog killed their cat, or why their existing dog started a fight with the new dog!).
In my opinion, that is one of the stupidest things you could do when bringing a new dog into your house. I don't care how KYOOT those eyes look. Why would you do that?? Even if you know the dog's history, you don't know the dog. I don't care if your friend owned this dog and you've known the dog for a while ... you don't live with the dog and therefore you don't know the dog. That means Don't Trust The Dog!
Small dog or big dog ... it doesn't really matter. Little JRTs or a Chihuahua can kill or do serious damage to your cats. Small dogs are just as capable of undesirable behaviour as big dogs are so don't write them off because they are so KYOOT.
Please ... for the sake of the dog you are bringing into your home. Think first. You don't know the dog so why would you trust it? It takes a bit more effort on your part to manage the environment and situation properly but it could mean the world if something happens and you are suddenly afraid of the dog you have just brought into your family. Here's to hoping you, your family and your other animals don't get hurt in the process ... It's your responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Pupdates - Red and Blue
Been preoccupied lately with some of the goings-on around here. Thought I'd share a bit of what has been keeping me from my blogging ...
Blue Dog is still having problems, though the problems have changed! Of course it's changed - heaven forbid that she have "normal" problems! Bloodwork came back relatively normal but protein levels in her blood are low and her albumin levels are off. Apparently this suggests a GI problem, so we had fecal samples run. They have come back negative. Now we're on to the next test. I don't know what it is yet - I'll be talking to the vet this evening. Last time I was talking to her we were considering which specialist to go to. I plan to ask if X-Rays would show anything unusual.
Instead of seizure-like-activity, or hypoglycemic-like-activity, her episodes have changed to stroke-like-activity (according to my vet). Awesome, eh? Last weekend she got all cuddly, then lost her balance, fell over and spent over an hour trembling, shaking and falling. It seemed like she had vertigo. She would panic if I left her side and she would panic if she was moved at all. This may sound sad but it was the first time I was able to actually hold her (normally she's a little firecracker who doesn't stop unless to sleep - I've never met a dog with more energy) and it was quite scary. It took her more than 24 hours to recover ... she was so weak that for the first 12 hours after her "episode" she couldn't stand up without assistance and her reactions were very slow so she was not able to catch herself if one of the other dogs bumped into her. Since then she has been subdued and cuddly, neither of which are normal behaviours for her.
Red Dog is still with us, looking for a home. I'm now looking into some less conventional ways to find her a home since she is a non-conventional kind of dog. I am trying to pull some heart-strings ... We are going away in November and after a lengthy discussion with someone off the record, I am concerned about sending Red Dog back to BAS when we go. I worry about whether or not she will be waiting for us when we get back and I doubt they would adopt her to someone in that short period of time (though stranger things have happened!). So I have people putting up posters, I am contacting newspapers and I am emailing lists like crazy hoping to spread the word. I have contacted a breeder in Ontario who will list rescue dogs on their website (though I haven't heard anything back yet) and I am waiting to hear back from a call to ACD rescue in Ontario that I was hoping might have some ideas.
Instead of seizure-like-activity, or hypoglycemic-like-activity, her episodes have changed to stroke-like-activity (according to my vet). Awesome, eh? Last weekend she got all cuddly, then lost her balance, fell over and spent over an hour trembling, shaking and falling. It seemed like she had vertigo. She would panic if I left her side and she would panic if she was moved at all. This may sound sad but it was the first time I was able to actually hold her (normally she's a little firecracker who doesn't stop unless to sleep - I've never met a dog with more energy) and it was quite scary. It took her more than 24 hours to recover ... she was so weak that for the first 12 hours after her "episode" she couldn't stand up without assistance and her reactions were very slow so she was not able to catch herself if one of the other dogs bumped into her. Since then she has been subdued and cuddly, neither of which are normal behaviours for her.
Cross your fingers and paws for us folks, I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Featured Rescue Followups September
Today's Featured Rescue Followup will be for September. There's some good news for some of the dogs that have been looking for a home. While I do hope that all the dogs I list are adopted, there are many (many, many, many) more out there that I haven't listed that need a home just as badly.
If you can open your heart and your home to one dog, you can change the course of his/her life forever. You can make a difference.
If you can open your heart and your home to one dog, you can change the course of his/her life forever. You can make a difference.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
DDF PSA ~ Just a Dog
Someone emailed this to me this morning and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share it with you. It makes me think of a conversation the other day that I had with a coworker who insists that spay/neuter surgeries should be done off the back of a pickup truck in her farm yard. *sigh* I wish I could reach the people who think like that but I wonder if I ever could?
JUST A DOG - Author unknown
From time to time people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog", or "that's
a lot of money for just a dog". They don't understand the distance traveled,
the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog".
Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog". Many hours
have passed and my only company was "just a dog", but I did not once feel
slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a
dog", and in those days of darkness the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me
comfort and reason to overcome the day.
If you, too, think it's "just a dog", then you will probably understand
phrases like "just a friend", "just a sunrise", or "just a promise". "Just a
From time to time people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog", or "that's
a lot of money for just a dog". They don't understand the distance traveled,
the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog".
Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog". Many hours
have passed and my only company was "just a dog", but I did not once feel
slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a
dog", and in those days of darkness the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me
comfort and reason to overcome the day.
If you, too, think it's "just a dog", then you will probably understand
phrases like "just a friend", "just a sunrise", or "just a promise". "Just a
dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure
unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make
me a better person. Because of "just a dog' I will rise early, take long
walks and look longingly to the future.
So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all
the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the
pure joy of the moment. "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and
diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog", but the
thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man". So the
next time you hear the phrase "just a dog" just smile, because they "just
don't understand".
Monday, September 27, 2010
Pictures Say a Thousand Words ...
Hey everyone ... It's Monday ... I went to Tim Horton's for my coffee and the Tim's Card machine was broken ... Been "one of those days" and it isn't even lunch time yet!! So let's have a little fun for today ... I LOVE reading everyone's captions for pictures so here's one for you ...
If a picture says a thousand words, what does this picture say?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Low Cost Spay / Neuter Clinic - Kansas
I am posting a list of Low Cost Spay / Neuter Clinics that I have run across in my internet travels. I've never tried these clinics out but if you have, PLEASE post your experience about them!! For a complete list of the states/provinces, see the contents page here.
KANSAS
Friday, September 24, 2010
Featured Rescue - Samwise the Beagle
Samwise is at the Guelph Humane Society along with at least four other Beagles. He came in as a stray so the shelter has no history on the little guy. He is reportedly loving and gentle but, unfortunately like so many other Beagles out there, a runner. Samwise will need an active home to keep him fit and well exercised.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Dogs In Strollers - Part 2
I love the response I received from my dogs in strollers post yesterday! Great responses! I love it. Keep it coming. I won't retract my statement because it is what I believe, however, I will clarify a little. I will agree that some people buy these strollers for their dogs who have physical disabilities. Most people who buy them, however, do not have dogs with disabilities and most are not old.
On Sunday of this weekend I was at PIJAC which is a Pet Trade Show in Mississauga, ON. While there, I saw four people with dogs in strollers ...
The first was a dog who was barking and lunging at people as they walked by. When asked, the lady replied that her dog was 3 y/o.
The second was a lady with three Chi's in the stroller and one on a leash outside the stroller. All of these dogs were dressed up in clothing. I did not stop to speak with her. They were crawling all over each other trying to get out but they were strapped in so they couldn't.
The third had two Shih Tzus (or Shih-mixes). These dogs were nice and quiet until a dog on a leash walked by ... then all hell broke loose!! The stroller dogs were leaping at the dog on the leash without regard for the plastic cover, which was the only barrier between the dogs. I shudder to think what would have happened to that poor, goofy St. Bernard if those Shih Tzus had broken through the plastic.
This comment stuck out for me from yesterday's post ... the only people that think using a dog stroller is silly, are those that have not had an older dog or a disabled dog in their lives
Well, I think a stroller is silly and I have had older dogs who have age related disabilities (unable to walk/move around, etc). I stated in my reply that there are many other ways to assist an older dog with arthritis that does not affect the ability of the dog to interact with the rest of the world, nor do they affect the ability of the dog to be a dog.
Do you realize that all of my dogs get old too?? My last dog lived until she was 15; the one before that was 18 when she died. Neither of them spent any time in a stroller but each of them had medical problems. One couldn't walk well (would lose her balance and fall over - often required our assistance to get up and move around) and was on heart medications for years. One had tumors that affected her walking (though we weren't able to remove them) so walking and running was difficult and painful for her - that didn't stop her.
Instead, I changed the way I cared for my older dogs - I did not expect them to take super-long walks with me; instead they were taken for multiple short walks. They spent time with the family but we brought dog beds wherever we took our older gals just in case they needed a rest. When our dogs get old, we need to change the way we care for them. They need special food and special treatment. They soak up the extra love. Sometimes they get scared when their hearing goes or when their vision is impaired by cataracts.
On Sunday of this weekend I was at PIJAC which is a Pet Trade Show in Mississauga, ON. While there, I saw four people with dogs in strollers ...
The first was a dog who was barking and lunging at people as they walked by. When asked, the lady replied that her dog was 3 y/o.
The second was a lady with three Chi's in the stroller and one on a leash outside the stroller. All of these dogs were dressed up in clothing. I did not stop to speak with her. They were crawling all over each other trying to get out but they were strapped in so they couldn't.
The third had two Shih Tzus (or Shih-mixes). These dogs were nice and quiet until a dog on a leash walked by ... then all hell broke loose!! The stroller dogs were leaping at the dog on the leash without regard for the plastic cover, which was the only barrier between the dogs. I shudder to think what would have happened to that poor, goofy St. Bernard if those Shih Tzus had broken through the plastic.
This comment stuck out for me from yesterday's post ... the only people that think using a dog stroller is silly, are those that have not had an older dog or a disabled dog in their lives
Well, I think a stroller is silly and I have had older dogs who have age related disabilities (unable to walk/move around, etc). I stated in my reply that there are many other ways to assist an older dog with arthritis that does not affect the ability of the dog to interact with the rest of the world, nor do they affect the ability of the dog to be a dog.
Do you realize that all of my dogs get old too?? My last dog lived until she was 15; the one before that was 18 when she died. Neither of them spent any time in a stroller but each of them had medical problems. One couldn't walk well (would lose her balance and fall over - often required our assistance to get up and move around) and was on heart medications for years. One had tumors that affected her walking (though we weren't able to remove them) so walking and running was difficult and painful for her - that didn't stop her.
Instead, I changed the way I cared for my older dogs - I did not expect them to take super-long walks with me; instead they were taken for multiple short walks. They spent time with the family but we brought dog beds wherever we took our older gals just in case they needed a rest. When our dogs get old, we need to change the way we care for them. They need special food and special treatment. They soak up the extra love. Sometimes they get scared when their hearing goes or when their vision is impaired by cataracts.
Perhaps I will write a post about care of older dogs in the near future. I think people don't realize that caring for an older dog is different than caring for a younger one. Just buy them the senior dog food, right? Well ... that's a good place to start but definitely not where it ends.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
DDF ~ Dogs In Strollers
Anyway, I heard this on the radio last week and now it's being passed around via email so I thought I'd publish it. The humour is rather cynical but I wonder if that's the mind-space I'm at right now ... I really enjoyed listening to this read on the radio and then enjoyed it just as much re-reading it on charlesadler.com. If you have a few minutes, I would recommend taking the time to check it out.
Dog Gone! by The Menzoid.
Monday, September 20, 2010
News Reel - Windsor man Jailed
I had thought that I posted this news article when the dog was brought in but after searching through my blog's archives, I suppose I simply read it on emails. It is yet another story about asshat owners who abuse their dogs without realizing the damage they cause. Another person who should NEVER be allowed to own an animal again. The latest news article is here but I will warn you ... the picture they included with the article is NOT pretty ... If you are uncomfortable viewing it, please read below for a summary.
Anyway to make a long story short, Tyson, a three-year-old black Lab mix, was found wandering around the streets of Windsor with a condom strapped to his penis. The condom was so tight that it had cut off the blood circulation and within 24 hours infection had already begun to spread. He had to be euthanized after an external infection spread internally to his abdomen and bladder.
The owner of the dog, Anjalo Abeywickrema, came forward and admitted he had done this terrible thing because the dog "urinated and “humped everything” in his house". WHAT?!
Abeywickrema was out on parole (he had been sentenced for manslaughter) at the time that he did this. Abeywickrema’s parole was revoked and he has been in prison since his arrest on May 13. He has been sentenced to 4 months for animal cruelty and isn't allowed to own an animal for 5 years.
How sad is that? It's bad enough that the guy killed his dog in a HORRIBLE way, but he's ONLY going to get 4 months?? And the guy's lawyer says he will probably only serve two-thirds of that time! What is WRONG with our legal system??
Anyway to make a long story short, Tyson, a three-year-old black Lab mix, was found wandering around the streets of Windsor with a condom strapped to his penis. The condom was so tight that it had cut off the blood circulation and within 24 hours infection had already begun to spread. He had to be euthanized after an external infection spread internally to his abdomen and bladder.
The owner of the dog, Anjalo Abeywickrema, came forward and admitted he had done this terrible thing because the dog "urinated and “humped everything” in his house". WHAT?!
Abeywickrema was out on parole (he had been sentenced for manslaughter) at the time that he did this. Abeywickrema’s parole was revoked and he has been in prison since his arrest on May 13. He has been sentenced to 4 months for animal cruelty and isn't allowed to own an animal for 5 years.
How sad is that? It's bad enough that the guy killed his dog in a HORRIBLE way, but he's ONLY going to get 4 months?? And the guy's lawyer says he will probably only serve two-thirds of that time! What is WRONG with our legal system??
Reportedly, Abeywickrema has mental health challenges. If that's the case, then where are his social workers? If he is unable to care for an animal in a cruelty-free way then I'm willing to bet that he hasn't got all his ducks in a row and he really should have workers checking up on him daily unless he's living with mentally sound and responsible adults (which in this case, I'm willing to bet he DOESN'T).
The only ones with their heads farther up their ass than the dog's owner is the lawyer who would actually represent this guy, followed closely by our legal system that allows him to be free after only a few months of jail time.
Congratulations, asshats.
Let us know when you're ready to come up for air and maybe we can discuss possible ways to fix our crappy system (no pun intended).
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