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The issue of dog auctions in Indiana was studied by the Agriculture and
Small Business Study Committee over the last few months. As a direct result
of this issue being brought to light, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health
(BOAH) is going to monitor dog, cat, and small animal auction information.
At this point, they know of only a few dog and small animal auctions that
have taken place and are aware of this trend in western states. BOAH needs
your help with monitoring these auctions. BOAH has asked for me to get the
word out to all of you on the AANI network and any and everyone that if they
obtain information about a dog, cat, or small animal auctions, to notify
them with the information.
You can either e-mail or call BOAH, but e-mail is preferred.
e-mail: animalhealth@boah.in.gov
direct: 1-317-227-0300
toll free: 1-877-747-3038
* Please remember to send them information on dog, cat, and small animal auctions only and only ones that are in Indiana. Please do not send them information on horse or livestock auctions since they already regulate them.
* Provide them with as much information as you can get -- the date, the types of animals, and the location.
* They will also be notifying their inspectors to be on the look-out for any information on dog, cat, and small animal auctions.
* If BOAH is notified of an auction, they may send a BOAH inspector out
to the auction.
* PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS INFORMATION FAR AND WIDE! *
Please distribute this information to others in your organizations and to
others that you know. It would be good to even include it in a newsletter
if you have one. The more people that know where to report this information,
the better.
This information will enable BOAH to monitor the quantity of auctions and
conditions, which will likely lead to future action on the issue. Please
help keep the auction issue on their radar screen by reporting dog, cat,
and small animal auctions to them.
The Agriculture and Small Business Study Committee has also explored and
is working to try to find a way to provide funding at the local-level to
help support animal control, among other things, which would in-turn provide
a local enforcement mechanism for dog auctions as well.
Sincerely,
Wendy Hoffspiegel
Executive Director
Animal Advocacy Network of Indiana: Indiana's source for animal-related news,
legislation, events, local issues, and information exchange.
©2002 Whim Whams Illustration Studio
If you're a pet owner planning a business trip or vacation, the decision to take your pet along or leave him behind is an important one for both you and your companion. While it may be tempting to take your furry friend with you, keep in mind that some animals are not suited for travel because of temperament, illness, or physical impairment. If you have any doubts about whether it is appropriate for your pet to travel, talk to your veterinarian.
If you determine it is best for your pet to accompany you, you will need to devote extra time to prepare for the journey. For example, you'll need to have all of the supplies necessary to keep your pet comfortable while he's away from home, and you'll need to familiarize yourself with any pet-related restrictions or requirements imposed by airlines, destination countries or states, hotels, etc. Reading our guidelines for traveling with a pet will help make the journey a safe and enjoyable one for both you and your companion.
If you decide that your pet should not travel, consider the alternatives: Have a responsible friend or relative look after your pet, board your animal at a kennel, or hire a pet sitter.
If a friend or relative is going to take care of your pet, ask if that person can take your animal into his or her home. Animals can get lonely when left alone. Be sure that your pet is comfortable with the temporary caretaker and his or her home, not to mention any pets that person has.
If you choose to board your pet, get references and inspect the kennel. Your veterinarian or local shelter can help you select a facility. You can also read our online tips for choosing a boarding kennel.
If you are hiring a pet sitter, interview the candidates and check their references. (A pet sitter may be preferable if your pet is timid or elderly and needs the comfort of familiar surroundings during your absence.) Be sure to check out our online guidelines on how to choose a pet sitter.
Whatever option you choose, your pet should be up-to-date on all vaccinations
and in sound health. If you arrange for someone to care for your pet while
you are away, provide the caretaker with the telephone number where you can
be reached, the name and telephone number of your veterinarian, and your
pet's medical or dietary needs. You should also make sure that your pet is
comfortable with the person you have chosen.
[Source: Humane Society of the United States]
Need to go out of town? A boarding kennel can give your pet quality care—and can give you peace of mind. Before loading Fido or Fluffy into the car and driving over to the nearest kennel, though, it's important to find the right kennel and prepare your pet for boarding.
What are the pros and cons of using a boarding kennel?
Your pet depends on you to take good care of her—even when you have to be out of town. Friends and neighbors may not have the experience or time to properly look after your pet, particularly for longer trips. So next time you have to leave your pet behind for a while, leave pet care to the professionals, such as a pet sitter or boarding kennel.
A facility specializing in care and overnight boarding allows your pet to:
- avoid the stress of a long car or airplane ride to your destination.
- stay where he's welcome (unlike many hotels).
- receive more attention and supervision than he would if home alone most of the day.
- be monitored by staff trained to spot health problems.
- be secure in a kennel designed to foil canine and feline escape artists.
Potential drawbacks to using a boarding kennel include:
- the stress related to staying in an unfamiliar environment.
- the proximity to other pets, who may expose your pet to health problems.
- the difficulty of finding a kennel that accepts pets other than dogs and cats.
- the inconvenience of the drive over, which can be especially hard on a pet
easily stressed by car travel.
How do I find a good kennel?
- Ask a friend, neighbor, veterinarian, animal shelter, or dog trainer for a recommendation. You can also check the Yellow Pages under "Kennels & Pet Boarding." Once you have names—even ones you got from reliable sources—it's important to do a little background check.
- First, find out whether your state requires boarding kennel inspections. If it does, make sure the kennel you are considering displays a license or certificate showing that the kennel meets mandated standards.
- Also ask whether the prospective kennel belongs to the American Boarding Kennels Association (719-667-1600), a trade association founded by kennel operators to promote professional standards of pet care. Besides requiring members to subscribe to a code of ethics, ABKA offers voluntary facility accreditation that indicates the facility has been inspected and meets ABKA standards of professionalism, safety, and quality of care.
- Check, too, with your Better Business Bureau to see whether any complaints have been lodged against a kennel you are considering.
- After selecting a few kennels, confirm that they can accommodate your pet for specific dates and can address your pet's special needs (if any). If you're satisfied, schedule a visit.
What should I look for?
On your visit, ask to see all the places your pet may be taken. Pay particular attention to the following:
- Does the facility look and smell clean?
- Is there sufficient ventilation and light?
- Is a comfortable temperature maintained?
- Does the staff seem knowledgeable and caring?
- Are pets required to be current on their vaccinations, including the vaccine for canine kennel cough (Bordetella)? (Such a requirement helps protect your animal and others.)
- Does each dog have his own adequately sized indoor-outdoor run or an indoor run and a schedule for exercise?
- Are outdoor runs and exercise areas protected from wind, rain, and snow?
- Are resting boards and bedding provided to allow dogs to rest off the concrete floor?
- Are cats housed away from dogs?
- Is there enough space for cats to move around comfortably?
- Is there enough space between the litter box and food bowls?
- How often are pets fed?
- Can the owner bring a pet's special food?
- What veterinary services are available?
- Are other services available such as grooming, training, bathing?
- How are rates calculated?
How do I prepare my pet?
- Be sure your pet knows basic commands and is well socialized around other people and pets; if your pet has an aggression problem or is otherwise unruly, she may not be a good candidate for boarding. Before taking your animal to the kennel, make sure she is current on vaccinations.
- It's also a good idea to accustom your pet to longer kennel stays by first boarding her during a short trip, such as a weekend excursion. This allows you to work out any problems before boarding your pet for an extended period.
- Before you head for the kennel, double-check that you have your pet's medications and special food (if any), your veterinarian's phone number, and contact information for you and a local backup.
- When you arrive with your pet at the boarding facility, remind the staff about any medical or behavior problems your pet has, such as a history of epilepsy or fear of thunder. After the check-in process, hand your pet to a staff member, say good-bye, and leave. Avoid long, emotional partings, which may upset your pet.
- Finally, have a good trip, knowing that your pet
is in good hands and will be happy to see you when you return.
[Source: HSUS Online Newsletter 11/30/2004]
Pet resumes is the newest trend in lease negotiations.
By Helene Lesel
Natalie Youn is in love. Her darling Maltese puppy has silky white hair and big brown eyes, whose hobbies include long walks in the park, playing fetch and chewing on slippers. What should Natalie do if she wants to have her true love, a Golden Retriever, move into her apartment?
Depends on her landlord and the rental situation. What type of pet is best? If the lease specifies "no pets" what's the best way to convince the landlord to let a dog join the household. What are the rights of the elderly and disabled?
Before picking a dog, get a collar on personality types. Every breed is known for its temperament, some more calm, others more energetic. For example, Dalmatians and Golden Retrievers love running, being high-energy sorts, and are not usually suggested as apartment dwellers. Maltese dogs, a small fluffy puff of white usually weighing less than 10 pounds, are considered by many as fine apartment dogs.
In San Francisco, The Open Door Program was created to foster greater acceptance and understanding of pets by landlords. A branch of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the program offers the following suggestions, plus from other sources:
Write up a pet resume. Include the pet's age, activity level and breed traits, preferably highlighting a history of good behavior. If the pet has been obedience trained or has special training, include that information. Include something outstanding about your pet, such as unlikely to shed (like a poodle) or slow to bark. If the pet is spayed or neutered, include that information, too.
Exercise. Detail how often, when and where you will take the dog out for outdoor entertainment and relief activities. If there's a nearby park, all the better.
Has the pet lived in an apartment already? If so, perhaps a letter from a previous landlord would notch up your chances.
Specify who your vet is and how often your pet is groomed and taken for shots. Detail how fleas will be kept controlled. If it's a cat, mention if it is indoor only. Explain that cleanup is a priority of its litter, and is always placed in a sealed bag.
Include a photo of your pet, along with its name. Seeing a picture of little Max or Sassy may just win their hearts. Mention how and why you obtained the pet if the story is particularly heartwarming. One tenant explained she was single and wanting kids—but a dog would do the trick to assuage her maternal yearnings until the right fellow came along
Landlords may appreciate that pet owners are more familiar with the neighbors and neighborhood, and creating a sense of community. Tenants working at home, or close to home, may find that a plus when convincing landlords. Letting in the plumber is less of an issue if the tenant is available, since some tradesmen won't enter premises with a dog. Cats seem harmless, but can slip out the door and be lost. Who will have the responsibility if a pet runs away? If asked, be ready to explain.
Offer to sign a pet agreement, and provide extra deposit funds to cover any pet damage. Most state and local laws limit security deposits taken, even with the added pet deposit. Pet agreements are handy; since they supply written proof the pet owner will tend the animal as agreed. Information highlighting the name, age and breed of the pet is also included, along with date of the rental agreement. Other concerns addressed by the agreement, such as having sufficient liability insurance, are also often detailed.
For the elderly or disabled, a special place for pets is found in the Federal Housing and Urban/Rural Recovery Act, Section 227. "As a condition of tenancy or otherwise, no owner may prohibit or prevent any tenant in federally assisted housing from owning common household pets living in the dwelling accommodations."
Assistance dogs, such as dogs for the blind, have a special set of laws in many states. Refusing to rent to a person with a guide, hearing or service dog is prohibited in more than 30 states, including California, Louisiana and New York. Non-profits groups, such as Canine Companions and the Delta Society, may provide further information for those with assistance dog needs.
Above all, don't sneak in a pet and hope no one notices. Breaking a no-pet rule may be grounds for eviction, and leave you in the doghouse—with no place to call home.
The death of an animal friend can be one of life's most difficult experiences. More than just a pet, she was your playmate and trusted confidante. He was your child and faithful pal. That's why, in addition to handling the necessary arrangements following your pet's death, you may want to offer a lasting tribute to such a special friend.
Gestures of remembrance, large or small, provide comfort by celebrating a pet's life and the incredible power of the bond between humans and animals. Although Western cultures have few traditions for paying last respects to departed companion animals, there are many meaningful ways to memorialize your beloved pet.
How Can I Honor the Memory of My Pet?
- Hold a memorial service at a pet cemetery, in your backyard, or in a place that was special to your animal companion.
- Add an inscription to your pet's gravestone.
- Find a special urn for your pet's ashes.
- Create a living memorial by planting a tree, bush, or flower bed in your yard.
- Contact a pet cemetery or community park to see if you can sponsor a bench or tree affixed with an acknowledgment plaque memorializing your pet.
- Frame a photo of your pet and put it in a special place.
- Keep your pet's favorite toy, collar, blanket, or bowl as a symbol of your pet.
- Create a scrapbook or collage with photos and other reminders of your pet.
- Volunteer at an animal shelter to help other pets. Volunteer with Countryside Animal Rescue
- Participate in online memorials and candle-lighting ceremonies.
- Write a poem or story about your pet or write a letter to him.
- Offer a memorial scholarship at a veterinary school.
- When the time is right, adopt another pet from your local animal shelter or humane society or from Countryside Animal Rescue.
What Is National Pet Memorial Day?
Recognizing the importance of remembering our cherished pets, the International Association of Pet Cemeteries (IAPC) has designated the second Sunday in September as National Pet Memorial Day. Most pet cemeteries observe this day with special ceremonies, open houses, and other events. You can reach the IAPC at 13 Cemetery Lane, Box 163, Ellenburg Depot, NY 12935; 800-952-5541.
Where Can I Make a Donation in My Pet's Name? Memorials at Countryside Animal Rescue
An especially meaningful way for some pet owners to honor their departed animal friends is to give a donation in their pet's name to a humane society or other animal protection organization, most of which run special programs that need financial support. Please consider helping us here at Countryside Animal Rescue. Depending on the organization, funds may be used to promote animal care, animal cruelty prevention, humane education, and spaying or neutering. Most local organizations will list the donor and pet in the memorial section of their newsletter. The HSUS offers the Kindred Spirits Memorial Program as a way to memorialize your pet with a lasting tribute that will help all animals.
Your beloved pet will always have a special place in your heart, no matter how you choose to remember your departed companion.
[Source:http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/coping_with_the_death_of_
your_pet/honoring_your_pets_memory.html
To figure out where your cat or dog is likely to be, try to think like the missing pet, advises Kat Albrecht. These strategies can help:
- Search your property: For a missing indoor cat, begin at the escape point (e.g., a pushed out window screen), looking around and under your house. For dogs or outdoor cats, call the missing pet as you normally would.
- Canvas the Neighborhood: Go door-to-door looking for neighbors who may have seen your dog. Establish its line of travel and focus your resources in that direction. For cats, ask permission to search yards in a five-house radius. Check carefully under houses and in hiding places with a flashlight.
- Update your voicemail: Make sure that callers hear a message with details about your pet's situation and your cell-phone number.
- Set a Cat Trap: A frightened cat's instinct is to hide in silence, no matter how much it wants to come home.
- Make Posters: Write "Reward" at the top in large, black letters and "Lost Dog/Cat" at the bottom with a picture of your pet. Post the signs along major intersections in a one-mile radius of your house.
- Place an Ad: Take out ads in local and metro newspapers. Post listings online with local rescue groups and at shelter Web sites.
- Check the Shelter: This is especially helpful for missing dogs. While few cats are found in shelters, it's wise to check just in case. (Parade July 11, 2004, page 9)
Summer’s here, the time of the year when the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) handles many requests from pet owners seeking information about safe garden and yard care.
Would you know what to do, for example, if you thought that your pet ate a poisonous plant or mushroom? “If you think that your animal has ingested a poisonous plant, contact your veterinarian immediately,” says the APCC’s Dana Farbman, CVT. “If the exact species is not known, it’s advised to bring part of the plant to a nursery for identification.” Symptoms of poisonings can include almost any clinical sign—and may first appear anywhere from several hours to several days after ingestion! (Special note: If you think that your pet has eaten a poisonous mushroom, the APCC recommends that you ALWAYS assume it is highly toxic until positively identified by a mycologist.)
And remember, it’s not always what’s in your yard that can cause a problem, but what’s on it. “If you treat your yard with fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides, make sure your pets do not go on your lawn or garden until the time listed on the label by the manufacturer,” cautions Farbman. APCC offers additional tips to keep your pets safe from fertilizers and pesticides: * Always store fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides in areas that are inaccessible to pets. Read the label carefully for proper usage and storage. * If you are uncertain about the usage of a product, contact the manufacturer for clarification before using it. * The most dangerous forms of pesticides include snail bait containing metaldehyde, fly bait containing methomyl, systemic insecticides containing disyston and disulfoton, and most forms of rat poisons.
* For more tips on poison prevention, including a list of common garden plants that are toxic to pets, please visit ASPCA.org.
Anxious owners may feel reassured once they've had a tiny identifying microchip implanted between their pets' shoulder blades. But the system has flaws. Last April, workers at Virginia's Stafford County Animal Control, unaware that a 134.2 kilohertz chip was now on the marker, scanned a lost pit bull with a device capable of detecting only 125 kilohertz chips and missed the newer one embedded under its skin. The dog was euthanized.
As Manufacturers tussle over legal issues, animal welfare groups are lobbying for compatibility. "We don't care which system is adopted, we just want standardization," says John Snyder of the Humane Society of the United States and spokesperson fro the Coalition for Reuniting Pets and Families. In the meantime, owners should keep a collar and tags on pets, check with local shelters to find out which chips their scanners can read, and update contact information with the company's registry when they move.
And microchips can still work miracles. Just ask Felix Lora, whose 6-month old puppy, Tiny, was stolen from his backyard in New Jersey, and returned to him four years later when Animal Care & Control of New York City scanned the Rottweiler's chip. The dog's new ID problem? His name: Tiny now weighs 75 pounds. - Pamela Hamer - [Newsweek March 7, 2005 p 12
We do recommend microchipping your pet. It could help you save and find your pet should it get lost.
From the ASPCA - "The current U.S. financial crisis has the potential to grow into a serious animal welfare issue, warns Executive Vice President of ASPCA Programs, Dr. Stephen Zawistowski. As households across the country are caught in the economic downturn, an estimated 500,000 to one million cats and dogs are at risk of becoming homeless.
“According to national financial estimates, approximately one in 171 homes in the U.S. is in danger of foreclosure due to the subprime mortgage crisis,” Zawistowski observes. “Considering that approximately 63 percent of U.S. households have at least one pet, hundreds of thousands are in danger of being abandoned or relinquished to animal shelters.”
To avoid or ease the heartbreak of losing an animal companion due to economic hardship, the ASPCA urges pet owners who are faced with foreclosure to think of alternatives ahead of time:
• See if friends, family or neighbors can provide temporary foster care for their pet until they get back on their feet.
• If they are moving into a rental property, get written permission in advance that pets are allowed.
• Contact their local animal shelter, humane society or rescue group before they move. If a shelter agrees to take the pet, they should provide medical records, behavior information and anything else that might help the pet find a new home.
“Everyone is being affected by the current economic crisis in some way,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “Community animal shelters and rescue groups across the country may soon be seeing an increase in homeless pets or a decrease in the donations they rely on.”
Please help in any way that you can:
• Adopt a homeless pet.
• Donate used blankets, towels or even tennis balls to your local animal shelter.
• Foster adoptable animals until they find their forever homes.
• Help community members who may be struggling to take care of their pets.
Thank you.
If you have ever loved -- and then lost -- a pet, you know how devastating the experience can be. If you are then a victim of pet scams, the loss is even more devastating. There are unscrupulous people who have found ways to capitalize on your lost pet situation in order to dupe you out of money.
Here are a few of the ways this can happen:
- Pet Scam #1. If you have placed an ad in a local paper about your lost pet, and particularly if you offered a reward, you may get a call from someone claiming to have found your pet. The caller wants the reward in advance, though, and if you refuse to pay, they'll threaten to harm your pet to put the pressure on so you'll pay up.
- Pet Scam #2. Again, in response to an ad placed by you, you may get a call from someone who claims to be a trucker who found your injured animal as he was driving through the area.
He claims that your pet needed vet care, which he has taken care of and paid for, but he needs you to wire him the money so he can pick your pet up and send it back with another trucker in the same company who is driving back your way. Of course, you'll not only need to wire the money, but give this scammer your name and address, too. - Pet Scam #3. Your lost pet ad prompts a call from someone who claims to have found an animal that might be yours. In the process of exchanging descriptions, the caller will say that he's found a different animal, not yours. He'll apologize for your loss, and for taking your time. This is a set-up -- in a short time, he uses the information he's gotten about YOUR pet to have a second person call and claim to have found your pet. Again, he'll try to collect any reward money in advance.
- Pet Scam #4. Your lost pet ad prompts a call from someone who precisely describes your pet, and wants to return it to claim the reward. In reality, your pet has been STOLEN by this person, who knew you would run an ad!
- Pet Scam #5. In a bizarre twist, scammers also respond to 'found' ads with the claim that you have found their pet. When you return the found pet, it may be destined for a death at a research facility!
There are certainly other pet scams, but these are some of the
most insidious. In order to prevent these scammers from taking your money or
harming your pet, here are a few things you can do:
- Make sure your pet is always properly licensed and tagged.
- Keep your pet indoors, in a secure yard, or on a leash at all times.
- If you must place an ad, include only the essential information.
- If you get a call from someone who claims to be out-of-state, ask them for a phone number where you can call them back.
- If a caller appears to be 'fishing' for information about your pet, make THEM initiate the questions or comments about your pet's description.
- If you've found a pet and someone claims it belongs to them, before you return the pet, ask for some kind of documentation that the pet actually belongs to them -- ownership or breeding papers, records from the vet, or even family photos.
- If you have lost a pet, don't make your grief even worse by falling for any these cold-hearted pet scams!
[Source: Internet ScamBusters Newsletter #114, 2-16-2005]
http://www.scambusters.org
Have you heard that poinsettias are dangerously poisonous to dogs and cats? As the holidays descend upon us, we wanted to set the record straight on these showy wintertime favorites. As our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) explain it, the myth of the plant's toxicity began during the early part of the 20th century, when the two-year-old child of a U.S. Army officer was alleged to have died from consuming a poinsettia leaf.
As a result, the poinsettia's toxic potential to living beings of all species
has become greatly exaggerated. In reality, points out the APCC's Dana Farbman,
CVT, poinsettia ingestions typically produce only mild to moderate gastrointestinal
tract irritation, which may include drooling, vomiting and diarrhea. "Therefore," says
Farbman, "while keeping the plant out of the reach of your pet
to avoid stomach upset is still a good idea, pet owners need not fear the
poinsettia and banish it from their homes for fear of a fatal exposure."
[Source: ASPCA Online News Alert 11/11/2004]