Home Zookeeper

How about a couple of fingers? If your pet was in the jaws of a gator?

Without a thought for his own safety, Grounds ran through the brush to the water’s edge, where the gator had what it thought was breakfast clamped between its crushing jaws. “I just grabbed the lower jaw with this hand and the upper jaw with this hand,” he said, indicating his bandaged right hand and his left.

That is just so scary. I can’t imagine seeing one of my babies snatched by a predator. It wouldn’t be a gator in our area…but if we move to a more isolated area I can definitely see me worrying about bears, cougars, and coyotes. I think Trooper and Timber could handle a coyote but you never know.

Keep your babies safe!

I just read an article today about the unrest in Thailand potentially increasing. Some people are worried about the stability of the country. If something goes awry I worry about the dogs. People can take care of themselves (for the most part) but the dogs who are in need rely on humans to help.

That’s where you can come in and help! Kindred Souls Foundation is teaming up with Animal Rescue Team TAIWAN again to bring some dogs over to the states to save their lives. The deadline for saving these dogs, before they are put down at the government run shelter, is Thursday, April 23.

Please help spread the word about these adorable dogs. They’re mostly small, though the shelter can’t guarantee that the puppies won’t get larger. Most dogs from Taiwan are a mix of Formosan Mountain dog and therefore don’t compete with the kind of dogs found in U.S. shelters. That is why Kindred Souls works with the Taiwan rescue to save those they can. Every dog deserves to live!

But they can only do it with new fosters - regular fosters are reserved for local dogs - so the only chance these dogs have is if a new foster parent steps up and volunteers.

“As a foster parent you are agreeing to love and care for the dog until we can find a permanent adoptive home. KSF and ART pay for all medical costs while you foster- you supply the food, transportation to vet appointments (at our vet Chambers Creek in Lakewood), exercise, socialization, play, chin scratches, belly rubs and kisses!”

Please blog and post about these lovely little dogs.

I love working with Saving Shelter Pets here in the states. I’m blessed to (still) have a job that matches my donations so that my gifts are multiplied.

Another rescue agency that I’ve recently learned about, from a person at my work, is called Kindred Souls Foundation. Working together with Animal Rescue Team TAIWAN, they are working to rescue four dogs who will be put down unless they have funding and help by this Wednesday, February 25th. The photos of these dogs makes me want to add to my pack, although we all know that I can’t.

Can you foster one of these dogs or adopt one of them? They must have a home to go to (temporary or permanent) by the 25th in order to ensure their flight which will arrive on the 27th. I SO badly wish I could foster, but we know how that turned out last time. Plus, these four looked smaller (I think they were all under 20 pounds) and I’m not ready to introduce a small dog to our pack, for obvious reasons.

Dogs in foreign countries are often not seen as the wonderful creatures that we in the U.S. often view them as (though, I understand not everyone feels the way I do about dogs). Many times dogs are left to roam wild, hunted as a nuisance, and if they make it to pounds they are killed. The same is true in Taiwan.

This program has rescued many other dogs from Taiwan and you can see some of the previous rescues here. My eyes well up with tears (okay, that could be the hormones…but we all know I’m a total sap for dogs) when I look at the photos of these precious rescued lives.

Please pass this on … post on your blog, mail it to friends and family. Donate if you can. If you know ANYONE who could foster or adopt, please pass this on to them.

I know that I can’t save them all, though I would if I could. But at least we can try.

I came across a cool blog and as I was reading some of her posts I came across one that mentioned something called NAIS. She is anti - NAIS which aroused my curiosity so I decided to dig a little deeper to find out what it was.

NAIS apparently stands for National Animal Identification System.

Sounds harmless enough. Unless you’re like me and never like the sound of a “national” identification system of any kind. Aside from drivers licenses we don’t need to be identified and tracked like cattle. Which is what this program wants for animals - a way to track them from birth to death and everywhere in between.

I am not a fan of the government tracking us or our animals for our “own good.” The premise behind this law appears to be the government’s way of preventing disease or at least discovering where they start. At least that is the excuse they are using.

Just like the issues with the Consumer Protection Act passed last year, the unintended consequences are rarely thought about by the politicians, who aren’t even affected by such laws. Thankfully, that law got a stay for another year so children’s clothing and items are okay for now, but who knows what will happen in this year.

The unintended consequences of the NAIS, to me, appear to be a massive overreach of government into personal lives. This country used to be much more free. People had the freedom to do as they wished with their land, their livestock, their businesses.

While some regulations are good and I have no problems with, this kind of system reeks of big brother. It does not just track the animals, but the people and their movement. It affects not just huge farms, but hobbyists and small businesses (just like with the CSPIA).

Even though USDA is advocating this program, the government has not done a cost analysis of the program. Costs for similar programs in other countries are estimated to range from $37/head to $69/head on average. With over a hundred million cattle and millions of other livestock animals in the United States, the NAIS will likely cost producers, businesses, and taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.

Unintended consequences.

All in the name to “protect” us … usually from ourselves.

I cannot tell from reading whether this law will someday apply to companion animals like cats and dogs. My dogs are microchipped, but it was a voluntary decision, not mandated by law. I do not want the government coming in telling me that I *must* do something like the NAIS proposes.

I find out all kinds of things listening to talk radio. Did you know that pet owners lean toward McCain for President? I think that’s so funny.

Dog owners specifically favor McCain over Obama 42 to 37 percent. People who own no pets favor Obama 48% to 34%. McCain has a lot of animals…I had no idea…

He has a veritable menagerie, including Sam the English springer spaniel, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a bunch of saltwater fish.

I LOVE turtles…aren’t those great names!?!

Are people who own pets inherently better people? I don’t know…there are plenty of bad people who own pets (uh…Hitler to name one evil one). But apparently the perception is that a candidate who owns pets is more responsible and compassionate. I suppose, but in my view I think owning pets is just sort of frosting on the cake … if a person is already good then owning pets makes them that much better. *grin*

We usually watch Wheel of Fortune because the little one likes it. I think it’s all the clapping and cheering she responds to. Anyway, tonight we were watching when they announced it is Pet Lovers Week.

All of the contestants share a photo of their favorite pet. Also at the end of tonight’s episode, they had a highlight reel of some contestants who have mentioned their pets on past episodes.

Some of the puzzles were pet-centric. It might be fun to watch the rest of the week just to see what they do on the show. Maybe someone will have a very interesting pet. I think all the contestants tonight had a dog.

Tuesday, February 26th is the 14 annual Spay Day. There will be several events held around the USA. It is a great opportunity for those wishing to have their pet spayed or neutered to do so.

Both of our cats are spayed. Before we get them spayed, we worried about them getting pregnant even though they were both inside cats. Well, wouldn’t you know Calisto ran outside one night and wouldn’t come back in. She wound up pregnant even though we thought for sure she would be too young. Cats are funny like that. They can get pregnant at a very young age and almost always seem to be in heat. Calisto never showed signs of being in heat unlike Fade. Fade you could easily tell when she was in heat as it was a big production. The slightest touch would get her to ‘assume the position’ so to speak.

Once Calisto had her kittens, we had her fixed as well as Fade. While the procedure was right at $100, it was money well spent. Now both our cats are outside and we don’t have to worry about any more kittens. Plus since Calisto had complications nursing, it is better for her not to ever have any more kittens.

So, check with your local animal shelter to see if they have any events planned for Spay Day. Some places will be having events that day or some other time throughout February. It’ll be a great way to find out more or schedule spay/neutering for your pet.

It’s unlikely that you will watch a news cast today without hearing about one of the most famous animals in the United States.

Punxsatawney Phil, the groundhog from the town of Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania, every year makes his weather prediction on his day, February 2 - Groundhog Day. Today he predicted that the country will experience six more weeks of winter. How does he predict the weather? Well, it all depends if he sees his shadow. If he sees his shadow, then it’s six more weeks of winter. If there is no shadow, then he predicts an early spring.

Phil even has an official website, Groundhog.org where people can find out more about Phil and the Groundhog day tradition.

It is carnival season in New Orleans as the countdown has already begun to Mardi Gras. There have already been a few parades but one that took place this past weekend was literally for the dogs.

Krewe of Barkus & Meoux Pet Parade was held Sunday and had the theme of “Reigning Cats & Dogs.” The pet parade is the main fundraiser for the Animal Krewe whose mission is to help homeless animals as well as promote responsible pet ownership with a spay/neuter program.

From the AP Story:

They walked on leashes and rode on floats, mostly consisting of small decorated wagons that were pulled or pushed by their owners. In the parade tradition, standard-bearers walked in front of some of the floats. One banner proclaimed “Indiana Bones and the Raiders of the Lost Bark.”

January is Adopt a Rescued Bird Month. The ASPCA has declared this month to be the time to find abandoned or rescued birds a permanent home.

I had a parakeet when I was a kid. It was fun to have a bird, and if my little girl would like one in the future I will be glad to help her take care of it. Birds are a fun pet.

There are a few birds on Petfinder.

It’s not that uncommon to see guide dogs around our town. While there probably aren’t that many as compared to some areas of the country, guide dogs are welcomed everywhere. I see them at the local grocery store, mall, etc. That’s why after reading this story on Beijing receives first guide dog, I was somewhat surprised.

I was surprised at there weren’t guide dogs before in that huge city and secondly I was surprised and saddened to hear that the disabled have very few job opportunities. The dog went to a Ping Yali, who will be a torch bearer for the 2008 Olympic games. She hopes to bring her dog with her but since dogs aren’t allowed in several public places, it might not happen.

Hopefully she will be allowed to bring her dog as hopefully it will not only inspire others but will help to mend policies when it comes to guide dogs.

Our local zoo has an event each year around Halloween called Zoo Boo. It runs for the week of Halloween and offers kids a safe place to trick or treat. The event has grown each year they have had it with more decorations being added each year.

We go to the zoo a lot. The little one loves the peacocks that roam freely around the zoo. So, the zoo is very special to us.

The local zoo has always done a lot for the community. It brings him tourists from surrounding small towns, and it provides a great place to take your kids to enjoy the day. Yes, the zoo is dear to us and many other families in the community. That’s why it’s heartbreaking and disgusting that someone would steal from the zoo. There has been a theft of a lot of the Halloween decorations that mostly were made up of the inflatable characters you can readily find this time of year. The zoo doesn’t have a huge budget and I’m sure most of the decor was either donated or bought on clearance. It makes me sad and angry that someone would want to ruin one of the best activities for kids in our community.

There is good news. Our local Moms group is collecting money from members to buy a few decorations for the zoo. Hopefully more local organizations will pitch in to help out the zoo. One good thing does seem to come from tragedy. People come together to fill in the gaps and help out anyway they can. Zoo Boo opens next week, which we will be attending. Even if the zoo can’t replace all that was lost, it will still be a great event knowing that a community came together to replace what was lost.

A few weeks ago, I remember Ellen DeGeneres talking about how they had a new puppy. Well, apparently they had adopted it from a local shelter. Apparently part of the agreement was that should they not want the puppy anymore that they would return it to the shelter. Instead Ellen found the puppy a new home with her hairdresser and her two daughters, thus the trouble began.

Can you believe the animal rescue place, Mutts and Moms, actually went and took the puppy back from his new home? The family had the puppy for three weeks and Iggy, the cute Brussels Griffon mix, and had grown quite attached to the new member of their family. The organization Mutts and Moms has received quite a backlash from their actions, especially after Ellen’s heartfelt plea on her show to return the dog. Their actions have left a lot of people wondering just what is this all about. Is it just a power trip or are they truly interested in the dog’s well-being? Surely a family with two pre-teen girls and one family dog already can’t be a bad home for another pet?

I find it quite sad that the dog was taken, and the new family not given an opportunity to formally adopt the puppy. I guess it’s a good lesson also to read the fine print of any agreement since the paper work they did sign stated to return the puppy to Mutts and Moms if the adoption didn’t work out. I can understand why such measures are in place since it is the well-being of the animals that the shelter is championing. Hopefully the family will find a new puppy soon as there are probably thousands of dogs waiting to be adopted in shelters around Los Angeles.

Here is a heartwarming story of how a dog saved his neighbors. The dog started barking at 3:30am and woke up his owner. The owner went to the window to see what was causing the dog to bark when she noticed a small fire in her neighbor’s garage that was quickly spreading. She alerted another neighbor who went to the house and started beating on the door to wake up the family. 911 was called and firefighters arrived shortly.

The family escaped the blaze and two of their pets survived. One dog was lost to the fire. No serious injuries were reported and apparently the fire started from stored gasoline being too close to a gas pilot light.