Baby Bear Cubs Wrestling… In the Road in Yosemite

In Yosemite National Park, two tiny bear cubs stopped traffic and have become a viral video sensation on the internet.

The palm-sized  bears scrambled around the road, pushing and pawing at each other, while motorists gathered and a wary mother bear kept watch nearby.

Video: Cute Bear Cubs Wrestling in the Street

FEMA: Include Pets in Your Preparedness Plan

Humane society  -  Photo: Melissa Smith

Many pets were found after tornadoes swept through the county on April 27th.

With September being National Preparedness Month, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and FEMA is encouraging Alabamians to update their emergency plans to include pets.

"For millions of animal owners nationwide, pets are important members of the household," FEMA representatives said. "The likelihood that you and your animals will survive an emergency such as a fire, flood, tornado or terrorist attack depends largely on emergency planning done today. Knowing what supplies to have available, how to evacuate with your pets, where your pets will stay and how you will meet your pets’ needs throughout the disaster are all critical questions to address."

FEMA officials said pet owners should keep a pet emergency supply kit, which should include at least a three-day supply of food in an airtight, waterproof container, drinking water, bowls for the food and water, current photos of you and your pets together, physical descriptions of each pet, medication, vaccination records and first aid pet supplies.

Also included should be a leash and a pet carrier, which could double as a sleeping area and comfort items, such as favorite toys and blankets.

"Make a back-up emergency plan in case you can’t care for your animals yourself," FEMA representatives said.

"Develop a buddy system with neighbors, friends and relatives to make sure someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so. Talk with your pet care buddy about your evacuation plans and show them where you keep your pets’ emergency supply kit. Also designate specific locations, one in your immediate neighborhood and another farther away, where you will meet your buddy in an emergency."

Posted: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 4:03 pm -  Lindsay Slater

Toolkit Overview

The Ready Campaign, FEMA, Citizen Corps, American Red Cross, and The Humane Society of the United States have come together to develop this emergency preparedness toolkit that can assist you in your planning efforts as you work toward keeping your community, and specifically, the pets and people who care for them, safe from disasters.

This toolkit provides you with the resources on how to stay current on your local pet disaster plan, policies and procedures; examples of how to promote preparedness in your communities and engage other organizations in your efforts; as well as resources to educate the community about how to assemble a pet emergency supply kit and make a family emergency plan. In addition, there is a tools section that provides sample preparedness brochures, PowerPoint templates and press materials you can use to develop and distribute your internal and external preparedness messaging.

Preparing our families, homes and businesses for unexpected disasters is a civic virtue. Thank you for your commitment to making our communities safer for the pets we call family!

Community Pet Preparedness Toolkit Banners 112 Kb – Zip Archive

Ready Pets Toolkit And Additional Information

Find pet-friendly hotels, bed and breakfasts and campgrounds throughout the United States and Canada – Website
Animal Specific Information in English and Spanish from The Palo Alto Humane Society (PAHS) – Website
Ready Campaign Pets Toolkit Word Document 1.5 Mb – MS Word
Ready Campaign Pets Toolkit Promotional Flyer 133Kb – Adobe Acrobat PDF
LLIS Animals In Disaster Fact Sheet 78Kb – Adobe Acrobat PDF
Shelter Operations Pet-Friendly Shelters 205Kb – Adobe Acrobat PDF
Pet Sheltering Building Community Response 37Kb – Adobe Acrobat PDF
National Response Framework Fact Sheet 83Kb – Adobe Acrobat PDF
Community Pet Preparedness Customizable PowerPoint 5.3 Mb – MS Powerpoint
Ready Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense Hand Out 626Kb – Adobe Acrobat PDF
Metro DC Council Of Governments Companion Animal Evacuation and Sheltering Public Information Materials 11.9Mb – Adobe Acrobat PDF

Source: ready.gov/pets  h/t to the Times Journal

Life With Canine Cancer – The New Normal

Canine Cancer Foundation:  We Are the Cure – Help Join the Fight!

It’s nine o’clock on Tuesday evening. I don’t know what to do with myself. The dishes are done, the dogs are fed. They are quite relaxed for Border Collies; they romped for hours in the warm spring air.

I don’t want to sleep. Tomorrow everything will change. But right now my two B&W companions are snoozing happily next me on the bed. I want to hold this moment still for as long as possible. I want it to stretch out and wrap its memories around me forever. Right now, this moment, all is right with the world.

Tomorrow at 8AM, I drop Daisy off for her chemotherapy treatment. This is our “normal.” She has cancer; we live with it. We treat it; we won’t be able to cure it. We play a lot of Frisbee and are still amazed at how much weight we are both gaining.

Tomorrow at 11AM, I take Daisy’s sibling Duncan in to see her internist/oncologist. We have him checked yearly for signs of the same type of cancer that Daisy has as it can be genetic. But that’s not the reason for this visit.

Duncan, aka Lad of the Lumps, has nine lipomas. When I found out that one in ten lipomas are malignant, I joked with his veterinarian that he has one more to go. I know it doesn’t work that way, but when you’re dealing with cancer on a regular basis, sometimes a warped sense of humor seeps out.

This past Sunday, I found the tenth growth. It is huge, almost baseball-sized, and located in an area that doesn’t seem typical for lipomas. I can’t believe that I’ve somehow missed this growth. I had just checked him on Saturday as he has an upcoming visit with his holistic veterinarian and I was searching for new lumps so they could be checked and aspirated during the visit.

I didn’t feel the growth on his shoulder then. How did I miss it? How long have I missed it?

About six months ago Duncan had his regular check up with the chiropractor. He’s a wild boy and has of late been getting a little creaky. His chiropractor examined him thoroughly, made a few minor adjustments and proclaimed him good to go for another six months or so.

Since then, I’ve noticed him limping slightly on his right front leg. Not enough to inhibit his all-out ball chasing, but just enough that I could see it ever so slightly. And then there was the overall stiffness during the evenings after these rambunctious games of fetch. It wasn’t consistent; it would come and go. But something about it kept nagging at me. So I made an appointment with his holistic vet to start the diagnostic process. That appointment is scheduled for this coming Saturday.

I’ve gotten really good over the past year at not anticipating diagnostics. Long-term cancer treatment has that effect I guess. Besides, the clinical reality and the dog reality can be two different things. I look to my girl to tell me how she is doing. I watch her play chase and inhale her food. I watch her snarfle in the pillows and wrestle with her brother. All is good.

It’s not that I forget she has cancer. It’s just that sometimes I don’t remember. And in between chemo treatments and ultrasounds and blood tests, I’ve learned not to worry about the next set of results. There’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, I think she’ll tell me long before a test will.

In this moment, everything is still okay. I cherish it. I want to drench myself in it like a favorite perfume with the scent lingering for days. I watch their deep synchronized breaths, their occasional sighs and stretches. They are happy, content, relaxed. They are not thinking about tomorrow. I really wish I could say the same.  — Barbara Dobbins

Posted by Barbara Dobbins at 03:00PM – Comments: (16)  -  September 26, 2011

Related:  Canine Cancer Awareness

Lost Dog Reunited with Family

About 10-days ago we found an injured dog in the walking path behind the hotel we are staying at.

See:  Injured Dog Found in North Austin, Texas for full story

We made fliers and have been keeping tabs on her.  She had surgery and was recovering and has now been reunited with her family.

There is a great service called FindFido (findfido.com).  This is the first time that I have seen them in action.  They called every household in a wide neighborhood area notifying neighbors that the dog was lost.

It was a rewarding experience for us to see her reunited with her family!

Bo the First Dog and His Trainer Arrive in Martha’s Vineyard…

Heaven and Pets

A man and his dog were walking along a road.  The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years.  He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road.  It looked like fine marble.  At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, ‘Excuse me, where are we?’
‘This is Heaven, sir,’ the man answered.
‘Wow!  Would you happen to have some water?’ the man asked.
‘Of course, sir.  Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.’
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.  ‘Can my friend,’ gesturing toward his dog, ‘come in, too?’ the traveler asked.
‘I’m sorry sir, but we don’t accept pets.’

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.  There was no fence.  As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

‘Excuse me!’ he called to the man.  ‘Do you have any water?’
‘Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.’
‘How about my friend here?’ the traveler gestured to the dog.
‘There should be a bowl by the pump,’ said the man.
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.  The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.  ‘What do you call this place?’ the traveler asked.
‘This is Heaven,’ he answered.
‘Well, that’s confusing,’ the traveler said.
‘The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.’
‘Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.  That’s Hell.’
‘Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?’
‘No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.’

Willow the cat took a plane to New York, says tipster

Bebeto Matthews / AP

Willow, the 6-year calico cat that went missing from her Colorado home during a renovation 5 years ago, will soon be reunited with her owners.

For nearly a week now, the world has been wondering: How on earth did Willow the cat, who went missing five years ago, get from Colorado to New York City — a journey of almost 1,800 miles — and turn up on a city street looking well-fed and healthy?

Well, there may be an answer. An anonymous tipster with a photo of a kitty that looks remarkably like Willow claimed to the blog Gothamist to have been one of Willow’s NYC catsitters for a few months. According to the account, Willow was picked up as a stray in Colorado and brought, via plane, to a loving home in New York City.

Here’s the story, from the tip sent in to Gothamist:

I had Willow (aka Molly) for 3 months, while her NY owner was away for work. He fell in love with her on a ski trip when she was a stray in Colorado, and flew her back to Brooklyn, thinking she was too amazing to leave behind. She was vetted prior to flying, and none of her history came up. While in Brooklyn she was loved and very spoiled…she’s had quite an adventure, but there’s no great mystery behind her travels. Willow is a lovable cat who happens to fly well. She was brought to the shelter by someone who loved her very much, but was unable to give her all the time and attention she deserves.

I’m sure her Colorado family knows how extraordinary she is, and I am so thrilled she’s able to go home.

Gothamist contacted Jamie Squires, Willow’s original owner, who gave a big thank-you to whoever has been caring for Willow all this time. 

Many pet owners are grateful, too: Willow’s tale has inspired an uptick in pet microchips (read more here); the technology is how, eventually, Willow was identified as the calico who slipped out the door at the Squires’ house during a home renovation five years ago.

Read more:

Colorado cat, missing 5 years, is found on NYC street 
Cat found on NYC street, going home to Colorado
Bright lights, smart kitty: How cat got so far
Is their dog a lost cause? Internet cries, No!
Maltese dog missing a year after car crash returned home

Source: Animals Tracks

Elephants…

Video: The Elephant Sanctuary

Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Originally Uploaded by elephantsanctuarytn -  March 17, 2011

An overview of nation’s largest natural habitat refuge for endangered Asian and African elephants. For more about this non-profit organization and to make a donation, please visit:  www.elephants.com

Also see: www.elephantvoices.org

===

Comments by  MaueKay  -  March 20, 2008

A natural habitat refuge for old, sick or needy, retired zoo and circus elephants: 2,700 acres of pastures and forests, where these complex and highly intelligent creatures can live their remaining years amongst their own kind, without chains or dominance.

Video: Elephants Reunited After 20-Years – KPBS Documentary

Rescuing 15 Puppies from HELL

Every dog needs a family that provides him with a loving pack structure. They need love, they need exercise and good food to thrive.

Sadly, in this shelter in Turkey dogs get GARBAGE for food and RAT JUICE instead of water. Don’t believe it? Click here for a hi-def picture in all it’s grotesque glory.

15 of them… each one more loving and playful than the other, living in absolute squalor and deprivation in a municipal shelter that can only be described as Hell on Earth.

Being there, hearing the cheerful yelps of the playful puppies mixed with the muted last breaths of the babies that are too weak to survive was a most harrowing experience. One that I’m sure very few people would be able to go through without breaking down in tears.

We have started the process of getting ALL the puppies out. And for this we need you.

We need to find loving homes for these babies, and it’s urgent. In this case, and due to the fact that it would take at least four months for us to organize the paperwork needed to send them to Europe we are going toprioritize adoptions in the USA and Canada.

But first, we need to get the babies out. Have them checked by the vet, etc… etc… then, once we have approved families for them we will organize the logistics of sending them all to their final homes.

Due to the sheer number of puppies this rescue is going to be a logistical challenge, involving tens of people, from the rescuers, to a number of clinics scattered all over town. Add to this that we don’t have enough foster homes in Istanbul and you get the idea.

You can help us in three ways:

1. SHARE this blogpost and seek assistance in your immediate network. Click on LIKE and SHARE…
2. ADOPT/FOSTER: If you are in the USA, Canada or Turkey please offer to become a long term foster or even better to open your home to one of this babies as a final adoptant.
3. SPONSOR: Please, please… Chipin here… that is going to be the only way we will be able to pull this one off.

These babies were born in the gates of hell. Show them that life can be a very different experience, that humans can also be beautiful and kind.

Contact me and apply for adoption: viktor@myletsadopt.com

Here are some more pics of the babies we need to rescue, and it will give you an idea of the brutality they are being forced to endure in that hell hole.

Source: LetsAdoptBlog Posted 9.19.11  -  Cross-posted at JustOneMorePet

Kansas Prisoners Recycling Program Includes Making Dog Beds

For over a year now the inmates at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas have been dismantling old used mattresses that would have otherwise ended up in area landfills and recycling them. The steel from the springs and the cotton batting in the mattresses are recycled, generating money for prison operations. Wood from the mattresses has been fashioned into flower boxes and benches. Ad foam from the mattresses is being used by the prisoners in order to make dog beds not only for the two dog training programs in the prison but for are shelters as well. Every part of the old mattresses that would have once taken up space in a landfill is being used either in beautifying the prison, as a donation to the community, or in making money for the prison general fund.

The dog beds are being used by the two dog training programs taking place in the prison the Lucky Dog program, where inmates train and socialize shelter dogs in order to prepare them for adoption, and by the prison’s Canine Assistance Rehabilitation, Education and Services, or C.A.R.E.S., program, where dogs are trained to be service dogs.

Since the program creating dog beds out of the old mattress began about 3 months ago nearly 150 beds have been made. It takes at least six hours to make the larger dog beds. The beds not used in the prison for the two dog training programs and not donated to the local shelter they work with will be sold at an area veterinary clinic. All money made from the sale of these beds will go into the care of the dogs including having treats and leashes for training.

Source:  Hutchinson