Nicholas Ulsch Buys Puppies From Craigslist & Abuses Them

Informati – 19 days ago – news-journalonline.com

A witness told police the puppy is Ulsch’s fourth dog in two months and that two of the dogs mysteriously disappeared while a third ran away because Ulsch beat the dogs, the report states.

An Ormond Beach man bought a puppy over the Internet and then beat and slammed it against a wall because the animal soiled his living room floor, police said.

It’s not the first dog Nicholas Ulsch has abused, Ormond Beach police said.
Ulsch, 41, of Oak Brook Drive was arrested Saturday and charged with intentional animal cruelty for abusing the mixed brown Labrador puppy he bought on the Web site Craigslist, a police report states.
According to the report, Ulsch said he spanked the dog hard on Friday because the dog angered him by defecating in the living room. Ulsch picked up the dog by the collar and repeatedly slammed it against the wall, police said. The dog suffered eye and leg injuries.
A witness told police the puppy is Ulsch’s fourth dog in two months and that two of the dogs mysteriously disappeared while a third ran away because Ulsch beat the dogs, the report states.
The puppy was taken to Halifax Humane Society for medical attention by an animal control officer, police said.

Ulsch said he did not mean to hurt the dog that bit him and scratched his carpet and couch.

“I feel guilty for what I did,” Ulsch said.
Ulsch was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on Saturday after posting $1,000 bail.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST01102009.htm
October 20, 2009
Ormond man charged in puppy’s abuse
By PATRICIO G. BALONA – Staff writer

Comments:

1. This idiot need to b beaten like he did to those poor puppies!!! there should b some type of list that should prevent them from ever adopting or buy an animal ever again!!!!!

2. The list is called do to them what they do to these poor defenseless animals and then treat the crimes like they were against a person and sentence accordingly. There is a direct correlation between animal and domestic violence. It is also one of signs of sociopaths… who are not curable. We, as a country, need to stop being bleeding hearts for all the crazies: pedophiles, rapists, animal abusers, child abusers, wife beaters, murderers… they all come from the same pathetic pot and we need to close the lid on them!

3. I can’t beleive they just let him go. His picture should be plastered all over the area he lives. By the way he is from ORMOND BEACH FLORIDA JUST NORTH OF DAYTONA BEACH NICE TO KNOW SUCH A NUTJOB IS OUT THERE …WHATS NEXT ON HIS LIST, LITTLE OLD LADIES,SMALL CHILDREN. WHAT WILL THE AUTHORITIES DO NEXT IF THE NEXT VICTIM IS A YOUNG CHILD. WE ARE LIVING IN A CRAZY,INSANE WORLD AND THE VALUE OF LIFE SEEMS TO BE DISSAPEARING. ….this is a very dangerous person ,keep your eyes open. BY THE WAY I NOTICE HE IS WEARING WHAT THE KIDS CALL A WIFE BEATER T-SHIRT.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Click training 101: Getting your puppy started on a clicker

Over the years I have had many dogs, all of which I have trained on my own. I’ve been often asked “Your dog listens so well, how did you get him to do that?” Teaching a puppy a few basic commands really isn’t as hard as some might think. As long as you can have the patience and the time to dedicate to properly training them, you can have a wonderfully well-behaved puppy yourself! I am a firm believer of the “click-training” method when it comes to training dogs. Having something to audibly stimulate them in order to receive the desired action in return tends to work better than just verbal commands on their own. In this “how-to”, I’ll illustrate to you how to get started with click-training and the basics you will need to know.

If you plan on using the click training method, you’ll need to get a few things to start. First you will need to get a clicker (about $2.00 at pet stores). You’ll then want to get some small treats that your puppy likes (my puppy likes a combination of his puppy kibble and “Crazy Pet Train-Me Reward Dog Treats” — about $5.00 at pet stores — the train-me treats work well because they are chewy and moist, easy for a puppy to eat). You might also want to have something to carry the treats in, like a nylon bag that you can sling around your waist, or you can just keep them in your pocket.

Once you have everything you need, you can start to associate your puppy with the clicker. To do this, click the clicker and then give the puppy a treat. Go to another part of the room, click the clicker, and give the puppy a treat. Repeat this step over a few times in different parts of the house. Your puppy will start to associate the clicking noise with getting a treat, thanks Pavlov! When you are convinced that your puppy understands that the clicking sound means they will receive a treat, then you are ready to move on with the training.

Before you begin to teach the puppy even the most basic commands such as “sit” and “stay”, you need to work with your puppy on getting their attention. Doing this is actually quite simple. While in the room with your puppy, say their name. When they stop what they are doing and look at you, click your clicker and give them a treat. Repeat this step a few times in different parts of the home. You will notice that your puppy will catch on very quickly! You will want to repeat the name-association exercise a few minutes each day to ensure that they understand, but make sure that you do not over-do it. Puppies have a short attention span, and get tired and restless quickly. Make sure you keep all training sessions to about 10-15 minutes daily.

Once you are confident that you can get your puppy’s attention quickly and easily, you can then move on in the training process.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Puppies in Training

Highlighting a special program, Canine Companions for Independence. Canine Companions for Independence is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Canine Companions assistance dogs are trained in up to 50 commands designed to make everyday life easier for adults and children with physical and developmental disabilities. They open and close doors, retrieve dropped objects, and turn on and off lights. Outside of physical tasks, Canine Companions assistance dogs provide immeasurable emotional support to their human partners.

Established in 1975, Canine Companions now has five regional training centers across the country. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. For more information, visit www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-2275. Volunteer opportunities are available, including puppy raising.

Posted: Just One More Pet

Excessive Barking: A Common Behavior Problem

Fact: Dogs bark.

Fact: Barking can be good.

Fact: Barking can drive us nuts.

Dogs bark. It is part of their normal and natural communication and behavior. Dogs can bark for appropriate and good reasons, such as when strangers approach our house, they hear an odd noise, or they are herding sheep. Most of us want our dogs to be “watch dogs” and alert us to anything unusual. But dogs can also bark inappropriately. In two scientific surveys of dog owners, approximately 1/3 of them reported their dogs barked excessively. To control barking in our dogs, we first need to understand why they are barking.

Types of canine vocal communication

Dogs, as well as wolves use many types of vocalizations to communicate. This communication starts very early in life. Young puppies make a mewing-like sound when they are searching for food or warmth. Louder crying sounds are heard if the puppy is hurt or frustrated. As dogs get older, they make five main classes of sounds: howls, growls, grunts, whines, and barks. Each of these classes of sounds is used in different situations.

Howling is used as a means of long-range communication in many different circumstances. Howls are more often associated with wolves, but dogs howl too. Wolves often howl to signify territorial boundaries, locate other pack members, coordinate activities such as hunting, or attract other wolves for mating. Dogs may howl as a reaction to certain stimuli such as sirens.

Growling can occur in very different activities. It is used to threaten, warn, in defense, in aggression, and to show dominance. But growling is also used in play as well. By looking at the body posture we should be able to tell the difference. Growls during aggression are accompanied by a stare or snarl, and the growling dog often remains stationary. Play-growls occur in combination with a happy tail and a play bow to signal willingness to play. These dogs are often moving and jumping about to entice play.

Grunts in dogs are the equivalent of contented sighs in people. They can also be heard when dogs are greeting each other or people.

Whines or whimpers are short- or medium-range modes of communication. Dogs may whine when they greet each other, are showing submissiveness, are frustrated or in pain, to obtain attention, and sometimes in defense. Dogs generally whine more than wolves, perhaps because they use the whine more as an attention-seeking behavior, and are often rewarded for it. Think about it. The first sound you may hear from a new puppy is the whine at night when he finds himself alone. We often are guilty of unintentionally reinforcing this whining by giving the puppy the attention he wants.

Barking is another mode of communication that seems to be more common in dogs than other canine species. Again, this may be the result of human encouragement. Certain breeds have been bred to bark as part of their watchdog or herding duties. Barking is used to alert or warn others and defend a territory, to seek attention or play, to identify oneself to another dog, and as a response to boredom, excitement, being startled, lonely, anxious, or teased.

Why dogs bark

Alert/warning barks are the type of barks some owners encourage. They want their dog to alert them to the presence of a danger or suspicious stranger. Warning barks tend to become more rapid as the intruder approaches. Aggressive barks are low in pitch and may be combined with growls. We need to be able to distinguish warning barks from barks due to fear.

Attention-seeking barks are most often used by puppies to get you to focus your attention on them. They can become very insistent and hard to ignore, but ignore them we must.

Play/excitement barks are often short and sharp. These barks are common if the dog gets too excited with the game. Often a time-out is in order.

Self-identification barking is what you may be hearing when your dog seems to be answering other dogs he hears barking in the neighborhood. It is his way of saying, “I am over here.”

Bored barkers simply need an outlet for their energy and a more stimulating environment.

Lonely/anxious barking occurs if your dog is experiencing separation anxiety. The barking can become self-reinforcing as he becomes more stimulated and anxious. Anxious barks tend to get higher in pitch as the dog becomes more upset. This type of barking can be especially annoying to your neighbors.

Startle barking occurs in response to an unfamiliar or sudden sound or movement. As with an alert/warning bark, we need to be able to control this type of barking quickly.

As you can see, there are many reasons for barking and most barking is a normal behavior.There are some instances in which barking is considered pathological. This will be discussed later in the article.

Characteristics of a barker

Studies have been done to try to determine which dogs are more likely to be barkers. Although there was no difference in the percentage of excessive barkers between males and females, there was a breed difference. Beagles, Terriers, and some herding breeds tend to bark more. That is not surprising, since this is one of the characteristics for which they were bred. Excessive barking can occur in purebred dogs as well as mixed breeds.

General principles for controlling undesirable barking

• If we want to control barking, we need a dog who can obey us and relax. The dog needs to look to her owner for behavior clues. If we can call her, have her lie down (dogs do not bark as much when lying down) and stay, we are well on the way to solving a nuisance barking problem. In addition, there are some common principles we can use in modifying barking behavior.
• First, in most cases shouting “No” is only going to make matters worse since the dog is thinking you are barking too (and is probably happy you joined in).
• Be consistent. Pick a one-word command e.g., “Enough” for the behavior you want and always use that word in the same tone of voice. Everyone in the household must use the same command and act identically.
• Be patient with your dog and yourself. Changing behavior takes a lot of time, and you need to take it slowly, one step at a time. If you become angry at your dog, the chance to correctly modify the behavior will be gone.
• Reward the dog for good behavior. Positive reinforcement is much more powerful than punishment. Physical punishment will do nothing but make your dog fearful of you and break down the bond you wish to have with her. Food treats are fine to use as a reward at first. Often, picking a very special treat like small pieces of cooked chicken or hot dog will make the reward seem even better. As time goes on, you will not give a treat every time, sometimes just rewarding with a “Good Dog” and a pat on the dog’s chest.
• Do not hug your dog, talk soothingly, or otherwise play into your dog’s barking. Your dog may then believe there really was something of which to be alarmed, afraid, or anxious. This reinforces her behavior and she will likely bark even more the next time.
• Control the situation. As much as possible, set up situations to use as training. Practice in short, frequent sessions, generally 5-10 minutes each.
• Do not be afraid to ask an expert. Animal trainers, behaviorists, and your veterinarian can give you valuable advice. Having them witness your dog’s barking episodes may give them valuable clues on helping you solve the barking problem.

Next, we will look at the different types of barkers and more specific ways to modify their behavior.

Alert/warning barkers

Dogs that bark at mail carriers, joggers running by the house, or cyclers on the street naturally have their barking reinforced. They see the mail carrier, they bark, and the mail carrier leaves. The dog thinks, “Boy, I’m good. My barking made that person leave.” In modifying the dog’s behavior, we need to overcome this reinforcement.

Sometimes, by just preventing the dog from seeing the intruding mail carrier, we can solve the problem. Often, however, we need to do more. First, we must make sure we are not rewarding the dog for any type of barking. If the dog barks when she wants to eat, and we feed her, we are rewarding vocalization. If we try to ignore the barking, but eventually cave-in and give attention, the dog learns that short barks will not do the trick, but excessive and extended barking will.

After the dog has alerted us to an “intruder,” we need a way to signal the dog after one or two barks that she was a good dog for warning us, but now we will take control. Often the command “Enough” will accomplish that goal.

Remember: Do not inadvertently reinforce barking by giving verbal or physical reassurance to a barking dog. To teach “Enough,” set up a situation in which your puppy will bark, but not excessively; knock on the door, for instance. After one or two barks, stop knocking and make a sound or distraction that will get her to switch her attention to you. If she stops barking, immediately say “Enough” and reward her with a treat and praise. If she does not stop barking, put that delicious treat right in front of her nose. When she stops barking for a second or two say “Enough,” wait a few more seconds and if she is quiet, give her the treat and praise. Timing is critical – she must be quiet when you give her the treat or she will think she is being rewarded for continuing to bark. Be sure to say “Enough” when she is quiet, not when she is barking. Later, as she associates “Enough” with being quiet, you can use it as a command to stop barking.

Fear barkers

Some dogs may start with an alert or warning bark, but then progress to a bark that is associated with fear. One of the more common examples of this is those dogs that bark at approaching strangers.

If your dog is barking out of fear of people, first he must learn to be obedient, defer to you for his behavior cues, and relax. Then you can start setting up situations in which people approach from far off, and as your dog remains relaxed, give him treats. Slowly (over days and weeks) have people approach him only to the point where he remains relaxed and you can reward him. As people come even closer, have them throw treats his way so he starts associating people with good things happening. While this controlled training is going on, it is best to not put him in situations in which you do not have control, e.g., walking down a busy street.

Do not encourage your puppy to bark at people. You may set a bad habit in motion and he may become suspicious and even fearful of people. Chances are, he will bark at odd situations and strangers without you telling him to.

Attention-seeking barkers

Young puppies, as well as adults soon learn that barking will incite attention from us. The problem is that dogs will be happy with any attention they receive, be it negative or positive. A stern “No” from you is still attention, so the puppy got what she wanted and you reinforced the behavior. It is best to just ignore this type of barking, as hard as that may be.

Sometimes, the use of a remote correction is helpful in controlling this type of barking. Coins in an empty soda can, foghorns, or other noisemakers can be used to startle the dog while she is barking. When she is startled, she stops barking, and at that point, you can give her a substitute for barking – a toy, a walk. Just make sure she stops barking before you give the substitute or the dog will perceive it as a reward for barking.

Play/excitement barkers

If your dog barks excessively during play, it is best to let her calm down and slow down the game. If she continues to bark, stop playing until she has settled down.

Self-identification barkers

This type of barking is quite instinctive and can sometimes be difficult to control, especially in a household of multiple dogs. Often there is an instigator dog and all other dogs join in. This type of barking may be controlled using a similar approach to alert/warning barks, i.e., obedience and relaxation methods with a substitute behavior offered, like playing with a toy.

Bored barkers

Dogs who bark when they are bored may be similar to dogs seeking attention or those that are lonely. Dogs who are bored need something to do besides barking. We need to give them a more stimulating environment and usually a lot more exercise. A tired dog is less likely to be bored. Toys such as Kongs and Buster Cubes that can be filled with treats can get your dog’s brain, as well as his body, working.

Lonely/anxious barkers

Dogs who bark when they are alone may be showing a symptom of their separation anxiety. As we mentioned, these dogs are in the midst of a vicious circle – the more lonely they are, the more they bark, the more upset they get, the more they bark, the barking gets them more upset and they bark more – and the cycle continues.

We need to work with the dog on the underlying behavior of separation anxiety. We can do this several ways. As in alert/warning barking, we need to be able to teach the dog simple obedience and how to relax. Then we can work on the problem of the separation anxiety.

We can start out by leaving or acting like we are leaving for a short time – and before the dog starts getting nervous and barking (this may be one second at first), we come back. This way, we are not rewarding barking, but rewarding relaxation and silence. We gradually extend the time we are gone and return before the dog gets anxious. If your dog is anxious even if you leave the room, then you will need to start by just taking several steps away from her while she remains relaxed. While going through this behavior modification, you cannot go too slow – you can go too fast.

We often need to change our habits too. Often the dog starts getting nervous when we go through our routine of leaving. Maybe you are like me, and the last thing you do before you leave is put on your shoes and pick up the keys. Vary this and put on your shoes and pick up your keys – but do not leave. Go to the couch and read a book. If you only play the radio on weekends when you are home, turn it on during your workdays. As hard as it may be, set your alarm on weekends, get up, but stay home. Continue these changes in routine until your dog does not pay attention to your cues anymore. It is also very important to not give your dog a lot of attention when you leave.

When you are gone, make sure your dog is comfortable – light, warmth, a radio playing, toys. If your dog is outside, a doghouse may help her feel more secure. Some indoor dogs will be more content if they can watch what is going on outside, be it traffic or chipmunks. Others may be more anxious if they can look out and do better with the drapes closed. You will need to decide what makes your dog less anxious. Make sure you give your dog a lot of exercise a half hour or so before you leave. As with boredom, tired dogs are less likely to become anxious.

If your dog happens to not only bark, but destroy things while you are gone, a crate may be necessary. Never punish your dog when you come home and find something chewed or torn. If you do, your dog will soon associate your return with being punished. That is going to make her even more anxious. If you videotape these destructive dogs, you may see the dog is anxious when the owner leaves but anxiety also increases just before the owner’s usual time of return, when the dog becomes anxious about the owner’s impending return and punishment.

Just as you should not punish your dog on your return, do not give her a lot of attention either – then your returning home will not be such a big deal to her. Instead, come in the door, say “Hello” and go about a household task. Once your dog has settled down and is quiet, then you can spend some quality time with her.

Initially, while you are working on behavior modification it may be helpful to get a neighbor or pet sitter to come in once or several times during the day. This will help break up the long hours the dog has without you.

Finally, if the separation anxiety is severe, medications are often needed during the behavior modification process. Medication alone will not solve the problem, but it can be a useful adjunct to the process. Consult with your veterinarian to determine which medication would be most appropriate.

Startled barkers

We can best curb startled barking using the similar techniques for alert/warning barks. Teaching “Enough” will really help in this situation. If a certain sound consistently startles your dog, record that sound. Start by playing it back very softly so your dog will remain relaxed when she hears it. If she remains quiet, then reward her. Over days and weeks, gradually increase the volume until she is no longer startled into barking when she hears it.

Pathologic barking

Barking that is a simple nuisance is not the same as barking that is pathologically excessive. Most of the barking we have talked about thus far is normal barking behavior except for that connected to separation anxiety. Barking can be abnormal or “pathologic” in situations of separation anxiety, as a result of an obsessive-compulsive disorder in which a dog barks very excessively or at inappropriate things (a leaf falling), or in dogs who become hyper-excited with the approach of people or other dogs. Dogs who become aggressive during barking episodes need to undergo behavior modification for the aggression before we attempt to modify the barking behavior.

For dogs with pathologic barking or additional behavioral problems, it is highly recommended to use a team-approach to the problem. The team consists of all family members, an animal behaviorist, and a veterinarian. Each family member must work with the dog in the same way, using the same commands. The animal behaviorist may be able to cue in on unique characteristics of your dog’s behavior and help you set up training situations that will be most effective. Your veterinarian may also be able to give you insights as well as prescribe appropriate medications to enable the dog to be more responsive to the behavior modification.

Controlling barking through corrective collars

There are numerous collars on the market that produce an electrical stimulation, an irritating ultrasonic sound, or a smell (offensive to the dogs, but not to us) when the dog barks. These may be used as an adjunct to behavior modification. Collars alone will not cure the problem. Unfortunately, these collars to do not always produce the desired effect. For some of these hard-core barkers, the punishment for barking is not sufficient to get them to stop. They would rather bark and be punished than not bark at all. For dogs who bark when they are anxious, the collar’s correction may make them even more anxious.

In some situations, these corrective collars have been found to be useful. For instance, there is a citronella collar which gives off a citrus smell when the dog barks. This can alert you to the fact the dog was barking while you were gone since the citrus smell still lingers in the air. In situations where you must change the barking behavior quickly or you may lose your dog (or apartment), a bark-control collar may be used while you are away from the dog. When using a bark-control collar, remember that you not only have to stop the bad behavior, you need to reward the good. Your dog can not learn an appropriate alternative to barking if someone is not present to teach it to him.  Electric shock type collars are not reccommended!  They have been known in some instances to cause phyical damage to the dogs wearing them.

Another type of collar that may be effective is a halter collar. This type of collar looks more like a horse halter; brand names include Gentle Leader/Promise System Canine Head Collar and Halti Head collars. When you pull on the leash portion, a portion of the collar tightens around the dog’s muzzle. By using a quick pull of the lead, saying “Enough” when the dog is quiet, and then rewarding him, you may find the training goes faster.

De-barking

Debarking is a surgical procedure that removes the vocal cords from dogs. There are two surgical approaches, one through the mouth, and the other through an incision in the neck. Debarking will NOT result in a silent dog. A dog who has undergone the procedure will still attempt to bark, and make a hoarse sound, which some people find more irritating than the bark itself. Debarking will not cure the reason for barking – the fear, boredom, or anxiety will still be there. Debarking is not reccommended and should be a very very last choice decision.

Preventing nuisance barking in puppies

Teaching your puppy appropriate behavior from the beginning is easier than changing behavior that has become a bad habit. Some behavior we may think of as cute in a puppy will not be cute in an adult dog. So, think ahead to avoid potential problems.

The first few nights after bringing your puppy home will be the hardest. You may want to put his crate in your bedroom. The puppy will be more secure with you near. Security builds trust. Trust will decrease the possibility of separation anxiety in the future. Just remember not to give any attention to the puppy if he is whining – that will only reward his undesirable behavior.

By starting to train your puppy in obedience and relaxation at an early age, you can greatly reduce the probability your puppy will grow into a problem barker. Nip problems in the bud and always look at why the puppy is barking. Is it fear, anxiety, attention-seeking? Use the appropriate measures to treat the underlying problem.

Remember that if for some reason you want your dog to bark on command, or in a certain situation, you must also be able to teach him to stop on command. Teach “Enough” at an early age. This was described under “Alert/warning Barkers”.

Introduce the young puppy to situations that may cause anxiety later on. Get your puppy used to walking on the sidewalk along a busy street. Expose your puppy to sounds like vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, and other noises. Take things slow so your puppy does not become anxious while being exposed to these new things. Reward the puppy when he is quiet and relaxed.

Puppy classes are a great place for your puppy to meet new people and other dogs. He can learn to obey you even when there are numerous distractions. You also have a trainer present who can help you with any potential problems.

In short, it will be a lot more fun for everybody if your puppy learns to communicate through a wag of the tail and looking to you for guidance rather than through excessive and relentless barking.

Source:  Doctors Foster and Smith

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Related Resources:

• Dog Training – Train Your Dog From Barking
• Our 2-Year-Old German Shepherd Has Started Biting
• Company Will Start Building “the World’s Most Pet Friendly House(s)” – But Here Are Some Hints For All Pet Parents
• Dogs Left Home Alone – With Anxiety
• Crate “Training” – Blessing or Abuse

Some Dog Foods Deliver Toxic Doses of Poison

With the memory of the melamine pet food scare still fresh in the minds of many, the Environmental Working Group is publicizing a new threat: potentially toxic doses of fluoride in dog food.

An EWG analysis found troubling levels of fluoride in 8 of 10 dog foods tested. The concentration of fluoride was up to 2.5 times higher than the safe level the EPA sets for drinking water. Some puppies may be exposed to five times this limit.

The fluoride in dog food originates in bone meal and animal by-products. EWG recommends choosing dog food brands free of bone meal and meat by-product ingredients like chicken by-product meal, poultry by-product meal, chicken meal and beef meal.

Sources:

The Daily Green June 30, 2009

Environmental Working Group June 26, 2009 [Full Report]

Related Resource: Dr. Mercola

Most pet owners consider their four-legged companions beloved members of their family. With everything else to keep track of, the diet of your pet can easily get tossed on the backburner. Unfortunately, your pet’s health is as dependent on the food you serve as the rest of your family.

Fluoride, it seems, may be a particular problem, as many pet foods contain some form of bone meal, which is believed to be the main source of fluoride in commercial pet foods.

The Power of Advertising is Just as Potent in the Pet Food Industry

As you probably know by now, the food industry spends millions of dollars each year influencing your dietary habits, and the pet food industry is no different. But despite advertising claims and pictures of happy puppies, the majority of commercial pet foods are far from optimally healthy.

Much of the so-called “healthy pet foods” on the market contain inferior meat meals, cheap grains like corn and soy, fillers, by-products, food coloring, pesticides, preservatives, and other contaminants, including fluoride.

Pet food has simply not gained the same amount of scrutiny as human foods, and only when widespread disaster struck did the quality of pet food ingredients become the talk of the town. You may remember the melamine mass-contamination that rocked the pet food industry last year. Since it led to thousands of sick and dead pets around the country it was impossible to ignore.

Fluoride, on the other hand, is more insidious, and likely will not cause sudden death. But it is a potent toxin that can have devastating long-term health effects, both in humans and in pets.

Dangerous Levels of Fluoride Detected in 80 Percent of Commercial Pet Food

When the Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted a survey of ten national brands of dog food, they discovered that all but two contained “potentially dangerous” levels of fluoride.

Unfortunately, no one really knows what the safe levels of fluoride for animals might be and there are no standards for pet foods, but eight of the brands contained fluoride in amounts between 1.6 and 2.5 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum legal dose in drinking water.

We also know that 2 grams of fluoride is enough to kill an adult, and just 500 mg is enough to kill a child. To those of you not familiar with the metric system, a teaspoon is 5 grams. So less than one half teaspoon of fluoride will kill most adults and one tenth of a teaspoon will kill most children.

In the U.S., people have died, and many have become sick, when faltering fluoridation equipment has pumped excess fluoride into the water. And, since fluoride is used as anactive ingredient in a number of pesticides, we also know it’s definitely deadly to a number of smaller critters, in small amounts.

At an average of 8.9 mg of fluoride per kilogram of dog food, the sampled brands also contained far higher amounts of fluoride than what is associated with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that typically occurs in young boys.

Posted: Just One More Pet

“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face!”

 Photo by the UCLA Shutterbug

Our Pups Goji and Princess With Their Dad Apachi Looking On…

“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.” ~ Ben Williams

Mixed Breeds are Stars at Nuts for Mutts Dog Show

Non-profit animal rescue group New Leash on Life will host their 8th Annual Nuts for Mutts Dog Show and Pet Fair Sunday, May 17, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at Shepard Stadium at Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills.

Hundreds of mixed breed dogs are expected to compete before a panel of celebrity judges in categories such as, “Fastest Mutt,” “Most Ear-resistible Ears,” “Most Toy/Ball Crazy,” and, of course, “Best in Show.” 

This year’s fundraiser event will be emceed by MADtv’s Debra Wilson Skelton, and will feature pet adoptions, a silent auction, pet-related vendors, children activities, live music, and much more.

Scooble.com, the online resource for finding the best pet food and services, will join the festivities, and will be giving away goody bags of pet-friendly treats as well as raffling off two $75 TLC 4 Pets boarding and Catsaway Hotel gift certificates.

“We wanted to do something special for the participants and attendees of Nuts for Mutts,” said Scooble.com’s Rob Chell. “What’s more special than a stay at a luxury pet hotel?”

To register your mutt, visit www.NutsForMutts.org. Your dog must be a mixed breed, non-aggressive, and be spayed or neutered.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

10 Top Reasons to Adopt A Pet On Mother’s Day… Or Any Other Day

If  Mom or Grandma has been considering getting a dog or cat, Mother’s Day is a perfect time –not to surprise her — but take her to several shelters and see what’s out there. Use Petfinder to screen for the best candidates.  That way she’ll get exactly what she was looking for and the pet has a good chance of staying put rather than being returned.

If Mom is in love with a particular breed, check Petfinder in case one is available through a shelter.

Here’s the top 10 reasons to consider adopting a homeless or shelter pet:

1. You save many lives. Not only do you save the life of the animal you adopt, you will get an animal that is spayed or neutered, which means no unwanted litters to end up at an animal control facility.

2. You won’t be supporting puppy mills. Puppy factory farms will have one less customer to feed their reprehensible business.  They produce  pets with expensive health issues, physical and mental, and look at pets as “products”. Female dogs are forced into a constant state of pregnancy for the duration of their lives, not cared for or let out of their cages.  When you buy from a pet shop, it supports this industry.

3. You get the best deal ever.  Shelter animals are fully vaccinated, spay/neutered, and more often than not, micro-chipped, and heartworm tested.

4.  You become an active participant in preventing cruelty to animals.  The Oprah show on puppy mills made it very clear to all that, even if unwittingly, pet shops selling pets get their animals from puppy mills.  You can dismantle this practice by making different choices. 

5.  Shelters are not the scary places they used to be! Many provide added services. The progress that has been made over the past decade in sheltering practices means that many shelters offer their “temporary residents” basic training, so they are at least familiar with the concept of being on leash, and the concept of “sit” and “walk”  Some shelters are set up so that daycare, kenneling, and grooming are available. 

6.  Shelters, good ones, always want their animals returned to them if there’s a problem–not to some other facility, or to another family. You won’t get any guarantees like that from a pet shop.

7.  Shelters will know the dog or cat, their personalities, some of their querks and a lot of their personality.  New puppies are so cute, cuddly, but they have a lot of needs. They require that someone be home all day to care for them, potty train them, feed them often and teach themeverything.  If you are getting a puppy and will leave him or her in a cage more than an hour please don’t get a puppy. It is not at all advisable to cage a puppy all day long.  That kind of life would be a cruelty to the dog and to you.  You would not be happy with a puppy that went wild every time you let him or her out.

8. Shelters are part of the community and work to save lives every day.  They are there to serve the animals and match them to the best possible homes. 

9.  Shelters provide opportunities to learn through volunteering, expand your network and know more about the community you live in.

10. Adopt—it’s a matter of life, and the life you save may be your own!  Studies have it that pets lower blood pressure and that pet people live longer. Just feeling good about how you contribute to solving a societal problem doesn’t hurt, either.

Hope you had a great Mother’s Day!

By: Mary Haight – Examiner.com

Then next year mom and grandma can take their friend to one of the many dog parks with free entrance, goodies and goodie bags for Mother’s Day.

ASPCA Experts Help Secure Puppy Mill Conviction

 

This past March, Dr. Melinda Merck, ASPCA Senior Director of Veterinary Forensics, helped secure an animal cruelty conviction by testifying in the trial of Kathy Bauck, operator of Pick of the Litter Kennels. The New York Mills, MN, breeder sells animals to pet stores and online—and has at times housed more than 1,300 dogs of at least 32 different breeds. Bauck was arrested in August 2008 and charged with several counts of felony animal cruelty, torture and practicing veterinary medicine without a license. On March 24, after a 4½-day trial and six hours of deliberation, a jury cleared Bauck of felony charges but found her guilty of four misdemeanors (one count of animal cruelty and three counts of torture).

In early 2008, a freelance animal cruelty investigator, Jason Smith, began working at Pick of the Litter to gather evidence against Bauck. Smith submitted testimony and videos of alleged abuse to Otter Tail County sheriff’s detectives last May. The videos included footage of injured, ill and emaciated dogs, as well as of Bauck dunking dogs in vats of insecticide. “The veterinarian working with the prosecution contacted me about one month before the trial started,” recalls Dr. Merck. “I was asked by the prosecutor to review all the video and case files and provide expert opinion.”

With a history of complaints and citations against her—including a 2006 cease-and-desist order from the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine for performing surgery on animals without a veterinary license—Bauck is well known to ASPCA investigators. “Kathy Bauck has been a chronic problem,” states Bob Baker, ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Initiatives Investigator. “I visited her facility in 1998 and reported her to the USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act—but as far as I know, there was no follow-up on the part of USDA.”

At her sentencing hearing last Friday, May 1, Bauck was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 20 days to be served right away. The other 70 days were “stayed,” meaning they will be served only if she violates her probation. The judge also sentenced Bauck to 80 hours of community service and ruled that if she plans to continue participating in operating the kennel, she must allow unscheduled inspections—and that inspectors must be allowed entry into ALL areas.

As the ASPCA says… “We Are Their Voice!”  Please report all suspected abuse or neglect of any kind… and to anyone!!

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Doomed Dogs Get On The Rescue Wagon to Other Shelters

Thousands of death-row dogs are getting reprieves every week, plucked from crowded, high-kill shelters and transported — often hundreds of miles — to places where there are open cages in shelters and open hearts in the community.

Shelter-animal relocations, known as “transfers,” have been quietly going on for years on a fairly small scale. But the numbers are escalating as growing legions of devoted rescuers organize ever-larger convoys; high-kill shelters initiate partnerships with faraway shelters that have space to accept out-of-luck animals; and large pet-advocacy groups develop strategies to increase the number of pets that are moved and saved every month.

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“It’s a growing and increasingly important area in the animal protection field,” says Cory Smith of the Humane Society of the United States, which has developed guidelines to help transporters.

Road to a second chance

PetSmart Charities’ Rescue Waggin’ is the volume leader in moving pets from shelters where there’s no chance they’ll be adopted to shelters where they’re almost certain to get new homes quickly.

Its four transport trucks carry dogs and puppies from shelters mostly in the Midwest and South (92,000 animals are euthanized annually in Louisiana shelters alone, Smith says) to shelters primarily in the North and Northeast, where pet owners have long sterilized their pets and overpopulation has largely been brought under control.

In four years, Rescue Waggin’ has transported more than 25,000 dogs for placement in new homes; officials expect to cover 400,000 miles this year and move 8,000 to 10,000 dogs and puppies. “They’re generally adopted within three days of reaching the receiving shelter,” says Kimberly Noetzel of PetSmart Charities.

In Los Angeles, Pup My Ride has, in less than two years, saved more than 1,000 small dogs that were “red-tagged,” or scheduled to be put down. Animal lovers looked across state lines and took advantage of a supply-and-demand reality.

“There is a big surplus of small dogs in L.A.,” says Elizabeth Oreck of Best Friends Animal Society, which runs the volunteer transport program. “They’re killing them by the thousands. But not very far away, there are communities where shelters have waiting lists for small dogs of every age, color, breed and mix.”

So every 10 to 14 days, 20 to 40 lucky dogs that weigh 30 pounds or less are driven to shelters in Arizona or Utah that have a demand for small dogs. “They are adopted in a matter of days,” Oreck says.

On the opposite coast, Mitchell County Animal Rescue in North Carolina and the Potter League for Animals in Middletown, R.I., formed a partnership in 2004 similar to many that are now cropping up.

The Rhode Island shelter, which often has a waiting list of up to 75 for puppies and small dogs, has received 502 dogs and puppies from the overcrowded shelter nearly 900 miles away. Because of the program, says Potter League’s Christie Smith, the community can “get great puppies here” rather than “fueling puppy mills” by buying them at pet stores.

Still, though transfers are saving some of the estimated 4 million animals euthanized in shelters every year, they’re not without controversy. Some people worry that high-kill communities have less motivation to consider spay/neuter programs if pets are exported and the specter of an 85% kill rate no longer hovers. They also worry that the receiving shelters, in their zeal to help, may lessen adoption chances for pets from their own communities.

Strict parameters necessary

“Transfers aren’t a be-all-end-all,” Smith acknowledges. They’re a reasonable adjunct to other programs such as sterilization, she says, adding that many experts believe such initiatives aren’t undermined by exporting unwanted pets if the “messaging to the community” is done properly. Also, she says, officials at both ends must establish strict parameters.

Transfer proponents say it’s unfair to make animals suffer simply because some areas haven’t fully addressed overpopulation. “If someone is drowning, you don’t just stand there and criticize their inability to swim,” says JoAnne Yohannan of North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington, N.Y., a pet-transfer pioneer that began receiving animals in the 1990s through partnerships with high-kill groups, most of them in the South. “There are animals that are dying, and there are families here who want them.”

North Shore will receive about 7,500 dogs and puppies this year from other states.

By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY

The North Shore Animal League America van sits at the Indianapolis Animal Care & Control during a Tour For Life (TFL) adoption event.

North Shore, the no-kill shelter in Port Washington, N.Y., helps hundreds of pets get new homes every spring with its one-month TFL.

Two mobile units have visited 23 cities from Redding, Calif., to Parma, Ohio, in the past four weeks during a 25-stop, long-haul tour that wraps up Saturday.

No animals are transported from one state to another. Instead, huge, festive local pet adoption events are organized around the arrival of the hard-to-miss units that “carry the message of adoption,” says North Shore’s Joanne Yohannan.

The TFL program was launched in 2001 with four shelters and 50 adoptions. It has evolved to two vehicles that ply two different routes during March and April, attracting thousands at some stops.

In San Antonio this month, 21 rescue groups converged for TFL day and 70 pets were adopted, most of them with special needs, Yohannan says. In Nashville, six groups found homes for 145 animals, and organizers there so cherish TFL’s annual visits that they presented the unit driver a guitar autographed by country star George Strait.

When the two $200,000 units that allow pets to be showcased in a walk-though environment return to New York, they will have covered more than 11,000 miles and incurred more than $16,000 in expenses (covered by sponsor Purina). About 800 shelter pets will have gone to new homes.

Related Articles:  Where there is a will…

Shelters all over the country, but especially in states with high foreclosures and high unemployment, are bursting at the seams.  So if you have the room in your home and the love in your heart… adopt just one more pet and save a life.

Do I Go Home Today?
by Sandi Thompson

My family brought me home
cradled in their arms.
They cuddled me and smiled at me,
and said I was full of charm.

They played with me and laughed with me.
They showered me with toys.
I sure do love my family,
especially the girls and boys.

The children loved to feed me,
they gave me special treats.
They even let me sleep with them – 
all snuggled in the sheets.

I used to go for walks,
often several times a day.
They even fought to hold the leash, 
I’m very proud to say.

They used to laugh and praise me,
when I played with that old shoe.
But I didn’t know the difference
between the old ones and the new.

The kids and I would grab a rag,
for hours we would tug.
So I thought I did the right thing
when I chewed the bedroom rug.

They said that I was out of control,
and would have to live outside.
This I did not understand,
although I tried and tried.

The walks stopped, one by one;
they said they hadn’t time.
I wish that I could change things,
I wish I knew my crime.

My life became so lonely,
in the backyard on a chain.
I barked and barked all day long,
to keep from going insane.

So they brought me to the shelter,
but were embarrassed to say why.
They said I caused an allergy,
and then kissed me goodbye.

If I’d only had some classes,
as a little pup.
I wouldn’t have been so hard to handle
when I was all grown up.

“You only have one day left,”
I heard the worker say.
Does this mean a second chance?
Do I go home today?