GETTING TO ZERO

Ending Euthanasia of Healthy & Treatable Animals –  A New National Initiative of the American Humane Association In Cooperation with Visionary Corporations and Foundations  

The American Humane Association’s Getting to Zero®

Initiative is a critical, new national undertaking based on realistic assumptions and the profound belief that, within our lifetime, American society can reduce to zero the number of healthy or treatable dogs, cats and other companion animals that are euthanized in animal care and control facilities. This will not be easily accomplished, but we believe that with the replication of identified best practices to shelters and animal-welfare groups across the country — utilizing seed and operational funding provided by visionary companies and organizations as well as advice and consultation from the best in the field — the immediate impact can be substantial and sustaining, thus leading to zero euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals within 25 years.

Funding will be used to take the best practices available and replicate them, initially, to 12 shelters in geographically diverse areas of the country and, subsequently, to encourage and sustain further replication of these best practices to most, if not all, animal care and control facilities in the country.

Working in partnership with the animal-welfare community and corporate and foundation donors, American Humane launched this three-year initiative in 2006.

American Humane has made the reduction and eventual elimination of shelter euthanasia of healthy dogs and cats one of its highest priorities. Although many Americans maintain a deep love and affection for animals, and pets are cherished members of millions of families, the millions of healthy, adoptable dogs and cats euthanized each year remains a source of shame for our country. It is a situation that most view as socially and morally unacceptable.

There is growing public support for assuring that no adoptable animal is put to sleep at a shelter or abandoned in the street. It is a goal that deserves the efforts and commitment of every group and individual with concern and compassion for animals. American Humane recognizes that animal overpopulation is the result of human decision-making and all of us have a responsibility and role in its reduction.

Every year, at least 3.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters in the United States. Indeed, it has been noted that in many areas of the country, a majority of animals entering the shelter system “are euthanized rather than adopted or reclaimed by their owners.” This problem is not limited to a single area of the country or a single segment of our population — animal care and control facilities from coast to coast are flooded with healthy animals looking for a good home. It has been this way for decades although over the past 20 years, we have seen a sharp reduction in the numbers of animals euthanized.

American Humane is committed to helping identify, support and obtain funding for the replication of community-based interventions that have demonstrated success in reducing the euthanasia of healthy or treatable animals. We are convinced that by working together and adopting practices that have been shown to be effective, we will hasten the day when euthanasia is no longer viewed by the public as an unfortunate but inevitable consequence of animal control.

Source:  American Humane 

 

Alternative Oscars: The Most Humane Animal Movies

As America celebrated “Oscar Night” last Sunday, the American Humane Association saluted those films that earned the coveted “No Animals Were Harmed” end-credit.

American Humane, through its Los Angeles-based Film & TV Unit, has a long-standing presence in Hollywood.  Since 1940, it has overseen the use of animals in filmed entertainment. American Humane is the only organization authorized to monitor the safety of animals on the sets of movies, TV shows, commercials and music videos. Productions that make sure to have an American Humane Animal Safety Rep on set and follow American Humane’s “Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media” and keep animals safe on the set are awarded the famous “No Animals Were Harmed” end-credit disclaimer.

“The use of animals in filmed entertainment celebrates the roles of animals in our history, in our families and in our lives,” said Marie Belew Wheatley, president and CEO of American Humane.

American Humane’s Film & TV Unit, when asked what films it would recognize if the organization had its own version of the Oscars, named the following, all of which earned the right to say “No Animals Were Harmed.”

Best Movie Magic Featuring an Animal: The Dark Knight  – The film features a very dramatic sequence in which dogs attack a man and then are attacked themselves. Rest assured, no dogs were harmed. The production used a combination of techniques, including playing with the dogs, filming the dogs from various angles and using prop dogs, to achieve a realistic effect. 

Most Poignant Movie Illustrating the Human-Animal Bond: Marley & Me – If you saw it, you had to dig out some tissues. This movie shows that even an overly rambunctious dog is still a valued and important member of the family, and the loss of a companion animal is truly the loss of a friend.

Best Behind-the-Scenes Rescue Story: Beverly Hills Chihuahua According to Chris Obonsawin, American Humane’s Certified Animal Safety Representative™ on the set of this film, one of the lead dogs who played Papi was a day away from being euthanized before a trainer discovered him in a California animal shelter. The dog now lives with the movie’s head trainer. Many trainers find their animals at animal shelters – trainer Frank Inn adopted a mutt from a California shelter in the 1960s. The mutt became Benji.

Best Group Effort to Protect Horses: Appaloosa In Appaloosa, there is a scene in which men on horses cross a stream, then gallop up a ravine. The Animal Safety Representative, Ed Lish, explained that sending the horses through a stream, where sharp rocks or other dangers might be hidden under the water, would be against American Humane’s guidelines. The entire crew immediately jumped in to scour both the stream and the ravine to clear the way of debris and ensure safety and comfort for the horses.

Best Rescue by a Snake: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – When Mutt grabs a vine to save Indy, who is sinking in quicksand, they find themselves grasping a snake. The production used a real python for some gentle “establishing shots”, then brought in a prop substitute for the “real” action.

By:  Daphne Reid/Pet People’s Place

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Orange Bone, a New Kind of Pet Store

Selling puppies in a pet store, especially since Oprah’s notorious Puppy Mill episode aired last year, can easily alienate members of the dog community, incite protest and boycott and be bad business in today’s climate. The Orange Bone, Melrose Avenue’s newest pet store, is changing its business model and selling puppies from local rescues and shelters. 

Orange Bone, working with Last Chance for Animals, is committed to saving dogs on death row. It all sounds too good to be true so I decided to check out it for myself. Not surprisingly for a store on Melrose Avenue, the place has a sleek, glossy modern look; it resembles a Pinkberry store more than a typical pet store you’d find in a mall. Los Angeles has its fill of nice looking pet boutique so I went straight to the dogs.

On a Tuesday afternoon the store was packed. I eavesdrop as Ray Maldonado, regularly referred to as the store’s dog guy by many patrons and coincidentally the vice president, talks to a couple considering a pit bull puppy. As I stand around and wait for my turn, I noticed the Orange Bone offers financing. Ray says potential buyers have the option to complete a credit application. He says for those who need it and qualify; it helps to get the dog placed a little easier. Wow. Rays reminds me, “It is all about the dogs.”

While Ray excuses himself to answer another customer’s questions, I take a second to review their sales contract. I was very pleased to see the following, “Adopter agrees if for any reason you cannot keep the puppy you will return it to Orange Bone so we may place it in a new home.” People are not guaranteed a refund, but may exchange the dog within specified timelines for another if they’re inclined. I think it says a great deal about the store that their first priority is to make sure puppies are placed in a stable and loving environment and will always accept a dog back.

Ray is still with another customer so I ask the Kennel Supervisor, Joseph Maldonado, Ray’s little brother, about the care of the puppies. He says he and Ray live nearby and are at the store nearly 20 plus hours each day. Joseph says, “I get here every morning at 8 a.m. to walk the dogs before we open at 11.” The dogs are also all supervised by monitors and short circuit camera feeds.

Ray says they only started working with shelters and rescues in December 2008 after getting some negative feedback. He was once an animal control officer for the city so he really wanted to reinvent the system to make it work for everyone. According to Ray’s records, they have placed about 150 dogs since December 2008 and it’s their goal to place a 1,000 dogs by the year’s end. Ray also happily boasts that about 25 percent, if not more, were on death row.

First impressions can say a lot and Ray and Orange Bone left an indelible impression on me and Rufus today. Ray and his team sincerely seem committed to the dogs with a real hands-on approach in their permanently placement. In the short hour that I lingered unannounced at the store I witnessed more than one person come in who had been working closely with Ray to find the perfect furry friend. It’s not hard to imagine since Ray is the kind of guy who immediately becomes everyone’s best friend.

Other notable features about the store include the Three Dog Bakery treats they offer, the wide assortment of doggie apparel, collars, leashes and stylist carriers. They also work with a trainer, Jessica Dragon, so new parents can get started on the right paw.

If you’re looking for a new dog, stop by and visit Ray. Tell him Rufus and Johnny from Examiner.com sent you.

by Johnny Ortez, L.A. Small Dog Examiner

Orange Bone
7574 Melrose Avenue 
Los Angeles, CA 90046

T. 323. 852. 1258 
F. 323. 852. 1299 
Info@orangebone.com

Mon – Sat 11am to 8pm 
Sun 11am to 7pm

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Posted:  Just One More Pet

Some of 2008’s Oddest Pet Stories

 

Penelope, a Lhasatese (Maltese Llhasa designer breed dog) is the ‘daughter’ of Dr. Margaret LaManna and attorney Manny Levin, who live in West Palm Beach. ‘I take her everyplace here, especially shops,’ says Margaret LaManna. ‘People ooh and ahh because she’s totally cute.’

While you were summering on the island, or the Hamptons or Newport, etc., elsewhere throughout the world strange stories were being reported about four-legged creatures — and their weirder two-legged owners.

For example, I found a news story about a man in California who claimed his dog was a victim of a “hate crime” when it was attacked by a cat. It would have been laughable except he called in some legal beagles and sued for $1.5 million.

Then there was the report of the 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy who ended up in the doghouse for frequently meowing at his hated cat-loving neighbor. And if his arrest for harassment over that seemed strange, it was no odder than the story in Northern Florida about someone arrested on animal-cruelty charges for cursing at a police dog in a squad car.

America hardly had a monopoly on pet weirdness. How about the woman in China who tried to get her poodle to drive? The police stopped her care when they saw a dog whose front legs were wrapped around the steering wheel. It turned out his back legs were on his owner’s lap, and she was controlling the foot pedals, trying to “teach” the dog to drive.

The English can often be counted on for eccentricity, and they didn’t disappoint when they came up with a Web site called http://www.marryyourpet.com.

Is this for real? Hard to tell, since the site reads: “So go on, if you really love him and you’re in this for life, isn’t it time you married your pet?”

But if you’re serious about getting serious with your furry one, before you go ahead with your pup-tials, heed their warning: “Please note that by marrying your pet, he/she may entitled to half your house and all your income.”

Those of you who were in New York know that the bizarre pet story of the summer was a “catricide.” The fur flew when a 205-pound ex-baseball player kicked his girlfriend’s 7-pound cat, named Norman, in a moment of rage — and then claimed he murdered the cat in self-defense.

Other strange cat news out of New York: A school was to teach owners to “think like a cat.” The courses, held at the “Meow Mix Academy,” even included scratching workshops.

Strange pet happenings weren’t limited to dogs and cats. In England, it was reported that some parrots could become suicidal and were being treated with liquid Prozac.

An even stranger story came from Australia where a study proved that goldfish can remember “complex concepts” for days.

But the winner for wild pet stories is Singapore, where some people are taught on the Internet how to remotely pet and dress their chickens. It seems that some farmers in Asia make pets out of chickens, outfit them with special dresses … oh the heck with it. You wouldn’t believe it if I explained it!

By:  PAULETTE COOPER NOBLE, Special to the Daily News

Source:  PalmBeachDailyNews.com

Monthly Feature:  BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN DOGS

All veterinarians and most dog owners should have this one! Here is the book veterinarians refer to when solving challenging behavior problems. Humane, efficient, and effective ways of dealing with negative behaviors.

Preservation of Your Pets Through Mummification

 

National Geographic featured a story on the mummification of pets. For a video, click here. The show highlights the process by Summum a company out of Utah. As everyone probably knows, mummification dates back to Egypt where not only people, but animals were also mummified. It was part of their religion and common practice, but modern day mummies. 

From Summum’s web site:

The Summum science of Mummification revives the ancient art of wrapping the body and treating it with oil, while Transference aids the journey of your pet’s essence to its next destination. When the Mummification and Transference are complete, we place your pet within a bronze Mummiform and rejoin you with your beloved companion. Your cherished friend has been transformed, as the caterpillar to a butterfly, in the promise of another tomorrow.

Whether you choose to honor and remember your pets that have passed through mummification, cramation, burial, cloning or just in your memory and heart the greatest tribute you can pay them is to adopt just one more or two or three and give them a loving home.

Economic Forecast: One Million Pets May Lose Homes in the U.S.

 

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.”

We urge ASPCA News Alert readers to 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.

For more information on pets in the economic crisis, please visit our pressroom.

Shared Cute Photos

I just couldn’t resist this photo of the four, even if it is out of focus.  Maya and Millie the dachshunds, Izzy the toy poodle/chihuahua mix puppy, and Lucee the puggle relax at my house during the holidays. They are usually playing too hard to catch them standing still.

 

And the big dogs Junior and Tally resting for a few minutes together. 

These photos were forwarded to me.  I thought they were cute… so had to share them.

And remember, there is always room for just one more pet.  If  each of us made room for just one more, every pet would have a home!!

Owners: Dog treats killed our pets

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) — At least 13 dogs have died after being fed the top-selling pet treat in the country, owners and veterinarians have told CNN.

The problem comes because the treats, called Greenies, become lodged in a dog’s esophagus or intestine and then some veterinarians say they don’t break down.

“I know they are marketed in saying that they do digest. Certainly the ones that we’ve taken out, esophageal or intestinal, that have been in for days are still very hard,” Brendan McKiernan, a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist from Denver, Colorado, told CNN.  (Watch a vet retrieve a two-day old, undigested Greenie from a dog — 7:40)

Greenies recommends owners check that the treats are chewed and Joe Roetheli – who launched the brand as a treat that can freshen a dog’s breath and clean its teeth – said it was important to pick the correct chew for a particular dog. There are 7 different sizes to choose from depending on the size of the dog.

But most of the dog owners CNN talked to say they did follow package instructions and they still had a problem.

Mike Eastwood and his wife, Jenny Reiff, recently filed a $5 million lawsuit in New York, blaming Greenies for the intestinal blockage that caused the death of their dog Burt.

“I’m mad that their packaging states that the product is 100 percent edible, highly digestible and veterinarian approved, yet our dog died of it,” Eastwood told CNN.

S&M NuTec, which manufactures the toothbrush-shaped chew, won’t comment on the case but in court papers denied the allegations.

Roetheli said the focus should be on the dental benefits and Greenies are saving dogs’ lives by lowering the risk of periodontal disease.

He says feeding Greenies is far safer than putting a dog under anesthesia to clean teeth.

“Dogs really love the product!” he said. “They do a very effective job of cleaning teeth and freshening breath.”

Any suggestion that Greenies are defective was rejected by Roetheli, who developed Greenies with his wife, Judy.

“Our product is safe. It is used every day by thousands of dogs, millions a week and it is basically a very safe product.”

A CNN investigation uncovered 40 cases since 2003 where a veterinarian had to extract a Greenie from a dog after the treat became lodged either in the animal’s esophagus or intestine. In 13 of those cases, the pet died.

One of those was Tyson, Josh Glass and Leah Falls’ 8-month-old boxer, who was taken to Brent-Air Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, California, where vet Dr. Kevin Schlanger found the animal had a blocked intestine.

“It was very clear that it was something dense and firm that had caused the obstruction,” Schlanger said. He removed a Greenie from the intestine.

McKiernan’s says his Denver clinic has seen at least seven cases in the past five years, which he says is an unusually high number. That prompted him to start researching and writing a paper to warn other veterinarians of the problem.

He says his research, which he hopes to get published in a veterinary journal, shows compressed vegetable chew treats, of which Greenies is the most popular, are now the third biggest cause of esophageal obstruction in dogs behind bones and fish hooks.

The federal Food and Drug Administration says it’s looking into eight consumer complaints about Greenies but has no formal investigation.

The issue has also been the topic of news reports across the country.

The chews are made of digestible products like wheat gluten and fiber, experts say, but the molding process makes the treat very firm and hard.

Roetheli, who runs S&M NuTec from Kansas City, Missouri, says Greenies do break down when properly chewed and swallowed by a dog.

He told CNN that any product has the potential to cause an obstruction in a dog and that Greenies packaging warns dog owners to monitor their dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. “Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog,” the package says.

The company’s Web site addresses the issue in its FAQ section with the question “When giving an animal Greenies, does it affect their digestive system?” The answer “The only time dogs would be unable to digest anything would be if they didn’t chew it up before they swallowed it. Canine and Feline Greenies are highly digestible when chewed.”

The company says the number of complaints it has received is very low in relation to the vast numbers of treats sold, and CNN spoke with several vets who recommended Greenies.

Introduced in 1998, we found Greenies now selling for about $16 a pound. Last year, 325 million individual treats were sold around the world, nearly three times the sales of its nearest competitor Milk Bone, according to the marketing company Euromonitor International.

“At the end of the day … literally millions of Greenies are enjoyed by dogs on a weekly basis with absolutely no incidents,” company vet Brad Quest told CNN.

By Greg Hunter and Pia Malbran

Source:  CNN.com

Common Chemicals Linked to Health Problems and Infertility… in Humans and Animals

There is a new health study linking infertility, still births and birth defects to common chemicals.  

Researchers have found chemicals called perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) might be linked to delays in getting pregnant. PFCs are everywhere — in Teflon cookware, shampoos, floor wax, food wrapping, carpet treatments and other cleaning products. PFCs are also present in air and water in the form of industrial waste from chemical plants.  95% of all Americans have PFC’s in their blood.

There is no exact figure that I was able to find on the percentage or levels of PFC’s in the blood of  animals and especially domesticated animals and in our pets.  However there is disturbing data on the affects of PFC’s on rats (see below).

In 2007, a study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health linked PFOA to lower birth weights among newborns.  Years earlier, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that PFOA “poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans.”

Further, in animal studies PFOA has been associated with:

• “Significant increases in treatment related deaths” in rat offspring at doses that did not affect the mothers
• Serious changes in the weight of various organs, including the brain, prostate, liver, thymus, and kidneys
• The deaths of a significant number of rat pups of mothers that had been exposed to PFOA
• Damage to the pituitary at all doses in female rat offspring (The pituitary secretes hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, and many metabolic processes. Change in pituitary size is associated with toxicity).

Additionally, PFOA has been associated with tumors in at least four different organs in animal tests, and has been associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers. The EPA has also ruled PFCs as “likely carcinogens.”

Some of the biggest offenders and producers of PFC’s are:

• Teflon and other non-stick cookware
• Microwave popcorn bags
• Packaging for greasy foods
• Stain-proof clothing
• Carpet and fabric protectors
• Flame retardants 

And all of these items affect or are used in products made for or used by our pets, except the microwave  popcorn bags.

Because these chemicals are so widespread that it will be difficult to eliminate them from your home or your pets environment entirely, but anything you can do will be a positive for yourself, your chidren and your pets and animals!

Pesticides, mercury, caffeine, soy and soy formula are all on the toxicity list for pregnant and nursing women.  Many of the chemicals that cause fertility issues, still births and birth defects in humans also cause the same results in pets and animals. And perhaps  these and additional health hazards are even multiplied in them and in toddlers and small children since the exposure in of toddlers, small children, pets and animals is multiplied by the amount of time they all spend on the floor in direct contact with carpets, floor wax and other chemicals like pecticides and cleaning products, plus their propensity for sticking objects and their own contaminated hands and paws into their mouths.

We live in a toxic world and need to be vigilant for ourselves, our children, our pets and living breathing creatures of all kinds.

By: Marion Algier – Ask Marion for Just One More Pet

Source:  Dr. Mercola

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Valentine’s Day Treats For Your Dog…

Now that you’ve celebrated… Do something extra nice for your dog(s) for Valentine’s Day:

take your dog out for a good walk; play ball with your dog in the yard; give your dog a good brushing; give your dog an extra dog treat; pet your dog longer than usual; let your dog into the house more today; or let them do something special; snuggle with your dog when you’re watching TV;  Set things up for your dog’s future in the event something happens to you    Order Your Copy Today Every Dog’s Legal Guide: A Must-have Book for Your Owner