“Swine flu” infects cats, ferrets, & dogs

November 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2009:

A cat in Des Moines, Iowa, a cat in Lebanon, Oregon, nine
ferrets in Rice Hill, Oregon, four ferrets in Nebraska, and two
dogs in Beijing in November 2009 became the first household pets
known to have contracted the pandemic H1N1-2009 “swine flu” virus,
which is believed to have evolved in humans from swine flu strains.
Humans have passed the H1N1-2009 strain back to pigs on at least 12
different occasions in as many nations.
Each infected pet lived with humans who displayed H1N1-2009
symptoms earlier. The humans all recovered, as did the 13-year-old
Iowa cat and both Beijing dogs. The 10-year-old Oregon cat, one of
the Oregon ferrets, and one of the Nebraska ferrets died.

Dog dealers raided at jet speed

November 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2009:

PHILADELPHIA–Will air power trump horse-and-buggy in the
courts of law and public opinion?
Main Line Animal Rescue founder Bill Smith on October 7,
2009 bet that it will, relying on jet speed to gather evidence that
he hopes will finish the image of Pennsylvania puppy millers as
plain, simple people who are just out of step with modern times.
Amish dog breeders in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and
upstate New York have come to dominate the dog breeding industry in
the northeastern U.S. during the past 20 years. The Amish reputation
for producing quality handcrafted furniture, growing pesticide-free
fruit and vegetables, and managing farms that look like those of a
century ago has helped the dog breeders–but traditional commercial
dog-breeding practices were unacceptable to the humane community even
120 years ago, and are much less so in light of vastly increased
knowledge about what dogs need to become happy, healthy,
well-behaved pets.

BOOKS: Bombproof

November 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2009:

Bombproof: A true story of second chances
by Leana Beasley & Stephen Sawicki
L’Universe Inc. (1663 Liberty Drive,
Bloomington, IN 47403; www.iuniverse.com),
2009.
288 pages, paperback; $18.95. E-book download: $6.00.

Bronson, a young Rottweiler mix, almost
died at a Washington animal shelter. But a dog
trainer for the Prison Pet Partnership Program at
the Washington Corrections Center in Pierce
County sensed something special about Bronson,
formerly known as Bruce, as she scouted the
shelter for candidate dogs to be trained by
inmates to assist the disabled. Sergeant Barbara
Davenport, master canine trainer for the
program, chose to give him a chance.”

What to call cats, & why their name matters

October 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2009:
What to call cats, & why their name matters
Commentary by Merritt Clifton

In the beginning of the mass media era was just the word
“cat.” Cats were on the land and over the land, but cat-related
controversies were as seldom seen as cats themselves, in an urban
ecology then dominated by ubiquitous street dogs. From the debut of
rotary-printed newspapers in the mid-19th century, cats by any name
were not a visible problem for more than 60 years. The sum of
reportage and editorial attention to cats in the entire 19th century
was slight: just 192 items published in U.S. newspapers mentioned
“stray cats,” according to NewspaperArchive.com, which makes
accessible the newspaper holdings of the Library of Congress. “Alley
cats” were mentioned 32 times. The term “feral cat” was not used at
all.

BOOKS: Don’t Dump the Dog

October 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2009:

Don’t Dump the Dog: Outrageous Stories and Simple Solutions
to Your Worst Dog Behavior Problems
by Randy Grim with Melinda Roth
Skyhorse Publishing (555 Eighth Ave., Suite 903, New York,
NY 10018), 2009. 216 pages, paperback. $14.95.

“My boyfriend doesn’t like my dog,” says a caller to Stray
Dog Rescue of St. Louis, a shelter founded and operated by author
Randy Grim. The caller wants to surrender Rover. What shelter
worker hasn’t answered a call like this? Shelter staff, including
Grim, would like to tell her to ditch Romeo instead, but politely
take down Rover’s pertinent information, hope the owner leaves a
donation and say thank you, have a nice day.

BOOKS: The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs

October 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2009:

The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs by Alexandra Semyonova
Published by Hastings Press, England in
association with The Carriage House Foundation
(Postbus 10 308 2501 HH Den Haag, The
Netherlands), 2009. Downloadable at
<www.nonlineardogs.com>.
269 pages, paperback. $25.00. Download: $15.00.

“I wasn’t exposed to all the stories dog
people tell until I got my first puppy,”
behavioral scientist Alexandra Semyonova relates
in her introduction to The 100 Silliest Things
People Say About Dogs. But then Semyonova “read
every book I could get my hands on and talked to
many trainers. All sources agreed that dogs live
in a hierarchy, and that they spend all their
time being either dominant or submissive to each
other.

BOOKS: Dogs Can Sign, Too

October 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2009:

Dogs Can Sign, Too: A Breakthrough Method for Teaching Your Dog to
Communicate
by Sean Senechal
Random House (1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019), 2009.
224 pages, paperback. $16.99

Sean Senechal, founder of the AnimalSign Center in Monterey,
Calif-ornia, would probably quickly endorse The 100 Silliest Things
People Say About Dogs author Alexandra Semyon-ova’s view that instead
of punishing dogs, people should “help them when they don’t
understand what we want.”
Suggests sales literature for Senechal’s book Dogs Can Sign,
Too, “Imagine being able to ask your poodle, “Who’s at the door?”
and having her respond, ‘It’s Katy.’ Or asking your golden
retriever, ‘Do you want a treat?’ and him responding, ‘No, water.’

Hot car death of Richmond SPCA director’s dog may have helped to lower summer 2009 hot car death toll

September 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2009:

RICHMOND, Va.–The Richmond Animal Care & Control Division
on August 28, 2009 announced a finding that “no willful intent was
found” in an investigation of the death of Louie, a 16-year-old deaf
and blind cocker spaniel/poodle mix who died of heatstroke on August
19, 2009 after being left in the back of Richmond SPCA director
Robin Starr’s station wagon.
Starr’s husband, Ed Starr, stated that he put Louie into
the vehicle as his wife prepared to return to work after a 10-day
vacation, but forgot to tell her that he had. Robin Starr found
Louie when she started to go to lunch at noon. “Louie died around
midnight after veterinarians were unable to restore the pet’s kidney
functions,” reported Jeremy Slayton of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

BOOKS: Dogged Pursuit

September 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2009:

Dogged Pursuit: My year of competing Dusty,
the world’s least likely agility dog by Robert Rodi
Hudson Street Press (c/o Penguin, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY
10014), 2009.
288 pages, hardcover. $24.95.

Dusty the Sheltie spent his early life tied outside a
trailer. He endured savage Midwestern winters, blistering hot
summers, and crippling isolation. Demented teens pelted him with
stones. Food and water were probably scarce. He probably never saw
a veterinarian. Somehow he found refuge with Central Illinois Sheltie
Rescue.
Chicago resident Robert Rodi and his dog Carmen, also a
Sheltie, were newcomers on the agility circuit. Carmen won a few
novice awards, encouraging Rodi to pursue more challenging courses.
He enrolled in weekly classes to hone their skills, but hip
dysplasia abruptly ended Carmen’s short but potentially successful
agility career.

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