Category: Companion Animals

Lawsuits for failure to impound pit bulls

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2013: (Actually published on October 8,  2013)

CHARLESTON,  W.V.––The West Virginia Supreme Court on September 27,  2013 reinstated a lawsuit brought against  Monroe County dog warden Patricia Green for failing to impound several pit bulls,  allegedly the subjects of frequent complaints,  who on November 27,  2009 mauled Lowell Bowden,  70,  of Lindside. “Maimed beyond recognition,”   according to the brief filed by Bowden’s widow,  Dreama Bowden,   the victim died seven days later. The case also names Monroe County itself,  the American Modern Home Insurance Company,   and the four people whose pit bulls attacked Bowden.   Read more

BOOKS—Beautiful Old Dogs

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2013: (Actually published on October 8,  2013)

Beautiful Old Dogs Edited by David Tabatsky,  with photos by Garry Gross St. Martin’s Press  (c/o MacMillan,  175 Fifth Avenue,  New York,  NY  10010),  2013. 144 pages,  hardcover.  $17.99.

Beautiful Old Dogs features photos by fashion photographer turned dog photographer Garry Gross (1937-2010),  matched with literary contributions by prominent dog-loving New Yorkers or former New Yorkers.  Most are contemporary,  including Anna Quindlen,  Ally Sheedy, Doris Day,  Dean Koontz,  and Marlo Thomas,  but the playwright Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) is also represented,  celebrating the endearing qualities of aging pets. Read more

BOOKS: The State of Canada’s Birds 2012

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2013: (Actually published on October 8,  2013)

By the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI-Canada),  under the leadership of Environment Canada,  Bird Studies Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada,  Nature Canada,  the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Wildlife Habitat Canada |  Free download:  www.stateofcanadasbirds.org and   Avian Conservation & Ecology 8(2).   Free download:  www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art1

Alleged an October 1,  2013 media release from the American Bird Conservancy,  “A new study from the government of Canada that looked at more than 25 human-caused sources of bird mortality has found that domestic cats, both feral and owned,  are the leading lethal threat to birds in the country.” Read more

Laws pre-empting breed-specific ordinances pass––but polls tilt the other way

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July-August 2013:

HARTFORD,  RENO,  PRESCOTT,  CALGARY––Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy on May 24 and June 6,  2013  endorsed into law bills that prohibit municipalities from passing breed-specific dog ordinances.  A similar bill passed both houses of the Rhode Island legislature between May 27 and July 2,  but had not yet been signed by Governor Lincoln Chaffee when ANIMAL PEOPLE went to press two weeks later.   Read more

BOOKS: The Complete Book of Home Remedies for Your Dog and The Complete Book of Home Remedies for Your Cat

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July-August 2013:

The Complete Book of Home Remedies for Your Dog and  The Complete Book of Home Remedies for Your Cat by Deborah Mitchell St. Martin’s Press (c/o MacMillan,  175 Fifth Avenue,  New York,  NY  10010),  2013. 248 and 224 pages,  paperback.  $7.99 each.

Health writer Deborah Mitchell in The Complete Book of Home Remedies for Your Dog and The Complete Book of Home Remedies for Your Cat presents dozens of home remedies for common canine and feline ailments including arthritis, dermatitis,  dementia,  kidney disease,  and hairballs.   Read more

BOOKS: Love Saves the Day

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July-August 2013:

Love Saves the Day  by Gwen Cooper Bantam Books (1745 Broadway,  New York,   NY 10019),  2013. 317 pages,  hardcover.  $26.00.

Cat rescuer Gwen Cooper follows up her 2010 best-seller,  Homer’s Odyssey,  about the former strays who kept her company near Ground Zero on September 11,  2011,  with Love Saves the Day,  another superb work told from three viewpoints:  Prudence the cat, the cat’s deceased person Sarah,  and her daughter Laura,  who saves the day.  Each narrator’s personality sparkles.  Read more

Dogs most often listed for sale or adoption

Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July-August 2013:

Dogs most often listed for sale or adoption                              2010  2011  2012  2013  Avg.  Ppltn.

Large retrievers       8.7%  5.2%  8.2%  8.2%  7.6%  5.3 m.

Pit bull class           4.1%  3.3%  4.6%  6.0%  4.5%  3.2 m.

Small terriers          2.2%  2.1%  2.1%  5.2%  2.9%  2.0 m.

Collie class              1.3%  2.2%  3.4%  4.1%  2.8%  2.0 m.

Poodles                   1.4%  2.0%  2.8%  2.8%  2.3%  1.6 m.

Setter class              1.0%  2.3%  2.3%  3.6%  2.3%  1.6 m.

German shepherds     1.7%  1.4%  2.3%  2.1%  1.8%  1.3 m.

Spaniels                   1.2%  2.0%  2.0%  2.0%  1.8%  1.3 m.

Beagles                    1.2%  1.2%  2.3%  2.0%  1.7%  1.2 m.

Chihuahuas               2.4%  0.7%  0.4%  2.6%  1.5%  1.0 m.

1 2 3 4 5 … 99