Three Charged in Puerto Rico Pet Massacre

December 6, 2007

Three Charged in Puerto Rico Pet Massacre

The owner and two employees of Animal Control Solutions have been charged under animal cruelty laws for throwing 80 pets off a bridge. The city of Barceloneta contracted with the company for animal control services. Mayor Sol Luis Fontanes of Barceloneta is named as a defendant in a civil suit.

Tragically this horrific treatment of animals in their care may have been going on for 8 years. It’s reported that during those years, the company didn’t deliver a single animal to rescue shelters as was contracted. It’s possible every animal collected by or surrendered to the company was cruelly killed. Find out more about the case and what you can do.

And check out these three organizations working to end animal cruelty and rescue dogs in Puerto Rico:

December 5, 2007

Unacceptable—No Shelter For Pets Affected By Flooding

Man in paddle boat rescues dogs.

The Pacific Northwest has had some terrible flooding and wind storm damage in the last few days. (We’re grateful that we didn’t have any damage.) Many people’s homes are uninhabitable, requiring them to find shelter elsewhere. Unfortunately, not one of the Red Cross shelters is open to people with pets. According to the Red Cross site it’s due to medical reasons. And that’s a valid reason, but there should be at least one shelter for people with pets. I just don’t understand this after what Hurricane Katrina taught us. Many people will choose to stay with their pets over their own safety.

The area hit hardest by the flooding has a lot of farms and dairies, so a lot of the animals affected are livestock. However, the Lewis County Animal Shelter is full and is moving animals to Oregon. Fortunately, Pasado’s Safe Haven, a Western Washington animal welfare organization, is coming to help rescue and care fo livestock and companion animals. You can make a donation here.

You can see video of the flood’s affect on animals.

December 5, 2007

Pet Peek

The Pet Peek looks like a neat idea for your dog. It’s a doggie window for your fence. It has the benefit that the dog can stick it’s head past the fence and get a good view while still being safely contained behind the fence. And people or dogs passing by can’t reach your dog.

Of course, depending on the size of your dog, you could always just cut a small hole in your fence. Just make sure it’s plenty small enough that your dog can’t fit through it. And be sure to reinforce the opening, so your dog can’t burst through if it sees something irresistible like a squirrel.

If you aren’t handy, I’d stick with the Pet Peek.

December 3, 2007June 5, 2013

Video On How To Brush Your Cat’s Teeth

Oral health is as important to cats as it is to humans and brushing your cat’s teeth is the safest & cheapest way to make sure their teeth are clean and their gums are healthy. Having your cat’s teeth cleaned by a veterinarian requires anesthetic and is much more expensive.

Even so, I don’t think most people brush their cat’s teeth. We certainly aren’t good about it with our cats. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine has an excellent set of instructional videos that could change that. You can watch the complete video. Or watch Part One, Two, Three, and Four.

The videos instruct you on what to use–only use toothpaste especially made for cats, on how to brush, and on how to introduce brushing over four weeks by associating it with a high value reward like baby food, treats, etc.

November 22, 2007

We Like: Brains! Update

I wrote about Prairiebird’s wonderful brains cat toy a while back. Well, she’s now offering a set of Little Dead Things cat toys. I just love her macabre sense of humor.

As one of the humans in our house, I’d much rather find a pretend dead thing thoughtfully tucked in my shoe than a real dead thing. Our feline crew is hoping Santa brings them some wonderful Little Dead Things if they’re really good.