As pet deaths continue, airlines pressured to change their ways

By Morieka Johnson, MNN.com

Jack the cat made news last year when he escaped his crate and spent 61 days lost in JFK airport, and model Maggie Rizer's September blog post about her golden retriever's death during a United Airlines flight still has pet owners buzzing.(MNN.com) -- Horror stories about pets flying in the cargo hold tend to travel quickly.

Jack escaped when an American Airlines clerk stacked his kennel on another kennel and it fell, opening on impact. The cat had to be euthanized because of malnourishment and dehydration, which made him prone to severe infection and organ dysfunction. On her "Bea Makes Three" blog, Rizer says she followed detailed instructions outlined in United's PetSafe program. Her dogs, Bea and Albert, traveled in carefully labeled crates that included water bowls filled with ice for their cross-country flight to San Francisco. But, according to Rizer, a necropsy report revealed that Bea died of heatstroke.

"Please, don't trust that an airline will truly care and provide safety to your beloved pet," Rizer wrote. "At some point in the two hours that Bea was in the care of United Airlines before she died, someone made a mistake and because of that, our loving, happy sweet Bea is no longer in our lives."

Rescue Hero Story About Blu

Name: Blu
Age: 5 Years
Breed: American pit bull terrier
Owner: Howard and Jennifer
Hometown: Colonia, NJ
My Rescue Story:

Blu was surrendered to NYC Animal Care & Control in July 2009. Likely a victim of the New York City Housing Authority ban on large and "dangerous" breeds, this then 4-year-old pit bull found himself on the euthanasia list in just a few short days. In a shelter flooded with unwanted dogs, most of them pit bulls or pit bull mixes, Blu was just a number. To make things worse for him, he was overweight and had a tumor growing from his chest, two sure-fire turn-offs for potential adopters. Stray From the Heart rescue came across his perfect SAFER (Safety Assessment For Evaluating Rehoming) test results the night before he was scheduled to be euthanized and knew he was a hidden treasure. In what we like to think of as a stroke of good luck, this was the same night we called the rescue to express our interest in adopting an adult dog. Within an hour, we were signing foster care agreements and Stray From the Heart was placing a hold on a dog who was dumped at the high-kill shelter like yesterday's trash just days before. The next day, we walked Blu out of NYC Animal Care & Control and onto the streets of Manhattan. We opened our car door to get him some water and treats only to have him jump up onto the seat in one swift move and give us a look as if to say, "Let's go home, humans! I've been waiting for you to find me!" Taking the queue, we started driving home, with Blu's head resting on the center console between us the entire time. We (the three of us) haven't looked back since. These days, Blu enjoys the simple things in life: snuggles and naps on the couch; playing fetch; chewing on a good bone; and frequenting the Barker Lounge doggy daycare facility. He lives with two feline siblings and two lucky humans who will now always believe that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Blu's tumor was surgically removed post-adoption and the results came back benign. He has now achieved his ideal weight through exercise and good nutrition.

Read more: Blu http://www.thedogdaily.com/rescue/522/index.html#ixzz2JIYM7C6L

The Illusion Dog Collar & Leash System (Next Generation)

·         The second generation of The Illusion Collar™ and Leash System is a new and improved design to assist owners in achieving maximum control during walks, with more ease and convenience.

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Начало формы

Master the Walk

"By mastering the walk, you have the ability to truly bond with your dog as her pack leader. The walk is the foundation of your relationship."

– Cesar Millan

Cesar has long highlighted the importance of dog owners properly controlling their dogs during walks, but realized they often lacked the necessary tools to do so. He designed The Illusion Collar™ and Leash Set to assist owners in achieving maximum control during walks.

Revolutionary Design

Most dog collars rest on the strongest part of a dog's neck, giving dogs the leverage they need to take full control of the walk, and of you, too. The Illusion Collar is different — it keeps the slip collar at the top of your dog's neck so you can more effectively control and correct your dog during walks.

New Advanced Features

The collar’s new clip buckles and connecting straps make it even easier to put on and adjust. With the new clip buckles, you can adjust the collar once to get the proper fit, and you are ready to go. No more having to adjust the collar every time you get your dog ready for a walk. The connecting straps are now permanently sewn in place eliminating the need for adjustment. These two major improvements make going on a walk using the Illusion Collar a snap!

Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/shop/Illusion-Dog-Collar-Leash-System?utm_source=openx&utm_medium=300x250&utm_content=icollar&utm_campaign=junioryasmina#ixzz2JIRsHK5k

How to teach a dog not to get frightened by gunshots

The Dog Doesn't Need to Be Gun Shy

By Jake Theron

No one likes surprises, especially if it's something like a Cherry Bomb blowing-up right beside you. If that happens, we have a tendency to put the person who lit the fuse on our S-List. With a dog, they've got pretty sensitive hearing. But fear of a gunshot is not in their DNA.

It's usually our fault. We've screwed-up by not getting the pup used to the big bang when we pull the trigger. While there are breeds that are skittish, firing-off a rifle will probably make them soil their new mohair suit.

So, in the interest of being good folk, don't even try to get you lhasa apso to become a member of the NRA. They're just not built for it. Enroll them in a nice knitting club or teach 'em chess.

Flushers, Retrievers and Pointers

Now we're talking gun dogs. The best conditioning takes place when they're about 9-weeks old. But you can teach old dogs new tricks, too. Before we get started, here's a list of extremely stupid and insane things to do if you want to totally fail at getting your mutt used to guns:

• Keep them outside during thunderstorms. 

• Blow-off fireworks near the animal. 

• If the pup is eating, start unloading your weapon. 

• Take the dog to the Shooting Range. 

• Think that an old mutt can teach the new guy some gun dog tricks. 

• Randomly blow-off a few rounds just to get the animal's attention.

To Do List

What is gunshot? It's a noise. As you raise your pups, get them used to all kinds of sounds. Keep a radio or teevee on near their isolated portion of the house. A good place is where you do your laundry. Someone's always slamming things around where you do your wash. Snapping your fingers, a hearty clap, a bunch of slightly loud "Good dog" praises are other things to get them used to realizing they have ears. Go slow; you don't want the dog to turn into a neurotic mutt.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Dog-Doesnt-Need-to-Be-Gun-Shy&id=7476650

A no-easy life of Moscow shelters for dogs and cats

      Moscow shelters for cats and dogs have no easy life. Some of them are municipal, however, a lot of them are supported by dog-lovers and volunteers. On January 19 the dog shelter “Gav” organized a photo session to attract attention to the dogs and help them to find new families, as well as to get some help for reorganizing  the territory of the shelter.

     The lands occupied by shelters cause a lot of difficulties for  their existence. As in all big cities land is very expensive in Moscow, on the other hand firms and companies  are searching actively for new areas to develop their business and sites of the shelters - which are practically defenseless in a conflict with business - are very attractive.

      Another problem is poor technical supplies of the shelters, which are also very expensive. A few days ago  a shelter in a Odinzov region in Moscow was  on fire because of a gas balloon explosion. The owner of the shelter saved all the dogs (about 150) and cats (about 60), carrying blind dogs in his arms to the security place. Now other shelters shared food and warm blankets with the saved animals (it is about 15˚-18˚ below zero in Moscow), while dog-lovers are trying to raise fund to restore the shelter (for donation: Natalya 8-926 594 39 44).

     Shelters can not accept all street and abandoned dogs, that’s why volunteers found another way to take care of animals and created a net of  curators who try to find at least temporary homes for dogs and cats while circulating information about them through Internet, pet shops and local news papers for people could adopt them. 

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LAPD Officers Rescue and Raise Funds for Injured Pit Bull Mix

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LAPD officers Jennifer Cohen, Cindy Herrera and Valerie Lancaster were on their way back to the Southeast Division station in Los Angeles on Jan. 10 when they spotted a Pit Bull-Shar Pei mix lying motionless on the sidewalk.

“We noticed that his ribs were sticking out, so we assumed that he was malnourished and needed some food and water,” they wrote on the Rescuing Philly Facebook page. “We drove to the corner taco stand to get a plateful of meat and a bottle of water to give to him. When we returned, he was in the same exact spot.”

When the dog tried to stand up to eat, he cried out in pain. The officers examined him and saw he had several scratches, as well as a very swollen leg. “When the public saw us attempting to help him, they notified us that he had been lying in the same spot for at least five hours. Five hours!!!” the officers wrote.

They took the dog to Advanced Veterinary Care Center, a nearby animal emergency hospital. As they drove there, the three officers decided to name him “Philly” in honor of their captain, Phillip Tingirides – “one of the best supervisors you could have,” they wrote.

The news from the vet was not good. Philly had been hit by a car. Two of his ribs were fractured and his leg was broken, requiring surgery. Philly was microchipped, so the officers went to his owners’ house and explained what had happened to their dog.

“The owner responded with ‘put him to sleep, we don’t want to fix him,’” the officers wrote on Facebook. “Excuse me! Repeat that! No way! No how! We had them sign over their rights to Philly on the spot. Here we are, Philly’s new foster parents.”

Cohen, Herrera and Lancaster started a ChipIn to collect donations to help cover Philly’s veterinary care expenses. As of today, more than $23,000 has been contributed – enough to cover Philly’s treatment.

“Philly underwent surgery to repair his left front leg, which was fractured at the elbow,” the officers wrote. “They implanted an artificial elbow that is being held together with screws and pins.” Philly also had to have large plastic pieces and other materials surgically removed after they were discovered in his stomach. In addition to all that, he has parasite and respiratory infections. But the officers wrote that the dog with the constantly wagging tail “is recovering and being a strong boy.”

On Saturday, Cohen told NBC 4 News, “We’re his foster mommies now, basically. We trade off every couple of days, so he’ll be in different homes. He’s great around kids, and we give him different environments so he is ready to go to his forever home.”

With so many stories in the news about police officers shooting family pets, especially Pit Bulls, it’s encouraging to know there are still compassionate heroes on the force like Cohen, Herrera and Lancaster. The three officers work with kids and their parents in the Southeast Division’s gang prevention/interventionJeopardy Program.

PHOTO: Rescuing Philly Facebook Page

Source: http://www.ilovedogs.com/2013/01/lapd-officers-rescue-and-raise-funds-for-injured-pit-bull-mix/