Showing Compassion

We hear all the time, "I want to help, but..." If you want to help, you do it. There are no 'but's. This little guy showed up under the neighbor's house last week. He's the skinniest cat I've ever seen, including my decade of caretaking a feral colony. To me, this says he was someone's pet. Ferals usually find a food source and stick close to it. They're on the skinny side, but not bones like this poor guy. This guy was used to being fed and, once on his own, had no idea how to fend for himself.

There is a common myth that cats can fend for themselves. People turn them loose all the time when they move, when they no longer want them, when they have too many kittens. "It's a cat, they can take care of themselves." Not when you've been feeding him. Not when his meals have been set at his feet daily for the past two years. This is simply not true. It's cruel to throw your cat out or leave them behind.

When I saw his bony little body and his tiny face peeking out from under the house, I knew I had to help. I had a week full of medical tests so I knew I wouldn't have time to trap him this week. Instead, I've been feeding him. Slowly, I up his daily rations. He's put a little weight on. He'll come out as soon as he hears my voice now. I haven't pet him yet. I'm taking it slowly. We live in coyote country so I have to shut him in every night for his own protection. I open up in the morning and feed him, then he gets a few more meals during the day.

Next week, I will trap him. There are many different sources to help you help animals. If he were feral, I would trap him and take him to a local clinic. If you live in Los Angeles, FixNation is a great resource. They spay/neuter, deflea, deworm and give shots for free. If the cat is sick, they will euthanize. If it has an infection, you can get an antibiotic shot for $25 that will help. They are such a great organization. Instead of taking him there, I think I will opt for my own vet. More expensive, but I want to make sure he is healthy, know his approximate age, have him scanned for a microchip. If he's more comfortable outside, Erik and I will build him a nice, cozy box to sleep in off the ground so that he is safe at night from predators in our yard. We have fencing all the way around, but that didn't stop a coyote from jumping it one morning last year. If he seems to prefer being in the house, I have several people interested in adding him to their family.

People tell me all the time, "You're such an angel." I'm not. I'm a regular human being like you. I just have compassion and can't turn my back on an animal in need. If I don't help that cat, who will? I have the means to help him. That doesn't make me an angel. It makes me a kind, compassionate person. Everyone is capable of this. It's a choice that we make when we see that dog running down the road with no owner and keep driving, when we see that cat drinking out of a puddle and keep ignoring it, when we watch the kittens born year after year after year outside our home/apartment/condos. We can all help. We have the power. Do you choose to help? Or do you ignore the suffering that you can help end? If everyone stepped up and helped only the animals they came into direct contact with, can you imagine how much suffering would end? How much better this world would be?

The feeling that you get from helping is beyond description. Try it. Just once. And see if you don't continue to do it each time you see an animal in need.

FUN Friday

For this FUN Friday, we want to send you into the weekend feeling good with some great animal videos!

How cute is this kitten??


The sneezing baby panda...I react like this when my husband sneezes sometimes.



This is Disc Champion, Wallace the Pit Bull. Wallace is an amazing dog. Andrew "Roo" Yori is an amazing owner! See what it's like to be in the driver's seat as he is when playing disc with Wallace!



We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

On Leash Greetings

When Lily was a puppy, I was anxious to socialize her with every dog we met. I knew with her breed, American Staffie Mix, that we could do all the work for the first two years and she still might become dog choosey when she hit maturity. What I hadn't counted on was how little owners actually know THEIR dogs. Before Lily was six months old, she'd been bit more than half a dozen times by neighborhood dogs. The little ones. Lily is incredibly tolerant. I am not. After the first two times, I realized "my dog is friendly" meant "I think my dog is friendly but I have no clue". I stopped letting her greet on leash for her own safety. She still got bit. It turns out people with little dogs in our neighborhood not only don't train or socialize, they also use flexie leashes but have no clue how to control those. Lily would be in a sit-stay ignoring them when they would rush up and bite. She has scars.

This is a perfect example of why I don't let other dogs greet her (for her own safety) - Great Dane attacks English Bulldog. Dog-dog aggression isn't limited to a few breeds. It can happen in any breed - any dog, any size. Not every owner knows how to read their own dog's signals. Not every dog that is friendly off leash in the dog park enjoys being greeted in the park when they are on leash. Some owners learn the hard way - at the expense of their dog. I'm not willing to let Lily pay the price for someone else's lack of knowledge.

As we were sitting outside Starbucks last weekend, Lily was lying at our feet. A Chocolate Lab was pulling his owner toward us. The dog lunged at Lily with his teeth bared, snarling. Lily didn't react, choosing instead (thank you, training) to look to us for a treat and reinforcement. The dog's owner chirped, "Oh, I know, Brownie. You just want to say hi." I can assure you, that dog had no desire to greet, but the owner didn't realize that.

I had a trainer point out to me that it's not normal for dogs to greet every dog they see, and she finds it weird that owners feel the need for them to. Do you greet every single person you pass on the street? I certainly don't. Our dogs shouldn't either.

Socialization is important. Socialization with well behaved, dog social dogs. This can be done through playdates instead of on our street, with our dogs off leash instead of at the end of one. It's better for all involved.

The Importance of Researching

Puppies are adorable. It's so easy to fall for the cute wrapping without looking inside to see what we are getting. Golden Retrievers are known to be great family pets. They are. For very active families. The reason you see so many Goldens in the shelter system is because people get them without researching first to see if they fit their lifestyle.

Goldens need hours of rigorous exercise DAILY. This doesn't happen in your backyard while you are at work, as a member of my family is now finding out. She and her husband were looking for a second dog, despite working full time jobs and having an infant. It was the common "we want to get a companion for our other dog." Their other dog is a mastiff who doesn't move. Doesn't play. Just spends most of his time sleeping - in the yard, on the couch, on the living room floor. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Not the perfect companion for a young, active dog dying to play and get that energy out. Despite warnings from the entire family, they sought out a dog.

Good breeders won't sell to a family who isn't prepared for their breed. So this family member had to go to a backyard breeder. Plenty of cute little puppies to choose from, all of questionable lineage. They get cute little puppy home - and don't have time to train her. Or walk her several times a day. She spends 5 days a week in the backyard.

She's eating the siding off the house. Is this because she's a bad dog? No. It's because she is a bored, frustrated dog. This isn't the fault of the puppy. Our dogs are only as good as we make them. You get what you give. If your dog isn't behaving, chews everything and pees in the house, that's on YOU. You haven't done your job and your dog is proof of that.

I have an 80 pound dog who lives inside the house with us. She doesn't chew anything, inside or outside, and she hasn't had an accident since she was 9 weeks old. She didn't come this way. She didn't teach herself. She's a reflection of her owners. We put a lot of time and effort into her. We get compliments on the street from total strangers as she moves to the grass, sits at our feet and gazes up at us until they pass. She didn't just start doing this one day on her own. We've got three years on this dog. And we're still working. She's a work in progress.

But it's easier to blame the dog if they misbehave. We live in a society where no one wants to take responsibility for their actions, for the actions of their children or their dogs. My relatives are no different. They got a dog that didn't fit their lifestyle. If they had wanted a second dog that was right for them, they could have gotten another mastiff from a rescue - one that was a few years old, already housebroken and didn't need all the attention a puppy needs. Had they done their breed research (or listened to those of us who had), they would have seen this puppy was not a good match.

Unfortunately, it will now be the puppy who suffers. This puppy is about to lose his home through no fault of his own. They admit that they aren't willing to step up and do their part. They don't want to commit to this animal - to the amount of daily exercise and training - that this puppy will need to become a well adjusted adult dog. Buying from a bad breeder means that they have two choices because returning the dog is not an option - rehome the dog on their own (and risk making a horrible choice in owners, which will further damage the dog down the line) or drop it off a shelter (which could end in the puppy dying). Not fair either way for this poor puppy, is it? But this is what will happen now all because my family members didn't do their research.

Lost Dog

Lily is a family pet. This means she lives inside the house with us like she is supposed to. She gets two walks a day, hikes on the weekends, but she still loves her yard time. She loves nothing more than to stretch out in a patch of sunlight during the day or curl up on her blanket at night and wait for her daddy to get home from work.

Last week, Lily found a way out of the yard. When she is outside, I check on her frequently. I noticed within a few minutes of her getting out that she was gone. However, that didn't make it easy to find her. She followed her nose quite a distance from the house. It gave me a good scare.

Even when you are a responsible owner, accidents happen. The gardeners hadn't latched the gate. Lily was sniffing around the yard, pushed it open and followed the scent. In the dark shadows, I didn't see her. I went the opposite way looking for her. I was lucky enough to find her a few blocks away having the time of her life in someone's front yard sprinklers.

Had I not found her, it would have been a long night. It made me think of all the things we have to do as pet owners to insure that our pets find their way back home. Even if you have a resident dog (lives in the yard 24/7) that frequently gets out of the yard, just because he has managed to find his way home before does not mean that will always happen. If he gets hit by a car, he can't walk home. If someone sees him wandering, they may decide that they have a new dog.

Lily always has her collar on in the yard. It has her ID tag and her registration on it. She's also microchipped. Both will help her make it back home should something happen to her if she gets out. But you can't just sit back and wait. You have to be active.

Start your search as soon as you realize your pet is gone. If I had been unable to locate Lily, I would have come home to make flyers for the neighborhood while waiting for my husband and friends to arrive and help with the search.

You can create flyers for FREE here. When you click the link, it will say "Adopt Me." Click and scroll down to LOST. Don't forget to attach a current picture. My suggestion would be to attach them to BRIGHT colored posterboard. The brighter the better! Put them up all over your neighborhood and major streets. Cover at least a five mile radius. You never know how far your pet will travel.

If we had no luck locating her that evening, I would have checked our local shelter first thing in the morning. Then I would have checked other shelters (again, you never how far your pet will travel).

There are other services to help as well. If you click on our article here, there are links and phone numbers of Pet Lost and Found services. They will call houses in your area with a description of your pet, asking people to call them if they have seen him/her.

Your pet is relying on you to be sure that they get home safely. Start with microchipping your pet and being sure they always have their collar on with tags. Should something happen and they get out of your house or yard when you aren't looking, follow the tips in our article above. Never give up. Your pet needs you to make it home.

Choosing the Right Bird for Your Lifestyle

If you are considering adding a bird to your family, it's important to pick the right bird for your lifestyle. You need to do your research carefully to be sure that you can meet the needs of the bird you bring home. A lot of the popular birds that are available aren't appropriate pets for most families. The physical, behavioral and social needs of these birds can't be met in the average household. Those birds shouldn't be bought or sold as pets, but left in their natural habitat. Good choices for most families are canaries, finches, cockatiels, parakeets or lovebirds. These are all considered domestic after their long history of breeding in captivity. Conures, parrots, cockatoos and toucans do not make good family pets for most households. These birds are still considered wild animals even if they have been bred in captivity. Their normal behavior makes them difficult and demanding to live with, something that most families are not equipped to deal with. They live 50 years or more so making a lifetime commitment to these birds means you must be willing to deal with and work on such issues as noise, biting and destructive behavior. Most people can't provide for the many complex needs of these species which leads to suffering for the bird's entire life. You also don't want to support the cruelty of the wild animal trade. Despite laws prohibiting the import of many species, millions of these birds are still caught every year and sold in pet stores or online worldwide. This commercial trade threatens the survival of many different species while promoting inhumane treatment of millions of wild animals each year. For every colorful bird you see in the local pet store, many have died during the process of getting them there.

When you decide you are ready to welcome a bird into your family, you need to decide what bird best fits your lifestyle and the time commitment you can give. Keep in mind that bigger birds generally involve bigger commitments. While they can make wonderful companions, they make more noise, more mess and can be much more demanding than their smaller counterparts. It is generally wise for first time bird owners to start with a small to medium size bird. The size of the bird determines how you will care for your pet. You have to consider training, housing and interaction with your new family member. You have to be honest with yourself about how much bird you can and want to handle. Your interaction with your bird will be important in establishing a bond. Therefore, it is important to decide up front if you would rather have a bird that is seen but not touched or one that will be eager to come out of their cage to socialize with the rest of the family and other pets. Time commitments should also be factored in to your choice. Some species require daily exercise and time out of their cages. If you can't spare a few hours every day to socialize your bird and supervise his time out of the cage, you need to look into an independent species like the Finch or Canary. Remember that each species exhibits different behavior patterns. They are all individuals and have their own personalities and dispositions. You have to choose which personality is most compatible with your own. Birds also have different dietary needs. Some species, like Lories, require specific diets. They must be fed pollen, nectar and fruit. Their diet causes them to produce liquid droppings, which make it necessary to clean their cages more frequently than other birds. There are many good reasons to get a pet bird, but issues like this make it vital that potential owners do as much research as they can about the species they are interested in before adopting their new pet. Cost is another factor in choosing which species is right for you. Larger birds can also be more expensive. Not only is the initial cost high, they require costly cages, toys and other accessories that can boost your bill much higher.. Even though smaller birds are often less expensive initially, they can present their owners with higher costs long term. Some species live a long time, leaving you responsible for their housing, feeding and vet care for a number of years.

What One Person Can Do

I got an email from a contact at Disney requesting help for an older gentleman who was feeding some cats outside his apartment. Cat populations can quickly multiply with one female having up to three litters a year. Those kittens are ready to have kittens of their own in less than a year as well. What had started out as one cat was now at six and he was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

We have an EXCELLENT program here in Los Angeles called Fixnation. What's so great about Fixnation, you ask?

They spay/neuter, deflea, provide shots for FREE to ferals. They will train you to use their traps, set you up and appointment and hold your hand through the process. They are, in a word, WONDERFUL. I had worked with them years ago with a feral colony in Studio City. The apartment building that I lived in bordered on two restaurants so we were crawling with cats when I moved in. We started with 37. Eight years later when I moved out, we were down to 3. Yes, I said 3. Thanks to Fixnation, I was able to trap, spay/neuter, deflea, treat infections and give these cats a much better quality of life until they passed on.

Tonight, my husband and I spent an hour trapping for Oscar. In an hour, we had four of the six cats. They are spending the night warm in my bathroom tonight, will be fixed tomorrow and rereleased on Tuesday. Oscar will continue to feed them and they will healthier, better quality lives all because he cared enough to feed them and reach out for help.

So next time you think, what can ONE person do? Remember that YOU can do a lot. You can change the life of an animal, make it better, just by caring enough to give a few hours of your time.