Pet of the Week: Libby

The North Carolina Pet Adoption League's Pet of the Week for this week is Libby. She's quite a little feline, too.

Libby is an extremely friendly petite 5 month old tabby girl with pretty white boots and peach highlights who weighs only 4 1/2 pounds. She has unique fur with spots on her back and stripes on her legs. She is a must see!! Libby is always ready to be petted and purrs with delight when she sees you. She loves to give you little kisses and will gladly sit in your lap. You will often catch sweet Libby tanning in the afternoon sun or playing with her toy mice.

Libby is playful and intelligent and has grown up around cats and cat-friendly dogs. This kitty is spayed or neutered, dewormed, up to date on vaccinations and tested negative for FIV and FeLV. The adoption fee is $85 (or adopt 2 kitties for just $135 - they are so happy in pairs). There is a 2-week trial period to make certain you've found a good match.

Heroic dog story from the Civil War

Tom Ricks's award-winning daily blog on ForeignPolicy.com, The Best Defense, has a regular feature about heroic war dogs. The current entry was written by Rebecca Frankel and features a rousing tale about Union Jack, a true hero for the Union during the U.S. Civil War:

Jack's story makes for quite a war-dog yarn. It seems that before fighting for the North, Jack, a "young dog of the mastiff breed, of medium size and jetty blackness, except a white breast and a dash of white on each of his four paws," belonged to a rebel jailer in Front Royal, VA. As the loquacious reporter for Harper's Weekly tells it, Jack took a liking to the men of the First Maryland regiment while they were there on provost guard duty, and left behind his Confederate beginnings to accompany the Union soldiers to the battlefield. And it was there that he displayed his valor and loyalty.

Quoting from the Harper's Weekly piece dated Nov. 8, 1862:

"On the road, when our parched men were fainting from thirst, he would always run forward, and whenever he discovered a pool of water would rush back, barking loudly, to tell them of it. When ... our poor fellows were literally dying from starvation, this noble animal has been known to go and catch chickens for them and to bring them in his mouth! or he would waylay  every rebel horse or wagon passing with food, and bark imploringly for them to bring relief. On one occasion, when a sick and exhausted Union soldier had been left behind, Jack staid with  him for several hours until a wagon took him up."

History is full of the tales of heroic dogs. Union Jack is a reminder of how loyal and courageous our canine companions have proved themselves, time and again.

A concert for dogs

Innovative musician and artist Laurie Anderson will join innovative musician Lou Reed (who happens to be her husband, as well) in performing a concert pitched to the range only dogs can hear, according to the Phoenix New Times. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the concert, "Music for Dogs," will take place June 5 at the Sydney Opera House's northern boardwalk in Australia. Refreshments will be served.

Anderson says that dog walkers can gauge their dogs' reaction to the music by their twitching ears. The music will be geared to what Reed and Anderson have noticed their own dog likes—smooth beats with calming melodies.

The performance will be part of the couple's Vivid LIVE arts festival.

The Today Show makes a love connection

On March 5, 2010, The Today Show featured Steven Holcomb, a U.S. Olympic bobsledder and gold medalist in the just-concluded 2010 Winter Olympiad in Vancouver. Also on that program was a recently rescued foster dog, Bailey, who was featured on the show's weekly feature on adoptable animals at Animal Care & Control of New York City.

Bailey was one of 40,000 animals that AC&C takes in every year.

It was love at first sight. Steven inquired about the adoption process, committed to the adoption, and on March 25, Bailey arrived in Steven's home city of Denver along with a representative of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, a coalition of more than 160 animal welfare and rescue groups operating in the Big Apple.

Hooray for Steve and Bailey!

For your dogs, ban the bone

It sure is tempting, isn't it? You've got a big honkin' bone from soup you've made, or from a roast or a ham, maybe. Your dog is begging. What's the harm?

Potentially plenty, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A timely reminder from FDA points out 11 serious problems that bones can cause—and we're not just talking those small chicken and turkey bones we all know about. They are:

1. Broken teeth.  (Veterinary dentistry—very expensive)
2. Mouth or tongue injuries.  (Very bloody and messy.)
3. Bone could get stuck around the dog’s lower jaw.  (May look funny, but it’s not.  Time to see your vet.)
4. Bone could get stuck in your dog’s esophagus (food tube).  (Time to see your vet.)
5. Bone could get stuck in your dog’s windpipe if he accidentally inhales a small enough piece.  (This is an emergency! Very dangerous.)
6. Bone can get stuck in the stomach.  (It went in just fine, but is too big to pass out of the stomach into the intestines.  Time for surgery.)
7. Bone can get stuck in the intestines and cause a major blockage.  (Time for surgery.)
8. Constipation due to bone shards.  (Your dog can’t pass the bone shards because they’re very sharp and are scraping the inside of your dog’s intestines, causing him severe pain.  Time to see your vet.) 
9. Severe bleeding from the rectum.  (Known in veterinary speak as Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis—or HGE.  Very messy and dangerous.)
10. Peritonitis.  (A nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen caused when bone shards poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines.  This can kill your dog.) 
11. Death.

Dogs love to chew, of course, but there are plenty of options that don't present the risk that a bone does. If you're not sure, talk with your veterinarian.