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.

Oh how true!

With all the snow we've had here in North Carolina, this is particularly appropriate for us dog pals:

see more Funny Graphs

Hats off to Prozac!

Not the medication, although I'm sure many depression sufferers would share that sentiment. No, this Prozac is a poodle mix who has saved human lives twice, and is now a finalist in the Humane Society of the United States' Dogs of Valor award. As the Raleigh News & Observer reports:

Prozac is credited with saving lives on two occasions. During the summer of 2009, he was staying with a friend in the neighborhood while the Bermans were out of town. During the night, he began to bark incessantly, waking the neighbor and her granddaughter.

"He wouldn't stop for an hour," Barbara Berman said, laughing. "They were ready to kill him.

Instead, Prozie, as he is called, kept them from getting killed. Although it took them awhile to catch on, he alerted them to a fire in the attic. The house was destroyed, but everyone got out in time.

During his other bit of life-saving heroics, Prozie was taking a nap with an aunt of Fred's when he awoke and started barking, alerting others to the woman's breathing problems. Family members woke up Aunt Dorothy, 94, and gave her medicine.

Go Prozie go! You can vote for Prozie (or any of the other very worthy pups) here. Voting closes next Friday, March 12, 2010 at 5 p.m. EST. The winner will be decided by a score determined by Internet votes and a celebrity panel of judges.

Bella: Another happy tail!

Everyone who cares about animals loves to read about adopted animals who've added that special something to the families they've bonded with. Certainly, Bella (aka Peppermint) is no exception.

As Bella's human companions are only too happy to report:

I wanted to send you guys a few photos of Bella (aka Peppermint).... She is growing big and such a joy to have.

She is so sweet and our Boxer Rudd absoutely loves her!  They have become
BFF's! :)

BFFs, indeed. That's why we do what we do at the North Carolina Pet Adoption League. Don't miss out! Take a look at who is available to join your family! If you see someone who looks like the right fit for you and your family (human and otherwise), just fill out an application and we'll be in touch!

Tanner's happy miracle: a loving home

Tanner could tell a story that many strays could tell. But his tale has a happy ending.

Tanner is a boxer who came to us limping, with a 6" arrowhead embedded in his spine, ramming the sensitive nerves along the spinal cord. His condition was not good; nor was his prognosis.

NC PAL took Tanner to Dr. Sheets and Dr. Stubblefield, both longtime friends to animal rescue groups. The vets performed a 2 1/2 operation on Tanner, successfully removing the arrow without damaging the pup's spine. Yet for all his pain, Tanner's demeanor remained utterly loving. As Dr. Sheets said, "He's an ambassador for the boxer breed."

Tanner recovered at the home of NC PAL founder Lisa Crosby, then went to his new forever home to live with his new best friend, Buster.

As Tanner's new owner told us: "Proverbs says, 'Blessed is the man who cares for animals.'" Indeed.

We are grateful for the wonderful veterinarians who worked their magic with Tanner, and for his adoptive parents, who are providing him (and Buster!) all the love he can stand.

May they all have many peaceful, joyous years!

One way how cats train us humans ...

I'm kicking myself for missing this before, but last July Scientific American had a delightful post on their "60-Second Science" blog about a research study into the sounds cats make. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology. From the SciAm post:

To understand just how cats vocally manipulate owners, including herself, McComb and her team set up a series of experiments. First they recorded the purrs of 10 cats; some were recorded when a cat was actively soliciting food and others in a non-solicitation setting. Fifty people then listened to the sounds at the same volume. Individuals judged pleading purrs as more urgent and less pleasant than normal purrs. When the researchers played the purrs re-synthesized to exclude the hungry cries, leaving all else the same, the volunteers perceived the purrs as far less urgent.

McComb suggests that cats may be cashing in on human's naturally nurturing response to a baby’s cry. Previous studies have shown the cat’s embedded cry shares a similar frequency.

Hey, cats aren't dumb! And cat lovers understand the joy that comes with taking care of what our feline friends need from us.

For friends of old dogs, stray dogs, all dogs ...

Who doesn't love books about dogs, especially photo books? We admit that we're hooked. Here are a couple worth your look:

Gene Weingarten is a Washington Post columnist and staff writer (a Pulitzer winner, at that) who wrote a wonderful book about the joys of being with old dogs, featuring the photos of two-time Pulitzer winner Michael S. Williamson. Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs pretty well sums up what it's all about, and the way many of us feel, too. Give it a look—you'll be glad you did. (For those of you who are way ahead of the rest of us, it's available on Kindle, too.)

Another of our staff favorites: Traer Scott's touching, beautiful book of photography, Shelter Dogs. Scott is a fabulous photographer who captures an amazing range of emotions in the expressions of dogs who have been thrown away, left for others to deal with in shelters—and in some cases, did not have much longer to live, owing to a persistent problem: shelter overcrowding. Thus, some of these heart-rending photos are the only records that these lovely creatures once walked the earth, and experienced the dark side of human regard for animals.

The good news: Some found forever homes. And a portion of the proceds from the book's sales go to shelter organizations.

Both books are excellent additions to any dog lover's coffee table.

Perhaps you have a favorite dog or cat book you'd love to share with us? Please do so in our Comments section. We love to hear about good books about our beloved animals that we haven't encountered yet, so we'd appreciate hearing from you!

Pets and relationships

If you've got animal roommates and you strike up a relationship with a love partner, you certainly hope for the best. But it doesn't always work. The dog may not like the new boyfriend at all; your cat may express his distaste for the girlfriend's mode of dress in a, um, uniquely feline way. The Wall Street Journal's Elizabeth Bernstein takes a look at what some couples do to work out their pet-paramour differences:

By the time Ellen and Joe Lollman reached their first anniversary, things were souring. They no longer took long walks together or spent weekend afternoons chatting over coffee at outdoor cafes. Each evening they holed up in separate rooms of their home reading or watching TV alone.

Finally, fearful their marriage was on the rocks, the Dallas couple made an appointment with a therapist—for their dogs.

"We both had dogs a lot longer than we had each other," explains Ms. Lollman. Yet it wasn't until she and her new husband moved in together after a long-distance courtship that their faithful companions actually met and, as luck had it, decided they hated each other. The Lollmans were forced to take sides.

Sound familiar? If you find yourself and your love in this situation, there are ways to work it out. It takes patience and maybe a little help from an animal behavior expert, but it can be done. Don't give up on your loves, be they human or animal.