Pet Dish - July 19th, 2011

A new home for Jabba
Double your dollar and save more lives
Honey's Fourth of July getaway
Baillie and Julian: barn buddies forever
Safe summer travel for pets
Pet Tips with Paula Zukoff
More Treats
Scratching Posts

Tales and Tails

A new home for Jabba

When Jabba’s previous owners welcomed twins to the family, he seemed a bit skittish around the new babies. Although he never bothered them, his owners felt uneasy having a cat in the house and brought him to Animal Humane Society.

Since he was surrendered in early June, this 12-year-old gray tabby cat has patiently been waiting for a new home. He spent a few weeks in our Coon Rapids adoption center before being brought to our Buffalo location where he can be found enjoying the company of the other cats awaiting adoption. Jabba has one simple request of his new owner — that they play fetch with him using his favorite toy that will be sent home with him!

Last fall, Animal Humane Society introduced a promotion to help more cats like Jabba find loving homes. We temporarily reduced the adoption fee for adult cats (one year of age or older) to only $50. Because of the incredible success of this promotion, we have decided to make this lower adoption fee a permanent change! As with all of our adoptions, the fee includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchipping and more.

For only $50 you can give Jabba or any of our adult cats the loving home they deserve. Here are just a few of the friendly feline faces you’ll meet when you visit our adoption centers.

Candy Samantha Cali Miss Kitty Abby

Double your dollar and save more lives

Recently, we shared some exciting news with you. A very generous donor has committed $100,000 to match any contributions youmake to support our Bound for Home initiative through August 31, 2011.

What would inspire a person to be so generous? To put it quite simply — they believe in our mission and are inspired by the success we’ve already begun to see with Bound for Home.

Take, for example, the launch of Kindest Cut’s mobile affordable spay/neuter service. In only two months, more than 1,300 low cost spay/neuter surgeries were performed for individuals who could otherwise not afford sterilization for their pet. But that’s just the beginning. Each year, the mobile service will be able to provide 10,000 surgeries – reducing the number of homeless animals by several hundred thousand!

We are already more than half-way to our goal of $3.1 million for Bound for Home. With your support, a community clinic will also be created and Kindest Cut will be able to perform an additional 15,000 surgeries each year. Just imagine the lives you could save!

The success of Kindest Cut is just one of many reasons to get excited about Bound for Home. Please take advantage of this special opportunity to end animal homelessness by doubling your dollar with a donation today.

Honey’s Fourth of July getaway

“I adopted my dog, Honey, from Animal Humane Society in January. The seven-year-old, 45 pound mutt quickly became a wonderful member of our family. She is mellow and soaks up love like no other animal I've met. I know nothing about the first half of her life, but she is clearly content and relieved to have a very comfortable home and a family.

In the last month, as time rolled closer to the Fourth of July, she also revealed her fear of fireworks. Several neighbors had been gearing up for the big night by setting off fireworks. Honey's usual response to this is quivering, panting, and trying to get as close to me as possible for at least a half hour after the last "boom." However, on July 2 at around 11p.m., we were out in the backyard and some fireworks went off closer than ever. Honey bolted. She has never strayed before, but I looked up and she was just gone.

A friend and I searched for her for two hours by foot and car with no luck. We were just regrouping to figure out what to do next when I got a call from the local animal emergency clinic. Honey had apparently wandered into or near a hospital emergency room two miles from home (ironically, I’m an ER nurse at another hospital!). Someone drove her to the animal emergency clinic where the staff scanned her microchip and called me right away. I had her back two and a half hours after she went missing.

She had lost her tags, tore up her feet, wore her nails down from all the running, and had a giant wad of chewing gum stuck in the fur of her elbow, but otherwise she was no worse for the wear. Because her tags came off her collar while she was lost, I likely would not have gotten her back were it not for the microchip. The two and a half hours she was missing were mercifully short, but still some of the most agonizing of my life. I saw clearly when faced with losing her how much I love her and how big a part of my family's life she has become. I am so unbelievably grateful that she is home where she belongs thanks to the microchip she was given at Animal Humane Society.”

~Armaiti P.

In the event that your pet becomes lost, Animal Humane Society offers an Online Lost & Found Bulletin Board and a list of other resources to help you locate your missing pet. If your pet is not microchipped, Animal Humane Society offers microchipping clinics each month at all five locations for a reduced fee of $40. View our events calendar for a list of upcoming dates.

Baillie and Julian: barn buddies forever

Two roosters, living a mere seven miles apart in Minneapolis, were both in situations heading toward tragedy. One was abandoned by his owner at only six months old. His beak was clipped, an indication that he was mistaken for a female at the hatchery. It appears that once his owner discovered he was a male, the bird was abandoned. The second rooster was found as a stray with a wire around his leg, most likely used to tie him to an object that restricted his movement. Luckily, their lives both took a positive turn with the help of Chicken Run Rescue, an animal welfare partner of the Animal Humane Society.

The birds arrived at Chicken Run Rescue about a month apart. They were given names, Baillie and Julian, and within a few days of meeting they became best friends. They shared their food and roosting spots and followed each other around the yard. Because of this bond, it was determined that they should be adopted as a pair. In April, they went to their new home in Andover, Minnesota.

Each night Baillie and Julian can be found snuggled together high on a branch in their new coop. They wake up bright and early to spend the day roaming around the two acre property, visiting the family’s goats, horses, pigs and other birds. Their favorite part of the day is snack time, with grapes and cooked eggs being the birds’ most prized treats.

Animal Humane Society relies on Chicken Run Rescue to find homes for the abandoned, neglected, or abused chickens that we take in. They provide the birds with temporary shelter and veterinary care, locate and screen adopters within 90 miles of the Twin Cities, and transport the birds to their new homes. Chicken Run Rescue is the only urban chicken rescue of its kind and depends on donations to continue helping chickens.

The number of chickens needing homes has grown significantly in recent years due to the increased interest in backyard chickens and classroom hatching. In 2010, Chicken Run Rescue took in 114 birds and had requests for nearly 200 more. That’s a dramatic increase from previous years which averaged around only 40 inquiries. Chicken Run Rescue is committed to finding loving homes for these intelligent, gentle and lively birds.

If you are considering adopting a chicken, there are a few things to consider first:

You are making a commitment for the life of the bird. Chickens can live 14 years and so require the same commitment as dogs and cats.
Chicken Run Rescue limits adoption only as a companion animal, not a food animal (not to produce eggs for profit or breeding purposes).
As with other companion animals, chickens need proper care including food, water, shelter, fresh air, exercise, veterinary care and companionship with other same species animals.
Check with your city first to see if there are ordinances in place regarding the ownership of chickens.

Chicken Run Rescue also has ducks, geese, and hoofed animals that need homes. Click here for more information. For adoption information contact chickenrunrescue@comcast.net.

Safe summer travel for pets

Some pets, particularly dogs, love nothing more than to stick their head out the window of a moving car and take in the smells while their ears flap in the breeze. But not all pets enjoy traveling, and without proper planning travel can be dangerous for our four-legged friends.

First and foremost, make sure your pet is able to travel. Some pets are unable to travel for health or behavior reasons while others simply prefer to stay home. If your pet does not travel well, consider leaving your pet with friends or family or in a boarding facility.

When traveling by car, the safest place for your pet is in the backseat or in a carrier. Pets should not ride in the passenger seat if it is equipped with an airbag, and should never sit on the driver's lap. Avoid letting your pet ride with its head outside the car window as debris can enter the eyes, ears, and nose. Also, make sure to stop frequently along the way to give your pet breaks.

If your vacation plans include spending time in the great outdoors, talk to your veterinarian about flea, tick, and heartworm prevention and make sure your pet is vaccinated against rabies. Keep your pet on a leash and away from wild animals that could injure them or expose them to disease. Make sure your pet has plenty of water and protect them from the heat and sun; pets can succumb to heat stroke, dehydration and even get sunburned –- all of which can be prevented.

There are several internet sites that allow you to search for pet friendly accommodations, restaurants, and attractions in the area you are visiting. Remember, policies can change, so always call the hotel to confirm that your pet is welcome. Here are a few sites where you can find pet-friendly locations:

www.petswelcome.com
www.pet-friendly-hotels.net
www.dogfriendly.com
www.bringfido.com
www.sidewalkdog.com — Local to Minneapolis-St. Paul

No matter what your travel plans, make sure your pet is wearing an ID tag and is microchipped. This will greatly improve your chances of getting your pet back if it becomes lost. And most importantly, have fun!

Pet Tips with Paula Zukoff

AHS Behavior and Training Manager Paula Zukoff shares advice on how to make going to the dog park a safe and fun experience.