Pet Column
Classics
A selection from our over 800 Pet Columns
Connecting Pets, People, and
Community While Saving Lives
Pets Turning Pages
I want to be a wellbeing dog. Actually I already am, as I make everyone around me feel good, but I want to apply my power of wellbeing-ness more specifically. So I am applying for a spot in Second Chance Humane Society’s Pets Turning Pages Program. Through this program pets like me are going into the Telluride, Ridgway & Ouray public schools to support kids with reading.
Declawing a Cat is Inhumane. Period.
Take a look at your fingernails. Now imagine what it would take to permanently remove them. Ouch. Looks like you would have to remove part of your fingers? Yep. Well that is what you’d have to do to me to remove my claws. I am not sure how declawing is still even legally allowed in the U.S. as in most developed countries it is recognized as totally inhumane and is prohibited.
Pot & Pets
I like to get high. I get high often. A soft belly rub is one of my favorite highs. Playing with toys is a medium high while hiking with people I trust is off the charts high. Yes, fun living is my recreational drug and I write today to encourage you to keep the other types of recreational drugs away from me and other pets. We just don’t know how to say no – especially if it tastes good.
Pet Abandonment Hurts
Not long ago I had a family. I like to believe they were good people that fell upon hard times. Those hard times convinced them that they could no longer care for me. I know there are lots of folks who get smacked down by life and can barely take care of their own needs let alone their pets. It happens. I am a cat and I am not going to judge anyone on this. I like to think they made a choice that they felt was in my best interest. However, their choice in how to carry out this decision was not in my best interest.
Designing Dogs Doesn’t Always Work
I am a mutt and proud of it. I don’t intend to trash talk the purebred dog but for this week’s Pet Column topic I thought you should be aware of the impact that the demand for designer dogs (crossing purebreds with other kinds of purebreds) is making upon all dogs. From overcrowding shelters with unadoptable “designs” gone wrong to dogs living a life of suffering because of their failed “design”, I can help you avoid these pitfalls.
The Tale of the Dreaded Foxtail
Last month a beloved Utah K9 named Storm died due to complications from ingestion of a weed. Not the cannabis kind (which can also be deadly to your dog) but form the simple foxtail – a weed that is prevalent in this region. Read below for tips on reducing the risks to your dog from this unfriendly grass-like plant.
Finding a Lost Pet
Being a lost pet really is frightening and traumatizing for both the pet and the pet parent. As we are in the height of “lost pet season” (there are lost pet reports coming in to the shelter almost daily right now) the Second Chance Pet Column will be focusing on this topic the next few weeks. I am kicking things off by summarizing the most immediate and important actions to take when your pet is lost.
Preparing an Evacuation Emergency Kit for Companion Animals
To continue the topic of Second Chance Humane Society’s Pet Column from last week on emergency preparedness, and how to be prepared to evacuate your animals if the need arose, I will be reviewing how to create a pet emergency kit that can be available to quickly grab if the need arises. As the potential for fire driven evacuation increases throughout Colorado I am hearing that people are not as prepared as they should be.
Emergency Preparedness for Companion Animals
With recent wildfires raging in the region and the weather pointing to a high risk for more, Second Chance Humane Society has been hearing from many concerned pet parents on how to be better prepared for emergency situations. Thus our next few Pet Columns will be devoted to this topic, but know that your participation level will measure its effectiveness. I don’t want to incite anxiety by discussing these topics, instead my goal is to help you feel more prepared should the need arise.
Big Dog Myth Busting
What do you get when you cross a Great Pyrenees with a Heeler? About 100 pounds of warm cuddly deliciousness. That’s right – you get me – the Love Doctor (my friends just call me Doc though). So how come I haven’t been adopted yet? Am I too big? Well let me take a few moments to dispel some of the rumors that give a bad reputation.