Towson University helping out

Towson University is helping out pets before winter break quickly approaches.  A donation box is located in the University Union until December 17th for pet donations.  Everything donated will be given to the SPCA.  They need everything from food to toilet seat covers.  Help out a great cause before you go home for break!

Interview With Aubrey Vincent

I was lucky enough to meet a Pets on Wheels volunteer.  Pets on Wheels brings pets around to nursing homes.  Check out the interview with Aubrey Vincent:  

Looking for a new pet?

There’s an easier way to look for the perfect pet without running around to all the shelters.  Comcast has an easy-to-use Pet Finder option for you to look for a pet from your couch. 

First, go On Demand.

Then, go down to Get Local and select it. 

The last option on your right should be Pet Adoptions.   Select it.

Then arrow over to Petfinder.  You’ll have options to look in different places to find a pet that might interest you. 

Pet Week on Wheel of Fortune

Who else is excited for Wheel of Fourtune’s Pet Week?

Pet Week will begin on Nov. 30 and end Dec. 4. 

Fans that entered your pet in America’s Most Loveable Pets Contest can tune in to see if your pet is a winner.  If you didn’t get a chance to enter, the show will have plenty of pet-lovers things to show and share.  You can also show off your pet to the world on PEOPLEpets. 

Wheel of Fortune comes on ABC2 in teh Baltimore ares at 7:30 on weekdays.

PETA giving opinion on Georgia State mascot

Unfortunately, Georgia State’s bulldog unexpectedly passed away this week.  And yes, they had a real bulldog representing the university. 

PETA, for some reason, doesn’t like the idea of a real animal being a mascot and told the university they recommend Georgia should get a mechanical bulldog or a stuffed one. 

I’m obviously all for animals.  But my problem with this intervention is why is it a problem if the dog is being take care of? 

This dog unexpectedly died at age four.  That would concern me if the cause of death was unknown, but this dog died on a heart-related problem.

PETA needs to be concentrating on the animals being neglected and abused, not wasting their time on a dog who will be well taken care of. 

To watch a slide show of the bulldogs, Uga VI, click here. 

Puppy kicked to death

I woke up quite disturbed this morning. 

As I’m looking through news articles I stumble upon a headline: Man kills puppy misbehaving before Steelers game.  I was appalled. 

I read the article to discover a pit bull in Pennsylvania was kicked down the street by a 22-year-old man who was upset because the dog would not walk with him before the Steelers game began. 

The dog belonged to his girlfriend.  The police had to call her parents when they arrived at the scene, after she refused to give her real name and address to police. 

What I don’t understand is why after her dog was killed by her crazy boyfriend, she refused to identify him as a suspect. 

Both of these people deserve to go to jail on animal abuse charges.  The boyfriend for the actual murder, and the girlfriend for keeping an animal in an obviously abusive home.  What do you think?

Breaking news: Cat dies of swine flu

I’m sorry to announce, but it looks like we lost our first  cat because of the H1N1 virus. 

The cat died on Nov. 7, but The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association didn’t announce the death til late last night. 

Two other cats have been infected with the H1N1 virus nationwide, but this was the first fatal infection. 

It may be possible for cats to transmit the disease to humans, so if you think your cat could be infected, please take it to the vet immediately.

Another way to help

Christmas is quickly approaching.  Is your front door still empty?

You can fill it with a new Christmas wreath, and part of it will go to the Maryland SPCA. 

Prices range from $40-$70, but hurry quantities are limited! 

 

Q&A with the Maryland SPCA

Q:  Do you guys give vaccines and to what extent can you help sick animals? 

A:  As long as they are of age we give them rabies vaccines and everything like that.  minor injures and illnesses we will treat…we see a lot of long-haired dogs and cats who are really matted, we have to shave them down, we cut their nails, clean them up, a lot of them come in really dirty.  We are not a licensed veterinary service so we are not able to treat sick dogs that belong to the public.  we do offer a wellness center for preventative care to keep animals from getting sick.  we do basic vaccines, nail trimming , ear cleaning, we do tests for different illnesses, a couple different maintenance to help animal stay healthy

 

Q:  How often do you see animals in real bad conditions? 

A:  We do see some animals from time to time who are in real bad condition.  We do have a fund called the Casey fund.  The donor, very generously, gave us some money to select a dog every month that has some issues, or a pet i should say, that has some issues that need some extra attention or medical issue.  Usually its a medical issue.  We had a pit ball who had been struck by a car, she had a broken hip, we were able to get surgery to have the broken part of the hip removed and we sent her out to a foster home to recover and she was adopted, so now shes got a great new life.  

 

Q:  Some of the dogs have a sign that says they are not ready for adoption…why is this?

A:  Those animals have not yet completed its medical assessment. So we are not sure yet if they are healthy and temperamentally sound. We need dogs especially to eat so we make sure they dont have any issues with food aggression before they go into a home.  And a lot of time a dog is very nervous, doesn’t know whats going on and refuses to eat for a few days until it gets hungry and a lot of times that holds up the process.  

Should declawing cats be against the law?

Many people feel declawing cats is necessary–for their sake and their furniture.  But San Francisco says it’s a form of torture. 

Anyone who violates the new law can get up to six months in jail or a fine up to $1,000. 

I’m not sure of the exact procedure with declawing a cat, so I’m not sure if I would consider it torture.

But I do see it as a problem.  Many cat owners get their cat declawed as soon as they get it.  But later on, decide they can’t take care of it or dont want it anymore, so they let it go into the wild. 

Cat’s then can’t defend themselves against predators or can’t catch food to eat.

I do support this outlaw, what do you think?