The Associated Press
updated 9:57 a.m. ET, Wed., June 24, 2009CARLSBAD, California – A “sweetheart” of a dog now in a California shelter may
be really, really far from home. His microchip says the knee-high, light tan
Saluki came from Saudi Arabia.The neutered male dog brought to a Carlsbad animal shelter last week has an
implanted microchip that was sold to the U.S. Military Training Mission,
headquartered in Riyadh, said Lt. Dan DeSousa of San Diego County’s Animal
Services Department.The dog was found June 15 near Escondido, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north
of San Diego.DeSousa said he believes someone in the military owns the dog and likely brought
him from overseas. But they haven’t been able to track down the owner, even
after speaking with veterinarians who work with the U.S. military in Saudi
Arabia.“In our hearts and minds, we know this dog belongs to someone in the military.
For all they’ve done for us, it is only fair we try to get the dog reunited,”
DeSousa said.DeSousa said he doesn’t know the dog’s name but he wears a tag that reads “Pet
Rejuvenizer.” Plenty of people have said they would take him but authorities
hope the real owner will come forward.“There’s a lot of unanswered questions, and dogs can’t talk, so we’re kind of
restricted as to what information we can get out of him,” DeSousa said,
chuckling. “We’re trying to put the word out. He is a sweetheart of a dog.”
Archive for June, 2009
Microchip in shelter dog indicates owner was in military in Saudi Arabia
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Help Make the Meridian Township Dog Park a Reality!
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Let Go of the Leash at Legg Park!
The Meridian Township Dog Park will soon be part of Legg Park located at 3891 Van Atta Road. This is a beautiful 103-acre park within Meridian Township, just south of the Harris Nature Center. Please join the Friends of the Meridian Township Dog Park and support the dog park project.
To become operational, the park needs fencing for two areas (large and small dogs), and a double-gated entryway. We plan on adding a water fountain, benches, and shaded rest areas for dogs and their owners.
Now is the time to raise money for our fence, so…please, we need your help!
Ways You Can Help Out:
(1) VOLUNTEERING
Dog-loving volunteers lead by F.M.D.P. are guiding the development of the Meridian Township Dog Park! We need more volunteers and more help, and we’d love to have yours! If you are interested in volunteering with F.M.D.P. or would like to be added to our email list to receive park updates, please email us at greenway@meridian.mi.us or call us at: (517) 853-4610.
(2) DONATIONS
All donations are deductible as a charitable gift for federal tax purposes and can be made through the Capital Region Community Foundation. Please send your donation to:
Capital Region Community Foundation
The Center for Charitable Giving
6035 Executive Drive, Suite 104
Lansing, MI 48911
(517) 272-2870
Or, make a donation online at www.crcfoundation.org
Please specify that your donation is for the Meridian Dog Park
ABLE! Check out the Featured Rescue from Animal Placement Bureau!
Sunday, June 21st, 2009AnnaBelle’s supports and encourages the fostering and adoption of rescue dogs. We are offering two discount training programs for foster parents to work with their foster dogs. Also, check out our training discounts for new adoptive parents of rescue dogs! And read more about the adorable Able below.
Able is a 9 month old Australian Cattle Dog/Terrier mix in a foster home with an Animal Placement Bureau volunteer. She is spayed and weighs 27 pounds.
Able's Ears!
Oh I know, I know, I know!!! I sure am adorable. But do NOT let my sweet and innocent looking pictures fool you! I am an ENERGETIC handful. In a good way OF COURSE!
My name is Able, I am up to date on all of my vaccinations and will be ready for adoption once I am spayed and microchipped. I am also crate and house trained! I got’s the whole shebang!
I am a cattle dog/ terrier mix, weighing in at 27 lbs and will do just a little bit more growing. I am just a baby at 6-7 months old and will need LOTS of training. Positive reinforcement ONLY of course. I am going to need obedience training!
I am definitely going to require a fenced in yard. NO INVISIBLE fence for me! I need SECURITY! My cattle dog ways will get me into danger if you don’t make sure I am safe. Also……you really should be familiar with my breed, because I have a tendency to be nippy because of my “herding” instincts! I like to run and make sure everything around me is where I want it to be. I am a bit dominant too, so I should not be around little doggies, just the medium to large sizes for me. I am going to need a home with another canine companion to burn off some energy! An active family who likes to run or jog would be IDEAL!
So comfy!
I really, really like kids! I love to give them hugs and kisses, but since I am still a puppy I jump and “mouth” them a little too much. Soooo… a home with older children would fit my needs better then them there fun little tiny tots! Lets say older then 10, just to make sure I don’t “herd” them too!
I am working on my basic commands. Right now I have got “sit” down to a science! For a treat of course! I am very, very, very food motivated!
If you have the time and patience for me, please give me my furever home that I deserve. Please contact Hanaburgh@att.net if you have any questions or you wanna come meet me! WOOF!
STELLA!!! Featured Rescue Dog From the Animal Placement Bureau
Saturday, June 13th, 2009Rescue dogs have a special place at Annabelle’s and we like to promote the adoption of dogs from local rescues like the Animal Placement Bureau, a local rescue organization dedicated to dog rescue. We’d like to introduce you to Stella….a big sweetie if there ever was one! Stella is a German Shepherd mix, born in March, 2007. She is spayed and weighs about 60 pounds. And check out those ears! Is she sending the bat signal????
Stella
Hi, I’m Stella! I am very energetic and playful. I love to go for walks, ride in the car, play fetch, and go to the dog park. I also like to play with toys. I would like to have a lot of toys in my new home!
I love everyone I meet! I am very sweet and love to please. I am a good snuggler too! Even though I’m a big girl, I am still pretty sure that I am a lap dog, right? I’m also a very loyal companion… I like to follow my people around to “help” them with whatever they do and be with them as much as I can. I love having a “job” to do.
Even though I’m goofy, I’m still smart. I’ve been through a basic obedience class and know “sit”, “down”, “come”, “stay”, “shake”, “drop it”, “crate”, and I’m still working on “leave it”. I know I could learn a lot more if someone wanted to teach me. I will do anything for a treat! I’m also house trained and crate trained. I get into too much mischief when left by myself, so I will still need to be crated in my forever home. I am easily entertained with toys and find appropriate things to chew on when someone is home with me. Since I like food so much, I do sometimes try to take things off the counter or out of the garbage when no one is looking. I know that I’m not supposed to and am working on this, but my new owners should try not to tempt me by leaving good stuff in my reach.
Stella
I love playing chase and wrestling with other dogs! I would LOVE to have another dog in my forever home. I like cats a little too much though… and by “like” I mean I like to chase them! So I should go to a home without cats. I also like to chase outdoor intruders in the yard such as squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits, so I should not go to a home with pocket pets either.
Since I have so much energy and require a lot of attention, I would love to go to a home with another playful dog or a very active family. I would also like a fenced yard to run around in. I love kids, but should probably not go to a home with young children because I don’t always realize how big I am and can sometimes get a little mouthy when I play.
You wouldn’t always know it when you see me, but I do have mild hip dysplasia. It doesn’t slow me down a bit! I love to run around and play with the other dogs in my foster home, and I am just as fast as them! Because I have hip dysplasia I need to have regular daily exercise, a soft bed, and can never be allowed to get overweight. I should also be given a glucosamine or other joint care supplement to help my hips. Hip dysplasia is common in German Shepherds, but I suggest you look into this before adopting me to make sure I am the right dog for you.If you are looking for a loving, active companion… I am the dog for you!! E-mail lisa@schnauzerama.org for more info.
Plants Commonly Found in Yards Can be Toxic — and Even Deadly — to Pets if Eaten
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Taken from: The Today Show at MSNBC.com:
Plants commonly found in yards, such as this autumn crocus, can be toxic and even deadly to pets if eaten.
“A rule of thumb is that the prettier it is, the more likely it is to be toxic,” says Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, a veterinarian and board-certified toxicologist who is vice president of the Animal Poison Control Center, based in Urbana, Ill.
Lilies
Members of the Lilium spp. are highly toxic to cats. Ingestion of even very small amounts of any part of the plant can result in severe kidney damage.
Sago palm
Also known as the cycad palm, all parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, in particular the seeds or “nuts.” Just one or two seeds can cause vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures and liver failure.Autumn crocus
Ingestion of Colchicum autumnale can result in oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage and bone marrow suppression.Azalea/rhododendron
Members of the Rhododendron spp. contain cardiotoxins that may produce vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness, depression of the central nervous system in animals and potentially coma and death. More refined, or domesticated, azaleas and rhododendrons tend to be less toxic than the wild varieties.Oleander
All parts of Nerium oleander are considered to be toxic, with the potential to cause gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and death.Tulip/Narcissus bulbs
If a pet eats a large quantity, the bulb portions of Tulipa/Narcissus spp. contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnormalities. Small amounts generally cause a little stomach upset or vomiting.Castor bean
The toxin in Ricinus communis is ricin, which can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma and death.Marijuana
It may be illegal, but it’s still in people’s homes. A pet that ingests Cannabis sativa can exhibit the following signs: depression of the central nervous system, incoordination, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, seizures and coma.Yew
Known scientifically as Taxus spp., yew contains a substance called taxine, which causes central nervous system effects trembling, incoordination and difficulty breathing as well as gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.
Mushrooms/toadstools
Often found growing in yards, mushrooms and toadstools should always be considered highly toxic. They can cause liver failure and death.
New Film About Post-Katrina Conflicts Between Those Who Adopted Stranded Pets and Original Owners
Friday, June 5th, 2009Conflicts arose between those who adopted stranded pets, original owners
By Michael Kunzelman
The Associated Press
updated 7:27 p.m. ET, Thurs., June 4, 2009NEW ORLEANS – Jessie Pullins is certain J.J. recognized him when the door to his dog cage swung open, reuniting them for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck nearly four years ago.
A film crew was rolling when the head of a California humane society stepped off a plane and delivered J.J. to Pullins, who reluctantly left the dog behind when the storm chased his family out of New Orleans in August 2005.
“When he came out of the cage, he came straight to me,” Pullins recalled Wednesday, two days after their reunion at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. “J.J. is a part of me, a part of me that was missing for a long time,” he added.
Pullins knew for more than two years that his dog was rescued from his home, flown to California and adopted by two sisters, but it took a court battle to reunite them. Pullins’ quest to regain 5-year-old J.J., a male Labrador-shepherd mix, is portrayed in “Mine,” a documentary that won an audience award at this year’s South by Southwest film festival and is scheduled to be broadcast by PBS next year.
The film tells stories of animal lovers who streamed into New Orleans to rescue thousands of stranded pets after the hurricane. It also shows both sides of the ownership disputes that later cropped up between Gulf Coast residents and some of the hundreds of people who adopted pets.
In Pullins’ case, the humane society official who oversaw J.J.’s adoption said she’s happy about the reunion, but pointed out it involved a sad ending for the adoptive owners. “This was just a situation that had no perfect ending. Somebody had to get hurt with it,” Cheri Lucas said.
‘Not a simple situation.’ Geralyn Pezanoski, the film’s San Francisco-based director and co-producer, said she encountered about a dozen owners whose pets had been adopted by others and included several of those stories in the film. She also interviewed people who adopted Katrina victims’ pets.
“I wanted people to see what I saw: It wasn’t a really simple situation,” she said. Pezanoski met Pullins in 2006, shortly after he had learned J.J. was in California.
Pullins, 52, told her about his background as a recovering drug addict who was homeless for years before he kicked his addiction and landed a job at a downtown hotel. And he told her how he found companionship in J.J., short for Jessie Junior, after his wife died of cancer.
Two days before Katrina made landfall, Pullins took his family to Baton Rouge and left J.J. with a healthy supply of food and water. Pullins said an evacuation order prevented him from returning for the dog.
“We didn’t think we would be gone more than a day two at the most,” he said. The city was still sealed off when animal rescue workers removed J.J. from the home about three weeks after the storm. The dog was flown to Los Angeles with other rescued animals. J.J. and 28 other dogs wound up at the Second Chance at Love
‘No good guys or bad guys.’ In the meantime, J.J. appeared on a television show about Katrina dogs waiting to be reunited with their owners. A woman in California who helped rescue Katrina pets and knows Lucas saw the show and realized she had the paperwork to match J.J. with an address.
Within days, Pullins found a note attached to his storm-damaged home that told him how he could find his dog. Lucas was notified that Pullins wanted to claim his dog, but the lawsuit that Pullins’ lawyer filed in a California state court says she refused to help return him. The lawyer, Stephen Dye, volunteered to help Pullins sue the sisters and Lucas’ organization.
“It was a year after Katrina, and he had already been placed,” Lucas said. After more than a year of legal wrangling, the sisters who adopted J.J. agreed to send him to New Orleans to be reunited with Pullins. Listings for the sisters, Robin Henningsen and Kathy Franco, couldn’t be found in the hometowns given by Dye, and Lucas didn’t immediately return a message seeking their contact information.
“They were super innocent in this,” Lucas said of the sisters, who weren’t interviewed for Pezanoski’s documentary.
Pullins says he doesn’t harbor any grudges. “I need people to understand: There are no good guys or bad guys,” he said. “It’s only about me and J.J.”removed J.J. from the home about three weeks after the storm. The dog was flown to Humane Society in Templeton, Calif. Lucas, the society’s founder, said she returned three of the dogs to their owners and waited several months before finding new homes for J.J. and others.