Friday Haiku

Crumbs

By Mary Tkaczuk

My cookies are gone!

There is nothing left but crumbs.

My dog licks her mouth.

(Originally published in the Fall 2006 edition of the Society’s newsletter, the Guardian.)

Do You Have a Scaredy Cat (or Dog)?

Halloween can be a confusing time for pets, and it may be a good idea to put your cat or dog in a quiet room with food and water until trick or treating ends.  Your pet may not even recognize you in a costume or mask. He may sniff you and notice that the smell is right, but something is wrong with the face. Fear can cause some normally friendly animals to become aggressive, even to their own families if they don’t recognize them.

Don’t forget to keep chocolate Halloween candy away from your pets. Chocolate contains theobromine, a substance which if eaten in sufficient quantities, can be dangerous and even deadly for dogs and cats.

Meet Joy

Joy is a friendly young cat currently residing at the Women’s Humane Society until that special person or family finds her. She is only two years old, already spayed and needs to be an only pet. Joy’s tag number is 3871 and she will be meeting the public from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday or from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Wednesday. For more information on adoptions, visit our website, www.whspets.org.

New Law Regulates Commercial Dog Breeders

Pennsylvania House Bill 2525 was signed into law by Governor Edward G. Rendell (see photo above) on October 9, 2008. Finally, commercial breeders will have to abide by specific housing, temperature and health care standards for their industry. Hopefully, this will shut down many commercial breeding facilities that will not comply and monumentally improve those that do. About a month ago, two commercial breeders LEGALLY shot 80 of their dogs, because they didn’t want to give them medical care as required by the past Dog Law. With the signing of this bill, dogs must be euthanized by a veterinarian.

Janice Mininberg, the Society’s Director of Education and Legislative Action, worked hard for the past two years to make sure that HB 2525 was worded correctly in order to protect the physical and emotional welfare of dogs bred in Pennsylvania.

Will Your Next Pet Be a Gerbil?

Thinking of adding a gerbil to your family? Try two instead. Gerbils are social creatures that live in colonies in the wild. A minimum of two gerbils of the same sex should be adopted together. (Adopting gerbils of the same sex prevents litters of unwanted little gerbils.) To avoid fighting, gerbils should be the same age, the same sex and from the same family. The more gerbils you have, the higher the chance that territorial fighting will occur.

Gerbils are diurnal, which means that they are awake at various times during the day and night. Gerbils should never be permitted to run loose near a dog or cat, as one swipe from a paw could easily kill them.

When you bring home new gerbils, give your new pets time to get used to their new surroundings before you attempt to handle them. Start by talking to your gerbils by their cage so that they get used to your voice.

After a while, you can let your gerbils sniff your hand, but don’t try to pick them up at this point. Give your gerbils ample time over several days to get used to your hand. Offering a treat, such as a small piece of apple or carrot can help your pets grow accustomed to you.

When you do handle your gerbils, make sure you use the proper technique. Gerbils should never be picked up the tail because this can cause a broken tail or degloving injury (skin comes off the tail.) To safely pick up a gerbil, use both hands, corner the gerbil in its cage and scoop it up, making sure to adequately support the body.

Haiku Friday

The Box

By Karen L. Woll

Frantic scratching heard,

Galloping cat seen fleeing,

Ghastly litter smell!

(Originally published in the Society’s Fall 2006 Guardian)

Anti-freeze and Pets: A Bad Combination

When the weather gets colder, it’s time to remind everyone about the dangers of anti-freeze. Animals are attracted to anti-freeze because of its smell, but ingesting it can be deadly for pets. This winter, you can help the animals by promptly wiping up any spilled anti-freeze or leaks. Better yet, switch to pet-safe anti-freeze. (In order to receive the full benefit of pet-safe anti-freeze, you will need to flush out your car’s cooling system to completely remove the old anti-freeze.)

Dog Lovers Holiday Bazaar Cancelled

The Greater Philadelphia Dog Fancier’s Association announced that they have cancelled this year’s Dog Lover’s Holiday Bazaar on November 15 and 16 due to lack of vendors.

We Have Kittens!

It’s a little unusual to see so many kittens in our cat room in October, but they’re here and need homes – as do the many older cats in our care. You can stop by and see our cute kittens and cats from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 1 – 7 p.m. on Wednesday. For information on adopting a pet, visit our website at http://www.whspets.org/

Never Have, Never Will

Occasionally we are asked if we sell animals to research laboratories. We never have, never will and don’t see how any organization formed to protect animals could condone such a practice.

Our founder, Caroline Earle White, (part of the “women” in Women’s Humane Society) was vehemently opposed to animal research. When she took over the animal control contract for the City of Philadelphia in the 1800s, she refused to continue the practice of giving dogs to the University of Pennsylvania for research purposes. She felt so strongly about the issue that she even went on to found the American Anti-Vivisection Society, an organization that also still exists today.