We Have Rabbits!

Janice (left), Education Director and Mary (right), Society Bookkeeper braved the cold to erect the Adopt a Rabbit sign

Janice, the Society’s Education Director, recently painted this sign to let the world (or at least those people who drive past our building) know that we’ve got rabbits in need of homes. If you would like to add a rabbit to your family, why not consider adopting Bella, Ruby, Budgy, Pip, Princess, Onyx or Sparkles? Stop by the Women’s Humane Society on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or on Wednesday from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. to visit these rabbits. Visit our website for more details on adoption policies and procedures.

Two-year-old Bella is eagerly awaiting your visit.

We’re All in This Together

We are frequently asked exactly how we are different from no-kill shelters. The answer is: we’re not very different at all. Many shelters that call themselves “no-kill” actually do euthanize animals that are considered unadoptable. While the meaning of “unadoptable” varies from organization to organization, generally it means any animal that is too old, too young, too sick or has serious behavioral problems. Well, what do you know? That’s our criteria too! The only other reason that we euthanize is when we run out of space.     

 

Fortunately, our dogs are so popular that we haven’t had to euthanize dogs due to a lack of space for years. Cats are a different story, particularly during the summer and early fall months. Since cats can reproduce 2 to 3 times per year, versus 1 to 2 times for dogs, we get more cats than dogs and have found that cats are not quite as in demand as dogs. We work together with several other humane and rescue organizations to try to find homes for as many animals as possible, but given the animal overpopulation problem, there are times when we can’t find homes for every animal.

 

You can help us in our efforts to reduce the number of homeless animals by spaying or neutering your pet, making sure everyone in your family really wants a pet before you bring an animal home, identifying your pet with an ID tag and/or microchip, committing to taking your pet with you if you move, and saving for pet healthcare costs that you are sure to incur as your pet ages. Working together, we can help improve the lives of dogs and cats.

 

More Pet Owners Skipping Vet Visits Due to Financial Hardship

photo by Sanja Gjenero

Advantage Topical Solution from Bayer Animal Health debuted their new Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet campaign on Monday. The program will distribute more than $250,000 in $20 veterinary vouchers through February 28. According to the company, a recent survey of veterinarians confirmed that pet owners have scaled back on veterinary visits and preventive care in the last six months and nearly one-half of pet owners revealed that they are now more likely to wait until there are more obvious, visible issues with their pets before seeking veterinary treatment. Read more about the veterinary vouchers here.

Locally, we’re seeing an increase in visits to our low-cost veterinary hospital as the economy makes it more difficult for people to take their pets to private veterinarians. “We’re glad we can help people take care of their pets,” said Jim Gaynor, the Society’s Managing Director. “Our hospital staff is doing a great job keeping up with the increased demand for our services.”

Meet Kiki

 

Kiki is a friendly two-year-old cat patiently waiting for that perfect person or family to walk through the door of the cat room and take her home. Stop by and visit KiKi (tag number 245) on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or on Wednesday from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Visit our website for more details on adoptions.

A Moment in History

During the 140^th anniversary of the Women’s Humane Society, we look back at a moment in history.

 

In 1882, the Bands of Mercy of the Philadelphia Boys’ Society was started by the Women’s Branch of the Pennsylvania SPCA (now the Women’s Humane Society.) The boys met regularly to discuss kindness to animals. One of their first acts was to encourage boys in local schools to sign cards pledging to try to be kind to all living creatures. The motto of the Bands of Mercy was “Reverence, Kindness, Courage.” Only boys were included in this group as Society founder Caroline Earle White noticed that the majority of animal cruelty cases occurred at the hands of men. Reaching males while they were still young and instilling the principles of kindness toward animals was an important educational goal of the Society. Later, groups were added for girls.

 

Prevent Antifreeze Poisoning From Affecting Your Pet

It doesn’t look very tasty to us, but dogs and cats find the sweet taste of antifreeze appealing and will drink it if they spot a puddle in your driveway or garage. As many as 10,000 cats and dogs die each year due to antifreeze poisoning. Ethylene glycol, the primary ingredient in antifreeze, is also dangerous to children if ingested. It only takes a small amount of antifreeze to kill a pet. One-quarter ounce will kill a cat and as little as 3 tablespoons can kill a medium-sized dog.

Poisoned animals will stagger around as if they are drunk. Vomiting may occur and the animal may seem to lack energy or seem depressed. Prompt veterinary treatment is essential to increase the chances of an animal surviving antifreeze poisoning. You can prevent antifreeze poisoning by keeping antifreeze containers out of the reach of pets and children and by wiping up spills and leaks promptly. Snow globes also contain some antifreeze and should be cleaned up immediately if they break.

Several companies offer less toxic varieties of antifreeze, including Sierra, Prestone LowTox and Sta-Clean. While these types of antifreeze are safer, they can still cause poisoning if large quantities are ingested, and it is important to immediately clean up spills from the this type of antifreeze too. If you plan to use one of these less toxic types of antifreeze, you must first have the old antifreeze flushed out of your radiator. If you don’t, the old and new antifreeze will mix together and still be poisonous.

Meet Charlie

Charlie is a handsome big guy, approximately 3 to 4-years-old. He has already been neutered and declawed and is just waiting for someone to take him home. Stop by and visit Charlie (tag number 242) on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or on Wednesday from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Visit our website for more details on adoptions.

Meet Ruby

Four-year-old Ruby has been with us since November when her owner became too ill to care for her. She’s a friendly rabbit in need of a home and a person or family to call her own. Stop by and visit Ruby on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or on Wednesday from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Visit our website for more details on adoptions.

Contaminated Peanut Products Put Pets at Risk

photo by Patryk Specjal

The recent outbreak of salmonella due to contaminated peanut butter and peanut products isn’t limited to humans. Eating tainted peanut products can make your pet sick too. Click here to see the Food and Drug Administration’s list of recalled pet products. Products include several brands of dog biscuits, peanut rawhide, peanut butter dog bones and peanut butter hooves.

From our Archives

 

In the 1800s, horses were the primary form of transportation and it wasn’t unusual for owners to force horses to work until they were exhausted or injured. In this undated photograph, our founder, Caroline Earle White, calms a horse while an unidentified woman shows the horse’s owner how to bandage a leg.