July 2009 Archives

This pup looks so happy, so serene, he kinda makes me want to be a dog. If only he knew how to kick his legs to get some momentum going.

On Saturday, Aug. 1, there will be a bake sale, along with an sale on new and used equestrian supplies in front of the General Store to benefit the Palos Verdes Ponly Club.

The store is located at 26947 Rolling Hills Rd., in Rolling Hills Estates.

 The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon.

 

An astute reader named "Josh's Sister" reminded me that I never announced which dog was mine in a contest I held a few days ago.

The  SPCA-LA has sent out "House Rules for Children and Pets" in response to a story in today's Daily Breeze (you do read the newspaper, right?).

Crime reporter Larry Altman's article about a family pit bull who grabbed a 17-month-old boy's face in its mouth has generated some 100 comments from readers online so far (see the jump here for some samplings). The toddler apparently touched or pulled the dog's tail and the dog bit the baby in the face, leaving him with severe puncture wounds on his forehead and cheek.

It happened in the family's home in the 1000 block of Palos Verdes Boulevard in Redondo Beach.

The SPCA is urging parents to "never leave a child under the age of 8 unattended with a dog."

Pet owners also need to be vigilant in watching for warning signs such as food guarding or other aggressive behavior.

Specifically, the SPCA offers these preventative recommendations:

• An adult must be present at all times when children and pets interact.
• Teach children to respect pets as living things, not toys or objects.
• Teach the child not to sneak up on pets or tease them. Don't allow children to "ride" the dog.
• Pets shouldn't be handled or picked up by children. Pets should always keep a secure footing.
• Loud noises such as screams and fast moves such as running, hitting, or throwing objects at animals can trigger defensive reactions.
• No child should be permitted to act out aggression or other behaviors on pets.
• Allow your pet to seek solace by reserving a quiet place where children are not allowed, such as a dog crate.
• Don't let a child distrub a pet when it is sleeping or eating.
• Training a pet should be a family affair. Everyone should be involved.
• As a parent or adult, set a good example by following the house rules.

We've  posted before about pit bulls, but the SPCA says "no breed is exclusively good as a family pet."

Agree? Or not?

I hesitated posting this, but if the vastly inferior pet blog from the Baltimor Sun can go with it, no reason I can't. It's of an adult nature, so don't show it to your impressionable puppies.

From their Unleashed blog: (Is this the only animal blog NOT called "Unleashed?")

Is your dog single? Lonely? Having a hard time meeting other dogs?

Having no luck with the whole online thing?

One enterpising company has devised a gadget to fulfill his doggie needs.

You'll have to click on the link to read more about this complete waste of money. .But here's a picture.

Update: I received a call after this story ran from Debra Corwin, who operates Purrfect Partners cat rescue in the Sough Bay. She confirmed that this year is proving to be more than a challenge.

"It's more than a strain. The dam has broken," she said of the flood of homeless cats. "It's escalating. It was an epidemic before the economy changed, just ask the people in rescue or your vet."

She advocates more mandatory spay-and-neuter laws for local cities. In the meantime, rescue groups are at a breaking point, she says.

"Everybody is getting very burned out."

**************************************************************************

A story in today's Daily Breeze should be read by everyone concerned about what seems to be the still-growing problem of pet overpopulation.

Specifically, the city of Los Angeles is experiencing a huge influx this summer -- especially of cats -- and is having to euthanize healthy animals as a result.

The shelters are so overcrowded that the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services is offering two-for-one cat adoptions to make room for the feline influx.

 

(Above, Adan Lozoya checks the cats in the Harbor Animal Care Center, 957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro. Photo: Scott Varley/Daily Breeze)

Capt. Daniel Pantoja, who heads up the new harbor shelter (which opened in June 2008) responsible for the Harbor Area, said they're using every space they can to house the kittens and cats that are being brought in. When I spoke to him Tuesday afternoon, the shelter had 104 cats. The problem: The shelter was built with only 24 permanent cat cages and has had to borrow dozens more portable cages to help handle the overflow.

"I'm at capacity and every other shelter is as well," Pantoja said. "We have cats in cages in the hallways, in the lobby, in rooms that are supposed to be for quarantined animals. ... We're using every space we can."

The economy has been the main culprit, according to reporter Dana Bartholomew of our sister paper the Daily News who wrote the story. There has been a surge in abandoned pets since May 2008, when soaring job losses and home foreclosures began fueling an increase in surrendered dogs and cats at city shelters.

But contributing to the situation, Pantoja told me, is the fact that because so many cats are free-roaming -- and do not fall under licensing laws in the city -- it becomes much harder to enforce any kind of spay-and-neuter ordinance on felines.

"How do we enforce (laws) on those stray cats that people feed all the time?" Pantoja said of the ferals that proliferate so quickly. "It starts out with people feeling sorry for the cats, thinking they'll starve to death, but that's not really the case. So they set up feeding stations and then it winds up being a colony and then the colony expands and the cats wind up at the shelter."

For every child that's born, Pantoja said, 45 cats are born. That gives you an idea of how this problem has so quickly spun out of control.

A sad case in point: Jooniper, the cat featured as last week's Pet of the Week in the paper, was euthanized after no one adopted him.

Any thoughts out there on what more can or should be done? How this problem can be more effectively tackled?

 

 

 

Y'all know how much I like border collies.

So I couldn't resist posting about this story out of the UK on best friends Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of border collies who have a special relationship:

Best friends Bonnie and Clyde were brought to the animal shelter in Norfolk after they were found wandering the streets in a rain storm.

When the pair are together, Clyde, 5, seems as capable as a fully sighted dog -- but he won't move unless Bonnie, 2, is close.

That's because Clyde is blind.

Bonnie guides him on walks or tward food and lets him rest on her when he becomes disoriented.

Cherie Cootes, who runs the Meadown Green Dog Rescue Centre in Loddon, Norfolk, said: "He totally relies on her the whole time. When she walks she tends to stop and make sure he's there -- she does look out for him."

A spokeswoman for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Vicky Bell, said she'd never heard of a dog voluntarily acting as a guide for another dog.

"There's absolutely no option of homing them separately," she said. They have to go as a pair. This is a very unusual case, it's such a lovely story." 

Bonnie and Clyde with handler Riana Blanchard 

Some days my job is easier than others. This is an easy one. I got an e-mail from the Washington Post (who ever thought i'd write that sentence?) about a story running in the paper.

So I cut and pasted the e-mail's subject line and turned into the headline for this post. Now i'm going to paste the body of the e-mail. Then you can go read the story yourself...

Today The Washington Post features a story about how one lost dog helped its owner find unexpected connections in a foreign city. Post foreign correspondent Pamela Constable writes about how her dog, Ahu, a small, slender brown and white street hound which she rescued from under a taxicab at an airport, went missing when the gate was left open, vanishing into Islamabad, Pakistan.

 According to Constable, Islamabad is a city of many pet owners but few animal lovers. Affluent families dote on imported Persian and Siamese cats and retired officers walk their German shepherds or stout yellow labs, but she has rarely seen anyone express concern or affection for a street dog. So she is surprised when, during her search, she eventually connects with strangers in a city where she has many professional acquaintances but no close friends

 

Here's a novel program I'd not heard about before.

It's called ZAPP -- which stands for Zero Additional Pup-ulation Project -- and it takes aim at reducing the numbers of stray dogs and cats on the streets in Baja.

So here's the deal: ZAPP runs a "Shoes for Spays" program and here's how it works:

Funds are currently unavailable in this region as the animal overpopulation crisis continues to grow. ... By seeking out "shoe addicts" and animal lovers alike who want to turn "no longer gently-worn to new shoes" into funds for spay/neuter clinics, ZAPP takes donated men's and women's shoes, details them, and resells them out of their eBay Shoe Store.

"Funds are unavailable in Mexico for a project such as this," said ZAPP founder Steven Forman. "We need major support to make this initiative possible and we hope that people across the U.S. will join us by donating their unwanted, re-sellable shoes so that we can turn them into spay/neuter surgeries."

This idea has (already) allowed San Felipe (in Baja) to spay and neuter more than 5,500 animals to date, at a rate of 100 per month, and a cost of $30 per surgery to ZAPP.

ZAPP needs gently worn to new shoes donated to help spay and neuter as many dogs and cats as possible in San Felipe, where 92 percent of the existing animals live on the streets.

Send shoe donations to:

 

ZAPP

Attn: Shoes for Spays

95 East Highway 98

Calexico, CA 92232

 

 

It's a true fact that I I have the cutest dog in the world, don't bother denying it. (True, he's the worst behaved dog too, but behvior and looks don't really intersect)

But for those who foolishly disagree, a contest is being held by a dog-food company that will settle the issue once and for all.

Here's a press release I got (I get a lot of press releases) (I also use a lot of parantheses)

All American Pet Company(tm), maker of super premium dog-food brands Bow Wow Breakfast(tm) Cereal and Grrr-nola(tm) Natural Dog Food, has partnered up with DOG.com, iBeatYou.com and PromotingGroup.com to present its first-ever Cutest Dog Competition. Starting August 1, 2009, every dog owner in America will have the opportunity to submit a picture of his or her pooch to show the world how cute it is.

The finalists from these submissions will be given the chance to win the grand prize of $1 million. The deadline for submissions is October 23, 2009. Dog owners who wish to submit their photos for this competition should visit: www.cutestdogcompetition.com, follow the ontest entry form and upload a digital photo of their pup. The contest is eligible to residents of the fifty United States and District of Columbia who own a dog and have online photo-uploading capabilities. 

The contest will be judged by online public voting from the photo entrees submitted to the contest site. Twelve weekly semi-finalists will each win $500 in cash. From those 12 weekly winners, 4 finalists will be determined by the greatest number of public votes and will each receive $5000 in cash.

A panel of judges will pick the nation's Cutest Dog and award the grand prize of $1 million on Thanksgiving Day.

The Cutest Dog Competition is an extension of the Bow Wow Million Dollar Look-a-Like Contest. Previous entries will automatically be entered for a chance to win.

Here's another L.A. dog who needs a home, Eartha.

Her story from the email we received:

'If you see two life forms, one of them's making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge?'  - Seinfeld

That's how we used to do it.

But now there are actual instructions on how to find a lost cat, courtesy of Associated Press and our fellow bloggers at Animal Crazy in Florida:

• Be positive the cat isn't in the house.
• If you think you know the cat's exit point, start there and think like a cat.
• Follow the cat's liekly paths and look for hiding places.
• Look nearby.
• Look down.
• Use a flashlight, even in daytime.
• If you find the hiding place, don't chase.
• If you spot the cat but can't get it to come to you, set up a human trap.
• If you've looked all over, don't give up.
• Put up posters.
• Hand out fliers.

Cooper upside down:

Cooper now aspires to become a cat hat on owner Sandy. He is afraid of the kitchen and is already bored with chasing his toy mice.

I told Sandy to buy him some real ones to set loose in the apartment. Every cat needs a challenge. Just for fun.

Any suggestions for treating kitten boredom?

 

 

Daizy is one lucky Texas dog.

Missing for 10 months after Hurricane Ike, she has been reunited with her family in Clear Lake.

KHOU in Houston has the story and a video. From the story:

The hurricane blew down Joe and Kathy Bauer's back fence, so they took Daizy and her Blue Lacy companion, Hank, to the Pet Palace in Webster for boarding until they could get the fence repaired.

"We ended up getting a call at 10 a.m. saying the dogs were both gone. Both of 'em," said Joe Bauer.

They found Hank that same day wandering in a wooded area behind the boarding kennel, but Daizy was gone.

"The kids would ask when it was freezing cold, when we had the snow, when we had the thunderstorms, they would say, 'Where is Daizy? What do you think she's doing? Is she OK?'" said Bauer.

Read the rest of the story at the link above.

(A Blue Lacy dog, by the way, was a new one to me.)  

From City News Service:

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Masai giraffe that has lived at the Los Angeles
Zoo since 1983 has died, likely due to complications that arose while giving
birth to a stillborn calf, zoo officials said today.
   The giraffe, Asali, was a year old when she arrived at the zoo from
Kenya. She had given birth to 12 calves during her time at the zoo.
   ``The Los Angeles Zoo is saddened by the loss of Asali,'' said Zoo
Director John Lewis. ``Over her many years here at the zoo, Asali was viewed by
millions of visitors and over two generations of school children. For many who
will never travel to Africa, Asali served as an ambassador to her wild cousins
and provided our guests with the opportunity to marvel at the beauty and
massive height of this species.''
   According to zoo officials, veterinarians worked for two days to remove
a stillborn calf from Asali. She died shortly after the calf was removed.
   Asali was one of the last wild-caught Masai giraffes to enter the United
States, zoo officials said. The 12 calves she gave birth to were sent to zoos
across the country, and several have given birth or sired offspring of their
own.
   Bob Barnes, the zoo's registrar, said he remembered helping to transport
Asali to the zoo from Los Angeles International Airport in 1983.
   ``We loaded her shipping crate onto a stake-bed truck and drove her up
the Harbor Freeway to the zoo,'' he said. ``She wasn't full grown, so we could
easily drive the truck underneath the overpass. The crate didn't have a top and
a lot of the people on the Harbor Freeway were surprised to see a giraffe
driving past them.''

Just got this from a reader who took this picture with a cell phone during a visit to the Rancho Palos Verdes shoreline. The dog looks vaguely familiar, but I can't be sure. Anyway, this is Barkley, who has just come down the steep hill at the super-duper secret dog beach that isn't really a dog beach.

 

 

Yeah, this is stupid. But one of these dogs really is my dog. If you guess which one, I'll send you a Daily Breeze pencil! And no multiple guesses allowed. No sisters either.

 

 

This comes from our frenemies at L.A. Unleashed, the Los Angeles Times' vastly inferior pet blog. You should only read this pet blog. Accept no substitutes!

A piano-playing cat named Nora took YouTube by storm a few years ago when her owners, married Philadelphia-based artists Burnell Yow! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of his name) and Betsy Alexander, uploaded a video of her performances to the site.
Yow! and Alexander meant simply to share the video with Alexander's students (she teaches piano in addition to her work in music composition and studio art) and with their niece, who lived across the country.  But word spread quickly among the Internet cat meme community; since the original video was uploaded in early 2007, it's received more than 14 million views.  (A second video, dubbed "The Sequel - Better than the original!" was added a few months later and has garnered another 4 million views.)  
Earlier this year, Lithuanian conductor Mindaugas Piecaitis caught wind of the phenomenon and decided to compose an orchestral piece to frame Nora's piano playing.  The resulting composition, "Catcerto" (Piecaitis' overly precious title, not ours), premiered at the Klaipeda Concert Hall on June 5.  Video of Nora, the "featured soloist," played on a giant screen behind the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra during the performance.

This has nothing to do with animals and everything to do with me.

 

 

But these bunnies are Playboy Bunnies. And the dogs are the kind you wrap in buns and over with relish. It seems the bunnies don't want you to eat the dogs. It's some sort of PETA trick.

They say these things always happen in threes. First Walter Cronkite, then Billy Mays. And now Gidget, the Taco Bell Chihuahua has died.

She charmed millions without ever saying a word, and managed to make fast food tacos adorable. Gidget, the Chihuahua best known for her Taco Bell ad campaign, died from a stroke on Tuesday night at age 15. 

RIP Gidget. May you you have fun in the giant chalupa in the sky.

I feel silly for even having to say this, but don't leave your pets in your car when it's hot out. Babies yes, animals no.

We've posted expansively on the new kitten adopted by our colleague, Daily Breeze reporter Sandy Mazza.

But wait! There's more. (And, yes, our readers have been clamoring, yea demanding that we post an update, already. Well, two of you, anyway.) So here it is:

1. The kitten, a former feral Sandy found outside her apartment building, now has a name: Cooper. The decision? Ain't complicated. No particular deep meaning, despite all our efforts in sending Sandy links to Irish names, cat names, kitten names, boy names. Mainly, the name was chosen because Sandy, for days in angst over what to name the critter, began calling him "Goober" for lack of anything formal. She figures Cooper is not only much more respectable but it also rhymes with Goober so perhaps he won't be too confused. My cat lady friend also tells me Cooper happens to be a popular right now, she's got "one" (meaning a cat named Cooper).

2. There was a brief flurry of panic over the weekend when Cooper suddenly slowed w-a-y down from his usual frantic, mouse-chasing self. He stopped eating and fell asleep, prompting new mom Sandy to dash him to the pet clinic. A virus & fever, apparently, and after receiving a shot Cooper bounced back to his normal self.

3. And finally, (drum roll) we've saved the best for last. The new, updated pic, showing Cooper in a rare moment of rest with one of his 4 toy mice:

All in unison now: AWWWWwwwwwww.

 

 

Previous posts (voluminous, they are!) about Sandy's kitten: Fleas;  The new kitten: an update; New kitten: Gifts! Mice!  Cats + lasers = Good times;  It's all about Sandy's kitten.

Here's a little tale out of Tyler, Texas:

Chastity Erbaugh was heating up a Great Value brand of steamable green beans -- making lunch for her kids when she discovered a nasty surprise.

"Thank goodness I had put butter in the bottom of the bowl," said Erbaught. "I went to stir it and there's this brown clump."

The clump turned out to be (ugh!) a frog.

An investigation is underway.

Read all about it at KLTV's web site.

I first wrote about the South Bay "dog" beach about a year ago and I still get the occassional e-mail about it.

(For some reason, a post I wrote about seeing a snake on The HIll also continues to draw interest as well)

The missives about it tend to be of three types:

There are the people who want directions how to get there

There are the people who already go there and are upset that I'm sharing the secret.

And there are the people who live not far away who scream bloody murder because -- God forbid! -- somebody is using a beach a quarter mile from where they live. I guess having their own private beach isn't enough for them. They want the beach next to them to be forbidden. Good luck with that.

I love getting letters like that. Feel free to write more. I'll post them, even if you call me an idiot. Heck, ESPECIALLY if you call me an idiot.

I enjoy it because really, who can be justified in being upset about me giving directions to a beach that's open to the public? It belongs to all of us.

And before I divulge the info, please know that while the beach is a wonderful place to walk your dog, it is certainly illegal to have them off leash there. If you get caught -- and people have been caught there -- you'll get a nasty fine. But people do it all the time. It's great fun to see dogs splashing and running in the water.

And in fact, it's a nice place to go without a dog. It's very rugged and unspoiled. You also have to climb down a pretty steep cliff to get there, so you have to be in decent shape. And it's very secluded, which means you're likely to find the carcass of a fly-infested sea animal rotting on the shore, so it's not for everybody.

And of course, always be a considerate person and bring bags with you to clean up after your dog. You have to promise to do that.

OK, so here we go

Drive down to the Trump golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes. The address is One Ocean Trails Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes,

It's off of Palos Verdes Drive South, about a mile from the border with San Pedro.

Head down Ocean Trails Drive until you see a public parking lot. You can park there. It's near the club house.

From there, head down past the gazebo. The trails are public access, so don't feel like you're tresspassing.

The trails go in two directions, but both will take you to beach access. As you get near the cliff, you'll see a little sign that says "beach access." Follow it down.

If you take the trail on the right (which is the steeper of the two), you'll wind up at the secluded beach. If you take the trail on the left (which is easier, but longer), you need to turn right when you get to the bottom and go a few hundred yards.

And that's it.

Enjoy. Behave. And I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

 

 

 

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/map/46291719/rancho_palos_verdes_ca/trump_national_golf_club.html

Here's a new gadget that claims to translate what your dog's barking, whining and growling really means.

Called the Bowlingual, the device was developed by a Japanese toymaker. It's strapped to your dog's collar so when your dog makes a noice, the Bowlingual analyzes whe he's trying to say via an LCD screen.

Oh, but here's the catch. It's all in Japanese.

Probably just as well.

There I was, minding my own business and enjoying a summer day at Averill Park in San Pedro, when out of nowhere, we were beset by a crazed goose!

One of these dogs belongs to my sister, the crazy dog lady of Torrance.

The other dog also belongs to my sister.

One of them is named Cosmo. The other is named Sherman. But it's beyond me to be able to tell which is which.

My sister claims to be able to tell them apart. And I assume the dogs can tell each other apart. But the rest of us will just have to guess.

Anyway, the two of you who read this bog (not including my sister) may recall a post I wrote several months ago about how Cosmo got into my sister's purse and ate a bottle of over-the-counter pain pills. I think it was Advil.

After spending days and days in the hospital, he began a slow recovery. As you can see by the picture, he seems to be feeling much better, whichever one he is.

Being a dog used to be more fun than it is now. Can you imagine doing this now?

Revolting indeed.

In Africa and South America large ants or beetles are put along the closed "lips of a wound" so that their mandibles clamp down at the edge. When ants along the edge have sufficiently stapled the gash closed, the surgeon twists the bodies from the clamped heads and lets that sucker heal. Once they've clamped, there's little you can do to unclamp these demons.

An informal, outdoor memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. today for "Betzi" Stratton, one of the guiding lights through the years for the Redondo Beach Dog Park.

If they're covered in hair, they're fodder for a pet blog. So says I.

This needs little explanation for those of us who have had destructive dogs.

 

 

HT: Paws 'n Claws

 

 

Forgive us for indulging.

Consider us all doting aunts and uncles to co-worker Sandy Mazza's new kitten, but we can't get enough.

This is one cute -- and lucky -- feral kitten.

He remains nameless, however, although Sandy did really appreciate the suggestions one reader sent us (and she especially liked one of the names, "Rory.")

But Sandy is still mulling it all over when it comes to deciding on a name.

She's leaning back (I think) toward Cormac, which she'd originally thought about. Irish is the theme (since the cat is orange) so I've tried to be helpful, trying to inspire. I've dutifully sent her lists of:

Irish saints ("Uh, uh" she said, shaking her head as she read through the names.)

Irish rivers ("No." 'Nuf said.)

Irish boy names. (Nope, nothing there, she said.)

Dang.

But isn't he just so cute???

 

 

 

They're selling laser pointers at the 99-Cent store for, well, 99 cents!

I bought one and having grown weary of pointing it at my co-workers computer screens behind their backs, I gave it to new cat owner Sandy, so she could play with her nameless kitty.

Look what she's in store for!

 

 

 

I like daschunds. In fact, I always wanted to get a long little doggy.

Sorry, bad joke.

But there is something about those wiener dogs that inspire awe. Their legs are so tiny, their bodies so long, it all seems so unnatural.

If you're a fan of the little guys, or just like to watch them run around, head over to the Wiener Nationals on Saturday July 18.

Hosted by Wienerschnitzel (natch), the event draws hot dog-shaped pups from all over the dog world. Money raised will go to the  Seal Beach Animal Care Center, which isn't in the South Bay, but we can show a little kindness to our friends across the bridge.

This is from the Web site, where you can find much more information.

The Wiener Nationals features all the excitement of a Quarter Horse race, with a total of 87 dachshunds strutting their stuff in front of a packed house at Los Alamitos. A total of 11 trial heats will be contested at 50 yards with the winning wieners advancing to the championship race. The participants were selected based on the creativity of their entries.

Ok, enough with the cat stories. Here's something that I normally wouldn't believe a word of. I mean, flying giant squid with razor-sharp teeth?

But the story happens to be written by a person I know of upstanding character, so I can vouch for its authenticity.

They're in San Diego now, but own crack team of reporters is checking to see if they'll be landing in a South Bay beach near you.

SAN DIEGO -- Thousands of jumbo flying squid -- aggressive 5-foot-long sea monsters with razor-sharp beaks and toothy tentacles -- have invaded the shallow waters off San Diego, spooking scuba divers and washing up dead on tourist-packed beaches.

 

Sandy's now collecting office gifts for her new kitten -- a scratching post and treats appeared at her desk today (courtesy of fellow Daily Breeze staffer & cat owner Andrea Woodhouse):

And here's the kitty with one of his mice -- no name yet, Sandy's thinking of something Irish since he's orange. Suggestions welcome.

 

I posted briefly  yesterday about the cute little orange cat and I wanted to thank you all so much for the helpful advice.

Here's the scoop on the new kitten (not mine): 

The feral kitten (3 months old) was found outside Daily Breeze colleague Sandy Mazza's apartment several days ago with his mom and his sibling. Despite a crusty pus that had almost sealed his little eyes shut, the little guy would approach Sandy, trying to play.

Sandy, an all-around animal lover (don't even get her started on the baby eagle Web cam that's the internet rage right now) took pity on him and threw caution to the wind, scooping him up and taking him in.

She tells me today that he's MUCH improved, he's loving the flea comb and is busy killing his new toy mice. He purrs constantly and the flea situation, for now, is mostly under control. He's entranced by the television set

Sandy took him to the vet Monday night after she'd spotted him lying in her driveway looking "ragged."

Aside from the fleas, a flu-like infection (he still doesn't have much of a voice) and ear mites, the vet said there did not appear to be anything life-threatening. So $200 later (welcome to the club, Sandy), home he came with her, stocked with medications and a followup appointment set for next week.

Here are the first of our "after" pics, he's looking SO much better (and check out the plush new cat bed from PetCo):

OK, South Bay Pets readers. We need your advice.

What's the best way to combat fleas on a 3-month-old (but sickly-recovering, weak) kitten? The topical drops would be too strong for now.

And how about treating a carpeted environment?

Fleabusters? Something else that's effective yet not too costly?

 

 

The poor kitty in question is shown below. ;(

We hope to have a robust 'after" picture in a short time!

  

 

 

The ASPCA has come up with a unique way to determine which pet people should adopt.

It's a color-coded system where pets are given a personality and trait "color" that you can then match to your own personality and preferences -- using criteria based on lifestyle, levels of activity and other traits that will make for a good match.

Dogs, for example, come in "Couch Potato," "Constant Companion," "Teacher's Pet," "Wallflower," "Busy Bee," "Goofball" and "Life of the Party."

Cats come in colors labeled "Private Investigator," "Secret Admirer," "Love Bug, "The Executive," "Sidekick, "Personal Assistant" and "MVP."

 

Half-off adoption fees at L.A. animal shelters will be offered during "Discount Days" from July 15-19.

Dog adoptions will be $63.50, cats $50,50, and rabbits $48.

"Are you ready for a lifetime of love? Don't spend another summer alone."

The South Bay's local L.A. shelter is in San Pedro, at 957 N. Gaffey St.

Available animals at all of the city's six shelters can be viewed online at the city's animal services web site.

These stories are just so horribly sad for me.

In a story posted this morning on the Daily Breeze Web site,  AP reports that as many as 350 dogs have been seized and 20 people arrested in dogfighting raids across five states.

Animal groups say it's the largest simultaneous raid of dogfighting operations in the U.S. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals cooperated in the investigation. The raid was conducted by task forces involving federal, state and local law enforcement agencies:

Dogfighting is banned throughout the United States and is a felony in 48 states. President George W. Bush signed a law two years ago that increased penalties for activities that promote or encourage animal fighting after a long campaign by animal-welfare groups.

 

Who knows how many of these dogs can now be rehabilitated as pets. Dogs who lose are executed. And sadly, weaker, smaller animals, including cats, are often used as "bait" by these criminals to "train" the fighting dogs to be viscious.  

It all makes you wonder who the real animals are in these cases, doesn't it?

 

Somewhat related: Weigh in on our earlier post about pit bulls. 

 

 

Not all dogs and cats are happy. Sometimes they get sad. Sometimes, they contemplate suicide.

Yeah, YOU think it's funny dressing them out in human outfits or ridiculous costumes, but they find it humiliating.

Now there's a Web site where they can share their misery.

Screw the South Bay. I'm taking the dog and the cat and moving to Huntington Beach.

 According to Dog Fancy magazine's annual Dogtown USA contest, Huntington was named one of the top three "Dogtowns" in the nation.

Sharing the top honors were San Diego and Carmel by the Sea.

Nowhere to be found were Hawthorne, Torrance, Carson, Gardena or Redondo Beach. What a bunch of losers!

"This year, we wanted to recognize cities of all sizes for welcoming dogs and their owners as residents. Coincidentally, all three cities that came out at the top of their respective dog piles are in California," said Susan Chaney, the magazine's editor. [how do I get a job like that?]

The tide is rising nationwide, she said, adding that "we know from our research over the last five years that more cities all over the U.S. are growing more dog-friendly."

Each year, Dog Fancy asks readers for nominations for America's most dog- friendly cities. The criteria used to select the winning city include dog- friendly open spaces and dog parks, events celebrating dogs and their owners, high vet-to-dog ratios, abundant pet supply and other services, and municipal laws that support and protect all pets.

Few topics spark more controversy among dog owners and non-dog owners alike than pit bulls: Are they inherently dangerous?

What prompts pit bull attacks? Nature or nurture?

I'm no expert. There are several friendly, well-behaved pit bulls I've known through the years at various off-leash dog parks. I've also had two of my dogs attacked by off-leash pit bulls (one at a dog park; the other incident occurred when a huge pit bull literally snapped its leash being held by a way-too-young child and charged across the street where I was leash walking my two dogs. The pit had my Australian shepherd Mercy on her back yelping within seconds; fortunately a man doing yard work nearby ran to our rescue and finally wrestled & kicked the pit bull off).

I confess that I keep an extra close eye on the breed when they're around until I'm reassured that particular dog is "ok." It helps to have a clearly responsible owner who keeps close watch on their dog as well. Heavy chain or spiked collars and owners who appear enamored of the "gang" look raise an instant red flag for me.  

My very un-expert view is that pit bulls do carry fighting dog genetics that may cause them to be aggressive. But owners also play a major role and can be a big influence by raising the animals with love along with lots of basic obedience and discipline. They should always be careful in public to follow leash laws. (A friend who once adopted a pit bull was told by her dog trainer that she'd have to demonstrate she had exceptional control over her dog to avoid scaring neighbors or others who might see them out on a walk.) 

I bring this up because fellow blogger Diana Chapman, a former Daily Breeze reporter, posted last weekend about an incident in which a neighborhood pit bull killed a cat. I can't imagine witnessing such a horrific sight, but her teen son did. She suggests a law requiring pit bulls to be registered with the authorities. She writes:

To me, this is a much better solution than outright bans on the animals, which some cities have done, or trying to prevent future breeding. Ruling dangerous dogs as potential weapons ... could give police and animal control the ability to confiscate such animals and cite owners for neglect.

Web sites abound about pits, both pro and con,  Voices on both sides are passionate.                                 

What's your take on the issue?    

The name might tell you something, so prospective adopters beware! This lively pup is in a foster home in L.A. From the email:

Crash is an 8 month old female pit mix puppy. She has lots of energy and is extremely playful with other dogs and people. Her favorite game is tug of war with both her human and doggie friends. She loves to go on runs, snuggle watching movies, and go on car rides. She likes cats and kids, but could use work on her manners and learn to be more gentle with both. She has attended basic obedience training, and loves to show off her sit, down, and stay, so long as she is rewarded with lots of snacks. She would do best in an active home where she could go on long walks and spend lots of time with her new family. Contact Terrell at 323-385-8993 or tc2806@hotmail.com.

 

Check out Melissa Pamer's story in today's Daily Breeze about Redondo Beach Police officers who will compete this summer in the World Police & Fire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Fourth. Fireworks. Lotsa noise. 

They're back.

This is not the Bo you've heard about who is now living in the White House. 

I don't know.

But I figure one of our readers might. 

Where are the best deals on vaccinations these days in the South Bay or Harbor Area? City-sponsored clinics? Store clinics? Mobile vets?

I was talking to someone today who told me she's been unable to find a price that's significantly under what her vet would charge.

Suggestions?