So I'm sure all of you are aware of all Internet traditions and you know what Serious Cat is. Thing is, I've seen this particular...deformity I guess you'd call it in other cats before, and my partner's mother even has a cat with that particular facial structure. Anyone know what it is or if it's genetic or how it's caused?
So my husband and I have two dogs. One is great. He just kinda exists and what not. However, the other is really in need of some work. Both were abused and abandoned so both are really attention needy and cry whenever you leave them. However, Rancher is severely fearful of people, extremely hyper, jumpy and constantly wants you attention. Both dogs do not like having their nails cut which is a problem since we have all wood floors. So another question would be, claw caps? How well do they work? We walk our dogs all the time since we do not have a fenced in yard. I don't think they'd last long with the cement.
I know how to do basic obedience but Rancher's problems I have not dealt with before. Also, any other tips would be greatly appreciated! Any information you need, just ask!
Background: we have a male 5 year old lab and doberman or rottie mix named Shadow. He was adopted earlier this year from the local SPCA, before that he was with one other family (who had issues with their kid) and before that he was a stray.
We went to the vet's office that my mate's mother uses, and they want to charge us $105 a year, or $13 a pill for heartworm medication. To me, that's highway robbery and since my mate is now out of work and I'm facing an uncertain future in a month or two at my job—if the expense is not justified we can't do it.
I grew up around dogs—there was one in my parents' household from the day I was born. We always got heartworm pills, but then again for most of my life my parents' have been fairly well off and it was affordable. However, to listen to my father (who is now retired and thus handles some things he didn't before) the vet that they have gone to for 20 years is also highway robbery—even more so since their dog needs prescription diet food.
But my question to you folks is this—just what are the heartworm risk factors? Shadow is an indoor pup, and rarely-if-ever around other dogs. He doesn't get table scraps and we feed him good dog food. My father told me I can get these same pills online at a more reasonable price (e.g. up to a 50% difference) but they require a prescription, something that our vet charges $11 for. I asked for one but this clearly didn't please the vet and I was given a lecture about online fraud. In the constant stress environment that was my last semester at school, I never filled the prescription and it got lost. Now that our income looks shakier than ever I can't shell out $13 a month if it's not absolutely necessary.
I love our dog and I don't want to see anything bad happen to him; however, I just have a sneaking suspicion that I'm being taken to the cleaners here. Thoughts?
a letter from a shelter manager Date: 2008-12-16, 9:27PM CST
A Letter from a Shelter Manager
I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.
First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.
That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.
The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".
Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.
Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.
If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.
Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".
First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.
When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?
I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.
I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.
Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.
My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!
Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:58:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Katie Hansen <kat2000mh@yahoo.com> Subject: Help To: lovearescue@yahoo.com
I am looking for four dogs that were dropped off at a shelter ( supposedly a no-kill shelter) in at least a three hour radius around Park and Teller County on Oct. 28. There are two 4 year old pointer lab mixes (about 45-55lbs), one black NM (Raven) and one brownish SF (Mariah) and may be without collars, and two 7 year old larger lab mixes (about 90-100lbs), one brindle NM (BooBoo) and one redish/tan SF (Sasha) with a thyroid condition and may not currently be on medication. There is a possibility they were separated and dropped off at different shelters. Two of them are mine and two are my mothers. They were with my dad who agreed to watch them at his home in Florissant until the end of Febuary while we saved money and looked for places with enough room for all of them. Without any notice whatsoever he took them to a pound and refuses to tell me where. These dogs mean the world to me and my mom, they have pulled us through very hard times and we have been working very hard to find places of our own were we can watch them romp and play. I will do anything in my power to get them back. Please help. I am currently in Fort Collins. I can be reached at 719-271-5897. I would drop everthing to come get these dogs. I have attached pictures of the dogs. Please contact me if you recognize any of them, we love these dogs very much and the past few months without them have been very hard. The thought of them in a shelter is unbearable to me. I Have e-mailed this to as many shelters between Pueblo and Denver as I can, any help in forwarding this to more shelters and/or adoption centers would be appreciated, thank you. Katie Hansen 719-271-5897
I have the picture of all for of them, supposed they are in Wyoming somewhere. if anyone can help and needs the photo, please email me and I'll send it to you.
Hello :3 I'm new to the group. I am Kat. The creator of Halloween Cat Arts and Productions. Sada Aoko and Pumpkin Spicer are my two of three fursona's and are the "halloween cats". Sada I tend to roleplay more and is my more dominant fursona. She is a black and lime green Lybica (close ancestor to the European/Sicilian Wildcat). Pumpkin is her brother. He is black and orange. I'm also a novice fursuit crafter and anthro artist (any tips is well appreciated if you browse my fa page *plug* in my links section *end shameless plug*).
I have 2 sons. Lips and Tesaki. They are both black and white medium hair domestics tom cats. They are brothers of the same lil from my dearly departed Aiko.. Lips is very husky and silent and Tesaki is a slender, noisy boy.. Once I get decent pics of them or even video Ill definitely upload them on here :3
A happy sheltie. We took the boys to a furmeet with a group of fellow local furs and they had a ball. My husband and I being vegetarians, the boys don't often get a chance for real meat and they LOVED it,hotdogs and burgers. He was a happy smiling boy.
*note- the dogs are NOT on a veg diet. I feed them Purina Salmon Beneful(for the time being, hoping to get better food for them soon)
curious
chipper