This is about cats...not Satchmo

Image by shannonpatrick17 via Flickr

I know this blog is about my dog, Satchmo, but I just have to talk a minute about cats.  I live in an apartment complex in Austin, TX.  As you may know, apartments are a veritable source of feral cats from people moving away and leaving pet cats, the industrial dumpsters filled with trash attract strays, etc.  So, there used to be a black female cat that "sort of" lived down the row from my house--(I say sort of because the elderly lady living there did not own the cat, she just felt sorry for her and fed her fairly often).  Anyway, this cat has had several litters of kittens in the two years I have been here.  The problem is that they are feral and yet they live up close to people.  What usually happens is the kittens either get run over in the parking lot, get eaten by wild animals (I've seen foxes, skunks, and snakes), or they go all wild and run off. 

Anyway, before this lady moved, there was a litter of 4 little black kittens living inside her car (which was never used because she was house-bound).  One was run over, another was killed because he was up inside a motor well when the owner started the car--but two remained.  My Satchmo has always loved cats and so he wants to go check on the kittens whenever we go outside, so I guess I was sort of familiar to these little babies.  So, when she moved, I began feeding them on my porch. 

It did not take even a day for them to find my food and start sleeping on the chairs outside.  So, recently, they have become quite curious about where Satchmo and I go when we go inside.  I frequently find them sitting just outside the door when I open it.  So, last night I put the dogs up in my bedroom and left the front door open for a long time.  These two little black fuzz balls cautiously came up to the door and then-----they came inside.  They were very frightened and bolted if you moved, but they stayed in the front area sniffing and looking for quite some time.

My goal with these two is to be able to capture them and take them to be sterilized and get shots before returning them to their current life as outside cats (unless they want to come inside again).  We'll see.  I don't know if this is possible, but I will keep trying.

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Rattie Idol Contest!!!

Go to this link to get all the details.  This sounds like fun and the proceeds go to help rescued rat terriers. 
If you have a rattie, send your fee and try to win!  This year there are 3 categories and 3 prizes!
 

RATTIE CUTIE PIE Winner will recieve:
For our two-legged Rattie Cutie Pie winner, a Rat Terrier Ball cap, a Tote Bag from SitStay.com, a "Dog is my Co-Pilot" T-Shirt, a $50 e-gift certificate to restaurants. com and for our four-legged Rattie Cutie Pie winner a $25 Petsmart Gift Card and a Pet-A-Roo Pet Carrier by Outward Hound - size Medium, black

RATTIE PERFORMER Winner will recieve:
For our two-legged Rattie Performer winner, a Rat Terrier Ball cap, a Tote Bag from SitStay.com, a "Dog is my Co-Pilot" T-Shirt, a $50 e-gift certificate to restaurants. com and for our four-legged Rattie Performer winner a $25 Petsmart Gift Card and a Roadie Canine Vehicle Restraint System Multi-Use Safety Harness, for dogs 15-20 lbs.

RATTIE STYLE Winner will recieve:
For our two-legged Rattie Style winner, a Rat Terrier Ball cap, a Tote Bag from SitStay.com, a "Dog is my Co-Pilot" T-Shirt, a $50 e-gift certificate to restaurants. com and for our four-legged Rattie Style winner a $25 Petsmart Gift Card and a Quick Release Dog Backpack by Outward Hound, size small (dogs up to 18 lbs).

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Here's a reason to have a dog if you need one

Every day I find articles that show how having a dog or any type of pet is beneficial to the owner.  That said, I also find articles that show how loyal, loving, and unselfish our animal companions can be.  Just surfing the net will elicit numerous articles about pets who have "saved" their owners from harm; there are, however, just as many if not more articles that show how cruel and hateful people can be to our animals.  Below is a wonderful article from Britain that illustrates the loyalty and  love a dog has for whoever shows some care and respect to it.  This dog deserves to find a forever home and I hope he does so very soon.
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An epileptic dog rescues its carer after he collapsed

The rescue centre will pay all vet fees relating to his epilepsy if he's rehomed

A dog that suffers from epilepsy has helped rescue his carer, after he collapsed in the snow.

Bentley the dog raced back to the rescue centre in Evesham where he is cared, for to get help.
Chris Slight, from Dogs Trust Evesham said: "The weather was atrocious that day and I dread to think what could have happened to Pete if Bentley hadn't raised the alarm."
The canine hero Bentley is still looking for a home.
Bentley led staff to where Pete was, and they helped him back to the centre, where he was wrapped him in dog blankets, to warm him up until the ambulance arrived.

Two-year-old Bentley is still looking for a new home

After hospital tests Pete recovered and was welcomed back to work by Bentley.
Gentle giant
Pete describes the American bulldog as a "gentle giant" who gets on well with other dogs, and would be best suited to a family with older children.
The rescue centre will pay all vet fees relating to his epilepsy if he is rehomed.
Anyone interested in giving Bentley a home should ring the Dogs Trust Evesham on 01386 830613.

OMG!!!! Who could be so seriously cruel and hateful?

Here is a blog post I found at Dandelion Arts that just stopped me cold.  I was dumbfounded and my heart was broken.  I absolutely cannot understand this behavior.  I am so grateful for the person who found and rescued this little boy.  He certainly has not experienced any kernel of kindness from humans in his life it seems.  Maybe, now, he can see that people don't have to be horrible and he can feel love.

This is just not acceptable behavior in a civilized nation.  This needs to be investigated and prosecuted.

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Helping poor little Prince Babe get to rescue...

I'll be helping this poor little urchin get to rescue next week. His name is PRINCE BABE, an approximately 5-year old Chihuahua that was found in a box near an apartment complex. Here is what the foster mom wrote about Babe:

As you can see he is quite pitiful. However, he looks tremendously better than when I got him on 1/4/10. When they first saw him at Whitfield Animal Hospital on 12/30/09, he weighed 4 lbs. He now is 5 lbs. and 11 ounces. He has also had several medicated baths which help with the peeling skin - a by-product of bad nutrition and a bacterial infection. He is taking antibiotics, prednisone, and soloxine. The first few days I had him, he just slept. I woke him up to eat after which he would go potty (he uses puppy pads.) I didn't think that was healthy so I took him to Dalton Animal Care where they put him on the medications and advised the medicated baths. They also clipped his nails, cleaned his ears, etc. It didn't take but a day on the meds before he actually became alive. He still doesn't play - don't think he knows how, but he does get up and roam around the house and eats like a horse. He also loves to be held and petted.

Such a sad little guy. I hope after our "transport train" gets him to his destination that he will be loved and cherished, instead of abandoned in a box suffering from disease and malnutrition. I don't understand this behavior.

LAFD says saving dog was the right thing to do

 I am so proud of these firemen.  Saving a dog is a true act of kindness and shows that we still have an idea of what is right in the world.  I read this article, after watching the dog rescue on the news, and I was amazed that anyone would find fault with this rescue.  What if this had been a child?  Dogs are family to most people and deserve to be treated as such.  These men were acting in the best interest of the dog, the community and of each other.  They are to be honored and respected. 

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_ ______________________________________
By SUE MANNING
The Associated Press
Monday, January 25, 2010; 4:56 PM


LOS ANGELES -- Saving a German shepherd stuck in the rising Los Angeles River was the right thing to do, the risks were slight, rescue crews were on standby, extra taxpayer money wasn't used and the alternatives were unacceptable, authorities said Monday.
The helicopter and swift water rescue crew members that saved the dog on Friday have been hailed as heroes, feted on television and radio and congratulated on the Web and in print. But they have also been vilified by a few in blogs, on social networks and story comment sections.
"You're not going to please everybody. There's always 10 percent, they either don't like animals or think we are wasting taxpayer money," Capt. Steve Ruda said.
The dog, nicknamed Vernon after the city where he was rescued, remained in quarantine at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shelter in Downey, just south of Los Angeles.
Joe St. Georges, 50, the 25-year firefighting veteran who hoisted Vernon to safety, lost a fingernail and fractured a thumb when the dog bit him during the rescue. St. Georges just needs time to heal and he will be back at work, Ruda said. "He's anxious to get back to work to be with his crew."
The dog, which appears to be about 4 years old and weighs about 65 pounds, was eating everything given to him, sleeping well and showing no signs of rabies, said Capt. Aaron Reyes, director of operations for the SAACA shelter.
If no owner shows up, "we do have a mile-long list of people who want him," Reyes said.
On several Internet sites with comments about the rescue, the only people who left their names were those who supported the effort. There were a couple of open critics, but their identities were not easy to decipher.
Friday's rescue was televised nationally by the major cable channels.
About an eighth of a mile downstream from the rescue site, the water was much deeper and the current much faster, Reyes said.
The dog would have drifted on down and died. Do you just wait at the mouth of the river and wait for the carcass? Any way you slice it, that is unacceptable. They would not have been able to live that down," Reyes said. "They made a decision and we support that decision."
Firefighters on the ground said a crew could get the dog and the helicopter pilot, who had been standing by just 45 seconds away from the river, reported he could clear high tension lines in the area, Ruda said.
Swift water teams were on standby because of weeklong storms that had dumped as much as 8 inches of rain on some parts of Los Angeles County, Ruda said. Although as many as 50 firefighters were at the river, no firefighters were called in on overtime to take part in the rescue.
"All life is important," Ruda said. To prove his point, he pointed out that firefighters carry oxygen masks for cats and dogs that become victims of fire.
In addition, he said, 900 people die every year across the country in water accidents and one-third of them are rescuers. If St. Georges and his crew had failed to get the dog, "civilians, do-gooders and good Samaritans" would have been in the river, Ruda said.
The dog is thoroughly enjoying all the attention, Reyes said. "He's a big lover" and caters to women at the shelter.
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On the Net:
LA Fire Department:http://www.lafd.org
Shelter:http://www.seaaca.org

Here's the link to the original article

Dogs make great heroes, don't you think?

Anna Zizi (69) lay trapped under the ruins of the catholic cathedral ‘Notre Dame de L’Assomption’ in Port-au-Prince for 167 hours – without food or water. No one heard her cries for help.
She was finally detected by rescue workers with the help of a search tool.
But the hero of the hour was a German dog from North Rhine-Westphalia called Pablo.
The four-year-old Portuguese waterdog, the same breed as the Obama’s dog, had just finished his schooling in Germany before being sent on his first mission to Haiti.
After arriving in Haiti on Saturday with a team of 14 people from the ‘German Earthquake Rescuers’ he was immediately ordered to come to the cathedral.
His dog handler Anja Fiedler (42) said: “Pablo barked straight on the spot where we then found the woman.”
A Mexican rescue team dug for five hours in order to free the woman. As she was carried to an ambulance, she said: „I’m OK. My leg hurts.“ Her doctors discovered that she had a broken leg, was nearly totally dehydrated and had damaged her hip.
The German rescue team are proud of their “wonder dog Pablo”. Anja Friedler said: “Pablo never tires. It’s great to work with him. As a treat he got a dog biscuit.”
But how many miracles will there be in Haiti? Nine days after the earthquake first hit, rescue workers are still working hard against the clock to find survivors.
Their persistence was rewarded earlier after two children were reunited with their mother after being found alive under the rubble.
Kiki (8) and his sister Sabrina (10) managed to survive without food and water for over a week. The boy winked and smiled as he was freed by jubilant rescue workers and was greeted by his ecstatic mother.
So far 120 people have been rescued alive from under the rubble in Haiti, reported the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Around 75,000 people are estimated to have died, 250,000 more wounded. Around 1.5 million people have been left homeless.
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Please visit the original link here and click on the same picture of the dog.  You will see 60 photos of the devastation and ruin that is now Haiti.  These are disturbing pictures, but they are a true depiction of what these people are going through right now.  I think it is necessary for us to see this tragedy and feel something, even if it is only a minimal fraction of what these people are feeling. 

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Let's not forget the animals in Haiti, too!

I was watching the evening news about Haiti and about how slow help has been for this disaster struck country.
Immediately, in my mind, I envisioned all the dogs and cats in Louisiana that were left and stranded by the Hurricane.  No one is talking about what is happening to the animals of Haiti.  Are they being eaten?  Where are they? 

I received another email from the same veterinarian about this exact subject and I am including it here:
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This is an article from the ASPCA's site-
Many have you have written and asked about
helping animals in Haiti.

--------------------------
Helping Animals in Haiti
--------------------------

With hearts and minds focused squarely on the devastating
earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 12, the ASPCA
extends its full support to those organizations providing
humanitarian relief in the ravaged island nation. Soon, the
animal victims of this disaster will need help, too--that's
why the ASPCA has joined the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti
(ARCH).

ARCH was created to address the needs of animals in Haiti in
this time of crisis. The coalition is headed by the International
Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the World Society for the
Protection of Animals (WSPA), and in addition to the ASPCA,
consists of a number of animal welfare groups including American
Humane, Best Friends, the Humane Society of the United States
and Humane Society International.

The ASPCA has joined ARCH with the belief that partnering across
organizations is the most effective way to address the serious
and enormous problems facing animals in Haiti. There are an
estimated 5 million head of livestock in the country (mostly goats),
 a large stray dog population, and an untold number of companion
animals and native wildlife all adversely affected by the earthquake.

Currently, a team of experts in animal emergency response is staging
 in the Dominican Republic waiting to get into Haiti to begin work.
IFAW and WSPA have also begun to stock a mobile clinic with
vaccines, antibiotics, bandages, food and other supplies in
anticipation of bringing direct aid to animals.

The ASPCA has committed to providing logistical support to the
disaster responders from the U.S. In addition, the ASPCA stands
ready to deploy highly skilled and specially trained members of
our own Field Investigations and Response Team to the area.

As part of ARCH, the ASPCA urges you to donate directly towards
the animal welfare Haitian relief efforts by visiting IFAW or
WSPA. If you would like to contribute to these efforts, please
donate here:


https://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/3095_haiti_disaster_appeal_1_10_general.cfm

or here:

https://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_international/donate_now/haiti_earthquake.php#x




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I know that helping animals takes a back seat to helping children and people, but let us just no forget to give aid for animals.  They, too, have been devastated by this tragedy and deserve our help.