The dogs of Kayenta, AZ -- the saga of one person's drive to help abandoned dogs

This isn't the post I was going to make today.  I was going to talk about taking Satchmo to the vet this morning for his check-up and the exam of a small lump under his front leg.  However, I will post that later.  Instead, I'd like to post about a blog called Sharkey Pup.  On this blog, there are several posts that are about abandoned dogs in Kayenta, Arizona and one person who decided to do something to try to help them out. 

Please read this article below, then click over to read all the rest about the plight of these poor dogs.  There are several other posts, and I suggest you read them all and in order.  This woman is amazing and deserves our appreciation for going out of her way to help innocent animals.
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Burger King To The Rescue

As I drove through Kayenta, Arizona this past week I noticed something odd.  I passed the McDonalds and clustered around the front was a group of about five or six dogs. Same with Burger King and the gas station. Each location had its own group of dogs hovering in the sunshine. With three of my own in the car I didn’t have the opportunity to do anything but get gas and keep traveling. On the way back through, however, I made some inquiries.

 

As I pulled up to the window of Burger King’s drive-thru to get my Whopper Jr. I asked the gal at the window the story about all the dogs.

 

“They get dropped here from all over,” she said. “They’re all strays with no place to go.”

 

“Don’t you have a local shelter or rescue?” I asked. 

 

“Nope, they are on their own here.” She pointed to a larger brown dog just across the drive by the gas station. “That one over there was hit by a car about two months ago. Nobody took it to a vet, that’s why it drags its back leg around.”

 

I looked at the dog she indicated and at the others sitting or walking about. There was an Aussie that was obviously nursing pups she had hidden someplace. The other six or so looked cold and rightly so. It was below freezing at 2:00 in the afternoon.

 

“Where do they go when the temperatures get cold?”

“Wherever they can find to get out of the wind. They are lucky if the kids use them for target practice. At least they’re put out of their misery,” she replied.

 

I was shocked not only by the plight of all these dogs, but by the casual way she talked about them being used for target practice. I pulled into the lot, got out and counted the dogs then went back into Burger King and bought a hamburger for each – the largest I could buy. 

 

I walked out with the bag and all wary eyes were on me. There was snow on the ground but I imagined a good drink of water was also hard to come by. I got out the water bowls I always keep in my vehicle and filled them from the gallon I also haul with me. The dogs all looked at me, the injured one and the mother of pups kept to the back of the group. If they were going to get any food they’d need to be fed separately from the rest.

 

Unwrapping the burgers brought them all in closer, but still they were wary. I quickly threw all but two burgers further across the lot and approached the other two dogs. Setting the food in front of them I stepped back and they ate. My presence kept the rest of the pack away. When they finished I looked around. The others were drinking as if they hadn’t had a drink in weeks. I took one bowl over to the other two and let them drink also. The one that was struck by a car got up and wagged its tail and came close enough to let me stroke his head. He was dragging one leg behind him. The tears came as I sat there a minute giving this poor soul a bit of kindness. I’d have taken them all home with me if I could have but that was impossible. I wished I had a truck and trailer so that I could go back for them. I’d make it my mission to find some no-kill shelters for them, but those are hard to come by as more and more pets are abandoned. 

 

I made some calls today to the state of Arizona. There was no shelter within 100 miles that was willing to go rescue these animals. I felt helpless and hopeless thinking of them out in the sub-freezing weather.  My three were safe in Sandy's care.  They are among the lucky ones.

To read the rest of the story go here:
 http://www.sharkeypup.com/blog/blog/140111024523/The-Dogs-at-Kayenta---The-Story-Continues-by-Susan-R.-Stoltz.htm

Why you NEED and What you should have in a Pet First Aid Kit

One of my favorite resources for pet care and pet health is the Online Vet, also known as Andrew Young.  He is a vet out of Canada and he has numerous ebooks and videos available to help you care for your pet at home and save you time and money while making your pet healthier.  I received an email from his organization today that I felt was important to pass along.  So, below is the article with all the links included to go visit his site (which I wholeheartedly recommend).

He offers numerous other articles that you will find useful and interesting, so please click on the links and visit his site.

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The WHYS and WHAT of a Pet First Aid Kit
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Over nearly 20 years of Veterinary Practice, I have seen THOUSANDS of pet Ailments that could have been treated at home- especially if the owners had caught the problem EARLY, and used an EFFECTIVE Home Remedy.
You should ALL have a basic First Aid Kit- so in the interest of helping your pet, and lowering your Veterinary Fees, here are my suggestions:
It is necessary to have a good first aid kit in order to be prepared for emergencies. There should be a first aid kit in your car, at your job site, and in your home. The more complete your first aid kits are the better you can deal with emergencies when they happen. The best time to assemble those kits is now. If you wait until you are in an emergency situation, you will be too late.
If you have animals, then supplies for them should be included in both your car and your home first aid kits.
The primary objectives of first aid are to relieve suffering, to save a life and to prevent further physical or psychological injuries until you can reach or be reached by qualified health care personnel. These goals will help you assemble your first aid kits. Consider all of the possible emergencies that can happen.
First aid kits should be kept in containers that are labeled as such. Small containers that work well for first aid kits are cosmetic boxes, sewing boxes, tackle boxes, tool boxes, etc. If you purchase your supplies first, you will have a better idea what size box you will need.
Keep the box in a single location in your house, car and work place. Everyone should know where it is. If you are the injured party and unconscious or if you are not present at the time of injury, the best first aid kit in the world will not help when no one can find it. It should be stored out of the reach of very young children and pets.
Here are some basic items that all first aid kits should contain:
1. Rectal Thermometer: The newer electronic kind works best. The electronic ones beep when they are finished registering a temperature. They are slightly smaller than the glass kind. They do not break as easily. They can be covered with thin sleeves to halt the spread of germs. They can also be used as oral thermometers. They do have a battery which will need replacing and they are more expensive then the glass ones.
2. Lubricating Jelly: to lubricate thermometer.
3. Gel packs: Can be used for hot and cold compresses.
4. Adhesive tape: to secure bandages – both non-stick tape and water proof tape.
5. Blunt tipped scissors: a must for animal first aid – used for cutting hair away from wounds.
6. Bandage scissors
7. Splints
8. Alcohol swabs: to sterilize instruments or small areas of skin.
9. Antibiotic ointment: for wounds (not for eyes e.g. Polysporin, for non puncture type wounds).
10. Contact lens solution: for rinsing eyes, to clean wounds (water can be substituted).
11. Cotton swabs: i.e. Q-tips.
12. Hibitane: a mild antibacterial soap for cleaning skin, wounds.
13. Sterile cotton or cotton balls
14. Sterile Gauze Pads: the larger 4 inch size is better since it can easily be cut smaller if necessary.
15. Rolls of gauze or cling gauze bandage: 1-2 inch size.
16. Hydrogen Peroxide: 10 ml every 15 minutes to induce vomiting in animals that have ingested a non-caustic poison.
17. Razor Blade: can also be used to shave away hair and abrade the skin following a tick bite.
18. Stockingette: to protect bandage on leg or foot.
19. Rubber bulb ear syringe: used for flushing eyes, ears, wounds.
20. Forceps and/or tweezers
21. Self-adhesive bandage: i.e. Vetrap.
22. Numbers for the Animal Poison Hotline & Poison Control for Pets:
(ASPCA: 888-426-4435; Pet Poison Helpline: 800-213-6680 (US and Canada); Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435, numbers charge a fee). The National Poison Control Hotlines for humans should also be included.
23. Information card with your Veterinary Emergency Clinic Number
24. Your pet’s baseline Temperature, Pulse, Respirations and Weight
25. A muzzle: or fabric to make one.
26. Bubble Wrap: for making an emergency splint.
27. Elizabethan or E-Collar. Vital to prevent pets from licking, irritating wounds, or making that HOT SPOT larger and becoming an emergency.
28. Activated Charcoal- it is used to prevent toxins from being absorbed- I advise using it after inducing vomiting.
You can take classes to become more proficient in Pet First Aid, but above ALL be ready, for emergencies will happen at the most UNEXPECTED times.
A great way to start is with my book Veterinary Secrets Revealed, or Pet First Aid Secrets. You can find them here:
Veterinary Secrets Revealed
Pet First Aid Secrets

Dr Andrew J
DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. Dr Andrew Jones resigned from the College of Veterinarians of B.C. effective December 1 2010, meaning he cannot answer specific questions about your pet’s medical issues or make specific medical recommendations for your pet.

How can anyone be so cruel--The story of Jack, the Heeler mix

Dispatch from the Espanola Valley Humane Society, March 25, 2011

On Thursday, a local police officer brought a Heeler mix he called Jack into the Espanola Valley Humane Society. The sight horrified those present, and the stench permeated the entire shelter grounds. Jack’s right front leg had been mutilated, and the injury was clearly not new. According to the officer, the dog had been hit by a car about six weeks ago, and he was now worried maggots would begin eating away at the infected limb.

I met Jack yesterday (Friday), after he’d already undergone the amputation surgery. He lifted his head just a tad to sniff my fingers before resting it again on the blankets, still groggy from the sedation. The shelter behaviorist and I sat with him a few minutes, trying to be of some comfort, but knowing the only real relief would come with time — and the strongest legal painkillers.

The photos taken of Jack at his arrival will likely be used as evidence in the court case against his owners. (The images are difficult to look at, but one is available here— view at your discretion.) From the socket hangs what looks like a partially-eaten chicken drumstick. In places, no skin, no cartilage, no tendons. Just completely exposed bone with a knob at the bottom where his paw turns under and a round, deadened area at the top connecting the leg to what was left of his shoulder.

In New Mexico, animal neglect is a misdemeanor. Outright animal cruelty is considered a felony, but like in many states, rarely prosecuted. No question this dog endured extreme neglect, but he was also a victim of outright cruelty. How does a person live day in and day out, for six weeks, with an animal in obvious excruciating pain? I’m not being flippant when I say that ignoring the sight and stench would have had to have taken more effort than simply asking for help.

So far, the Espanola sheriff’s office sees it that way too. A case is being made to prosecute Jack’s owner (if and when they can establish that the man who surrendered him was indeed his owner – the officer has since changed his story) on felony charges. A clip from the local news is avaliable here.

Espanola is not a wealthy community, and the actual shelter building reflects the area’s depressed economic conditions: cement floor, blocky brick walls, makeshift signs, and ramshackle shelving. What it lacks in beauty and warmth is made up for by an utterly devoted staff. When Jack arrived, there was no question they’d do everything they could for him, despite knowing his medical care would cost thousands of dollars. This dog would not be failed by humans again.

As I write this story on Saturday morning, the official update from the shelter reads: “Jack is awake today but having a hard time. We are working on getting him through this rough spot.”

Please consider helping. Donations can be made online at www.evalleyshelter.org/donate (in honor of Jack), over the phone at (505) 753-8662 or mailed to Espanola Valley Humane Society, 108 Hamm Parkway, Espanola NM 87532 (just put "Jack" in the check memo).

Read previous Shelter Dispatch
Read all Shelter Dispatches

Jack, recovering Saturday morning

Topics Dog Rescue And Animal Rescue Stories, News

Related articles

• 76 dead dogs found at Lower Valley Pike shelter (daytondailynews.com)
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• Nevada Bill Seeks to Upgrade Animal Cruelty to a Felony Offense (news.change.org)
• 100 dogs remain at fairgrounds (dispatch.com)

Family dog is not harmless, new study says

When I first read this article, I was really angry.  The last thing we need is "new research" that helps people to distrust pets and react by taking them to the shelters to be destroyed.  After thinking about this article, I think I am guilty of overreacting, myself.  This article simply states that pets and children need to be supervised at all times. 

It is true that the most common victim of dog bites is a child.  That's a fact.  But who thinks about the mental health issues of that dog that had to bite a person to stay safe?  Anyway, with this new perspective, I decided to post this article here and see if you have anything to add or an opinion to share about it.

After reading this article, please click over to my Squidoo lense about dog aggression and read the article there that I wrote entitled, "Dog Bites -- The Ultimate in Dog Aggression".  Leave me a comment there or come back here and tell me what you think.
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As much as we write about the wonderful attributes of dogs and cats, we are sometimes reminded they're not always angels. 

This isn't really news to me, but Fido needs to be supervised around young children, according to a new study.

The study, done by Vikram Durairaj of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, found that dogs usually target a child's face and eyes and most often it's a breed considered "good" with children, like a Labrador Retriever.

"People tend to think the family dog is harmless, but it's not," said Durairaj, associate professor of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. "We have seen facial fractures around the eye, eye lids torn off, injury to the tear drainage system and the eyeball itself."

The study says the likelihood of a child getting bitten in their lifetime is around 50 % with 80 % of those bites involving the head and neck. If a dog bites once, it's likely to bite again with the second attack often more brutal than the first.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year and 885,000 require medical attention. The total cost is estimated at up to $250 million.

The study looked at 537 children treated for facial dog bites at The Children's Hospital on the University of Colorado's...[read more]

Related articles

• Unsupervised Kids at Risk for Dog Bites (children.webmd.com)
• 12 Tips for Dog Bite Prevention (michigandogtraining.wordpress.com)
• Pet Bites and MRSA: A Cause for Concern (everydayhealth.com)
• Keeping Kids Safe From Dog Bites (everydayhealth.com)
• Small dogs are itsy-bitsy biting machines (theglobeandmail.com)
• Let Sleeping Dogs Lie... and Other Ways to Prevent Dog Bites (ecosalon.com)
• Why Children Suffer the Greatest Risk for Dog Bites (psychologytoday.com)
• Some intersting info about dog bites (apitome.wordpress.com)

Police use deadly force on dog; Owner wonders why

This story was posted on my Facebook and I really felt it needs to get as much exposure as possible, so I am posting it here also.  It is from the WLOX channel 13 out of Gulfport, MS.

This story is so sad.  I know there is probably more to this, but the fact is that this officer discharged her weapon in a residential area and a dog died.  There really is no excuse.  What if that dog was yours?  How would you react?  This man took his mortally injured dog to the vet for care and ended up euthanizing her.  Can you imagine his pain and anger?  I certainly can.

Please read the comments below this article on the original site.  There are some interesting facts there. 
Posted: Mar 22, 2011 3:26 PM CDT Updated: Mar 22, 2011 4:19 PM CDT

Samuel Lovato                         Melmo           

Click image to enlarge

By Doug Walker - bio | email
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - Samuel Lovato is still in shock as he recalls the terrible moment when he lost his beloved pet, Melmo, in an instant.
Police were called to a possible break-in at the house next door in the Brentwood subdivision.
"I'm coming out of the house, I just got out of the shower, to go get my dog and I'm opening my door and I see a female cop. And she shot between five and six rounds at my dog," Lovato remembered. "I looked at her and I was shocked. And I said, 'I can't believe you just shot my dog,' and I proceeded to go back in the house."
Melmo was a big dog, more than 120 pounds, but the animal was on a chain in Lovato's back yard. Lovato questioned the use of deadly force.
"The officer was standing approximately right about here, about 30 feet away from where the chain ends."
After the shooting, the dog's obviously distraught owner brought the animal for treatment at the Gulfport Veterinary Hospital, but it was too late. The wounds were too severe and the animal could not be saved.
Dr. Jerry Spears is the veterinarian who treated Melmo.
"From the wounds that I examined, it looks like it had a spinal injury which paralyzed him from the hind legs," Dr. Spears said. "Profuse bleeding from his mouth, plus some internal injuries, both of which led us to euthanize the animal."
Police are looking into the incident, according to Lt. Craig Petersen with the Gulfport Police Department.
"First, we need to conduct our internal investigation," Lt. Petersen said.  "I feel really bad for the gentleman and the loss of his dog, but we'll conduct the internal investigation."
He also said that officers have to make life and death decisions in an instant, including assessing threats from animals.
"The officer has discretion in how to protect themselves in these situations, totally up to the officer based on the facts and circumstances of that particular case."
But this case has left a hole in Lovato's heart that won't heal anytime soon.
"I've had her for 11 years. Eleven years. She was a great dog, a good dog and she was just in her yard doing her job and just being a dog."
There is no timetable for when the investigation will be completed.  The officer involved in the shooting remains on active duty.
Copyright 2011 WLOX. All rights reserved.

Here's an update on the cats.

 Here's KT.









Here's Ditto.

The two older black cats are doing well.  Both are fattening up with all the food I put out.  It helps them both to be fixed so their energy does not go into fighting and mating behaviours. 

Then there are the four kittens left on my doorstep by their mama cat.  I cannot seem to convince them that they do not belong here.  Every night they are sitting outside my door waiting for dinner.  They run the two bigger cats off if they can.  They sleep in my flower beds and flower pots and frequently turn them over.                                                                                                   
Although I don't want to keep them, I have named the two black and white kittens.  They are Tulip and Petunia because they are my flower garden this year.  The other two are all black and they hang back and stay at the edge of the activity.

Ditto and KT have started staying somewhere else when the kittens are outside my door.  Two of these kittens are getting brave enough to let me touch them, so they will soon be going to the vet to get fixed.  The other two I will have to trap, I think.  But if I can trap them, they too will be fixed.  I want no more babies at my door.  It worries me that these kittens and the cats live out in the parking lot of a busy apartment complex, but so far they seem to have learned how to avoid cars and trucks.

I'll try to remember to post on these cats sporadically.  Since, now, they seem to be a fixture in my life and in the family.

Forget the Treadmill. Get a Dog.

This is an article from the New York Times, written by my favorite author, Tara Parker-Pope.  This article shows the health benefits of having a pet in your life.  I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.  It's always nice to be validated, especially in such an authority place like the New York Times!

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By TARA PARKER-POPE

 

 

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times UNLEASHED Among dog owners who went for regular walks, 60 percent met federal criteria for regular moderate or vigorous exercise, a new study says.

 

If you’re looking for the latest in home exercise equipment, you may want to consider something with four legs and a wagging tail.
Several studies now show that dogs can be powerful motivators to get people moving. Not only are dog owners more likely to take regular walks, but new research shows that dog walkers are more active over all than people who don’t have dogs.
One study even found that older people are more likely to take regular walks if the walking companion is canine rather than human.
“You need to walk, and so does your dog,” said Rebecca A. Johnson, director of the human-animal interaction research center at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s good for both ends of the leash.”
Just last week, researchers from Michigan State University reported that among dog owners who took their pets for regular walks, 60 percent met federal criteria for regular moderate or vigorous exercise. Nearly half of dog walkers exercised an average of 30 minutes a day at least five days a week. By comparison, only about a third of those without dogs got that much regular exercise.
The researchers tracked the exercise habits of 5,900 people in Michigan, including 2,170 who owned dogs. They found that about two-thirds of dog owners took their pets for regular walks, defined as lasting at least 10 minutes.
Unlike other studies of dog ownership and walking, this one also tracked other forms of exercise, seeking to answer what the lead author, Mathew Reeves, called an obvious question: whether dog walking “adds significantly to the amount of exercise you do, or is it simply that it replaces exercise you would have done otherwise?”
The answers were encouraging, said Dr. Reeves, an associate professor of epidemiology at Michigan State. The dog walkers had higher overall levels of both moderate and vigorous physical activity than the other subjects, and they were more likely to take part in other leisure-time physical activities like sports and gardening. On average, they exercised about 30 minutes a week more than people who didn’t have dogs.

Does Your Pet Keep You Healthy?

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Dr. Reeves, who owns two Labrador mixes named Cadbury and Bella, said he was not surprised.
“There is exercise that gets done in this household that wouldn’t get done otherwise,” he said. “Our dogs demand that you take them out at 10 o’clock at night, when it’s the last thing you feel like doing. They’re not going to leave you alone until they get their walk in.”
But owning a dog didn’t guarantee physical activity. Some owners in the study did not walk their dogs, and they posted far less overall exercise than dog walkers or people who didn’t have a dog.
Dog walking was highest among the young and educated, with 18-to-24-year-old owners twice as likely to walk the dog as those over 65, and college graduates more than twice as likely as those with less education. Younger dogs were more likely to be walked than older dogs; and larger dogs (45 pounds or more) were taken for longer walks than smaller dogs.
The researchers asked owners who didn’t walk their pets to explain why. About 40 percent said their dogs ran free in a yard, so they didn’t need walks; 11 percent hired dog walkers.
Nine percent said they didn’t have time to walk their dogs, while another 9 percent said their dogs were too ill behaved to take on a walk. Age of the dog or dog owner also had an effect: 9 percent said the dog was too old to go for walks, while 8 percent said the owner was too old.
“There is still a lot more dog walking that could be done among dog owners,” Dr. Reeves said.
And the question remains whether owning a dog encourages regular activity or whether active, healthy people are simply more likely to acquire dogs as walking companions.
A 2008 study in Western Australia addressed the question when it followed 773 adults who didn’t have dogs. After a year, 92 people, or 12 percent of the group, had acquired a dog. Getting a dog increased average walking by about 30 minutes a week, compared with those who didn’t own dogs.
But on closer analysis, the new dog owners had been laggards before getting a dog, walking about 24 percent less than other people without dogs.
The researchers found that one of the motivations for getting a dog was a desire to get more exercise. Before getting a dog, the new dog owners had clocked about 89 minutes of weekly walking, but dog ownership boosted that number to 130 minutes a week.
A study of 41,500 California residents also looked at walking among dog and cat owners as well as those who didn’t have pets. Dog owners were about 60 percent more likely to walk for leisure than people who owned a cat or no pet at all. That translated to an extra 19 minutes a week of walking compared with people without dogs.
A study last year from the University of Missouri showed that for getting exercise, dogs are better walking companions than humans. In a 12-week study of 54 older adults at an assisted-living home, some people selected a friend or spouse as a walking companion, while others took a bus daily to a local animal shelter, where they were assigned a dog to walk.
To the surprise of the researchers, the dog walkers showed a much greater improvement in fitness. Walking speed among the dog walkers increased by 28 percent, compared with just 4 percent among the human walkers.
Dr. Johnson, the study’s lead author, said that human walkers often complained about the heat and talked each other out of exercise, but that people who were paired with dogs didn’t make those excuses.
“They help themselves by helping the dog,” said Dr. Johnson, co-author of the new book “Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound,” to be published in May by Purdue University Press. “If we’re committed to a dog, it enables us to commit to physical activity ourselves.”

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Related articles

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