An adorable two-month-old puppy was surrendered to the Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter in Newark, New Jersey recently; the dog's front legs grossly deformed. Perhaps his birth defect or being locked in a too small kennel as he developed saved his life; his past owner decided the little one's deformity made him unsuitable to be a fighting dog. Named Hulk by his rescuers, the staff at the Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter stated the eight-week-old little bundle of cuteness was the meanest, nastiest little critter anyone would have wanted to meet. From the moment he entered the shelter, Hulk would bite, growl and snap at everyone. It was evident he hadn't been socialized; chances are he was already being taught to fight and be aggressive. According to the AHPPS, however the very young life of Hulk is making a positive turn: "...the rough edges have smoothed down with loving hands that hold him. There are two matronly female dogs who play with him so he can perceive that affection and dominance are taught in a favorable and rewarding manner." Hulk will be examined by a specialist this week in hopes of correcting his deformity. If you would like to help, please click here. Follow Hulk's progress on Facebook by clicking HERE.
We all know dogs communicate by smell, but they're not the only one. Smells have a powerful effect on humans—though we are often unaware of how they impact us. Part of the problem is that it's easy to get used to smells. The first week on a new block, the smell of your neighborhood bakery is overwhelming. Pretty soon though, you don't notice the smell. But then you come home after a vacation, and BAM. You smell the fresh bread. Whether it's incense, fresh cut grass, your cat's litter box, or maybe even your dogs… Smells lose their power over time. If you've stopped noticing smells at home, it's safe to say that you're used to your animal shelter or doggy daycare smelling like, well, animals. But what about your customers or potential adopters? What does that smell say to them? What Does Your Kennel's Smell Say to Pet Parents & Potential Adopters? To get the lowdown on what customers care about, we read dozens of Yelp and Facebook reviews of animal shelters, veterinary offices, dog daycares, animal shelters and rescues. The quotes published here, are direct from these reviews, but without names and other identifying features. To read more on this story, click here:Smell Ya Later? The Secret to Repeat Customers for Kennels
Igor loves his family very much, and never spent a night away from them since becoming a member. So when they left their home in Norway to go on vacation in Thailand, dad turned his kennel into a replica of their living room so Igor would be happy. The family should have been looking forward to spending their Easter vacation on sunny beaches across the world, but instead they worried about their beloved English bulldog. They didn’t want to leave him home alone with a sitter to periodically check on him, and wanted him to be in a place where he’d be safe and not alone. But a boarding facility isn’t the most inviting living accommodation. Enclosed in a cage with a cold, concrete floor, surrounded by anxious, barking dogs – who could feel welcomed? But Igor was in for a pleasant surprise. His dad didn’t want him to be confused and uncomfortable in a scary new place on his own, so he got permission from Labben Kennel to transform Igor’s personal kennel into a facsimile of the Halvorsens’ living room! The walls and floor were made to look the same as the ones at home, and dad brought their furniture to be set up before Igor arrived. When departure day came, Igor whined as he was loaded into the vehicle. But he and the rest of the family were in for a treat – the kennel looked just like home. When the humans left, Igor couldn’t even be bothered to care. Other dogs appreciated being invited to Igor’s “home,” and Hera, a Saint Bernard, visited every day. They became best friends during their holiday. Even though he had to be away from his family, Igor had a wonderful vacation.
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Wicomico County, Maryland - After rescuing more than 300
dogs from a property in Eden, the Humane Society of Wicomico County is asking
for donations to help care for the dogs. The Humane Society is asking for
donations to help lessen the burden for the care of the newly rescued pups. The
current needs for the Humane Society of Wicomico County are the following
items:
Wet/Canned Dog Food
(NO DRY BAGGED DOG FOOD)
Dog/Puppy Treats
Fabuloso Cleaner (Purple)
Gallons of Bleach
Chlorox Cleaner
Spray Bleach
Paper Towels
Liquid Dishwashing Soap
Liquid Laundry Detergent
Puppy Pads for
lining kennels (NO NEWSPAPERS)
These items can be dropped off at the following locations
and times:
Humane Society of Wicomico County 5130 Citation Drive
Salisbury, MD 21804. At the front doors from Monday to Saturday 11 am to 4 pm.
Wicomico County Government Office Building 125 N. Division
Street, Salisbury, MD 21801. First Floor Foyer - Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm.
Wicomico County Civic Center 500 Glen Avenue Salisbury, MD
21801. Box Office Entrance Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm.
Wicomico County Solid Waste 6948 Brick Kiln Road Salisbury,
MD 21801. At the scale house Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm.
Monetary donations are also welcome, and appreciated. Those
can be placed through the Humane Society's webpage using the Pay Pal link. Officials are asking that those looking to donate use
that link, as this ensures the funds go directly to the Humane Society of
Wicomico County. The money raised will reportedly be used for the overwhelming
expenses of medications, grooming, and other care for the animals.
The Humane Society says they will be updating their
website, as the animals become available for adoption. They are asking that
those who are interested, be patient, and not call the shelter at this time.
Update:
Humane Society of Wicomico
County:
Thank you for your overwhelming
support to help our animals. At this time we kindly ask that you check our
website for our needs. We no longer need dry/bagged dog food. We can use
wet/canned food. Please no more newspapers but only puppy pads. Cleaning
supplies are the most urgent need with bleach, paper towels, liquid dish
detergent and liquid laundry detergent. Hand sanitizer can always be used also.
A flight attendant was unable to hold back her fear when a
mischievous cat escaped its carrier and roamed free in the cabin of a Delta Air
Lines flight.
The amusing moment was captured by a passenger, who
uploaded it onto YouTube yesterday with the caption: “Cat got loose on my Delta
flight this morning. Flight attendant did not like cats, haha.”
The clip quickly went viral, attracting more than 30,000
views in less than 24 hours.
During the 83-second video, as the tortoiseshell cat
approaches the flight attendant, she is heard telling the animal: “Sit right
there, don't move.”
The cheeky cat fails to obey her orders, leading her to call
someone to inform them that “there is a cat in the galley.”
Over the plane's tannoy system, she then says: “Whoever's
cat this is please come and... wake them up if you see them with the cat
carrier, I need them to come and get their pet.”
It is not known where the flight was traveling to and from,
but the airlines does allow cats to travel in a number of ways - including as
carry-on baggage, as checked baggage and shipped as cargo.
Delta Air Lines permit cats to travel alongside their
owners in the cabin for a one-way fee, dependent on the destination.
However, the airline regulations insist the pet must remain
inside a kennel with the door secured while in the boarding area, the Delta
airport lounge and while on board the aircraft.
The Delta website adds: “We offer several options to get
your pet to your destination, and we treat our four-legged friends with the
same attention and courtesy our human passengers expect.”
Delta Airlines could not be immediately reached for
comment.
A flight attendant was unable to hold back her fear when a
mischievous cat escaped its carrier and roamed free in the cabin of a Delta Air
Lines flight.
The amusing moment was captured by a passenger, who
uploaded it onto YouTube yesterday.
The agitated flight attendant attempted to control the
rogue cat by ordering it to 'sit right there, don't move' but the animal was
not interested in obeying her orders.
A woman appears (left) to try to lure the cat back to its
owner, who soon arrives with the pet's carrier.
Air travel can be such a nightmare, but one airport is determined to improve the experience… for animals, that is. John F. Kennedy Airport is set to open the first privately-owned animal terminal in the world. It will be called, naturally, The Ark. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has signed a 30-year lease deal with Ark Development, an affiliate of the real estate company Racebrook Capital, to design and build a 178,000-square-foot animal cargo facility at the Queens, New York-based airport. The $48m project will create 180 jobs and generate $108m in revenues over its 30-year span, the organizers said. “For the animals who [will] pass through The Ark, as well as the people who own them, air travel can be stressful and confusing,” said Cliff Bollmann, an architect at Gensler, one of the firms designing the facility. “Aligning the needs of quarantine with kennelling and elevating the experience for animals and their owners, our design team sought to create a comfortable, healthy environment for them all.” The Ark, which is scheduled to open in the early months of 2016, will include a departure lounge with comfortable places to sit, eat and drink (Costa Coffee for critters?), individual climate-controlled bedrooms for horses and cattle, a vet, an aviary and a Paradise 4 Paws for cats and dogs. JFK is one of the busiest airports in the world, with some 50m people a year landing and taking off from its runways. John J. Cuticelli, Jr, the chairman of Racebrook Capital, said the concept tackles “unmet needs” of travelling companion, sporting and agricultural animals. The terminal “will set new international airport standards for comprehensive veterinary, kennelling and quarantine services.” If only someone would think of a way to make the flying experience that pleasant for humans.
Seven days a week, year around, 16 Cook County jail inmates clean kennels and more at the Animal Care and Control building. The program started two years ago, but now, workers say inmates are replacing jobs.
An Animal Care and Control worker of 6 years who asked to remain anonymous says at least 11 full time employees were laid off four months after the facility's kennel-inmate program launched.
"When you say you know we're going to lay you off for fiscal reasons, we expect that as Chicagoans but then you turn around and you say we're going to bring in people who are incarcerated to do your job that hurts people," the worker told FOX 32's Tisha Lewis. "Some people have worked there 20 years so when you have someone come in and say we're going to bring in these inmates and they're going to do cleaning and stuff like that and you know what, there's going to be a lay off."
Cook County Sheriff's spokesperson Cara Smith says the inmates earn a dollar a day. They clean the cages and feed and water the animals before business hours.
"It's my understanding that the layoffs had nothing to do with this program, the work that's being done now is not being done by anyone who would have been displaced," Smith explained.
But this volunteer say otherwise about the inmates cleaning cages.
"I'm not involved in the program therefore I don't have to worry about it," volunteer Robin Cember said. "[The program] was actually done by people who were employed here."
"Some of these people were averaging pay of mid-30's and some of them lived on the West side or they lived in Englewood and stuff like that, their families relied on that money so that's going to affect those communities too," the anonymous worker added.
Most of the inmates in the kennel program are serving short jail sentences for non-violent crimes. The money they make can be used at the jail commissary to purchase small items. A worker says most of the employees laid off made about $30,000 a year.
