The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too

Friday, April 24, 2015

A Bittersweet Story: Meet Lily, and Listen to the Letter Written by the Founder of National Mill Dog Rescue, Theresa Strader [Video]


In 2007, Theresa Strader, the founder of National Mill Dog Rescue, purchased Lily at an auction. Lily was the inspiration and the catalyst to what would become an organization and a documentary featuring what goes on in the deplorable world of puppy mills.

Theresa was sickened by what she saw and gave Lily a beautiful life after years stuck in a cage, breeding for profit. Lily’s well being never mattered nor did her health. She never got to play. She never got to be a dog. She was there for one purpose: to make money.

While hearing this letter may be gut-wrenching, I believe it’s necessary. Many of us do so much for animals but it’s easy for others to go through life not knowing much about the horrors of puppy mills. I believe sending them this video will change the way they view shopping for animals, forever.



Website: National Mill Dog Rescue





Please view this video. It is approximately an hour long…but worth the watch.
To view the video, click here: I Breathe: Lily's Legacy

You may be interested in reading: 

A Message From Theresa Strader
In Honor of Lily






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National Hairball Awareness Day - April 24, 2015


Hairball Awareness Day is a time to consider the grooming challenges of our purr-fectly aristocratic pets. Being beautiful and regal comes naturally to felines, but lots of personal grooming is required to maintain that exquisite superior look. Newborn kittens are groomed within inches of their lives by enthusiastic mother cats, and personal hygiene becomes an ingrained part of the cat’s daily routine ranking above everything except food. Ferocious grooming causes ingestion of fur, and sooner or later, in a most unbecoming way, the haughty, dignified feline will hack up a hairball.

Hairball Awareness Day is an invitation to be aware and to practice preventative measures to help kitty through this nasty process. Practice regular grooming with a pet brush to reduce the amount of ingested fur, and offer a vet-recommended diet for hairball prevention. Be aware that occasional hairballs are to be expected, but frequent hairballs could indicate a problem.



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Coyotes Remained on the Run Thursday in Both the Suburbs and City, Residents Remained on Edge as They Were Warned of Possible Danger


New York, New York – Coyotes remained on the run Thursday in both the suburbs and city, residents remained on edge as they were warned of possible danger.

As CBS2’s Matt Kozar reported, at least one coyote has been spotted more than once now by CBS2 cameras running around Riverside Drive.

CBS2 cameras captured the coyote at 4:45 a.m. at Riverside Drive and 96th Street, and then again around 5:38 a.m., CBS2’s Janelle Burrell reported. The second time, the coyote sprinted in front of Mobile 2 and scampered across the street toward Grant’s Tomb in Morningside Heights.

The animal kept going right into oncoming traffic.

Burrell spoke with two people who had encounters of their own with the coyote Thursday morning.

“I was walking my dog this morning, and about 10 feet away a coyote came out from the park right in front of us, and it ran past us very close and it just kept going further down Riverside Park,” one woman said.

“I was driving, going downtown on Riverside Drive, and he crossed right in front of me and I almost hit him. I had to stop,” another man said.

“I was walking and I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a dog,’ and (then) I’m like, ‘That’s not a dog,'” one witness told WCBS 880’s Paul Murnane.

On Wednesday evening, CBS2 captured exclusive video of a coyote as it pranced across Riverside Drive near West 79th Street around 11 p.m. It was not certain whether that coyote was the same one seen about 6 1/2 hours later.

Late Thursday afternoon, some young children were at soccer practice at the very same spot where a coyote had earlier led the NYPD on a chase.

Jody Miller was walking through the park with her pit bull, Cassius, in case of danger.

“Sometimes in the morning, people let their dogs off the leash, and this morning, I thought it would be stupid to leave the dog off the leash,” Miller said.

Police first spotted the coyote on Wednesday morning and were on the animal’s trail, but it managed to evade officers. The NYPD had officers spread out across the area with tranquilizer guns in hand after a sighting just after dawn.

It spurred a 40-block chase around Riverside Park from the mid-80s to Grant’s Tomb to West 122nd Street.

Morningside Heights resident Jim Burke walked his dogs right by where the last coyote was spotted Thursday.

“They’re more nocturnal, so they’re not going to be out during the day,” he said. “So I’m not too concerned at this point.”

The coyotes are exhibiting normal behavior and shying away from people, Burrell reported.

In Manhattan, most residents who live near where the animals have been spotted seem unfazed, actually more concerned about the coyote than themselves.

“I hope it doesn’t get hit,” Joseph said.

“I’m not worried. I think (if) there’s a dog on a leash, they’re not going to gobble them up. I think it’s OK,” said Yolanda Shashaty, of Morningside Heights.

John Nesti of Fischer Wildlife Control explained the coyotes’ movement and behavior to CBS2’s Meg Baker.

“The river acts as a natural corridor for the coyotes to move in,” he said. “(The Riverside Park coyote) is probably a year-and-a-half old coyote.”

Nesti believes the coyotes seen roaming city streets are not rabid, but looking for territory. It is the time of year when even young coyotes leave their dens.

“They can run the river and find all the food they need,” Nesti said.

The coyotes follow tracks – rivers, trains, and manmade trails. Nesti explained that is likely why they are showing up in the city.

Chris Nagy with the Gotham Coyote Project said his group has also been tracking dens in the Bronx.

For the few who are worried of being attacked, Nagy said the chances are very slim.

“The risk of being attacked by a coyote is somewhere in the realm of the risk of being attacked by a vending machine,” Nagy said.

Police say they are not sure if all of the recent sightings are of the same animal or if multiple coyotes have been roaming.

“It was kind of big,” Bronx grandmother Sylvia Ruiz described. “It was laying down there, moved its head around a little bit.”

Ruiz had an encounter with one of the animals inside her Co-Op City backyard. She snapped a picture of one relaxing underneath a bush and texted it to her daughter, a Co-Op City police officer.

“She said, ‘Oh, it’s a coyote!’ So they sent about four sergeants, and they all came in,” Ruiz said.

Experts say the best advice if you spot a coyote is to raise your arms above your head.

“Make some noise and scare the coyote off,” said Sarah Aucoin, director of urban park rangers for the city’s Parks Department.

Experts also say there is at least one advantage to having the coyotes in the city.

“They eat rats. They eat mice. They eat small mammals,” Aucoin said.

As Kozar reported, experts said further that it is a good thing coyotes are running away from humans – unlike what happened in Norwood, New Jersey. There, a rabid coyote bit a man, and another chewed through the tires on a police cruiser.

Multiple dens of coyotes have been found in Bergen County., and the trend continued Thursday morning.

Police Thursday moprning received a call about a coyote sighting on Cathy Court in Norwood, WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell reported.

Police Chief Jeff Krapels said his officers injured the animal.

“We followed a blood trail, probably about a half a mile, and we lost it,” he said. “So it’s sick and injured, and we’re just concerned that people may come across a blood puddle.”

Coyote sightings in Norwood are nothing new, but the police chief suspects the coyote population is growing.

“It’s a little bit nerve-racking with two young kids in the elementary school up here,” said Norwood resident Steve Whaley. “So we’re just keeping our eye out.”

There have also been coyote sightings in Summit.

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Doctors Are Warning the Public About a Tick-Born Illness That Poses a Much More Serious Health Risk Than Lyme Disease


Doctors are warning the public about a tick-born illness that poses a much more serious health risk than Lyme Disease.

Known as the Powassan virus, blacklegged ticks (as well as groundhog ticks) are increasingly carrying the potentially deadly disease.

The rare virus falls under the same family as the West Nile virus and has symptoms similar to those of Lyme disease. However the virus acts extremely rapidly – people can begin to feel symptoms in just a matter of minutes – and the symptoms are severe. The incurable disease attacks the central nervous system and can cause vomiting, fever, headache, weakness, confusion, seizures, swelling of the brain and memory loss.

Currently, there are only around 50 people affected in the U.S. each year (compared to the estimated 20,000 people who are affected by Lyme disease) and there have only been 16 human cases reported in Eastern Canada, since it was first detected in Ontario back in 1958. Ten percent of people contracting Powassan virus die.

There has been a noticeable spike in the virus in 2015, with the virus being detected in the upper mid-west, Northeast and Great Lakes area of the U.S.

Although contracting the virus is still extremely rare, because of the potential for fatalities, authorities are warning people to take extra precautions to prevent becoming infected.

Health experts are recommending people use tick repellent and wear long sleeves and pants when spending time in wooded or bushy areas.

They also advise to take your clothes off and shower when home after spending time in the woods or areas that have ticks. Clothes can also be put into the dryer for at least an hour on high heat to kill the ticks.

Pets should also be checked for ticks if they accompany you on walks in wooded areas or regularly go outside.

Please share this video to help spread the word to prevent tick-born illnesses.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Awww! This Baby Horse is Adorable…and He Just Wants to Cuddle


Horses aren't exactly known for their cuddling abilities.

However, one baby horse at the Rapid Run Training Center is Morristown, Florida is exceptionally affectionate, acting more like a dog than a horse when Sunny Bayne approached it.

"This is the best day of my life," Bayne said as the filly laid on top of her.

Cuddling changes people.

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Heartwarming Story: 3-Year-Old Sapphyre Johnson, Born Without Fingers and Feet: Gets a Therapy Puppy Missing One Front Paw - They Are Inseparable


Sapphyre Johnson was born a healthy child in Greenville, South Carolina, except for missing some essential features, her feet, fingers and toes.

Since she was 3-months-old, Sapphyre, now 3, has been a patient at Shriner's Hospital for Children, where her mother, Ashley Johnson, said she's had multiple surgeries to be fitted for prosthetic feet. But for her last visit, Johnson told ABC News, Sapphyre got to leave the hospital with much more than new prosthetics.

"It was two weeks ago when were told that an owner had contacted the hospital about a puppy who was missing one front paw," said Johnson. "She wanted him to grow up with a child who had similar circumstances."

After showing Sapphyre a photo of the puppy, Johnson said her toddler fell in love.

"Sapphyre immediately noticed that he was missing a paw," she said. "She said, 'He has a foot like mine.'"

The dog's breeder, Karen Riddle, said that the 9-week-old White German Shepherd was born in a litter of nine puppies and was the only one missing a paw.

For that very reason, Riddle said she decided to name him Lt. Dan, after the character from the popular film "Forrest Gump" who lost both his legs.

"The movie is a heartwarming, loving story, so I said, 'You're just like Lt. Dan. It just suited his personality."

Because of Lt. Dan's calm demeanor, Riddle coordinated with Shriner's to hand him off to Sapphyre as a therapy dog. Sapphyre and Lt. Dan went home together Monday.

"It was awesome yesterday," Riddle said. "We said, 'Sapphyre show him your feet' and, oh boy, she threw off her prosthetics and her socks and said, 'Look!' Then Lt. Dan put his paw up at the exact same time."

Although they've only been pals for 24 hours, Johnson said Sapphyre and Lt. Dan make the perfect pair.

"He follows her every step she takes, everywhere she goes," said Johnson. "It's like they’ve known each other forever.

"We always want Sapphyre to know that being different is not bad," she added. "People, even pets, no one is exactly the same. That would be boring. I think it’s good for her to see that."






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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Coolridge Animal Hospital: Our Raffle Has Begun - Purchase Your $1.00 Ticket Starting Today Until April 30th - Win One Year of Heartworm/Flea/Tick Prevention, for Your K-9 or Feline Fur Baby


Our Raffle has begun!  Purchase your $1.00 ticket starting today until April 30th. Winner will receive 1 year ( 12 months) of Heartworm/flea/tick prevention, for your K-9 or Feline fur baby, this is a $200.00 value.

All proceeds going towards our Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden.

Haven't heard about our Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden?

Please read: Coolridge Animal Hospital: We Are Building a Memorial Rainbow Bridge Rock Garden for All of Our Fur Babies Who Have Crossed Over - Come to Our Yard/Bake Sales for the Next Two Saturdays, April 25th and May 2nd

Coolridge Animal Hospital
6801 Old Branch Ave
Camp Springs, Maryland
(301) 449-1610



Website: Coolridge Animal Hospital


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Norwood, New Jersey Police Say They Captured a Coyote Monday Night: Not Sure Whether it Was the Same Animal That Attacked a Resident on Sunday


Norwood, New Jersey -  Police say Monday night they may have been closing in on a coyote that bit a man in Bergen County, New Jersey over the weekend.

Norwood police said they captured a coyote Monday night, they were not sure whether it was the same animal that attacked Stephen Sinisi after 9 p.m. Sunday. Police said they believe the coyote captured Monday night was actually part of a different pack, but was described as “very aggressive.”

Norwood police said they also put traps near two coyote dens they discovered Monday night near a school.

Sinisi said he was walking his dog, Raleigh, near the woods on McClellan Street and D’Ercole Court when he saw what he thought was a stray dog approaching.

 “I was walking back and what looked like a dog approaching me,” Sinisi told CBS2’s Meg Baker.

“Then we got closer I was like, ‘No, this is not a stray dog,’” he told 1010 WINS’ Rebecca Granet.

Sinisi was attacked as he tried to get his dog back into the house.

“He saw a coyote stalking him, and he decided to return home,” police Chief Jeff Krapels said, WCBS 880’s Sean Adams reported. “As he was running home, the coyote caught up to him as he got to his front door and bit him on the leg.”

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