A Bowie Animal Rights Group is Howling After the City Unveiled the New, More Expensive Estimate of a Proposed Animal Control Room

Bowie, Maryland - Supporters howl over Bowie animal holding room price tag Renovated area would hold three dogs, eight cats and cost about $113,500

Bowie Citizens for Local Animal Welfare is reconsidering its initial pledge of $30,000 to create an overnight animal control facility, one it has been advocating for the city staff moved into the new city hall in 2011. The city put a temporary holding facility in the new building, but CLAW pushed for a more complete project that allowed animals to be kept overnight. They currently go to the Prince George's County shelter in Upper Marlboro at day's end.

The City Council approved the overnight holding room expansion in December 2013 and later the cost was estimated to be about $27,000, said Tara Kelley-Baker, CLAW's president and Bowie resident.

But the final estimate is more than four times the initial number Kelley-Baker cited – it will cost taxpayers $113,500 to hold three dogs and eight cats. CLAW members weren't aware of the rising costs until the final estimate was released, Kelley-Baker said. The organization had initially raised $100,000 to build a free-standing facility in the city, but couldn't get council support on the project.

"We would have appreciated understanding the situation better," Kelley-Baker said. "We are a little surprised at the additional cost. We still want to work with the city to make this happen."

Bowie city officials said the increased cost is due to renovating a storage space to hold the cats. That room represents a bulk of the cost — about $83,800, said Lawrence Pierce, Bowie community services director.

The renovated rooms will allow animal control to hold animals overnight while they look for their owners. Currently staff members who pick up strays drive around the neighborhood to find the animal's owner. If the owner can't be located they hold the animal until the end of the day. The animal is then taken to the county shelter.

The city brought in county animal experts to insure the room would safely house the animals and that gets expensive when you consider plumbing, ventilation, heating and cooling, he said.

Pierce said the size of the room should serve the city's needs as they don't get much traffic. There hasn't been a dog in the room for two weeks, he said.

"This is a new area for all of us," Pierce said. "This was originally designed to be a storage closet for ground maintenance needs."

CLAW's board members will be discussing whether they still want to give the city the $30,000 on the project now that they know it costs so much, Kelley-Baker said. The thought was the money would cover the whole project, but members haven't had much chance to discuss the increased cost, Kelley-Baker said.

City Councilman At-large Dennis Brady said the animal holding room is a compromise between a free standing facility and the current temporary holding room.

"I'm a little disappointed that we didn't have a free-standing facility … We could have gotten the high school kids to do community service hours there," Brady said. "It is a step in the right direction. It would be nice coming out of college to go out and buy your Ferrari, but this is an incremental approach."

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Washington Humane Society - This Past Weekend American University Radio Continued Their Series with Our Animal Care and Control on The Animal House - Highlighting the Need for Our Emergency Response Vehicles to be Equipped with Lights and Sirens

Washington, DC - This past weekend, WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio continued their series with WHS Animal Care and Control on The Animal House, once more highlighting the need for our emergency response vehicles to be equipped with lights and sirens.

City Councilmember Mary Cheh's bill to equip our emergency vehicles will help us to provide timely and effective service and save more lives with quicker response times.



Click here to listen: The State of Emergency Status For Animal Control Officers


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Raymond Noll, Director of Animal Control Field Services for the Washington Humane Society, answering an emergency call to capture a roof hoping pea fowl in Southeast Washington, D.C.

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Did You Miss The Pet Show with Dr. Katy on August 9, 2014? Dr. Katy and Her Guests Discuss A Recent Article that is Stirring Up Debate Over Rescue Animals. - "Why I’d Never Adopt a Shelter Dog Again"

On July 17th, there was an article in The Washington Post, under their (PostEverything Section). The article, "Why I’d Never Adopt a Shelter Dog Again", was written by Erin Auerbach, a writer living in Los Angeles. She has written for Salon, the Los Angeles Times, and the Los Angeles Daily News.

This article is stirrup up debate over rescue animals. Please listen as Dr. Katy, The Pet Show, and her guest, Debra Klaser, a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist; Dr. Steve Escobar, a Veterinary Theriogenologist and Lisa Lafontaine, President & CEO of The Washington Humane Society, Washington, DC., discuss this article.

The Pet Show - Aug. 9, 2014



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Port St. Lucie, Florida - Officers Caught a 12-Foot Python Friday that Neighbors Said Had Been Eating the Area's Cats

Officers caught a 12-foot python Friday that neighbors said had been eating the area's cats.

Sgt. John Holman arrived on the scene at about 7:20 a.m. and found a dead cat in an empty lot, police said. Holman walked through waist-high brush and spotted a Burmese python.

Holman called for backup officers to help him get the snake, which weighed about 120 pounds, out of the brush.

Holman, who recognized that this python was banned in Florida, found someone with a Florida Fish and Wildlife license to house the snake.

Pythons are an invasive species in Florida, where researchers think they are eating their way through populations of native mammals in the Everglades.

Florida now prohibits owning or selling pythons for use as pets, and federal law bans importation and interstate sale of the species.

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Did You Know That The Vast Majority of Calico Cats Are Female?, And That Calico is A Color and Not a Breed?

Many people are surprised to hear that the vast majority of calico cats are female. Why is this? Is it possible for a calico cat to ever be male?

First off, what is a calico cat? A calico cat is not a breed of cat, it is a color pattern. To be called "calico", three colors must be present: black, white and orange. Variations of these colors include gray, cream and ginger. A "true" calico cat has large blocks of these three colors, a "tortoise shell" or "tortie" cat has a mix of these three colors (blended/swirled together more than distinct blocks of color).

Now that a calico cat has been defined as a cat with three colors, the question is: why are they nearly always female? The answer is in genetics. Coat color in cats is a sex-linked trait, a physical characteristic (coat color) related to gender. Female animals have two X chromosomes (XX), males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (XY). The genetic coding for displaying black or orange color is found on the X chromosome. The coding for white is a completely separate gene.

Since females have two X chromosomes, they are able to "display" two colors (orange and black, or variations thereof) and white; creating the 3-color calico mix. Since males have only one X chromosome, they can only be orange OR black. It is more complicated than simply having the color genes -- it is a complex process of dominant and non-dominate genes interacting on the X chromosomes, but that is the basis for coat color in calico cats.

Can a calico cat ever be male? Yes, in rare instances. In this situation, the cat has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome (XXY). Cats with this chromosomal configuration are usually sterile (not able to breed). This is similar to a condition in humans called Klinefelter's syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klinefelter_syndrome, or XXY Syndrome.

Interesting calico cat fact: on October 1, 2001, the calico cat became the official cat of the state of Maryland in the United States.

The coat pattern of calico cats does not define any breed, but occurs incidentally in cats that express a range of color patterns; accordingly the effect has no definitive historical background. However, the existence of patches in calico cats was traced to a certain degree by Neil Todd in a study determining the migration of domesticated cats along trade routes in Europe and Northern Africa.[5] The proportion of cats having the orange mutant gene found in calicoes was traced to the port cities along the Mediterranean in Greece, France, Spain and Italy, originating from Egypt.

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BarkBuddy - New App that Matches You with Adoptable Dogs in Your Area

Tails are wagging at Bark & Co, as we officially welcome a new paw-duct to the pack. BarkBuddy is the app that matches you with the fluffiest singles in your area.

Some of you may remember the Pup Up Shop adoption events we had in NYC and LA last summer. Our idea was pretty simple: bring cool people to a place where they want to hang out, insert puppies and the rest would take care of itself.

The crazy thing is that our idea worked. We learned that if we presented these pups in a way that showed their true value we could vastly increase the chance they’d get adopted. We also learned that running adoption events is hard work (lots of pee), so we gained a LOT more respect for of the amazing rescue organizations that spend their lives wrangling pups.

Then we did some math. 80 dogs adopted in four days, that’s 20 dogs a day. So even if we had a Pup Up every day for an entire year we’d only get 7,300 dogs out of shelters. Compare that to the over 2 million in shelters in the US alone and you start to get an idea of the size of the problem these rescues are facing.

So we went back to the drawing board and came up with something completely new. BarkBuddy is an app that turns your puppy-pic browsing obsession into a force for good. Now you can swipe through thousands of adoptable pup profiles in your area and let BarkBuddy play matchmaker.

Once you sniff out a perfect new pack member, BarkBuddy helps you get the tennis ball rolling by easily allowing you to contact rescue organization. Even if you’re not looking for a new buddy you can play matchmaker yourself by sharing adoptable pups with friends and family on Facebook.

Once you sniff out a perfect new pack member, BarkBuddy helps you get the tennis ball rolling by easily allowing you to contact rescue organization. Even if you’re not looking for a new buddy you can play matchmaker yourself by sharing adoptable pups with friends and family on Facebook.

Right now there are over 300,000 adoptable dogs on BarkBuddy and we’ve already had 8 million swipes in the week it’s been live. (!!!) We also want to give a huge and humbled thanks to Apple for choosing BarkBuddy as one of the top new apps. It’s incredible to feel any support when it comes to rescuing pups. So get the app https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id875026451 and get swiping to save some dogs!

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Florida Boy Who Fought Alligator Demands Animal’s Tooth on a Necklace

As Florida Fish and Wildlife officers work to trap an alligator that they believe bit a 9-year-old boy Thursday near St. Cloud's Lakefront Park, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office has released audio from a 911 call made after the attack.

Wildlife officials say they believe they've located the area on East Lake Tohopekaliga where the gator is.

Investigators said James Barney, Jr. was riding his bicycle Thursday afternoon, when he stopped to take a dip in a no-swimming section of the lake.

"I thought someone was playing with me, and I don't know what happened," Barney recalled at a news conference Friday. "I reached down to feel it. I felt its jaw and its teeth. I didn't know what to do. So I immediately reacted and started hitting it. And I had enough strength to pry its jaw open."

Barney said he got the mouth open enough to slide out and then swim away.

Barney was airlifted to the hospital, where he was listed in good condition Friday.

"He's got about 30 different teeth marks of varying different degrees," said James Barney Sr., the boy's father.

Doctors found a tooth in one of the boy's wounds. Barney said he wanted to keep the tooth, but Florida Fish and Wildlife took the tooth to help find the gator.

Fish and Wildlife officials said there have been about two dozen unprovoked alligator attacks across Florida since 2011.

The surrounding area where the boy was bitten has been closed as wildlife officers work to capture the gator believed to be responsible for attacking the 9-year-old, as well as a second gator that also believed to be a threat.

Barney's father said his son swam in the lake often. But asked if he would consider swimming in that lake again, Barney said, "negative."


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Must Watch Video - A Toucan Landed on a Highway Traffic Camera, and Took a Video Selfie!

São Paulo, Brazil -A curious bird is ready for his close-up shot. A Toucan was taking a video selfie in Brazil.
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The Bird Landed on a highway traffic camera and couldn’t keep his beak out of the shot.

After his few seconds of fame the bird became restless and decided to fly away.






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Tips on Dog Park Etiquette

Most of these etiquette tips are no-brainers, but you’d be surprised at how often basic dog park rules are violated — if not ignored. Here they are for your consideration:

• No aggressive dogs! Don’t bring an aggressive, dominant dog to the park. Dogs who continually challenge everyone, hackles and all, don’t need to be there. Please.

• No toys! Toys can be a big trigger for fights. Leave them for more solo play or when you absolutely know none of the dogs interacting is a toy freak. And keep the treats to yourself until after the park. You don’t want your dog running with a rawhide in his mouth, anyway.

• No kids! Keep children out of the enclosure. Not all dogs respond well to high-pitched kid squeals and others fight over their attention. Dog parks are for dogs. Children should stay on the sidelines.

• Pay attention! Don’t hang on the cell phone, for example. It’s important to be able to correct your dog or respond in an emergency.

• Room to maneuver! Make sure the dogs aren’t packed in like sardines — especially if you have a little one. It only leads to the potential for adverse interactions and small dog tramplings.

• Pick up after your own! No one should have to remind you of that.

• Train and socialize before you go! The dog park is a place to refine skills, not to expose dogs to discipline and social encounters for the first time. Respect others and do your basic socializing and training before you expose others to your dogs’ not-quite-existent skills.

• Bring a dog...not a pack! If you’re bringing a dog or two, that’s cool. If you’ve got more than that, you should really be seeking help with them, just in case the unthinkable happens and a pack brawl breaks out.

• For the love of dog...don’t bring one that’s in heat! That should be obvious. Even neutered males and spayed females will react — many times adversely — to bitches in heat.

• Healthy dogs only, please! Yes, I’ve seen snifflers and coughers at dog parks. I’ve also seen just-purchased pups or just-adopted shelter dogs — a bad idea due to their recent exposure to high volumes of other potentially ill animals. Even if your dog has just been at the boarding kennel for a week, it’s only commonsensical — not to mention courteous — to keep your dog home for a few days (to make sure he didn’t pick something up) before exposing him to the world.

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Global March for Elephants and Rhinos - Please Join the Global March on October 4, 2014 to Call for an End to the Killing and a Ban on Ivory and Rhino Horn Before it's Too Late

On October 4th people in cities throughout the world will march as one voice to save Elephants and Rhinos. The countdown to their extinction has begun - unless action is taken now, we will lose these majestic, highly intelligent, and emotionally sentient creatures FOREVER.

Up to 50,000 Elephants are being killed every year so their tusks can be carved into ivory trinkets. A Rhino is slaughtered once every 9-11 hours for Rhino Horn. Their only hope for survival lies in an immediate end to the ivory and rhino horn trade (both "legal" and "illegal") and a meaningful opportunity to recover from decades of mass slaughter.

Please join the global march on Oct 4th to call for an end to the killing and a ban on ivory and rhino horn before it's too late.

To TAKE ACTION, click HERE!

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Tune In To The Pet Show With Dr. Katy at 11:00 a.m., Tomorrow, August 9th, on NewsChannel 8 to Catch WHS President and CEO, Lisa LaFontaine, Talk About Her Response To The "Why I'd Never Adopt a Shelter Dog Again" Piece By Erin Auerbach

Tune in to The Pet Show with Dr. Katy  TOMORROW at 11 a.m. on NewsChannel 8 to catch Washington Humane Society , President and CEO, Lisa LaFontaine, talk about her response to the "Why I'd never adopt a shelter dog again" piece by Erin Auerbach.

To read Lisa's response, click here: http://huff.to/1sMXxZy.

To read the original article, click here: http://wapo.st/UecEfQ.



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Believing an Owl is a Witch Superstitious Mexican Villagers Set It On Fire - The Owl Amazingly Survived

This shocking video uploaded onto social media in Mexico shows how superstitious villagers caught an owl and set it on fire believing it to be a witch.

And when the owl amazingly survived being burned alive, it is then interrogated by women who demanded to know what it's human name is, and that it turns itself back into a woman if it wants to be freed.

The images show that despite its feathers being burnt and the ground around the cage it is imprisoned in is scorched, the terrified owl is still alive and screeching at its captors.

But they take this as proof that the bird is really a witch, and its shrieks as the sound that it does not like the fact that its true identity has been discovered.

The incident happened at in the town of Durango, in the north-central Mexican state of the same name, a rural area which like many places in the country includes the superstition that some women are witches that have the power to turn into animals.

During the inquisition of the burnt owl, the women repeatedly ask the owl to identify itself and one stage they are heard reading sections of the Bible in the belief that this will force the owl to turn back to a woman. They also recount stories of how the owl had been seen looking through the window at the home of one, and how another claimed that the owl had tried to curse her.

The women apparently decided to upload the video to show how they had captured the witch but it was widely condemned by online commentators who urged authorities to track them down and punish them as a warning to other superstitious people to avoid such foolish beliefs.

One user wrote: "This is just an animal inside a cage and anything would scream if it was threatened by these women in this way." Another added: "This is just superstitious nonsense and I really wish that authorities could finally do something treat these people like the criminals they are."

The horrific scene was captured on video and later uploaded to social media by the villagers.

Footage shows the burnt owl screeching at its captors as it flaps around inside the cage - just seconds after being set alight by the women.

WARNING: Graphic Content

Shocking: This owl was interrogated by superstitious Mexican villagers after being set alight for 'being a witch.'

Under interrogation: The terrified animal was filmed being questioned by its captors from inside a scorched cage in the city of Durango, north-west Mexico, with its feathers badly charred and its legs bound with rope.

Frightened: Believing it to be a witch, the female villagers can be heard ordering the owl to reveal its human name and turn itself back into a woman if it wants to be freed. Above, the owl looks at its captors from the cage.

Burnt alive: The horrific scene was captured on video and later uploaded by the women to social media.

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What Should Be on The Answering Machine of Every Rescue and Shelter

Hello: You have reached… (713) 281-0000.

Due to the high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to the following options and choose the one that best describes you or your situation:

Press 1: If you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home right away.

Press 2:  If you are moving today and need to immediately place your 150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3:  If you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4:  If you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5:  If your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6:  If you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home  TODAY and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7:  If you have been feeding and caring for a “stray” for the last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it’s not your dog.

Press 8:  If your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money for your vacation.

Press 9:  If you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10: If your relative has died and you don’t want to care for their elderly dog because it no longer fits your lifestyle.

Press 11: If your cat is biting and not using the litter box because it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility that the cat’s behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 12: If your two-year old male dog is marking all over your house but you just haven’t gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 13: If you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 14: If you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way to work.

Press 15: To leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16: If you are going to get angry because we are not going to take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is not our responsibility.

Press 17: If you are going to threaten to take your ten-year old dog to be euthanized because I won’t take it.

Press 18:  If you’re going to get angry because the volunteers had the audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted
volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19:  If you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20:  If you want us to take your dog that has a slight aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your neighbor’s cats.

Press 21:  If you have already called once and been told we don’t take personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this time with a different answer.

Press 22:  If you want us to use space that would go to a stray to board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge, of course.

Press 23:  If it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before your kids wake up.

Press 24:  If you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25:  If you want us to take your female dog who has already had ten litters, but we can’t spay her because she is pregnant again and it is against your religion.

Press 26:  If you’re lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27:  If you have done “everything” to housebreak your dog and have had no success but you don’t want to crate the dog because it is cruel.

Press 28:  If you didn’t listen to the message asking for an evening phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 29:  If you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because today is your daughter’s birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 30:  If your dog’s coat doesn’t match your new furniture and you need a different color or breed.

Press 31:  If your new love doesn’t like your dog and you are too stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 32:  If you went through all these ‘options’ and didn’t hear enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his family.

Author Unknown, but much appreciated!

Please remember that if you can not commit to fur-always or at least the next 13-17 years, DON’T BUY A PET!   It is not a shelter’s or rescue’s obligation to take on your commitments.  They do so out of fear that you will kill them if they don’t, and dumping them anywhere, even alone on the side of a road is abuse!

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All Dogs Deserve a Second Chance, No Matter How Old They Are - Meet Bear, a 16-Year-Old Homeless Dog Who No One Wanted - A Family Took a Chance on This Sweet Dog, and The Results Were Amazing!

"Bear" was abandoned, 16 years-old and on the brink of death. No one in their right mind would adopt him from a shelter. However, one family did. The results were amazing.

His fur was either matted or missing and he was just a skeleton of a dog. But thanks to a little food, grooming and (most importantly) love... Norman transformed into an entirely different dog. Dog adoption not only saves lives, it makes them so much better.

Bear's information page at the shelter; a 16 year-old dog needing help.

Life is far from easy for older dogs at animal shelters.  Most people come in looking for a puppy and pass right by the senior dogs, who are usually more susceptible to health problems in the shelter environment.  Most people don’t realize that there are many advantages to owning a senior dog, like all the love and appreciation they have for their new parents who saved them.

Meet Bear, a 16-year-old homeless dog who no one wanted.  Bear was not always a stray, he was abandoned and found all alone with no identification.  This German Shepherd mix was dirty, and had matted fur or chunks of his coat missing.  He was malnourished.  He had no meat on his bones and was a skeleton of a dog.

One day, a family came in and walked past all the yapping puppies to the quiet, sad looking soul in the corner.  They decided to take a chance on this sweet dog who no one else paid any attention to.  This story proves that Bear, who is now known as Norman in his new life, only needed a little love to turn around his tragic past.

All dogs deserve a second chance, no matter how old they are.

His ride to freedom.

The first day home.

Norman (his new name) found a cozy spot for naps.

Lots of naps.

He started living the good life.

Eating and napping were his favorite past times.

Also, he loved to be loved.

After being rescued, he had an entirely different outlook on life... and look.

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