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

Friday, February 26, 2016

Tom Brady, Posted a Facebook Video Holding Aloft His New Puppy as the Theme Song to The Lion King Plays in the Background


Tom Brady and his family have gone to the dogs, and Patriots fans are lapping it up.

New England’s star quarterback posted a Facebook video this week showing him holding aloft his new puppy, Fluffy, as the theme to Disney’s “The Lion King” plays in the background.

Brady’s other two dogs, Scooby and Lua, lay at his feet as the QB does his best Rafiki impersonation, with Fluffy starring as Simba.

As of midday Friday, the video had been viewed more than 2 million times and prompted more than 6,300 comments.

Brady and his supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, said they adopted the pup through Wags and Walks, a Los Angeles animal rescue group.

Bundchen wrote on Instagram: “The kids are over the moon with our new family member.”



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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Washington, DC - Washington Animal Rescue League: We're in Desperate Need of Towels and Blankets for the Shelter and Medical Center Right Now!


We're in desperate need of towels and blankets for the shelter and medical center right now, and we're turning to our Facebook friends for help! If you have any towels or blankets of any size that you can spare (they don't need to be new), 

Please drop them off at 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW, Washington, DC. Thank you for helping us help the animals!





Please Share!


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In an Effort to Make Itself More Pet-Friendly, Delta is Stopping One of the Most Dangerous Methods of Flying for Pets: As Checked Baggage


In an effort to make itself more pet-friendly, Delta is stopping one of the most dangerous methods of flying for pets: As checked baggage.

According to the Department of Transportation, a total of 76 animals died aboard Delta flights over the past 10 years — the highest of any U.S. airline.

The last reported death happened on Nov. 28. Somewhere between Atlanta and Pittsburgh, a Mini Dalmatian puppy died in the cargo hold of a Delta flight. The puppy was flying from Albany, Georgia: After a three-hour layover in Atlanta, it was loaded onto the Pittsburgh-bound flight. When gate crew unloaded the plane, they found the puppy was unresponsive.

 This most recent death of a checked pet on a Delta flight will be the last, if the airline can help it. Delta will no longer carry pets as checked baggage starting March 1.

The airline will still allow pets to be transported in the cabin, if they are small enough to fit in a carrier under a seat, or shipped via Delta Cargo's pet shipping Variation Live program.

The Humane Society recommends that pet owners "do not transport your pet by airplane unless absolutely necessary," and to choose keeping the pet in the cabin if possible.

"We want consumers to be well-informed about the risks of flying," KC Theisen, director of pet care issues at The Humane Society of the United States, told Mashable. "Cargo hold is not the passenger cabin, just a floor down."
  
Cargo is where the majority of animal incidents happen, usually on long distance flights or flights with several different legs, Theisen said.

Brachycephalic, or short-snouted, animals, like bulldogs, pugs or Persian cats should never be shipped in cargo, according to the Humane Society. These animals can easily overheat or have difficulty breathing in environments that are not temperature controlled. For this reason, many airlines will only allow these breeds as carry-ons.

The steps that pet owners should take before travel:

Crate train: It's important to crate train pets well before travel, Theisen said. By mimicking travel conditions and building up the amount of time a pet stays crated, owners normalize the experience and help pets understand that they will eventually be let out.

Talk to the airline: For those about to fly with a pet, the best thing to do is get "in serious contact with the airline well in advance," according to Theisen. Because every airline has different regulations, it's important to find out well in advance what options are available:

American Airlines permits pets as carry-ons, cargo or checked luggage — excluding brachycephalic dogs and cats, which are not allowed as checked luggage.

Both JetBlue and Southwest Airlines will accept cats and dogs as carry-ons only, for a $95 to $100 fee.

United allows cats, dogs, rabbits and household birds in the cabin, in addition to carry-on luggage, for $125. Certain United aircraft come equipped with special "PetSafe" compartments that are pressurized like the passenger cabin, for transporting pets in cargo.

Alaska Airlines will transport pets as cargo or as a carry-on for $100. Brachycephalic are not allowed for cargo travel.

Talk to your vet: Theisen recommends talking to a veterinarian as soon as travel plans are made to get recommendations for a food and water schedule. A veterinarian can tailor advice to specific breeds and help make the experience low-stress, important for both pets and their owners.

"The vast majority of pets arrive safely and in good health, but it's important that pet owners are aware of the risks," Theisen said. "The best thing you can do is just protect against risk and take preventative measures."


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Adorable Baby Bunny Gets a Second Chance at Life After He Was Attacked by Another Bigger Rabbit


An adorable baby bunny is as happy as can be as he gets a second chance at life when his owners decided not to put him down after he was hurt by another rabbit.

A farmer at Overlook Acres discovered the bunny, who has since been named Wheels, in a barn 'stiff and half frozen', according to a Facebook post.  

The bunny is unable to use its rear legs and instead of being put down, his owners decided to give him some wheels.

They bought him a $1 miniature skateboard and attached it to his legs in order to help him move around. 

Luckily the rabbit really took to its new attachment and loves zipping around with its friends.

The video begins with one of the owners laying on the floor as the bunny wheels over to him and starts to lick his face.

As the owner slides his hand across the floor, the tiny, white puffball chases after it, moving pretty quick for an injured bunny.

One of the owners said '”With dragging his legs, he's faster than all the other rabbits.”

As the baby bunny continues to explore his surroundings, he wanders over to another person in the video, who reaches down to give him a tickle behind the ears.

Overlook Acres has lost several bunnies out of the six litters that were born to the frigid temperatures of upstate New York.

One night Wheels wandered out of his nest and was attacked by a bigger bunny, who injured him so bad he was unable to move his back legs.

A farmer discovered wheels and within a few days nursed him back to health.

His owners figured out that he was paralyzed from his belly down, and normally they would put animals down in these situations, but Wheels 'managed to still pull himself around the floor and was moving faster than the other babies'. 

They then bought the little skateboard toy at the dollar store and manufactured a mini wheelchair body for the little guy.

Wheels has since been dubbed 'the little bunny that wouldn't give up'. 

And after getting more than 22 million views on his video, the farm decided to turn Wheels' story into an illustrated children's book.

The farm has created a Kickstarter page.










Wheels was given a second chance at life when his owners bought him a $1 miniature skateboard and attached it to his legs so that he could still move around.




Kisses for you: Wheels, the little bunny that could, gives his owner a kiss as he gets used to his new skateboard wheelchair.




Wheels has been moving around and exploring his new environment. And he is also pretty fast as he zips around with his friends.




Wheels has since been dubbed 'the little bunny that wouldn't give up' and the farm is trying to turn his story into a children's book.




Overlook Acres has decided to turn Wheels' story into an illustrated children's book. The farm recently posted different illustrations of Wheels by illustrators on their Facebook page, such as the one pictured.



The farm has also created a Kickstarter page that has raised more than $1,700 that will go toward publishing Wheels' story. Pictured is another illustration for the book by Holly Skalski. 




As Wheels' video has touched millions of hearts, the farm is hoping that the children's book will to. As seen from the video, an illustration (pictured) of Wheels and his owner by Greg Panneitz.


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Passengers on Airplane Applaud as a 7-Year-Old Boy is Removed from a Flight Because He Had an Allergic Reaction to a Dog on Board


So it’s come to this: America’s love for dogs and other furry non-humans has become so all-consuming that people on an airplane will cheer when a 7-year-old boy is removed from a flight because he had an allergic reaction to a dog on board.

A kid who was on his way home to Phoenix after an especially meaningful trip to Bellingham, Wash., with his father, who has been diagnosed with terminal stage-4 cancer.

A kid whose father told local TV news media that he hopes he can convert the experience into teaching people to show more respect and sympathy for fellow humans.

A kid whose mother said she understood why they had to debark from the plane, but could not fathom her fellow human beings’ reaction.

The story – reported by local TV stations in Washington and Arizona — says Giovanni and his parents went to Washington state for a vacation as part of the father’s “bucket list” of things that he hoped to do before he dies.

On the return trip aboard Allegiant Flight 171 to Phoenix, the boy, who goes by Gio, began to have an allergic reaction to the dog, which was listed on the flight’s manifest as a service animal.

“He began to get very itchy,” his mother, Christina Fabian, told King 5 News in Washington. “He was scratching all over and he started to get hives. So we informed the flight attendant, who informed us that, ‘Well, there’s dogs on every flight,’ and just smirked. . .”

The Feb. 22 flight’s takeoff was delayed, the couple said, and the family was asked to debark. The mother said she understood. But both parents told reporters that what happened next was deeply painful. Some passengers laughed at the boy in distress. And when the family packed up their belongings and exited the aircraft, some passengers clapped. Two days later, they flew home on a different flight.

“I felt hopeless when everyone started laughing at me and my kid,” the father, George Alvarado, told KPNX TV news in Arizona. “He was thinking that it’s his fault. He just kept saying, ‘Sorry, sorry.’ All of a sudden he just started crying.”

Allegiant Air has expressed regret about the event and worked to accommodate the family as best as possible, airline spokeswoman Kim Schaefer said Thursday.

As is the procedure with most airlines, the flight staff consulted with a physician on call for medical emergencies. The physician urged the boy to leave the flight for his own well-being, and the family — who had not previously been aware of the boy’s allergy — agreed with the physician’s recommendation, Schaefer said.

The airline made accommodations for the family and put them on the next available flight home, which was two days later because the airline has a limited number of routes, Schaefer said. She said she couldn’t confirm whether people applauded the boy’s departure — or, if people did applaud, whether it might have been because they were relieved the flight would be airborne soon after a delay of 90 minutes or so.

“We are deeply regretful,” Schaefer said. “It’s definitely a really sad situation.”

Giovanni seemed to handle the event with grace.

“People that do not have sadness do not understand what it feels like for people who do have sadness,” he told the Arizona news crew.

Makes you wonder which ones were the animals.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Two Teenagers Have Been Arrested for Shooting a 6-Week-Old Puppy with a BB Gun


Rock Hill, S.C. – Two teenagers have been arrested for shooting a 6-week-old puppy repeatedly with a BB gun, police said Tuesday.

Police said that 17-year-old De’Monte Ty’Juan Douglas and a 14-year-old male are responsible for shooting the puppy 18 times with a BB gun. Officials say that both teens live at the apartment complex where the puppy was found off Springdale Road Sunday.

Since the arrests, hundreds of people have responded with interest in adopting the pup. Despite being shot more than a dozen times with a BB gun, doctors say the puppy, named Brody, appears to be on track to a full recovery.

Aside from several gaps in his fur, Brody is back to doing what puppies should be doing, according to Jay Hreiz, a Veterinarian at Ebenezer Animal Hospital, who is caring for Brody.

“We find BBs in dogs all the time and they generally don’t cause a big issue,” Hreiz said. “They’re inert, they’re not moving, they’re not puncturing organs or making him overtly uncomfortable.”

Hospital personnel say no more applications will be accepted for Brody’s adoption, and they hope that process takes place in the next couple of days.

“It’s just been an overwhelming amount of support and you know it was a very sad beginning, but I think it’s going to be a very happy ending for him,” said Hreiz.

The two teens face cruelty to animals in the first degree and if convicted can face up to five years in prison.



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9-Year-Old Boy with Autism Relies on His Service Dog to Keep Him Safe and Calm While in the Hospital


Where James Isaac goes, Mahe follows – even into the boy's hospital bed.

The 9-year-old Wellington boy is autistic and relies on the black Labrador to keep him safe and calm.

James cannot speak, and recoils from touch and eye contact with his family.

But he will curl up happily with Mahe.

“And for Mahe, James is his best mate, he is all about James," mum Michelle Isaac said.

So important is the bond that Mahe was allowed to join James at the Wellington Children's Hospital as he underwent an MRI scan to diagnose the cause of his seizures.

As he went under general anesthetic, Mahe watched with concern, nuzzling his master's face.

"He was just looking at James, and looking really worried."


As Michelle waited in the hospital cafe for the scan to end, Mahe sat beside her, calming the mother as he had calmed the son.

"I was really shaken, it was pretty stressful watching James struggle."

Life for the Isaac family has improve immensely since Mahe came into their lives, 2½ years ago.

Michelle said going out into public with James used to be nightmare. He was likely to run off and lose the plot in any unfamiliar or over-stimulating involvement.

"We couldn't even go to a cafe as a family. James would get very anxious and want to leave immediately. But when we got Mahe, James would just sit there waiting for us to finish our coffee."

Mahe's presence not only calms James, but keeps him safe. Out and about, he is attached to Mahe on a tether. If he strays too far, or starts running towards a busy road, Mahe sits down and won't budge.

The Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust trained Mahe for six months from a puppy to help children with autism.

The trust trains puppies to help people with a range of disabilities, from autism to diabetes to cerebral palsy.

The dogs can be taught to distract their owners, warn other family members of an impending medical event, or track down missing people and objects.

Wendy Isaacs, the trust's funding development manager, said Mahe had been picked for autism training because of his calm demeanor.


"There is such a magic that happens between a child with autism and the dogs, they just calm the kids down. The kids will maintain eye contact with the dog, but often not with their own parents and siblings."

If James' seizures persisted, Mahe could also be trained to pick up on early warning sign and whine or bark to alert his parents, she said.

To learn more about assistance dogs, visit the trust's website. 




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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Is Your Cat Clawing Up Your Beautiful Furniture?


New furniture already destroyed by your cat? If this scenario sounds familiar, there are things you can do to limit the damage.

Consistent Training

First, even if your cat is an adult when it joins your home, you can still train it not to destroy your best furniture. The key is to start training from day one and be consistent. Discouraging the cat sometimes and turning a blind eye at other times only teaches the cat to keep clawing until you cause a fuss.

Understand that cats need to scratch to keep their claws from growing too long. You cannot discourage this impulse completely, but keeping claws trimmed will reduce the need. Buy a claw clipper at the pet shop and make sure you don’t cut close to the quick.

Your cat may not let you do a whole paw at once, so keep the clippers in your pocket and get a nail or two at a time, and be sure to reward your cat with praise and petting afterwards. If your cat likes to be brushed, follow claw clipping with a good brushing as a reward.

They need to do it

Cats also claw furniture because the stretching, flexing and resistance involved feel good. Since most of our homes don’t have mice to chase, domesticated cats have few opportunities to get natural exercise. Playing with your cat is the only way to ensure it gets the activity it needs. A daily play session or two will keep it from clawing out of boredom.

Because the need to scratch cannot be completely suppressed, you must provide the cat with something it enjoys scratching. This, as most cat owners learn, is seldom the expensive three-tiered gym that takes up most of a room. It is your job to keep trying items until you find something to the cat’s liking.

The inexpensive scratching box of corrugated cardboard is appealing to most cats, but preferred items also include a split log with the bark on and facing up, an old wicker basket, a coir doormat, a discarded leather purse or an old running shoe. Rubbing catnip on the item increases its appeal.

Chairs & Such

For living room chairs, opt for upholstered swivel rockers. Cats don’t like sharpening their claws on things that don’t provide resistance for them to pull against.

To safeguard the couch and other good furniture, invest in attractive, good quality throws and drape them over favorite scratching spots. The cat won’t scratch the throw because it isn’t anchored down, and throws can be quickly whisked aside when company comes.

Make sure your cat has a comfortable place to sleep. Cats often take over furniture because they have no spot of their own. Once a cat adds a piece of furniture to its territory, clawing is likely to follow.

Finally, don’t overlook the power of scent. Cats have a keen sense of smell, and mark furniture with their scent to let others know it’s theirs. You can win the battle for territory by misting your furniture with a fabric-freshening spray or buying a cat-repelling product at a pet store. Smells cats particularly dislike include citrus, mint and pine.


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