Seattle, Washington - To the untrained eye, Ilsa seems a little slow and a little tired. But shedding hair and a toothy grin perhaps hide some darker purpose. “They keep on bringing it back to dogs. And I just want to get my mail,” said Ballard homeowner Randall Ehrlich. He is now suing the United States Postal Service for being on a “dog hold” that prevents him from receiving mail, and has been for nearly a decade. “The regular mail carrier will not deliver to my residence,” Ehrlich said one of the people named in the suit. Ehrlich was placed on what's called a "dog hold" because the previous dog, now dead, was deemed threatening by the carrier and USPS. Yet nothing changed when the dog was fostered out, when there was no dog even living in the house, and even now with low-key Ilsa. Since the slot is next to his door, Ehrlich tried playing along with the complaints and installed a box near his sidewalk. “I thought it was a reasonable compromise,” he said. It wasn’t. “It is not a very common complaint that I get,” said Bellingham animal attorney Adam Karp. He's now helping Ehrlich sue over the excuse of Ilsa and the Ballard mail blackout. “So essentially, they make the decisions unilaterally and there's no appeal from that,” Karp said. We wanted to see what the USPS could explain about the "dog hold." Maybe it's just one mail carrier that's been a problem. Maybe Ehrlich was wrong, and his dogs in the last decade have been terrors. Yet neighbors tell us Ehrlich isn't alone, because there are others on the blackout list. But the post office wouldn't elaborate because of the lawsuit. "However, it is important to note that the safety of our employees is paramount at the U.S. Postal Service when we make operational decisions affecting customer service and delivery practices,” a statement read. We explained the situation to Michael Offield, a former postal service safety advocate who made decisions similar to the Ballard situation. He says this is extraordinary. “Oh god,” he lamented as he laughed and put his head in his hands. He agreed with the attorney Karp that there were some personal problems at the Ballard USPS in his day and thinks this might just be laziness to save a few seconds every day on the route. “Well, this is the postal service. Our last name is service,” Offield said. But let's follow the logic. Let's say Ilsa was just in a good mood when a camera was stuck in her face, or all dogs are a concern for the carriers on that block. So we went next door. And found the same kind of mailbox. At the same kind of house. And the same size dog -- Oliver -- and Lisa Sorensen. She had heard about the drama and hesitated even talking to us. “And we've tried to stay on the good side, to be honest, to keep getting our mail,” Sorensen said. Worry on the streets and a case heading to court that will decide if the Ballard blackout is for real or not. “I`d rather not be doing this. I`d rather just be getting my mail. And I've found no other recourse,” Ehrlich said.
Animals inhale more smoke and - because of their grooming routines - also digest nicotine when licking their fur, a study by Glasgow University said. Dogs are at risk of developing lung or sinus cancer while smaller pets such as birds, rabbits and guinea pigs can face breathing issues and skin disease. Experts hope the findings will motivate pet owners to quit smoking. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has teamed up with The Royal College of Nursing for a new campaign aimed at telling owners about the damage that can be done. Wendy Preston, the RCN's Head of Nursing, said: "Many people would be horrified to discover their second-hand smoke was harming their pet, and in some cases seriously shortening the animal's life. "We want to make it easier for vets and vet nurses to have that conversation with patients." Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest, said he felt the threat of passive smoking on animals was "greatly exaggerated". He also said it was a distraction from genuine cases of animal abuse.
What are the risks?
Dogs can develop lung or sinus cancer
Cats have an increased risk of developing lymphoma
Birds, rabbits and guinea pigs can suffer eye, skin and respiratory disease
Smoke exposure worsens bronchitis and asthma in animals that already have those conditions
The university, which is renowned for its small animal hospital, has been carrying out research on the effects of passive smoking on pets for several years. Professor Clare Knottenbelt said 40 dogs - half of them from homes with smokers - were recruited for the study and samples of their hair were analysed for nicotine levels, while their owners were asked to fill in a survey detailing how often they or any visitors smoked. The same study was then carried out on 60 pet cats, with a particular focus on whether any link could be established between second-hand smoke and feline lymphoma, a cancer that affects the white blood cells of cats. But she said that the researchers had to factor in the very different behavior of cats and dogs, pointing out that free-wandering cats could potentially be exposed to second hand smoke if they visit other people's homes and even sit close to pub or workplace entrances where groups of smokers congregate. She said: "A cat can be from a smoke-free home yet still have high nicotine levels." But Forest's Simon Clark was dismissive of the research, saying: "The best thing anyone can do for their pets is provide a warm, comfortable environment where they feel safe and cared for." ~Source: Royal College of Nurses
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What are Rabies? Rabies is a viral infection of the central and peripheral nervous system in a feline. Rabies is a zoonotic disease that is found worldwide among carnivores and other mammals. This fatal disease is passed through the saliva of an infected animal with initial signs of a disturbance in the central nervous system. An infected feline will go through three symptomatic phases as the disease surges through the body. The feline will go from displaying a shy behavior to aggressive within ten days, dying after day ten from the initial sign of infection. Almost all infected animals die after being infected with the rabies virus, but a feline could survive if the pet owner takes the cat to seek veterinary consultation before the virus reaches the nervous system. Rabies is a viral disease that mainly affects carnivores, but can affect all mammals, including people. The rabies virus is actively spread through the saliva of an infected pet, transmittable through bites or scratches. In the United States, wildlife including; raccoons, skunk, fox, and bats are common vectors of the disease. However, stray dogs and cats are also carriers of the disease, as confrontation with wildlife is the norm. Rabies symptoms can appear as early as ten days after the feline was bitten and as late as a year. The virus affects the brain and nervous system, with initial signs of change in behavior. Rabies is a fatal, incurable disease that can easily infect humans if the proper precautions are not taken. Symptoms of Rabies in Cats Rabies attacks the brain, resulting in rather distinctive behavioral changes. From the initial sign of a rabies infection, your feline will go through a prodromal stage, a furious rabies or “mad-dog” stage, and finally a paralytic stage. Each of the three stages is characterized by different symptoms, as the virus slowly makes its way to the brain and turns the housecat into a vicious feline. To read more on this story, click here:Rabies in Cats
After being well-fed and cared for at M&T Bank Stadium, a stadium employee adopted the cat and named it ‘Rae’ after the Ravens. Yogi had been looking to adopt a new cat for a few months, but none seemed quite right. That is until a kitten ran into M&T Bank Stadium, made her way into the stands, jumped onto the field, showed off some moves and became perhaps the most beloved star of Thursday Night Football. After all that, she scampered straight into Yogi’s heart. The well-respected stadium employee officially adopted the stray cat Friday morning, after getting the thumbs up from his wife, and named her “Rae” – short for Ravens. It’s a pretty heartwarming story. To read more on this story, click here:The Caw: Here’s What Happened to the Thursday Night Football Cat
Chris Slavin was in an elevator a couple years ago with Earle, her yellow lab service dog, sitting calmly beside her wheelchair. The elevator doors opened and in walked a woman holding a purse. In the purse was a teacup poodle the color of apricots. The doors closed just as the poodle spotted Earle. That’s when the trouble started. In an instant, the poodle leaped from the purse, flung himself at Earle, and clamped his teeth into the bigger dog’s snout, leaving Earle bleeding onto the elevator floor. “As soon as this occurred the woman said the poodle was a service dog,” said Slavin, who has a severe spinal injury that requires use of the wheelchair. “She then said he wasn’t a service dog but an emotional support dog. Finally, she admitted he was a pet she just wanted to bring in the building with her.” Incidents like that one in Reading, Massachusetts, not far from where Slavin lives in Danvers, have spurred 19 states to enact laws cracking down on people who try to pass off their pets as service animals. The push has been gathering steam in recent years: Virginia implemented its new law in 2016, and Colorado followed suit this year. Massachusetts is now considering a similar proposal. Supporters of the new laws compare those misbehaving dog owners to people who acquire handicap signs so they can park in spaces intended for disabled people. The laws make it a misdemeanor to represent an untrained dog as a service animal, and usually come with fines of no more than $500 for an incident. But because there is no certification or official national registry of legitimate service dogs, there is no way to verify whether a dog has undergone rigorous training to become a service animal. That makes it hard to enforce the laws, said David Favre, a law professor at Michigan State University College of Law and editor of its Animal Legal and Historical Center website, which follows public policy issues related to animals. He said he’s not aware of anyone who has been prosecuted anywhere for violating them. Rather, he said, the laws are largely symbolic, and meant to educate dog owners as well as people who let pets into spaces where they don’t belong. “Maybe you can scare some people into being honest.” People who pass off their dogs as service animals in order to take them into stores, restaurants, libraries, sporting events and offices are a real problem, he said, for the proprietors of those establishments, their customers and disabled people who genuinely rely on the help of their service dogs. “A service animal is trained to be in public and to be under control and non-intrusive and not bark,” Favre said. “They are trained not to be a nuisance in any way. You should hardly even know they are there.” Because of Earle’s training as a service dog, Slavin said, when the poodle attacked him, “My dog never moved, never retaliated, never barked.” He did nothing. That is the way a service dog is trained. They are not going to ever be aggressive. Ever.” Earle performs many functions for Slavin. He picks up items she drops, retrieves keys, opens doors, puts objects like library books on counters that Slavin can’t reach, and returns change or credit cards to her after purchases. She credits Earle with “enabling me to truly become part of my community.” Service dogs receive up to two years of training, which can cost more than $40,000. Before they are placed, their new owners are often required to live at the training center for a week or two to learn about caring and interacting with their dogs. Many training centers provide the dogs free of charge to disabled clients, defraying their costs through fundraising. The waiting time for a service dog is often two years or longer. But for people who want to pass off their pet as a service dog, it’s easy enough to be convincing. Anyone can go online and purchase for about $20 the types of vests that legitimate service dogs usually wear. The vests may help the fake service dogs gain entry, but their behavior, and that of their owners, often gives them away. Trained service dogs don’t go off-leash, bark, knock things off shelves, jump on people, play or fight with other dogs, or grab food off tables, trainers say. And owners of real service dogs don’t carry them in shopping carts or purses. “The rule is four on the floor,” with all four feet on the ground except when a dog is performing a task, said Katelynne Steinke, a paraplegic in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her own yellow lab service dog. The problem is that the proprietors of establishments where people bring their dogs have no way of determining whether a dog is a real service animal. The American with Disabilities Act requires all places open to the public, such as businesses, government agencies and entertainment venues, to give access to service dogs and their owners. And it permits them to ask only two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability and what tasks the dog is trained to perform. It is illegal to request documentation for the dog or to ask the nature of the owner’s disability. There’s another complication: the growing use of “emotional support dogs,” which are intended to provide comfort to those with anxiety or other emotional problems. Some of them may have received special training, although nothing as rigorous as the training for service dogs. (Emotional support dogs are not covered under the ADA and can legally be denied access.) Some service dog owners say many businesses, unable to tell fake service dogs from real ones, allow all of them in. Many owners of service dogs avoid those places for fear of exposing their animals to danger from untrained dogs. Other businesses, they say, simply bar all dogs from the premises, even if it violates the ADA. The National Disability Rights Network, which advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, is sympathetic to those who want to crack down on pet owners who misrepresent their dogs as service animals. But Ken Shiotani, a senior staff attorney with the organization, said the laws should aim to educate, rather than punish, and the penalties for violations should be minimal. “We want to have a positive impact on people to help them realize that what they’ve done has this very negative effect.” Advocates for the laws agree. Cathy Zemaitis, who helped draft the Massachusetts bill and is director of development for National Education for Assistance Dog Services, a Massachusetts group that says it has trained over 1,700 dogs since 1976, said the laws should launch a national effort to teach people not to put dogs in situations they are not trained for — and to educate the public on the need for legitimately trained dogs. The long-term goal, Zemaitis said, is the creation of a national certification program and registry for legitimately trained service dogs. “This is the beginning of a much larger conversation we need to have.”
Meet Keki, the cute Hungarian puli’s whose Halloween costume went viral. Her mom is taking her for a stroll, as onlookers are amazed that it’s a dog in a bucket!
During the week of Halloween, calls to the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline increase by 12 percent, making it the call center’s busiest time of year. “Each year we experience a sharp increase in calls around Halloween, especially during the weekends surrounding the holiday,” said Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, assistant director at Pet Poison Helpline. “Most often, these calls involve pets accidentally ingesting Halloween candy or décor. Chocolate is one of the most problematic candies as dogs and cats cannot metabolize it as well as people. Thus, it places them at risk for poisoning.” The four most common food-related Halloween hazards for pets are chocolate, candy overindulgence, raisins and candy wrappers. Is chocolate poisonous to dogs? Of all candy, chocolate is one of the most toxic to pets. Over the past year, more than 1,100 calls to Pet Poison Helpline involved exposure to chocolate and 98 percent of them involved dogs. Many dogs are inherently attracted to the smell and taste of chocolate, making it a significant threat. In general, the darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more poisonous it is. The chemicals in chocolate that are dangerous to pets, methylxanthines, are similar to caffeine and more heavily concentrated in the darker varieties. In fact, a 50-pound dog can be sickened by ingesting only one ounce of Baker’s chocolate! On the other hand, it may take up to eight ounces, (half a pound) of milk chocolate to cause poisoning in that same sized dog. White chocolate contains very low amounts of methylxanthine and rarely causes poisoning. To avoid issues, keep Halloween candy well out of the reach of pets at all times. If you think your pet may have ingested chocolate, symptoms to watch for include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, agitation, increased thirst, an elevated heart rate, and in severe cases, seizures. To read more on this story, click here:Halloween Dangers to Dogs & Cats
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and five conservation groups are offering a $15,500 reward for information about the killing of a federally protected gray wolf. The four-year-old male, known as OR-33, was found dead in late April in southwestern Oregon's Fremont-Winema National Forest, according to the agency. A necropsy confirmed that it was OR-33, which had a collar that had stopped working the previous year. The wolf died of gunshot wounds. "This is a heartbreaking loss for Oregon's wolves," Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "Wolf recovery in Oregon depends on wolves like OR-33 making their way west and thriving, so his death is a major setback." Gray wolves are listed as endangered in the western part of Oregon. "The federal offense is punishable by up to a $100,000 fine, a year in jail, or both. The maximum state penalty is a fine of $6,250 and a year in jail," according to The Associated Press. OR-33 was a lone wolf, having left the Imnaha pack in northeastern Oregon in 2015, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. Last year, "OR-33 roamed almost within Ashland city limits — a city of more than 20,000. From June 10-12, he attacked and killed two goats and one lamb at a small livestock operation northeast of Ashland," the Statesman Journal reported, citing the agency. The animal was apparently not subtle. "This wolf is acting like David Lee Roth," Greg Roberts, a media personality in Southern Oregon, told the Statesman Journal last year. "I had eight people in Ashland say that they've seen him around their property." Oregon had at least 112 wolves in 2016, according to state statistics. But the conservation groups contributing to the reward for information say that "since 2015 at least eight wolves have been poached or died under mysterious circumstances in Oregon." Quinn Read, Northwest representative of Defenders of Wildlife, said poaching in Oregon is "a huge and growing problem." She added: "We need everyone's help to catch this killer." If you have information about this case, you can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (503) 682-6131, or Oregon State Police Tip Line at (800) 452-7888.
