Itchmo: News For Dogs & Cats

Until recently, my definition of euthanasia included someone holding and petting an animal, while another person administered injections. But not everyone delivers a kill shot the way a shelter employee explained the procedure to me a decade ago – and not all shelters use such injections.

“Carbon monoxide chamber” was a puzzle to me at first, a clinical-sounding term my imagination connected with animals curling up and going to sleep. Incorrect. Such chambers can be dangerous to operate, animals can panic and death may take up to 45 minutes, according to a fact sheet for Illinois House Bill 4844, sponsored by Representative John Fritchey. (Rep. Fritchey also sponsored the Pet Protection Act which passed in 2007.)

In addition to banning carbon monoxide chambers, HB 4844 would reshape Illinois humane laws in several ways, including changes to euthanasia technician licensing. For example, the bill would prohibit a person convicted of specific controlled substance violations from receiving a license. Any method may fail if incorrectly administered, so the bill requires euthanasia technicians to renew their certificates every five years, with proof they have attended a class or seminar related to euthanasia techniques or guidelines.

HB 4844 would also extend euthanasia restrictions to commercial breeders, and stop the use of homemade gas chambers by private enterprises according to Ledy VanKavage of the ASPCA as quoted in the Pantagraph.

Additional information about the bill is available on the Chicago English Bulldog Rescue site, and the text of HB 4844 is available from the Illinois General Assembly (additions are underlined).

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(Thanks Marilyn)

(Thanks Nancy)

Many people detest pigeons and say that they are disgusting and dirty. I even have heard people call them “flying rats.” People curse pigeons when they find bird poop on their car. But one Chicago man was different and gave pigeons the love and care that all living creatures deserve.

Joseph Zeman would sit for countless hours on a red fire hydrant near Western and Lawrence Avenues. He was called “the pigeon man of Lincoln Square.”

Numerous pigeons would be perched on Zeman. They would be on his head, shoulders, arms, his lap, and just wherever they could find a place.

He would sit for hours motionless with the pigeons surrounding him. Zeman would coo at the birds, kiss them, rub them, and he even had names for some of them. Everyday, he would go to his hydrant at least twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the late afternoon.

Zeman said in a 2004 interview, “Soon as I take a seat, they want to be loved and kissed like a mama’s baby. Like I’m their father, and they’re my child. See ‘em waiting here now, they know I’m coming. They’re waiting for me so they can say, `Here I am, here I am, do what you want to do with me. We’re not worried about you.’ I just tell ‘em all, `You’re my baby, you’re my baby too.’”

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Although the English bulldog is a symbol of the U.S. Marines, this ten-month-old American bulldog definitely shows the character and qualities to represent the U.S. Marines. She is dedicated, loyal, and strong.

Marine Reserve Sgt. Michael Sanchez was reactivated in October and had to say goodbye to his family and his beloved bulldog Nellie when he left.

The Chicago area family decided to put Nellie up for adoption because Sanchez’s wife said it would be too difficult to care for her two sons and the dog by herself.

Sanchez could not bear to drop Nellie off at a shelter, so he brought his dog to a boarding facility where the owner was moved by his story and decided to take in Nellie and find her home.

Judi Schnur, owner of the boarding facility, said, “It just pulled at my heart that they had to give Nellie up, so I agreed to take her in here, at our facility, and promised that we would find a good home for her.”

But there was another challenge to finding Nellie a good home. It was found out that she had hip dysplasia, which caused two prospective adoptions to fall through. The cost of Nellie’s surgery would be anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000.

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Hundreds of animals were removed from Barbara Munroe’s rural Illinois home in October after she missed vaccinations for 35 of her registered dogs.

Would a pet limit have enabled Lee County officials to act sooner, as a SaukValley.com article and an editorial suggest, despite “noise and sanitation” complaints from neighbors?

In 1998, police in Decatur, Ill., executed a search warrant related to potential safety code violations after odor complaints from neighbors, according to the Herald & Review. They discovered more than 200 unregistered animals living in horrible conditions with a couple later found to have four cats registered with the city.

The Chicago Tribune reported an arrest warrant –- still active but never served –- for one count of animal cruelty against Munroe in another Illinois county.

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Jonathan and David Walker-Moses are only five- and six-years-old, but with their hard work, they did something that will help their community. They raised money to help protect Chicago Police K-9 dogs as part of the Illinois Vest a Dog program.

These two young boys, with the help of their mother, raised funds for police dog vests by having a garage sale last summer.

For their great efforts, Jonathan and David were honored at the Chicago Police Department’s monthly Awards ceremony and were presented with certificates of appreciation.

Great job, Jonathan and David!

Source: WBBM

Some shelter animals in Chicago are getting some tasty take-out to munch on.

Ted Lownik, a part-time pizza deliveryman, had the idea of donating leftover food and scraps from the restaurant to animals in need at the Animal Welfare League shelter.

He first got the idea when he brought leftover pizza scraps to his own dogs and saw how excited they got.

Lownik then asked Animal Welfare League if he could bring leftover food from the restaurant that otherwise would have been thrown away. The animal shelter graciously accepted the donations.

Lownik then approached the owner of Barraco’s pizza and told him what he had done and hoped that he wouldn’t get mad. The owner said, “Keep it up.”

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A tractor-trailer carrying 59 Belgian draft horses was involved in a collision with a pickup truck in Northern Illinois this past Saturday.

41 horses have survived, while eight were killed in the accident, and 10 were euthanized because of the extent of their injuries.

Many of the horses have bruised legs, swollen eyes, and other injuries. The horses have been taken to a private farm to recover.

State and federal officials are investigating the crash. The driver had been hired by the horses’ owner to drive them from Indiana to Minnesota for an auction. The horses had numbered stickers taped to their backs.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said, “We don’t have any concrete evidence that they were on their way to slaughter.”

Illinois investigators also are looking into the ways the horses were transported. The trailer that the horses were found in is suited for cattle and pigs.

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Since opening its doors at the end of August, the Serenity Animal Rescue in Merigold, Mississippi has placed several animals into good homes, including one cat named Diego who was recently sent to new adoptive parents in Chicago.

Operated by Sherri Norquist, former director of the Bolivar County Animal Shelter, the sanctuary, on 28 acres of privately owned land, serves as a “no kill” haven for abandoned and injured animals. No-kill shelters and sanctuaries do not euthanize animals based on days within the facility without being adopted. Instead, animals are only terminated because of severe illness.

Norquist explained that Diego came to the sanctuary on August 23 after being found under an overturned bucket being held down with a brick. “This little kitten was so dehydrated and so beat up, I wondered if he would live,” said Norquist. “It took his sheer will and determination, some much needed food and water and weeks of medical care to survive, but survive he did.”

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It took one real estate agent, one apartment manager, two animal rescue workers and four plumbers to rescue three 3-week-old kittens from a storm drain near ReMax Choice in Bloomington, Illinois.

The kittens were trapped about 30 feet from the entrance of the sewer. According to Krista McAlerney, the real estate agent who discovered the distressed kittens, the mother cat had moved them but couldn’t get them back. No one knows what happened to her.

Animal control workers and Bloomington firefighters tried to help, but were unsuccessful. Then Pat and J. Garrie Burr of Central Illinois Small Animal Rescue of Colfax started calling friends in the plumbing business. Mike Randall of Anaconda Sewer and Drain assessed the situation and contacted plumber and former boss Mike Olson of Rewesewer. Friends and relatives also joined in the rescue effort.

Olson used a fiber optic camera to locate the kittens. The team opened a manhole but their first rescue attempt, a bucket and rope contraption meant to nudge the kittens toward the opening, was unsuccessful. Then Randall got a rubber lid from his car and fashioned a sled to pull the kittens out. He described the operation as, “a sleigh ride through the storm drain.”

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Chicago community leaders, city officials, members of the faith based community and the police have all joined together with humane and animal related groups to create Safe Humane Chicago.

The coalition’s mission is to educate children about the dangers of dog fighting, so they will not become involved in this illegal crime. Their goal is also to teach an alternative to violence.

Safe Humane Chicago will show kids how to treat dogs humanely and will bring dogs to visit community centers, churches, and schools. Children will learn how to approach strange dogs, and how dogs are trained through reward and motivation instead of fear or force.

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Tom Finley hasn’t been able to sleep or eat for the past two weeks. His dog, Reba, had been missing since September 7. But now, this well known Chicago panhandler can finally get a night of peaceful sleep because he has been reunited with his beloved Reba.

A woman turned in the dog to the Anti-Cruelty Society on Saturday. A spokeswoman at the Anti-Cruelty Society said the woman who returned Reba was in tears and simply handed the workers there the dog. Employees at the shelter didn’t ask her any questions or identify the woman because they promised if Reba was returned, no questions would be asked.

Finley said he has already forgiven the woman, if she was even the one who took his dog. He thanked the woman for bringing back Reba to him.

A reward for Reba’s return was offered to the woman, but she refused to take the reward. The money will be given to Finley instead. The amount was set two weeks ago at $500, but the amount has grown with donations to an undisclosed amount.

Finley said: “I’d be lost without her. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

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Tom Finley is a familiar face in the Chicago Loop, and so was his beloved blond husky/terrier mix, Reba.

More than a week ago, Finley said his dog was stolen when he went inside a McDonald’s and left her outside. When he came back, his 12-year-old dog with a limp was missing.

Ever since her disappearance, Finley has been asking for help from everyone and anyone to help find Reba. He passes out fliers and asks if they have seen his dog.

Finley said: “She is truly my best friend and my family. I know she’s ready to come home to me.”

He believes that someone took his dog because the person believed that Finley couldn’t care for her. He currently does have an apartment, but often, he is homeless.

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