Itchmo: News For Dogs & Cats

A Portland, Oregon cat owner is filing a lawsuit against her neighbors who she accuses of taking her cat.

In court documents, Donnella Whitacre said her neighbors took her 4-year-old white cat named Merlin while he was roaming the neighborhood. They took him in July and have refused to give him back ever since.

Whitacre said the neighbors fell in love with the cat, and she allowed them to visit Merlin.

When a local news team visited the neighbor’s home, the man who answered the door would not say where Merlin was. He added that Merlin is doing great and he is in the best condition he has ever been in.

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“A tired dog is a happy dog.”

Anyone who’s taken their dog out for a good bout of exercise has seen the positive results in the contentment of the dog’s eyes after the session is over. For the rest of the day the dog is relaxed, attentive, and obedient (at least, more obedient than usual).

The difficulty is that most dogs are born to run; most humans, however, would really prefer to walk. It can be tough to get your dog a solid workout that doesn’t work you over first. A session of fetch or frisbee can tire out a dog without leaving you gasping for breath, but that assumes that your dog is interested in retrieving that ball or disc.

Unfortunately for most shelters, humane societies and animal rescue groups, the dogs that they take in are generally too stressed out to focus on a game of fetch and too hyperactive from being cooped up most of the day to be on their best behavior when a potential adopting family happens along. Unless these shelters are staffed with hyperactive humans, what can they do to tire out the pooches?

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Cinder, a service dog from the Assistance Dog Network of Bandon, Oregon, recently gave seven-year-old Chandler Cleveland-Cooke a taste of freedom. Holding the dog’s harness, the youngster, diagnosed at three-years-old with autism spectrum disorder, browsed through a local department store without having to hold his mother’s hand.

Chandler is hypersensitive to external stimuli and has limited coping skills. Too many people and sudden noises can send the boy into a tailspin. When overstressed, he is unable to recognize dangerous situations such as speeding traffic or high places.

His family employs a number of strategies to help Chandler navigate his world as calmly and safely as possible. He has a weighted blanket — the heaviness of it is comforting when noises, lights and crowds raise his stress level. If the family is going to run many errands around town, Chandler wears a wet suit and is calmed by its snugness.

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A gift from the estate of the late Grace Larson in the form of a check for $200,949 was presented recently to the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners to benefit the Clatsop County Animal Shelter in Astoria, Oregon. The only stipulation put on her gift was that it be used to benefit cats and dogs.

Larson and her husband, Carl, who died in 2002, loved dogs and cats. They always had at least one cat. Carl was a longtime logger and Grace, who worked at Bumble Bee Seafoods for 40 years, retired in 1980. Larson’s donation might be the largest single donation the shelter has ever received.

Stephen Hildreth, the Clatsop County Animal Control supervisor, has a long wish list for the animal shelter. He said a socializing room to familiarize new or young animals with human contact is high on the list. The shelter currently uses its small medical treatment room for socializing activities. Expansion of the building is another possibility.

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The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has said that they plan to release Bucky, a pet buck deer that was seized from his family, into the wild by the end of next week.

Snowball, a doe who was also taken from the family, will remain in captivity. She will either be cared for at a licensed wildlife facility or will be given back to her family under an agreement.

“We are getting the buck ready for release to the wild by the end of next week,” the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said. “The buck will be released to a restricted and secure area where hunting is not allowed and there is limited human access.”

They added that Snowball is not a candidate for release “due to deformities and her attachment to people.” Officials said that Snowball could be returned to her family under an agreement that specifies the type of care she needs “to maintain the quality of life for the doe for the remainder of her life.”

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Earlier this week, an American flag-painted fire hydrant was removed from an Oregon dog park due to complaints from local residents that dogs would urinate on the hydrant. Now, the fire hydrant is back in the dog park and has been reinstalled.

After the hydrant was removed, the park department received many responses from dog owners and war veterans supporting the fire hydrant, which is a tribute to Hondo, a police dog killed in the line of duty. They wrote that the hydrant does not disrespect Hondo, the US flag or K-9 officers.

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When a hydrant with an American flag painted on it was installed in an Oregon dog park, no one thought that there would be public uproar over it.

The fire hydrant at Hondo Dog Park was painted as a tribute to Hondo, a police dog that was killed in a crossfire ten years ago while chasing a suspect.

When some local residents saw pictures of the American flag hydrant in the dog park, they were horrified at the thought of a dog urinating on it.

One resident wrote: “That gallant dog [Hondo] must be turning in his grave at the thought of the flag being desecrated every time a dog pees on that hydrant!”

The fire hydrant sculpture was removed after the park received several complaints of the possibility of dogs urinating on the American flag hydrant. Although park officials said there were no reports of any dogs urinating on the flag-themed hydrant since the park opened September 17.

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An Oregon family pleaded and begged with police and wildlife officers for eight hours on Wednesday to keep their two pet deer, Snowball and Bucky.

But the family lost their fight to keep their pets, and now they are utterly heartbroken. Authorities took Snowball, a 6-year-old doe, and Bucky, her yearling buck, away from their home.

The animals will be evaluated by veterinarians. They will either be transferred to a licensed wildlife facility, released into the wild or euthanized.

Under Oregon state law, it is illegal to keep most wildlife in captivity without a permit.

Wildlife officials said there were health and disease concerns with keeping deer as pets. They added that the deer “belong to everybody in the state of Oregon, not just a few people.”

Six years ago, while Jim Filipetti was driving with his children, he saw a white fawn with brown spots lying on the roadside. She was weak and had deformed back legs and hooves that curved inward. This deformity caused her pain and injuries when she tried to walk.

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Warning: This story may disturb some readers.

A stray cat that was found with an arrow shot in his neck has recovered and is now up for adoption at the Oregon Humane Society.

Sound familiar? Last month, Lucky the cat was also shot with an arrow at close range and survived.

This time around, a family found the cat, nicknamed Jack Arrow, in their front yard. They lured Jack into their home with food and took him to their family vet.

The doctor said that the arrow was most likely in Jack’s neck anywhere from 1-2 weeks due to the fact that the wound was infested and the arrow had broken in half. The wound was 2 inches wide and 4 inches deep.

Jack was in the vet hospital for two weeks and then stayed at the family’s house for a week to recover. He is healing well and all he needs is some attention and affection. Jack’s friendly personality is still shining through amidst his ordeal and he still is welcoming towards people. What an amazing cat.

Source: kptv.com

Update (6/23/07): Good news! Jack Arrow has been adopted. The woman that adopted Jack contacted us and told us that he’s fine and happy and sleeping on a down blanket. Tomorrow she will be taking him for his rabies shot and to have his doctors look at his neck and a general checkup. We’re all so happy to hear that Jack has found a loving home!

Koda, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois deputy dog for the Deschutes, Oregon county sheriff’s office, was in his portable kennel in his handler’s personal car. While his handler was gone, Kona escaped from his kennel and started to eat a large amount of dog food stored in the car and then he began to eat the seats of the car.

Kona choked on the foam and the police captain stated that: “the combination of the large amount of dog food and the foam from the car seats apparently caused an airway blockage or respiratory distress.” An investigation determined that the handler was not negligent.

The Oregon Humane Society has confirmed that an adopted kitten, 6-month-old Sushi, died from eating contaminated food.

Sushi was healthy when she was adopted from the shelter on April 16. A month later she was displaying signs of kidney failure. Eventually they learned that Sushi’s new owner was feeding Sushi Spa Select kitten dry food which was recalled on April 19th. Lab results confirmed that there was melamine in Sushi’s urine and kidneys. Sushi was euthanized after a diagnosis of acute kidney failure.

(Thanks to Tracey)

What city is your dog’s favorite? Men’s Health has compiled their ranking for the Top 50 cities for dogs. Here are their Top 5 cities for dogs:

1. Colorado Springs, CO: All that needs to be said is 250 days of sunshine a year which means an endless amount of outdoor activities for your furry friend. Their boarding and dog day care facilities earn top scores. Also, Colorado Springs levies the highest maximum fine for animal cruelty: $500,000.

2. Portland, OR: Portland is proud of the fact that they have the most dog parks per resident and the many pet retail stores in the area.

3. Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico has the second highest dog ownership rates and Albuquerque’s affection for dogs is shown throughout the city. Even the Mayor holds a Mayor’s Dog Ball which supports efforts to educate children about the humane treatment of animals.

4. Tucson, AZ: Not only is Tucson filled with sunshine, but Tucson has more veterinary practices accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association than in any other city in the Top 50.

5. Seattle, WA: There are almost a dozen dogs parks in the city and many more in the suburbs (including Marymoor Park which is a 40 acre off-leash dog area). Seattle vets report that Seattle has one of the lowest number of heartworm cases in dogs.

The complete list of the Top 50 cities for dogs after the jump.

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Skretting Co. of Canada has been identified by an Oregon hatchery as the company that sold melamine-tainted fish feed to the US. The affected product being used in Oregen is BioVita Starter. The hatchery found out about the problem when the FDA contacted them about testing the feed.

The fish feed is manufactured in Vancouver, Canada by the Skretting Co. It’s distributed under the Bio-Oregon label out of Longview, Wash.

It appears that seven hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest used this food — 6 in Washington, 1 in Oregon. Many of the fry in these hatcheries are released into the streams.

But the AP is reporting that a St. Louis-based broker, Diversified Ingredients Inc. sold tainted feed to Westaqua, another Vancouver, Canada company.

The head of a St. Louis company said it brokered a deal to import nearly 353,000 pounds of the Chinese wheat gluten that went directly to a Canadian aquaculture feed ingredient company called Westaqua. Listings for Canadian fish meal producers include a company called Westaqua Commodity Group Ltd. When reached by telephone, the president of the Vancouver, British Columbia company declined to talk about the matter.

“I can’t talk to you about that today,” Kelly Mills said, adding: “We’re not talking to the press about this issue.”

[The broker says Westaqua received] the wheat gluten directly from China last July and August. Collins said his company has provided the FDA with information, but added no one in return has indicated the ingredient tested positive for melamine.

(Thanks menusux)

RELATED: Summary of CNN Report

AndersonCooper360 called the pet food recall scope “almost Biblical” after fish feed contaminated. Concerns about Chinese fish around “for a long time.” According to CNN, melamine levels as high as 20% was found in tested samples.

CNN interviewed the manager of Chinese manufacturer, who has been detained since 4/25. He denies any wrong-doing and says he doesn’t know what melamine is.

Tony Bennett sang about San Francisco and now The Humane Society of the United States is singing praises about this city. Thanks to San Francisco’s pet friendly hotels, off-leash dog parks, vegetarian restaurants, it is ranked as America’s most humane city. Seattle, Portland, Washington D.C, and San Diego followed in ranking after San Francisco. Some of the factors that were used in the ranking were: the number of fur retailers per capita, the number of puppy mills, and the ratio of wildlife watchers to hunters.

Okay, so usually I’m not really a fan of circuses because clowns just really scare me, but I may overcome my fear of clowns to see one show: The Moscow Cats Theatre. This show showcases cats performing amazing tricks that your household cat probably doesn’t do (if your cat does, then your cat should belong in the show). The cats walk tightropes, walk on their front paws, climb a 10 feet pole and dive down, and leap eight to ten feet from one podium to another. There are a couple of token dogs and clowns in the show too. Here are just some of their national tour dates: in San Francisco from April 28-29, Portland from May 26-27, Seattle from June 2-3, and Montreal from June 23-24. I wonder if the cats are afraid of the clowns too.