In Case Of Tornados: Keeping Pets Safe

 I don’t think that people will forget the past week any time soon.  The damage and destruction to areas struck by tornadoes in the Oklahoma clearly demonstrate the tremendous power of tornadoes.  Last night on the news, I watched a story about pets who had been lost during the tornado and were finally reunited with their families.  The families are overjoyed that their family is now complete.

Before a tornado or bad storm hits, all of us need a plan to insure that our pets will be safe in case something horrible happens.  There are great websites that offer ideas to help you plan for such an unimaginable event.  Bayou Rescue  has its own disaster preparation plan which helps you look at the different supplies you need to have on hand in your emergency pet kit as well as a checklist of things to know and do before a disaster is on the way to your home.  There are links to other organizations that have good suggestions about how to prepare for yourself, your family, and your animal companions.  An outstanding article written on the website of the Humane Society of the United States gives you a very specific plan to follow and adapt to your own family situation.

In just a few words, here are some ideas that people at Bayou Rescue believe can help you if something happens.  First of all,  make a plan that will help you and your pets remain safe in case of an emergency.  Microchip your animals.  Have tags on your pet’s collar which list home and cell phone numbers and maybe the number of someone from another location in case phones are down in your home area.  Take photos of you with your pets so that if your pet is separated from you, you can prove that you are the owner of the pet.  These photos can be used to post “Missing Pet” fliers.  Take pictures of the pet’s markings – especially unusual markings – to make identification easier.  Keep copies of these materials in several places – home, car, at a friend’s home, and email everything to several email addresses in case something happens to your home.  Have a “go bag” for your pets in case you need to evacuate your home quickly.  Keep medicines, medical information, emergency food, toys, collars and leashes in the “go bag”.  This list is minimal so please research other things that would be helpful to have on hand.  Bayou Rescue has a great resource on its website with emergency preparedness suggestions.  Check it out!

Whistle-blower suppression laws proposed in North Carolina

I am horrified at many of the newly proposed bills in the North Carolina Legislature.  The one that upsets me the most, Senate Bill 648,  is the one which may effectively shut-down the information track which helps people report on abuse cases in large animal farms.  These bills are called, “Ag-gag” bills and may have impact on different areas which are important to me and to many others.  Some of these areas are: Animal Welfare, Food Safety, Control over Food Choices, Workers Rights, Free Speech, and Environmental Damage.

According to the ASPCA, “Ag-gag laws are also troublesome because they do not reflect the public’s will. Polls consistently show that the majority of Americans favor humane treatment of farm animals. A 2012 poll conducted for ASPCA by Lake Research revealed that 94 percent of the general American public agrees that “from every step of their lives on a farm—from birth to slaughter—farm animals should be treated in a way that inflicts the least amount of pain and suffering possible.” The same poll also revealed that 71 percent of American adults support undercover investigative efforts to expose farm animal abuse on industrial farms, and that 64 percent oppose making such investigations illegal.”

“In the last few years, the farm industry has been driving the introduction of “ag-gag” bills in state legislatures across the country. The purpose of these bills is to criminalize acts related to investigating the day-to-day activities of industrial farms, including the recording, possession or distribution of photos, video and/or audio at a farm. Such investigations have previously formed the basis of animal cruelty prosecutions and spurred reforms to protect the safety of our food supply.

“Ag-gag” or “whistleblower suppression” bills take many forms. What they all have in common is they threaten not only to cover up horrific animal abuse and food safety problems, but also other illegal or unethical behavior including environmental and labor violations. Animals deserve to be protected, and the public has a right to know how its food is produced.

“In late 2011, the organization Mercy for Animals released a video shot inside a North Carolina turkey factory farm owned by Butterball. The video shows acts of animal cruelty and neglect—in it, frightened turkeys are hit with what appear to be metal rods, violently kicked, thrown hard against the side of a truck and dragged across the floor. The video also shows birds suffering with bloody open wounds, broken bones and diseased eyes.

As a result of this critical video evidence, five Butterball employees have been charged with felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty. But if big agribusiness had its way, the person charged would have been the investigator who captured and reported the abuse.”

Ag-gag laws are also troublesome because they do not reflect the public’s will. Polls consistently show that the majority of Americans favor humane treatment of farm animals. A 2012 poll conducted for ASPCA by Lake Research revealed that 94 percent of the general American public agrees that “from every step of their lives on a farm—from birth to slaughter—farm animals should be treated in a way that inflicts the least amount of pain and suffering possible.” The same poll also revealed that 71 percent of American adults support undercover investigative efforts to expose farm animal abuse on industrial farms, and that 64 percent oppose making such investigations illegal.

It is important to let our state legislators know that we do not support the passage of ag-gag bills or any other legislation that would allow animal abuse to be covered up. Many highly respected national organizations representing a range of public interests, including the ASPCA, have signed a statement of opposition to proposed ag-gag legislation.”

This seems like a situation where I won’t have any good-fortune going up against farm industry lobbyists.  I won’t let that stop me from making my voice heard, though.  I hope that you will join me in raising our voices against cruelty toward animals and against the loss of our constitutional rights to be heard even if big industry might not be given a free hand to make more money by forgoing moral and ethical behavior and carry out business with inhumane activities.  Please contact your legislators.  They need to know that their actions are being watched and judged.  They need to know that they do have a responsibility to run this state according to humane and moral precepts.

Here is a link to help you find out who your legislators are: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx   and how to contact them:  http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/reports/room-phone.pl?Chamber=House&viewType=normal 

A hero of mine said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi

Please help!

CPR for pets – just in case…

I hope you never need to use CPR for your pet, but if something terrible should happen, at least you will have an idea of what to do.  At first it looks  intimidating, but if you look closely, it is really no different from what you’ve seen  on TV being done to a human.  The positioning is different, of course, but you do the same thing with a pet that you’d do with a human.  You can actually practice on a stuffed toy if you know anyone who has a child’s toy dog or cat.

The American Red Cross and some animal services through your town offer CPR for pets.  That course is great, I know.  When my husband and I took it, we got to practice with experts watching what was going on and help us become comfortable with our process.  You don’t need the course, but it is a great idea and usually either free or at a very low cost.Just  think about it and be prepared!

National Pet Week!

I know, I know.  Tomorrow is the last day of National Pet Week.  Sometimes important things just slip by me and I feel really bad about not giving you a heads-up about this wonderful celebration week.  There are no things that I would rather celebrate than my pets since they are part of my family and my family is my top priority.  So, even if this comes too late to do too much celebration there’s still one day left.

So, how can you celebrate National Pet Week?  Some things come to mind: take time to do something with your pet- a walk, a ride in the car,  or playing with your pet and giving her special attention.  Maybe just sitting next to your pet and giving him a good scratch is something that your pet would like.  You might also think about volunteering some of your time at a local animal shelter or giving a donation in your pet’s name to honor her.  I imagine you can come up with a great idea that will show your pet how much he means to you and thank him for meeting you at the door every night when you get home from work and letting you know that he thinks you are the best person on this earth.

I have become aware of a couple of wonderful things having to do with pets, too.  The NC House of Representatives just passed a bill against puppy mills.  This has been long in coming and it still has to go to the Senate, but I will keep thinking that our senators love animals just like I do and will vote to support this bill.

According to MyFox8.com our of Greensboro/Winston Salem, I learned about this new bill.

“A law designed to protect animals and hold dog breeders accountable passed through the NC House Thursday. It now heads to the Senate.

House Bill 930 would require fresh food and water, daily exercise, vet care and solid shelter at animals at sites with more than 10 breeding female dogs.

“North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast without puppy mill laws,” explained Caleb Scott, President of North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare. “We are a puppy mill destination in North Carolina because we have no laws on the books. Puppy millers gravitate to our state.”

Scott said he’s relieved to see the measure pass through the house and refers to the law as “long overdue” in the state.

“Thankfully everyone loves animals so it’s not a partisan issue. Everyone on both sides of the aisle loves animals,” he said.”

The North Carolina’s first lady, Ann McCrory has publicly supported this new bill, House Bill 930.  She made this statement: ‘”This legislation is a very important step in establishing basic standards of care for large commercial dog breeding facilities and helps ensure all dogs are treated humanely,” the first lady said in a statement. She declined to answer questions from reporters after watching the debate and the 100-15 vote for the bill, which now goes to the Senate.”  Be sure to read the whole article to find out more.  Way to go, Ann McCrory!

So, in celebration of National Pet Week, something else you can do is to email or write your senator asking that she or he support this bill!  And, let’s hope Caleb Scott, President of North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare is right and this bill passes.

Danni needs your help. Sweet young dog found near Elon University Campus. If you know who is missing her, please contact us.

Danni was rescued near Elon University Campus on March 23.  She is now in foster care and is a sweet, shy little girl. 

Female, approx. 3-5 months old.
Very, Very timid. Gets along well with dogs.

If you know who is missing this baby please contact:

Kelly Ronnow, k.ronnow@yahoo.com, kellyr@bayourescue.org

336-263-6772

Pet Loss

My wonderful horse, Gideon Society, feeling his oats! May his memory be for a blessing!

I belong to a group listserve which deals with SLO.  This condition causes the nails of a dog to crack, break, and fall off.  It can be very painful during an episode and while Phaedra has Discoid Lupus, the symptoms are very similar.  Reading the blog yesterday, a woman told the group that her Maddie, a GSD who suffered from this condition, had passed on – due to something else.  All of us knew how much it hurts to lose a friend and it doesn’t matter if you’ve loved the pet for 1 year or 16 years. It hurts!

Loving a pet means that at some time in the pet’s life you will, most likely, experience the loss of that pet.  I have lost dogs, cats, a parakeet, and a horse.  Each loss is still with me to this day.  Something will happen or I will be somewhere and I will be reminded of my wonderful friend.

One of the participants of the SLO listserve group submitted a poem which spoke to me so strongly that I want to submit it here.  Like the Rainbow Bridge poem, this one offered me a way to find comfort for those loses which I still carry with me.

“There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings and walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive, our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.”—-Suzanne Clothier

When you experience a loss, I encourage you to contact your veterinarian and ask about a group which deals with grief and loss for the loss of a pet.  The ASPCA has a very comprehensive section on pet loss which will help with issues surrounding the time when the end of a pet’s life is near.  The coping strategies make a lot of sense to me.  There are always other resources, too, and I encourage you to seek them out.  A person who has never loved a pet has no idea what you are going through.  Talking with others who are going through the same thing will help you find some peace.

Wishing everyone peace and health!