Stella is back!

One of my clients, Stella, returned from an extended stay out of state, and today was her first day back with the group. So she is my "featured pet" for this week. I missed her while she was gone!

Recently, we discovered that Stella is fascinated by a dog toy called the Hol-ee Roller (pictured at right), made by JW Pet Company and sold at most pet stores. They make some other cool dog toys like Good Cuz and Bad Cuz, and the Chompion. (I'll write a separate blog entry soon on the best dog toys.)

Anyway, just put an item like a squeaky ball or other desirable object inside it, and then watch dogs try to figure out how to remove it; it's challenging and fun for them.






You can find more photos of pretty Stella by going to the photo page on my website.

Update on Chaca

Many people have been kind enough to ask for an update on Chaca's story. (Original post can be found here.) Well, she's doing great and is ready for adoption!

Over the last few weeks, she has been staying with Larry Johnson, a San Francisco Animal Care & Control Officer and private dog trainer, and according to him, she is "a great little dog." His assessment is that she would make a wonderful pet for someone firm, loving, and experienced with dogs (ideally experienced with border collies in particular).

Earlier today, I took Chaca, along with my own dog Luna, and one of their doggie friends, Thelma, up to a small ranch property up in the Glen Ellen area. My purpose was to assess Chaca's progress, to introduce her to some people who wish to help search for a new owner for her, and of course to have a fun day romping in the countryside.

All three dogs ran, chased sticks, chewed pine cones, tried to roll in wild turkey poop (--yuck!), splashed in water troughs and ponds, and sniffed to their heart's content.


They had to wait outside on the porch while the two-legged folks ate a quick lunch, but they kept a close eye on us.
It would have been a perfect day, if not for the shadow cast by the uncertainty of Chaca's fate/future. She can only stay with Larry until approximately February 1st. I will foster her for as long as I can after that date, but also have financial and other constraints. So we urgently need to find Chaca a suitable and happy home.

Please share Chaca's story with anyone who might be interested in sponsoring or adopting her. I am happy to answer any questions. This little freckle-faced dog started off life with the deck stacked against her, and in spite of it all, she is smart, healthy and loving. She deserves a happy ending.

Air travel with pets

Several of my clients have asked my opinion about traveling by plane with a dog or other pet. So here are my thoughts, and some links that may help you decide whether or not to bring your pet on your next vacation.

My personal opinion is that you should avoid taking your pet on an airplane, especially if you are unable to take it with you in the cabin. It's stressful to them, and can be physically dangerous. Airlines treat pets like luggage. I don't know about you, but I can get over lost or damaged luggage, but not a lost or injured/killed pet. And most cargo compartments are not temperature controlled, are extremely noisy, and don't necessarily provide enough oxygen to your animal. They are not designed to transport live animals.

In the spirit of full disclosure, part of my business is taking care of animals while their owners are away, so I have a vested interest in people NOT taking their pets. Therefore, below are some sources for unbiased information.

If you do decide to fly with your pet, don't forget to talk to your vet first, and read the information in the links below to try to make the experience as safe as possible. In addition to checking your airline's safety record (see below), be sure to check with them about specific requirements they may have.

Links to more information:

1. The Humane Society of the US has a web page that provides Tips for Safe Pet Air Travel
2. Since 2005, airlines are required to report all incidents of lost, injured, or killed pets. You can find these reports on the Aviation Consumer Protection section of the Department of Transportation website here. However, these reports are cumbersome and don't provide easy summaries. Also, because there is not really a good mechanism for tracking/enforcing consistent and accurate reporting, I believe these numbers significantly under-report the problem. But they are all we have in terms of hard data, for now.
   
3. There is a website that has compiled the data for you here (thank you to Jol A. Silversmith at ThirdAmendment.com!)

I've also provided a table of incidents from May 2005 through November 2006.

Carrier	Death	Injury	Loss
Alaska Airlines	2	3	1
American Airlines	9	0	0
ATA Airlines	0	0	2
Atlantic Southeast	1	0	0
Comair	0	1	0
Continental Airlines	16	11	0
Delta Airlines	3	0	3
Frontier Airlines	0	2	0
Hawaiian Airlines	1	3	1
Horizon Airlines	2	1	0
Midwest Airlines	2	1	0
Northwest Airlines	0	2	2
Pinnacle Airlines	0	2	0
Shuttle America	1	0	1
SkyWest Airlines	1	0	0
United Airlines	7	0	1
US Airways	1	1	1
Total	46	27	12

(Of the deaths, 38 involved dogs, 5 involved cats, 2 involved birds, and 1 involved a rat. Of the injuries, 20 involved dogs and 7 involved cats. Of the losses, 2 involved dogs, 9 involved cats, and 1 involved a bird. In addition, 1 of the lost cats was subsequently reported to have been recovered, while 3 of the injured dogs were reported to subsequently have died of their injuries.)

Goodbye to Gilbert

Gilbert the pug, who belonged to Loretta (the dogwalker), got lost on New Year's Eve and was later found dead on January 4th. A friend, Julie, has arranged a brief, informal gathering of friends and supportive dog owners at Upper Douglass Park for tomorrow (Sunday the 7th) at 2pm. This is meant as a remembrance of Gilbert, and as a show of support to a fellow dog-owner who has suffered a loss that all of us can relate to.