Relief efforts underway for Gustav pets

The ASPCA and HSUS have brought good news to the animal world during hurricane Gustav. While working together with several other organizations, they checked in more than 800 pets pre-hurricane into a mega shelter while their guardians evacuated New Orleans and the surrounding areas. There are organization members on staff 24 hours a day taking care of the animals who will be picked up by their guardians when the storm passes and the mandatory evacuation ends. The mega shelter reached capacity this weekend before Gustav touched land, forcing workers to reroute many animals to other shelters. According to the HSUS, the organization felt much better prepared this time around than it did for hurricane Katrina, having spent significant time and money on disaster relief training and preparations. In many cases, families have been able to take their pets along with them to shelters and evacuation destinations allowing the entire family to stay together while waiting out the storm. 

For more information or ways to help, visit the following resources:

HSUS Disaster Relief Fund
https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2008?qp_source=gabhc7

ASPCA
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=gustav_evacuees

Gustav Pets
http://gustavpets.com/

—Jill Brodsky

Humane groups rescue 600 cats in anti-cruelty raid

On Thursday, March 13, the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) carried out one of the largest animal anti-cruelty raids in state history, at the Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary in Tarentum, PA. With a warrant obtained from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, 120 animal-welfare experts worked diligently to search the 28-acre property at 160 Miller Drive, just 22 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

More than 600 neglected cats, along with several horses, goats, chickens, and dogs, were rescued from poor and filthy living conditions. Also found dead in deep freezers were 105 cats. Howard Nelson, PSPCA CEO, described the scene as “pure hell.”

PSPCA veterinarians reported that the rescued cats are suffering from ailments that range from upper respiratory conditions and skin wounds to malnutrition and dehydration. While some cats were so ill that they had to be humanely euthanized, 406 surviving cats were taken to an animal hospital at the Clarion County Humane Society in Shippenville.

In order to help with the raid, ASPCA provided three fully equipped mobile veterinary clinics, one of which was the nation’s first ever mobile animal crime scene investigation (CSI) unit. The mobile animal CSI unit is specially designed with state-of-the-art forensic tools and medical equipment for the care of injured animals.

According to PSPCA, Tiger Ranch was brought to its attention by Dr. Becky Morrow, Dr. Carolyn DeForest, Rebecca Reid, and Deborah Urmann. The group conducted an undercover investigation, including secret video footage taped by Urmann, a humane officer volunteering for Tiger Ranch, and gave its report to PSPCA officials. Undercover video taken by Urmann on March 12—the day before the Tiger Ranch raid—is available on YouTube (YouTube.com/watch?v=xfejZbOzRsE).

Owner of the Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary, Linda Bruno, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.

—Elizabeth Piwowarski

Canine photo exhibit set to open in April

We’ve all seen his famous dog photographs in magazines, on greeting cards, and on the Internet, and now there’s a chance to see renowned photographer Elliot Erwitt’s work up close at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown.
Erwitt, whose work has appeared in Life, Look, Holiday, and Colliers, will open his exhibition, “Dogs Dogs,” on April 26. It is set to run through the summer, and will showcase Erwitt’s take on the canine world––from the dignity of the ankle-high Chihuahua, to the anxiety of the homeless Hound, to the patience of the pom-pommed Poodle, to the matchless joy of the homely but well-loved Pug––brought to the viewer with overwhelming precision.

“Dog Dogs” is organized by Magnum Paris and art2art Circulating Exhibitions, and is sponsored by Doylestown Animal Medical Clinic and Novartis Animal Health U.S., Inc., with additional funding by DeAnna’s Restaurant/Bar; Lambertville, NJ; Jane M. Yeuroukis, Inc.; and Tutto Metal Design.
In addition to Erwitt’s installation, the art museum, in conjunction with Doylestown Animal Medical Clinic and Animal Lifeline, will host an animal-rescue informational fair on Friday, June 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will highlight many of the rescue groups working in the community and will feature pet adoptions, a pet food drive, advice from animal trainers and behaviorists, dog licensing, and more.

For more information, visit MichenerMuseum.org.

– Rose Strong

Dallas airport latest to jump on pet-resort bandwagon

Airports are starting to catch up to speed, not only with increasingly hectic flight schedules, also with pet guardians’ concern that their pets have as good a time on vacation as they do. To that end, Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW) Airport, the world’s third busiest and occupying an area larger than Manhattan, is in the process of doing some serious shopping. It is actively looking for two to three acres of land nearby to house a pet resort guaranteed to pamper pooches and felines while their guardians are away.

Pet resorts are popping up near airports all over the country, with Houston, Denver, New Orleans, and Jacksonville already offering or seriously considering pet-boarding services in close proximity. John Terrell, vice president of commercial development for D/FW Airport, suggests that the convenience of a nearby pet resort for pet guardians leaving town is undeniable. Under his proposal, the facility will offer such amenities as plenty of room for pets to play outside and a swimming pool in the shape of a dog bone. Unsurprisingly, neighboring and therefore competing pet resorts point out that the location of the proposed facility will present such problems as noise and air pollution for its furry residents.

Terrell projects the airport leasing land to a private company that would operate the pet resort as the most likely scenario. Ideally, the company would sign a lease with the airport by the end of 2008, and the completed pet resort would open by fall 2009. — Melissa Wiley

Valentine’s Day horse rescue raises anti-slaughter awareness

Local rescue group Another Chance 4 Horses (AC4H), based in Bernville, recently assisted in a large equine rescue from the Midwest. According to the group’s website, more than 300 horses were set to go to auction in Colona, IA, and it was expected that approximately half of them would be purchased for slaughter. Volunteers organized a “Valentine’s Rescue” (the auction was set to take place just before Valentine’s Day) to try to save some of the animals. They succeeded in bringing back several dozen horses, ponies, miniature horses, and donkeys to their rescue.

AC4H began as a private rescue in 1993 with one horse. The group soon began taking in a few more animals through word of mouth, and in 2004 assumed the role of bringing awareness to the plight of horses involved in the pregnant-mare-urine (PMU) industry, which utilizes equines to manufacture hormones for humans. The process involves impregnating mares and using their urine to make synthetic estrogen. The foals were often left to die or slaughtered. According to AC4H, this crisis in the equine world brought public attention to serious animal cruelty and began a real need for equine rescue.

As a result, Monmouth County, NJ resident Cheryl Hanna saw her chance to help. “I adopted a PMU horse and became involved in rescue about five years ago,” says Hanna, a public relations and fundraising volunteer for AC4H.

Hanna and her husband, Doug, a lawyer, donate their time to AC4H, performing fundraising and legal tasks.
Today, the group is dealing with the harsh realities of the new anti-slaughter legislation, under which horses are now being shipped to Mexico and Canada for use as meat in the international market since the practice has been made illegal here in the U.S.

“We just found out that when they don’t have a full truck to ship, they put the miniature horses in under the full-size horses, where they wind up being trampled,” says Hanna. “The horse brokerage business is sketchy.”
With about 100 acres of donated farm property, AC4H is able to rescue these equines from abuse, neglect, and slaughter, but only with help from their dedicated volunteers and the public.

For more information on the programs and adoptable horses, visit our website AC4H.org and MaryNash.org.

ASPCA initiative encourages target communities to“go orange”

When you see orange, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) wants you to think animal welfare. Through ASPCA Mission: Orange, the organization has partnered with several target communities across the country, providing them with educational and financial resources as well as training opportunities to increase adoption rates of animals, among other goals, as away of attaining “humane-community” status.

The cities of Austin, TX; Gulfport-Biloxi, MS; Philadelphia, PA; Spokane, WA; and Tampa, FL make up the target communities for 2007. Through Mission: Orange, the organization has made a three-year commitment to each of these communities to enable them to have raised shelter adoption rates 10 percent by the end of 2007 and to achieve a 75-percent save rate for shelter animals by 2010. ASPCA is engaged in an ongoing pursuit to incorporate other communities throughout the country into this initiative––eventually empowering them to actively promote and establish high levels of animal welfare.—Melissa Wiley

Spotlight on: Rat Chick Rat Rescue and Advocacy Group

Maria Pandolfi, founder and director of Rat Chick Rat Rescue and Advocacy Group in Philadelphia, is excited that this year just so happens to be the Chinese Year of the Rat. For her, it’s a great excuse to educate the public about this commonly misunderstood animal. Tails spoke with her about her rescue and yes, the rats she loves.

How did you become involved in rat rescue?
My first two rats came from a friend who had several female rats who had had babies. After they died, I bought a book on rats, and then went to a pet store. The rescue started about seven years ago, when I found out that pet stores get their rodents from breeders. I found out about a pet store that was going out of business and convinced [the owner] to give me all his rats.

Can you tell us about the virtues of rats?
Rats are really smart and have been estimated to have the intelligence of a dog or cat. They are clean and groom themselves even more than a cat. They come when you call them and are very affectionate.

Can rats make good pets?
They are wonderful pets. [Their cages need] cleaning once a week, and they do eat special food, but otherwise they are relatively easy, with about an hour of daily exercise. They make wonderful first pets for children. Their bodies are made up mostly of cartilage, so they can tolerate a bit more handling by kids than other pets can.

Are there myths you can dispel?
Rats did not spread the Bubonic Plague, as most people think. Fleas carried the plague, and many animals besides rats carried fleas. Rats and humans share the same taste in food, and they would come into homes with the fleas, and the fleas would bite humans, transmitting the disease. Rats do not carry the plague. Once they are infected, they die from it.
Also, rats can live with other pets like cats. Mice tend to scurry, which fascinates cats and makes them chase. Rats don’t scurry; they walk and become part of the family.

What is your biggest challenge when advocating for your rescue?
People don’t necessarily think of rats as pets and have a lot of prejudice against them. It can be very hard to convince people of the good side of these animals.

Rat Facts

Giant pouch rats are used in Zimbabwe to detect landmines. Just like dogs, they are trained to do this job for a reward. The rats are lighter than dogs and can do the job in less time with less danger.

April 4 is World Rat Day.

Rats are not covered under the USDA’s Animal Welfare Act, so breeders are not inspected.

For more information, visit RatChickRatRescue.com.