Tails in the News
By Renee Krejci
State to consider spay-neuter law
For more than four years, Mesa County has required that pets adopted from shelters be spayed or neutered at a veterinarian’s office. The law has greatly reduced the number of stray animals in the county, prompting
Colorado lawmakers to consider a similar state–level law. Penny McCarty, director of Mesa County Animal Services, along with the Colorado Federation of Animal
Welfare Agencies, is pushing for a statewide mandate. If passed, House Bill 1185 would require animal shelters to implement a program similar to the one in place in Mesa County.
For more information, visit Leg.state.co.us.
Graduate school creates animal-assisted therapy research position
The Denver-based American Humane Association and the University of Denver have created a $2-million endowed position to research the bond between humans and animals and explore the growing field of animal-assisted social work. Housed in the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, the endowed chair is one of the first of its kind in the nation.
The school is still searching for an academic professional to fill the position. He or she would be responsible for leading research efforts and animal-related programs within the Institute for Human-Animal Connection.
Researchers are finding the relationship between humans and animals to be both more important and more complex than previously thought, with growing evidence of the effectiveness of therapy involving animals. Interactions with animals have been shown to improve communication, increase trust, and enhance sensory-motor skills in social-work clients.
March Mammal Madness strikes again at DDFL
It’s not every day that you get to see a guinea pig race. At Denver Dumb Friends League (DDFL)’s annual March Mammal Madness event, you might take one home as well. The festive adoption event will take place this year on Saturday, March 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the organization’s Quebec Street shelter in Denver and Buddy Center in Castle Rock. DDFL holds the event every March to promote adoption of small pets.
“It’s completely dedicated to the little guys,” says Linda Houlihan, associate director of communications for DDFL. “It’s not only a good adoption event, but it’s good for families deciding which pet will be good for their child.”
Rabbits, mice, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, and ferrets will all be up for adoption. Denver Dumb Friends League also encourages visitors to bring their own small furry friends, who can participate in guinea pig and hamster races and a rat maze. There will also be a station where visitors can confirm the sex of their small animal. “Sometimes people get pets and don’t know the sex, and then they end up with babies,” explains Houlihan. There will also be vendors selling small-animal products and a booth about small-animal veterinary care. Everyone who adopts a small pet will receive a free T-shirt.
Last year’s event was a great success, with 30 animals adopted out and 1,000 attendees.
“It’s a great educational event to get these little guys some exposure,” Houlihan says. “If [visitors] have pets already, they might learn more about to how to care for them. If they don’t have a pet, it’s a wonderful opportunity to see what’s out there and what’s a good fit for their family.”
For more information, visit DDFL.org.
City clears stock show of abuse allegations
After investigating claims by an animal-rights group that horses were being abused at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, the city has cleared the show of any wrongdoing.
The group Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) shot video of rodeo workers using electrical prods to jolt horses out of the chute. Most prods administer a 4,500-volt shock.
Reviews of the situation by Denver Animal Control and National Western’s animal-care and use committee found that the electrical prod was used in accordance with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rules and that the horses did not suffer.
SHARK, a nonprofit based in Geneva, Illinois, has videotaped other rodeos in which prods were used in an effort to expose and end animal abuse and suffering. The president of the group said that he was disappointed with the outcome of the investigation and that SHARK will keep fighting on behalf of animals.
Salmonella infections related to small turtles on the rise
Having a pet turtle under four inches in length is not only illegal in the United States, but may increase your chance of contracting a Salmonella infection, a fact that more and more Americans are
unfortunately discovering.
In the second half of 2007, small pet turtles were the cause of 103 cases of Salmonella infection, mostly in young children, who are especially vulnerable to the bacteria, according to U.S. health officials. The reported number of infections is the largest number yet associated with turtle exposure.
Despite the ban on the sale of small turtles since 1975, the purchase of them as pets for children has been on the rise recently, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, the number of turtles in American households has almost doubled in the last five years to more than 2 million.
Julie Harris, a CDC epidemic intelligence service officer, cautioned that the actual number of infections with the potentially fatal bacteria is undoubtedly higher than the number reported in the Jan. 25 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. As many as 90 percent of turtles carry Salmonella, Harris states, and infection can occur in some instances even from indirect contact with the animals, as in the case of one baby who was bathed in a sink in which turtle waste was disposed. Although Salmonella can also make adults sick, the bacteria can cause more serious illnesses in children and even death. According to the CDC, no deaths have been reported, but the infections did lead to hospitalization of dozens of children in all but 15 states.—Melissa Wiley
Spotlight on Colorado Puppy Rescue
When it comes to rescuing puppies, Colorado Puppy Rescue has it down. Last year the organization rescued 1,190 puppies, 10 pooches shy of its goal, says Director of Operations Kim Fallert, a record not too shabby for a group that first started in 2005.
Fallert and her daughter started Colorado Puppy Rescue in October of 2005. Fallert was also a founder of Lifelife Puppy Rescue in Brighton, Colorado, in 1993, but the 80-mile commute convinced her to start her own rescue closer to home. Colorado Puppy Rescue now has more than 60 foster homes and more volunteers than Fallert can count.
“I’m just so proud of the rescue and how everybody has come together,” she says. “It has really turned out to be an awesome rescue that people are hearing about.”
As a licensed no-kill rescue, Colorado Puppy Rescue receives all of its funding from adoption fees and donations. The group works with eight different animal shelters in Colorado and New Mexico to get puppies. “Our primary mission is to save puppies from animal shelters [who] would not have had an opportunity to be
adopted,” Fallert says. Colorado Puppy Rescue frequently holds adoption events at the Aurora Petco on Saturdays.
Fallert recently traveled to a local elementary school to speak to children in
kindergarten through fifth grade about adoption and animal care. “The kids got to pet the puppies and understand what it’s like to take care of them,” she explains. “It was a training session, something fun for the kids.” The rescue also received donations from the school.
The group is currently in need of a new mini van after the last one was totaled. Fallert says the accident occurred while she was stopped at a stoplight; a speeding cop car sideswiped her in an attempt to swerve around another car. “Unfortunately it was an
older-model van, and [the cop car] just totaled it, but I’m still driving it,” Fallert says. “It looks pretty bad, so we’re trying to raise funds for a new used van for the rescue.”
Besides getting a new van, the group hopes to improve its veterinary healthcare insurance and spay and neuter programs in the new year, as well as get more puppies to the vet before they’re adopted.
For more information, visit ColoradoPuppy.org.
AKC lists popular dog breeds in Denver
The American Kennel Club (AKC) has released its list of the top 10 most popular dog breeds in Denver, as officially registered by the organization. Topping the list is the Labrador Retriever, followed by the Golden Retriever, then the German Shepherd, Bulldog, Boxer, Dachshund, German Shorthaired Pointer, Yorkshire Terrier, Poodle, and Miniature Schnauzer. The Miniature Schnauzer was the biggest mover, jumping up five spots from last year, bumping the Pug down to 14th from 10th. Although the Bulldog and Dachshund rank high, AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson says that Denver
residents seem to prefer large, sporty dogs
