Tails in the News
By Jeff Fleischer
After years of fighting with her neighbors over her decision to keep three Potbellied pigs as pets, a Lake Forest woman is moving due to a home foreclosure.
In 2006, when Estelle Walgreen moved to Lake Forest with her pets, about 300 town residents signed a petition urging the City Council to prevent her from keeping the animals, claiming their presence would lower property values and that farm animals were not allowed under local law. In September of that year, Walgreen scored a victory when city aldermen amended the city’s animal regulation code, allowing her to keep the animals at her home through 2011.
In mid-March, however, the Daily Herald reported that the bankruptcy of Walgreen’s company, Converse Industries, led to a mortgage default that would force Walgreen to move and the home to be sold. Walgreen told the paper that she does not know where she and her pigs will move, only that she plans to leave Lake Forest.
The second annual Great American Mutt Show comes to suburban Berwyn this month, taking place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, at Morton West High School. As it did last year, the show will include a range of contests for dogs to participate in, including prizes for the most creative pet trick, friendliest dog, smallest big dog, and dog who looks the most like her person. Only mixed-breed dogs can compete for prizes. There will also be a parade of pets from local shelters and classes on grooming, nutrition, and other pet-care techniques.
The event is sponsored by PAWS Chicago, Dock Dogs, Animal Care League, Brookfield Zoo, Tails in Need NY, VCA Berwyn Animal Hospital, and the Berwyn Development Corporation.
That same weekend, Morton West High School will also host the two-day regional competition of Dock Dogs, the national and international dock-jumping performance sport competition in which canines jump over an above-ground pool. Pooches may also compete in events such as speed retrieving, big air (for horizontal jumpers), and extreme vertical jumping. The event starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
For more information about the shows, visit MuttShow.com or DockDogs.com.
Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo has announced a $12-million initiative aimed at renovating its south pond to make it more habitable for wildlife.
Unwanted animals, such as koi carp, and in one instance, an alligator, have been found in the pond over the years. But the renovation is primarily aimed at protecting the wild animals who typically live there, including turtles, fish, and frogs. The planned renovation includes planting foliage that can filter toxins from rainwater and digging the pond deeper to make it easier for animals to survive the cold of Chicago winter.
“We want to restore it and make it a more natural environment,” zoo spokesperson Sharon Dewar tells the Chicago Tribune. “It’s taking away the concrete and steel and making it a more natural environment that will be host to native wildlife.”
Renovation is expected to begin this October.
For more information, visit LPZoo.org.
Four Pit Bulls and their trainers from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood were recognized with “Good Citizen” certificates by the American Kennel Club at a March 22 ceremony after participating in a program aimed at eliminating dogfighting.
The four dogs––Diesel, Cide, Rocky, and Jigga––took part in the HSUS’s ongoing “End Dogfighting in Chicago” campaign. The program allows youth from Austin––an area Chicago police have identified as particularly problematic for dogfighting––to train Pit Bulls in basic obedience commands and agility work, with the goal of helping the youth to treat their dogs with respect. The Chicago program is an HSUS pilot, and the organization hopes to expand the concept nationwide.
“Once they start training a dog, these guys learn that their dogs are more than a status symbol and more than a weapon,” says Jim Morgan, head of the training program. “They’re living, breathing, joyful, loyal creatures, and when you tap into that, you just can’t put them in a ring to be mutilated.”
April marks the fifth anniversary of the founding of west suburban-based As Good as Gold, a Golden Retriever rescue that recently saved its 700th dog. Robin Sweeney, president of the all-volunteer organization, talked with Chicagoland Tails about advocating on behalf of one of America’s most beloved dogs.
Where do you generally find the dogs?
The dogs are about 50 percent [guardian] relinquishment. Then we also work with the area shelters and humane societies. A lot of times they’ll take a dog who’s injured or older, and they don’t think they can find a home for [him], so they’ll contact us.
How do you then find the best homes for them?
The applicants fill out a five-page application, and then we go out and do a home visit. We require the whole family to be there so we can meet them and find out which dog will be the best fit for them. If [the applicant is] an elderly couple, we don’t place them with a puppy. Or if it’s a really active family, we’ll try to find an active dog instead of a senior dog.
You’ve rescued more than 700 dogs. What are some of the more memorable rescues?
We just did one, a 15-year-old Golden who had severe arthritis, and someone just dumped her in the middle of the woods. Luckily somebody saw her, and [he] contacted Save-a-Pet, which took her in. Then we contacted them, because we have foster homes that can take in elderly dogs like this. So she was saved from a horrible situation.
For more information or a volunteer application, visit AsGoodAsGold.org.
Safe Humane Chicago has joined paws with Best Friends Animal Society to expand its existing programming and make its anti-dogfighting initiative a national model.
Safe Humane Chicago is a communitywide alliance that strives to combat violence by educating the public about responsible pet guardianship and safety. It has a variety of programs for all age groups and targets neighborhoods that are most at-risk. The programs range from teaching young children how to handle animals to emphasizing to adults the connection between violence toward animals and people. They also hope to expand the current programs, including a program for at-risk youth who have been involved in dogfighting. Thanks to the newly formed coalition, Best Friends will take the programming model to other cities as Project Safe Humane. Cynthia Bathurst has been named national director.
“I think this is a unique effort and initiative,” says Melia Carter, Safe Humane Chicago co-founder and director of public affairs. “Not only will it enable us to bring the message to the community, but also develop the voices in the community so they’re taking the messages to each other.”
Safe Humane Chicago will also continue its extensive court advocacy program, which is a partnership with the nonprofit D.A.W.G. (Dog Advisory Work Group) and Chicago and Cook County agencies. It develops educational materials and trains community members to follow animal-abuse court cases. The program has already followed hundreds of cases and trained more than 700 volunteers, positively impacting arrests, prosecutions, convictions, and remedies in situations involving animal neglect, abuse, and fighting.
For more information on Safe Humane Chicago, call (312) 409-4790 or visit SafeHumaneChicago.org. To find out more about Best Friends Animal Society, visit BestFriends.org. —Renee Krejci
Lake Forest pigs uprooted
After years of fighting with her neighbors over her decision to keep three Potbellied pigs as pets, a Lake Forest woman is moving due to a home foreclosure.
In 2006, when Estelle Walgreen moved to Lake Forest with her pets, about 300 town residents signed a petition urging the City Council to prevent her from keeping the animals, claiming their presence would lower property values and that farm animals were not allowed under local law. In September of that year, Walgreen scored a victory when city aldermen amended the city’s animal regulation code, allowing her to keep the animals at her home through 2011.
In mid-March, however, the Daily Herald reported that the bankruptcy of Walgreen’s company, Converse Industries, led to a mortgage default that would force Walgreen to move and the home to be sold. Walgreen told the paper that she does not know where she and her pigs will move, only that she plans to leave Lake Forest.
Second annual dog show celebrates the mutt
The second annual Great American Mutt Show comes to suburban Berwyn this month, taking place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, at Morton West High School. As it did last year, the show will include a range of contests for dogs to participate in, including prizes for the most creative pet trick, friendliest dog, smallest big dog, and dog who looks the most like her person. Only mixed-breed dogs can compete for prizes. There will also be a parade of pets from local shelters and classes on grooming, nutrition, and other pet-care techniques.
The event is sponsored by PAWS Chicago, Dock Dogs, Animal Care League, Brookfield Zoo, Tails in Need NY, VCA Berwyn Animal Hospital, and the Berwyn Development Corporation.
That same weekend, Morton West High School will also host the two-day regional competition of Dock Dogs, the national and international dock-jumping performance sport competition in which canines jump over an above-ground pool. Pooches may also compete in events such as speed retrieving, big air (for horizontal jumpers), and extreme vertical jumping. The event starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
For more information about the shows, visit MuttShow.com or DockDogs.com.
Lincoln Park Zoo renovation announced
Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo has announced a $12-million initiative aimed at renovating its south pond to make it more habitable for wildlife.
Unwanted animals, such as koi carp, and in one instance, an alligator, have been found in the pond over the years. But the renovation is primarily aimed at protecting the wild animals who typically live there, including turtles, fish, and frogs. The planned renovation includes planting foliage that can filter toxins from rainwater and digging the pond deeper to make it easier for animals to survive the cold of Chicago winter.
“We want to restore it and make it a more natural environment,” zoo spokesperson Sharon Dewar tells the Chicago Tribune. “It’s taking away the concrete and steel and making it a more natural environment that will be host to native wildlife.”
Renovation is expected to begin this October.
For more information, visit LPZoo.org.
Local Pit Bulls recognized
Four Pit Bulls and their trainers from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood were recognized with “Good Citizen” certificates by the American Kennel Club at a March 22 ceremony after participating in a program aimed at eliminating dogfighting.
The four dogs––Diesel, Cide, Rocky, and Jigga––took part in the HSUS’s ongoing “End Dogfighting in Chicago” campaign. The program allows youth from Austin––an area Chicago police have identified as particularly problematic for dogfighting––to train Pit Bulls in basic obedience commands and agility work, with the goal of helping the youth to treat their dogs with respect. The Chicago program is an HSUS pilot, and the organization hopes to expand the concept nationwide.
“Once they start training a dog, these guys learn that their dogs are more than a status symbol and more than a weapon,” says Jim Morgan, head of the training program. “They’re living, breathing, joyful, loyal creatures, and when you tap into that, you just can’t put them in a ring to be mutilated.”
Suburban rescue goes for the Goldens
April marks the fifth anniversary of the founding of west suburban-based As Good as Gold, a Golden Retriever rescue that recently saved its 700th dog. Robin Sweeney, president of the all-volunteer organization, talked with Chicagoland Tails about advocating on behalf of one of America’s most beloved dogs.
Where do you generally find the dogs?
The dogs are about 50 percent [guardian] relinquishment. Then we also work with the area shelters and humane societies. A lot of times they’ll take a dog who’s injured or older, and they don’t think they can find a home for [him], so they’ll contact us.
How do you then find the best homes for them?
The applicants fill out a five-page application, and then we go out and do a home visit. We require the whole family to be there so we can meet them and find out which dog will be the best fit for them. If [the applicant is] an elderly couple, we don’t place them with a puppy. Or if it’s a really active family, we’ll try to find an active dog instead of a senior dog.
You’ve rescued more than 700 dogs. What are some of the more memorable rescues?
We just did one, a 15-year-old Golden who had severe arthritis, and someone just dumped her in the middle of the woods. Luckily somebody saw her, and [he] contacted Save-a-Pet, which took her in. Then we contacted them, because we have foster homes that can take in elderly dogs like this. So she was saved from a horrible situation.
For more information or a volunteer application, visit AsGoodAsGold.org.
Safe Humane Chicago expands anti-dogfighting initiative
Safe Humane Chicago has joined paws with Best Friends Animal Society to expand its existing programming and make its anti-dogfighting initiative a national model.
Safe Humane Chicago is a communitywide alliance that strives to combat violence by educating the public about responsible pet guardianship and safety. It has a variety of programs for all age groups and targets neighborhoods that are most at-risk. The programs range from teaching young children how to handle animals to emphasizing to adults the connection between violence toward animals and people. They also hope to expand the current programs, including a program for at-risk youth who have been involved in dogfighting. Thanks to the newly formed coalition, Best Friends will take the programming model to other cities as Project Safe Humane. Cynthia Bathurst has been named national director.
“I think this is a unique effort and initiative,” says Melia Carter, Safe Humane Chicago co-founder and director of public affairs. “Not only will it enable us to bring the message to the community, but also develop the voices in the community so they’re taking the messages to each other.”
Safe Humane Chicago will also continue its extensive court advocacy program, which is a partnership with the nonprofit D.A.W.G. (Dog Advisory Work Group) and Chicago and Cook County agencies. It develops educational materials and trains community members to follow animal-abuse court cases. The program has already followed hundreds of cases and trained more than 700 volunteers, positively impacting arrests, prosecutions, convictions, and remedies in situations involving animal neglect, abuse, and fighting.
For more information on Safe Humane Chicago, call (312) 409-4790 or visit SafeHumaneChicago.org. To find out more about Best Friends Animal Society, visit BestFriends.org. —Renee Krejci
