9:45 PM Sweet Moments & Milestones

If you follow me on Facebook or remember this blog from another time of activity, you know that I adore my pets.  They truly are my Fur kids.  My dog, Bones, occasionally gets to accompany me on costumed events, but the cats have to "suffer" staying home.  They only get to enjoy my costuming hobby by "helping" with the construction.  This video was taken just after Taquita tried to lay down on my hands while I was sewing on the machine.  I had to move her to get anything done, but these sweet moments are my favorites. They balance out the moments when she's picking fights with my foster cat Luna.

Speaking of Bones,  we've hit a new milestone.  The wee Bones has been living with me for about 10 months now - 8 of those as a foster, and two as an official adoptee.  When he came to me he was mostly house trained.  He knew he was supposed to go potty outside, but there were some spots in the spare room where Maizy used to have accidents that confused him.  Once he chewed his last DVD case and dug his last hole in the couch, convincing me of the virtues of crating Every day as regular routine, we were finally able to knock that confusion out.  However, since I kept a very good schedule for taking him outside before he showed signs of needing to, I never saw him ask to go out.  He never needed to learn.  But I believe he knows.
Yesterday he went to the back door, waited a second, then came back to me.  I asked him if he needed to go outside and he got super excited.  So we went out.  I wondered if it was coincidence or not.  Then tonight it rained and he refused to stay out long the first time I took him out.  And sure enough he went to the door again, waited a few seconds, then started to go into the spare room thought better of it and came to me.  I took him out and he immediately went to the bathroom.  And of course came right back in because it was still raining.  I find it funny that he doesn't bark or whine when he goes to the door, but he's obviously put it all together.  I'm very proud!  And he got a treat for being so smart.

This is Bones at our local park waiting for yoga class to start.  Man I can't wait for warm weather again so we can re-start that Saturday park habit!

5:44 PM Looking for a new furry family member? How to be prepared. Pt 4 - Is Free really Free?

In previous installments of this series I've discussed purchase vs adoption for acquiring a new pet.  But there is also a 3rd option I'd like to talk about.  The "free" giveaway.

Scenario 1:
You're minding your own business shopping for all those crazy holiday gifts and then you spot a cart full of the cutest puppies on the planet.  Your daughter has been begging for a puppy for the longest time now, but you just weren't sure.  It's Christmas now and you think you're ready to make the plunge, and well, Free puppies means Zero money spent on this particular present!  So you can get a puppy And that Barbie she wanted too.  Win Win!  Right?

Scenario 2:
You want to surprise your significant other with that kitten she's been hinting about.  You've looked at rescues, but their adoption fees are all around $100.  You have been on a tight budget lately and really can't afford that kind of money for a present.  So you look in the paper and on Craigslist and find a few listings giving kittens away.  Wow!  You may be able to get that kitten Plus a gift certificate to DSW!  How is that not a win win situation?

Answer:
While those litters may very well have come from a lovely home who had an "oops" litter and they look beautifully taken care of and may not give you any health problems like a commercial bred pet might, "free" is never "free" in this case.  Pets being given away for free 9 times out of 10 have not been vetted at all.  So remember, you still have to pay for all of that vetting.  Just how much could you be out of pocket?

I've done a small price comparison on various options local to me.  And from what I can see, the cost of fully vetting a new kitten or puppy is going to be just shy of $400 (using the more costly spay surgery scenario) if you use the subsidized SPCA clinic.  Having your vetting performed with a personal vet is going to cost quite a bit more.  When all is said and done, paying for your own vetting can cost you between $495 - $630.  And while you are sure to receive the best possible care that a personal vet can provide, for those who are on a budget and looking for a "free" pet, "free" just got rather expensive.  Even the cheapest method of going through a low cost mobile vet for vaccinations and going to a non-profit group like Kitti Co for the spay or neuter is going to cost you $109.  If the mobile vet does not test for FIV and Leline Leukemia,  you'll need to have that test performed at a vet's office, which will tack on not only a $55 office visit, but another $35 for the test, bringing your total to $199.

So what exactly are you saving if you adopt?  Quite a lot actually.  Average adoption fees for cats in the Dallas area seem to average between $55 and $125.  The same area seems to average between $85 and $285 for dogs.  If you adopt from a rescue that guarantees all the vetting no matter what age you adopt, your out of pocket for vetting will be confined to illness after adoption and the annual boosters.  However, some rescues only pay for the spay/neuter and whatever vaccinations are due at the time of adoption.  In this case, you would be responsible for the rest of the vaccinations due.  Adopting an 8 week old kitten from a rescue may still end up costing you a little in vetting shortly after adoption.  So ask those questions.  Make sure you know what you are getting with your adoption fee.  Even still, with having to cover those last vaccinations on your own, you will come in at well under the cost of a "free" kitten who requires all of its vetting.

11:12 AM Looking for a new furry family member? How to be prepared. Pt 3 - Buying from a Breeder

It's been a while since my last installment of this series.  I've been thinking a lot about how I can write this piece responsibly.  And honestly, it's been a little hard.  On the one hand, I believe very firmly in a person's right to choose a path they want to take, so I am not going to just omit this post as I would kind of like to do. On the other hand, I would never ever recommend that someone buy a puppy or kitten, and the more I learn about the small animal business, I'm actually reluctant to recommend purchasing a small animal from a store as well.

The reality is that none of the pets sold in a store come from responsible breeders.  There are a very small hand full of stores who work with small mom and pop breeding operations, but they are rare.  Actually, the pet you purchase is more likely to have been bred in a large scale operation and have been warehoused inhumanely at least once.  And if an animal is known to have been inhumanely housed at least once, it is not an overreaction to assume it may have been inhumanely housed for most of its life or that it may have serious health problems.  Many of us thought this only happened with puppy and kitten mills, but the raid of a North Texas exotic animal warehouse in 2009 showed the rest of us the light.

Though all of this said, I cannot go all the way out on a limb and say that ALL breeders are irresponsible as PETA and other animal welfare groups believe.  I do believe that there are a handful of breeders out there who produce healthy, well cared for litters with all the veterinary care that should be given before sale.  While I hope that everyone will stop purchasing pets and only adopt so we can keep our pet population down, if you're bound and determined to purchase a "pure bred" from a breeder, these small, honest operations are the way to go.

By now I hope you have gone over the pros and cons of adoption vs. purchase and if you have still decided that you must purchase from a breeder, do not purchase unless you have done the following things:

• Visit the breeding facility.  Responsible breeders will allow you to see their facility and will allow you to see the mother of the litter.  If the father of the litter is on site, they will allow that also.  It is important for you to see the stock your pet comes from so you can anticipate any problems.  If the breeder will not allow this, walk away.  This should be an absolute 100% deal breaker.  But if you are allowed a visit, you should: 
• Look for a clean facility.  A dirty kennel or home where the puppies are raised could be a sign of neglect and possible ill health.  This is not to say that farmers who raise their puppies outside are neglectful of their litters.  The point is you need to look for how waste is disposed of and signs of being removed in a timely manner.  You don't have to expect the care takers to pick up after every stool, but if there is a large pile of excrement left unattended for what looks like more than a day, you could have problems.  Any sign of neglect of cleanliness and care should be a deal breaker.
• Discern the age and health of the parents.  It is cruel to allow animals to continue producing litters when they are past their prime.  Breeding into old age endangers their health and increases the risk of something going wrong. You are looking for a responsible breeder and thus someone who has the presence of mind to only breed when the adults are in good health and of a prime age.  This is the sign of someone who truly wants to do the right thing by their animals.  Signs of forcing older, less healthy animals into breeding should be a deal breaker.
• Watch the behavior of the parents.  Sometimes there are behavioral issues which are inherited.  This is not to say that all animals inherit their parents' behavior.  That's just not true.  But occasionally, they will.  I speak about this from experience.  I grew up with a beautiful Labrador Retriever who my mom described as "squirrely".  In layman's terms, he was afraid of a lot of things and that fear could sometimes manifest into undesirable behavior.  Apparently his mother also had the very same "squirrely" personality.  Actually, she was a bit worse.  Had my mother realized the behavior would be passed down, she would never have brought home our dog.  She would have chosen another breeder.  In addition, signs of aggression and fear in the parents could also point to neglect and mishandling.  Neglect and mishandling can also lead to large vet and training bills when you find out you can't handle the issues.  Though our dog was loved and adored and we worked with his issues, a family with little knowledge of these kinds of quirks may have grown frustrated and given him up.  The point here, is to make sure the pet you choose is with you for its whole life, so choose well.  
• Ask for references.  A good breeder will have happy customers, so it should not be a problem for them to have at least one or two of those happy customers vouch for them.  Many exclusive show breeders have no qualms asking you for your references, so do not feel as if you can't be proactive yourself and ask for theirs.
• Ask if you can attend a vet visit.  A good breeder will only offer healthy puppies and kittens.  They'll have begun administering their vaccinations and will have had them checked over by a vet in the process of getting those vaccinations.  If the breeder isn't comfortable with you attending the visit for the litter, offer to meet them at your vet for the single kitten/puppy to have a check-up.  If you are paying for a pet, you have the right to know if it is healthy.  Having a breeder balk at this isn't as much of a deal breaker as the refusal to allow a site visit, but gauge the reaction to your asking.  If they are appalled, you may want to find another breeder.  I would take an absolute refusal with no reason as a sign that they have something to hide.  If they are very forthcoming with the medical records and have a decent reason, use your own judgement.
• Ask what happens if the pet ends up being sickly.  If you get home and, for example, your puppy ends up with parvo.  What happens?  Are you refunded the money you paid?  Will the breeder pay for the vet care?  Will they demand the pet back?  These are all questions you should ask.  Returning the pet isn't always the best idea.  Especially if you begin to have second thoughts about the breeder.  The most important thing is getting the pet the proper care.  Sending it back may not be the avenue for proper care.

And after all of this pre-purchase preparation, you should still expect to take the pet to your own vet for a first check up with someone you trust, unless you really hit the gold mine and the breeder let you do that in the first place.

Purchasing a pet responsibly is not an impulse event.  It takes time and research.  It takes even more such time and research since you can't trust people anymore to do right by the pets they are selling.  And I have to say that makes me angry.  Even if I wasn't an animal rescuer, as a potential customer, it makes me angry that I could be sold a sick animal who could break me financially because a breeder was neglectful and a vendor was a liar about where the pet came from.  Make no mistake, even though large scale breeding operations who supply pets to pet stores are USDA licensed, they are not regulated very well at all.  The facility may receive warnings for issues, but it could be years before the USDA follows up on those issues.  In the mean time, hundreds of pets have been bred and sold.  Some states are putting forth new laws to regulate these breeders.  In Texas, we have the Texas Humane Legislation Network trying to get legislation passed for us.  Missouri was successful in passing their own legislation this year.

Here is a good FAQ from the Humane Society of the United States that addresses questions like "what states have puppy mill laws?"; "I bought a puppy and she got sick. What can I do?"; "Isn't it against the law to sell a sick puppy?"  The more you know about this issue, the better prepared you are for making your decision.

10:28 AM Holiday shopping for my pets

If you're like me and you love your pets like they are family, you are prone to spending quite a bit of your Christmas budget on the little guys before even realizing what you've done. This year I have made a pact to keep the costs down. At least I'm going to try really hard!

My first obstacle is getting a gift for my aging dog, Maizy.


Maizy is a 13 1/2 year old Catahoula Leopard Dog with arthritis. She is in great health, but her arthritic joints deteriorate a little each year. About a year and a half ago I purchased a very large orthopedic bed for her from Petsmart. She loves this bed because it is huge and she can sprawl out any which way she likes while still sharing the bed with whatever cat decides to bed down nearby. However, within a few months, she began to be uncomfortable on the bed because the foam was breaking down and sagging in the middle. That really doesn't offer much support. So I had decided I was going to just buck up and buy one of those high dollar support mattresses from Dr. Foster & Smith. And then I came across something different.

The Snoozzy OrthoAir Dog Bed.

Image courtesy of dogbedsandcrates.com

This bed looks like it meets all of my requirements and then some for a bed:

1. Supportive
2. Washable
3. Scratchproof

And as a bonus, it is easy to travel with as well as it is accident proof! Maizy has also begun to have little accidents in her sleep, so being accident proof is just about as fabulous as it gets for me. And even better, this bed is much cheaper than even the orthopedic bed I already bought her which is none of the above.

So now I know what Miss Maizy Loo is getting for Christmas. But what to get for the cats?

This idea comes via the Modern Cat website, which was then used to suggest cat gifts on Martha Stewart's website. Meet the Cat Eye Bed.

Image courtesy of dogbedsandcrates.com

I am constantly on the look out for new perches, scratching posts, and beds that the cats in my household will enjoy. They tend to cycle through each one whenever their mood strikes for a change. And since everyone of them will go after my furniture when not stimulated to scratch elsewhere, I am forever trying to keep up! This little bed looks like a lot of fun. And you know what? The price isn't bad either. Sure, it's not as cheap as the modulars I got from Target, but this will actually hold the body weight of one or more of my cats. And in general good scratching areas are always somewhere in the $60 range and above. So the function and price both are just right.

I see my Taquita Banana enjoying this bed most of all with Nabisco in at a close second.

The torti girls

And Roz enjoys scratching beneath her as opposed to scratching on a pillar. She would likely enjoy lounging on the top of the bed.

Sweet Rozaline

My other favored option for pet presents is Etsy. I've never shopped for homemade gifts before, but I've been told that there's some good quality crafts out there for both people and animals. And it sure would be nice to support someone directly as opposed to a corporation.