Tell the Truth About Your Animal

Recently, our SPCA received a "stray" dog.  Several days later a woman comes in to claim the dog.  She has paperwork with the "finder's name and address on it.  So the poor dog was in the shelter for 3 days as a vindictive move on the part of the ex-boyfriend. 

So it is lose-lose all around.  When an animal is surrendered as a stray and the person who surrenders it knows the animal, we cannot get good information about the animal.  Plus the animal is held at the shelter for the required hold period and cannot be adopted until the hold period is over.  It has financial implications as well because it costs the shelter money to inoculate, feed, and shelter the animal.

So please do not lie about an animal when you bring it to a shelter.  It isn't in the best interest of the animal.

Raising Funds For Charity

I am often amazed by the individuals and groups that will host various fundraising events to help raise funds to care for homeless animals.  From young children to adults the ambition and ingenuity
of our supporters is amazing.  From home made pet treats to lemonade stands, we have had people work hard and give generously.  There are also tons of businesses that donate when purchases are made. 

A new twist on fundraising is an app named Walk for a Dog.  More information can be found at WoofTrax.com.  There you can learn more about the app, and should you choose to download the app, you can choose your favorite charity.  Wooftrax will make a donation based on your use for that charity.  The Lycoming County SPCA received a donation from Wooftrax, and that is how we found out about it.

 Once in a great while there will be some people who will raise funds for their own benefit.  And that is a difficult thing to reign in. My advice is to always write a check to your favorite charity and only pay cash if you are paying it directly at the charity's facility. 

The Lycoming County SPCA likes to acknowledge donations we receive with a thank you letter-another great reason to write a check.  And THANK YOU for your support!

Animal Sheltering is Hard Work

Necessary Veterinary Care

Every pet owner should establish a relationship with a veterinarian.  This is important for many reasons.  First and foremost, your veterinarian will make sure that your pet is up-to-date on necessary vaccinations and free from disease.  Just as you would vaccinate a child against polio, you need to vaccinate your pet against disease.  Puppies and kittens need a series of shots so that they can build immunity as they grow, they need to be wormed, receive flea preventative, rabies vaccine,  and get checked for diseases such as heartworm, feline leukemia, etc.  Trust me. It is worth the expense. 

Yes, it may seem expensive to you, but as anyone who has attended college will tell you, schooling is expensive.  And many veterinarians who have been in practice several years may still be paying off their college loans. Then you have to pay for the rent, utilities, supplies, the receptionist and vet tech, insurance, health care, and make enough for their own paycheck. 

Another reason you need to see a veterinarian is that you need that relationship in case something happens to your pet.  It could break a leg, swallow a poison, get attacked by another animal, the list can be quite long.  If you are not a client with an established veterinarian, it is unlikely that they will see you in case of an emergency unless you can pay ahead of time.  And if you cannot afford routine veterinary care, you should wait to have a pet until you can afford to care for it.

Fleas, Fleas, Fleas

Tis the season for fleas.  There are numerous products on the market to prevent flea infestation and they are well worth it.

Fleas cause discomfort for a pet.  The aggravation and itching can lead to irritated skin and possible infection if left untreated.  Flea bites transmit intestinal worms that can deteriorate the health of a pet.
If fleas infest a pet they can be brought into the home where they can multiply and also bite humans who reside in the home.

So it is a good idea to avoid fleas in the first place.  Your pet will love being flea free!

Getting to the Truth

As the executive director and also a humane officer, I often encounter situations where I know a pet owner is not telling the truth.  People will call and complain about a neighbor's treatment of pets, I go and talk to them, and the pet owner denies.  Then what?  It becomes a "he says-she says" but there is no proof to back up the verbal exchange. 

Yesterday I visited a property because the dog owner was alleged to have left the dog all weekend without care.  She denied this but I did advise her on her legal duties as a pet owner.

Later, I received two calls from neighbors.  The owner left the property at 5 PM and the dog was howling in distress.  I went to the property, left notices on all the doors to call and leave a message when she arrived home so that I would know the dog was being cared for.  While leaving the notices I did hear the dog howling and it did sound piteous.  I could understand why the neighbors were concerned.  I certainly would be distressed to hear the dog whining and howling if I lived nearby.

The next day I drove by the property at 7:30 AM and the notice was removed.  I checked messages back at the shelter and the owner called at 10:59 PM.  So the dog was confined for six hours.  This is a reasonable amount of time.  So how will this be resolved?   

As for the cruelty law, I have no evidence that the dog is being neglected or mistreated.  I saw the dog on my first visit and it appeared happy and healthy.  I feel bad for the neighbors who are concerned about the dog but now it is more abut disturbing the peace rather than cruelty.  Humane Officers have no enforcement powers regarding disturbing the peace.

It would be great if they could work something out.

Ever Hear of Turnspit Dogs?

Someone asked me if I knew why the SPCA was founded.  I replied that Henry Bergh founded the ASPCA in New York because of the mistreatment of horses.  "No", I was told, "It was because of turnspit dogs."

With a little research, I found that small dogs were used in a wheel to turn the spit for meat cooking over the fire.  This occurred mostly in England during the 16th century.  Some individuals attempted to recreate the use of the turnspit dog in Manhattan, NY; but it was deemed cruel to the dogs and was frowned upon.

The specific article I read about turnspit dogs did say that the SPCA was founded because of the poor treatment of the dogs.  And that is also true, but it wasn't just the unfortunate turnspit, but all dogs, cats, and horses. 

Back to the 21st century where SPCAs everywhere continue to battle cruelty to animals.  A lot of our investigations are situations of neglect where uneducated, impoverished individuals don't provide necessary care. 

Animals have been used for centuries to work.   How is it that one person can perceive treatment as "normal" and others deem it cruel?  Why is it that some people are in tune to an animal's suffering while others are not?  I guess that is why we have SPCAs.  We need to educate people and keep our eyes open for the animals.