Dog flu and other new things to worry about

Dog flu is sweeping the media. I've been aware of the problem at greyhound tracks* but the incursion into the general population is new news. So, now I worry. Do I:

• Keep the dogs away from the dog run and other mixing and a-mingling opportunities with fellow canines
• Wear special clothes when I volunteer at the shelter, and discard them afterwards?
• Not volunteer at the shelter or for pet therapy visits at all?

Dave and I need to work out a plan. I do know this: If either Angel or Zoe as much as clear their throats, they're going to the vet!

Add this to the House trying to cut the guts out of the Endangered Species Act, 100 deaths in Iraq in 24 hours, and continued lying, pandering, distorting, and cheating by our elected and non-elected officials, and there's too much to worry about.

We're going to a comedy club tonight. What one can't fix, one can forget about!

* may all greyhound tracks be closed down and the dogs adopted into good homes

Can't Comprehend Katrina

Weeks later, I still can't accept the reality of Katrina. It's too awful.

The people are aware of what's happening and can find out how to get help. It's a terrible tragedy -- they've lost loved ones, homes, jobs and communities. But to me, the dogs and cats are the true innocents -- trying to fend for themselves in a world they don't recognize.

Over the past two weeks, I've written to the government powers to ask them to help -- or at least not impede -- the rescuers as they fight to save animals. Time is running out. If our government officials don't acknowledge the value of animal life, at least we can try to tell them that to those who have nothing, their domestic animals are very important.

In so many ways, New Jersey is a galaxy away from Louisiana and Mississippi. But the Jersey Animal Coalition, where I volunteer, is expecting to receive refugee dogs from New Orleans any day now.

I am holding my own two dogs very close these days.

Trooper Gets Selected!

Looks like Trooper, the dog hit by a car and rescued by my husband Dave, will be going home with a great couple from Maplewood very soon! They saw Trooper's listing on Petfinder, visited him at the Jersey Animal Coalition on Saturday, thought it over, and confirmed their interest yesterday. Seems that this couple were taken with Trooper's "sweet personality" (and my husband's sales abilities) and decided to adopt our miracle dog. So it's happy dance time at our house. We hope we'll still get to see him from time to time.

Compare these photos to the one taken soon after his accident (August 21, 2005 post), and you'll see a whole new dog!

Dogs on Vacation

We take our dogs on vacation with us whenever possible. They've been to Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New York State and Vermont. Our vacation planning starts with a search for dog-friendly accommodations.

This does limit our range, as you can see. Our dogs are too big to travel in an airplane cabin, and the airline's practice of stowing dogs as cargo is proven unsafe. I'm anxiously monitoring Companion Air and hoping it will begin flying non-charter flights soon. This niche airline has figured out how to allow dogs and their owners to travel together in the cabin.

Vacations are not always quite as peaceful as this photo from July 2005 indicates. Here, the dogs are truly enjoying their morning romp on a rocky Maine beach. Two days into the trip, the dogs came out on the short end of an encounter with a porcupine and required emergency veterinary care.

Once in a while, we do go out West to ski or to the Carribean. In these cases, we get a dog sitter to stay with our dogs in our home rather than boarding them and forcing them to handle both relocation and our absence. As our dog walker always says, dogs do best in their own environment. And I think that's true.

High Tech Dog Tracking: Micro-chipping Angel and Zoe

Angel and Zoe don't know it, but tomorrow is a big day for them. Dave is taking them to Summit Dog and Cat Hospital (their first visit to their new vet). They'll get micro-chips (which I don't think they'll enjoy) and their nails clipped (which I know they hate). It takes two vet techs to cut each dog's nails: one to hold her down as she fights the vet tech, and the other to cut the nails.

Micro-chipping is a way to permanently identify dogs and cats. Read more about it here:

We're switching to the Summit vet because the office has handled the Trooper situation wonderfully. Also, Summit is willing to titer test our dogs, a way of finding out if they need vaccinations, rather than just pumping them full of vaccination chemicals each year. Our former vet was opposed to titers, which is odd, because at this point, it is a mainstream approach. See this article posted on MSNBC, "Still Vaccinating Your Pet Every Year?"