Stepping on the tail of the mouse

This time of year it is a joy to wade down the river.  Its shady and cool.  The wild roses along the bank are in full bloom.  And best of all, for some reason that I don't understand, the horseflies never seem to follow us there. 
Horseflies are one of the big reasons I never wear shorts when I'm working outside.  Whether I'm stacking wood or in the garden .. in shade or full sun ... without a long sleeved cotton shirt and Dad's old tilley hat with the bug net the horse flies would make me utterly miserable.
Which is of course just one more good argument for not having chained and penned dogs outside.   It isn't enough to provide shade and access to water.  Straight sweet and simple, its inhumane to leave any dog to the mercies of deer and horseflies.
Lee Valley has Deer Fly Patches that are basically a fancy double sided tape that stick to the back of one's hat and trap the ones buzzing around people's heads.  While they wouldn't provide one iota of protection for a dog stuck in a fixed area, they might provide a bit of relief for anyone hiking along at a brisk pace with their pups.
Of course, around here very few folks are seen walking their dogs at mid day at this time of year.   Dog lovers get out early before the bugs get too thick ... or wait until after the heat of the day.
Like any battle .. the war waged against horseflies has to be fought on all fronts .. and it really makes me happy to see companies like Savon Sage offering better solutions.   
For a long time, I've found eucalyptus oil to be very effective at deterring mosquitoes ... I'm not a scientist but I suspect it works because the strong scent masks our own.   Tea tree oil is also effective, but the eucalyptus is generally about a quarter of its cost.  And pennyroyal paste is a time honored cure that dates back to colonial times at least. 
But the only effective solution is to minimize the amount of time that pets are outside.  
What time is it?  Its time to stop simply feeling sorry for dogs on the end of a chain and urge your MLA to get onside with anti tethering legislation.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.  Bishop Desmond Tutu (1931- ), Nobel Prize for Peace 1984

Just the tip of the iceburg

Water changes everything.  This time yesterday my lawn was brown and even the leaves on the native trees in the yard were starting to droop.   Now everything has greened up and bounced back with this well needed rain.  
In other ways it seems like nothing is changing.  A friend just emailed me one of the 'free to a good home' ads from the Halifax Kijiji site where the poster is .. no word of a lie ... trying to give away  14 Free Dogs , stating in the ad that he/she has "many dogs free I am moving need homes for them email for pictures.   I have:

• 2 golden retrievers. ( buddy and missy)
• 1 doberman (Raven)
• 6 chihuahuas (bitbit, Marlkin, homy, penny, casey and moomoo)
• 1 german shepherd 9 (Dudley)
• 1 border collie ( dramaqueen)
• 3 black labs ( melinda, amanda, and gordon)

, and closes with "love them all, though i cant keep them.  please help they are not fixed though are all up yo date with vaccines and are micochipped."
As you know, I think Kijiji is a great place to get inanimate objects like furniture and appliances ...so I'm familiar enough with the site to follow through by clicking on the view posters other ads icons.
At the very same time this ad was posted, the poster also listed and ad that he/she is looking for a Sheltie and a few days ago on the third, an ad looking for a border collie was posted ( is that the one that is referred to as drama queen or the new replacement ?)
One can only speculate as to how many dogs are actually at this particular residence.... or how many of them live in the house ...or are kennelled without companionship? 
Not fixed?  Gosh that opens a whole other avenue of inquiry ... were they used for breeding or are there not deep enough pockets for altering the lot of them?
The ad is disturbing .. but it is a symptom rather than the actual problem.  At this point in time, in Nova Scotia, it is perfectly legal to:

• post ads like this on Kijiji
• breed animals without a breeders license
• sell the offspring on Kijiji ( or in flea markets/ fairs and roadside)
• breed bitches of any age
• breed bitches more than once a year
• breed bitches as many times in their lifespan as their poor bodies will hold up for
• breed companion animals without prior medical and genetic screening
• breed to the point of inbreeding
• keep dogs chained / penned / kennelled outside away from all human comforts and companionship
• maintain an unlimited amount of animals in a residence as long as they are all provided with food, water and housing ( the subject of how the minimalist status quo of standards for that is continually opposed by the PIJAC hot alerts to its breeder members is a separate subject needing a post of its own on another day.

When my best friend was a child, his father regularly came home and terrorized the family with his drunken rages.  The entire community knew about it, but at that time there were no resources for his mother to turn to.   That wouldn't happen as easily .. or at least as overtly .. now.  Why?
Because the law has changed.   Teachers and medical professionals are obligated by law to report these things.  Women are no longer required to lay charges against their partners.  
One of my favourite quotes of all time is Einstein's " The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil , but because of those who look on and do nothing"
In the real world that pretty much sums it up.   Until the laws to protect animals change, neighbours will continue to turn a blind eye to the chained dogs, the puppy mills and yes even to neglect.  Sometimes out of fear, some times out of apathy .. but always out of a reluctance to become involved. 
What time is it?  Its time to realize that everything is related.  Laws that protect animals always do double duty by creating safer communities.
If a few hundred worried taxpayers can send the NDP bobsled team off on an unprecedented series of culls, just imagine what would happen if every animal lover in the province took the time to let their MLA  know that Nova Scotia needs more specific legislation to protect the animals.

Time to stop treating apples like oranges.

When I was watching the global news tonight, there was a little piece about the Fredericton SPCA having an adoption drive this weekend in the hopes of getting at least 30 cats adopted.   There is a coupon on their site that adopters can download to bring in and take advantage of the 'donation only' weekend.  ( As a sidebar note, that IS actually standard practice for PET Projects, who request a minimum thirty dollar donation for each adoptable in in their care.)
Regular adoption fees are posted on the Fredericton SPCA Adoption page ... and it was nice to see that their fee for adult cats and dogs is lower than the fee for kittens and puppies.
That's a very clever way to encourage folks to adopt an adult cat.  Here in NS, lower adoption fees for the adults is standard practice for CAPS and The LA Shelter.  At the Yarmouth SPCA, the fee is lower for adult dogs and higher for adult cats .. but in all fairness their kitten fee doesn't include the spay that the adult one does.
Are cat adoption fees a good buy?  You bet!  So why do the cats 'stay on the shelf' ?
Is it because people object to the fee?  The application process?   Or is it that it simply wouldn't occur to most people to investigate pet adoption?
The answer to THAT question is the kind of thing that creeps in to wake me up in the middle of the night.
If the people won't come to the shelter ... perhaps the shelter should come to the people.  Hey .... wait a minute ... that's not a new idea!  For the jackpot ... What Is an Offsite Adoption?
Cats need the extra boost when it comes to adoption.  They are the first pet of choice for first time pet owners because there is always an abundance of 'free to a good homes" and they don't cost that much to feed.  Unfortunately, first time pet owners don't always budget for the spay / neuter that will nip things in the bud.  As a result, on any given day, there are at least at least eight cats for every dog that is listed on Petfinder ... and sadly that only represents the tip of the iceberg and doesn't begin to include those who do not find 'room at the inn'
Cat only adoption events make a lot of sense.  They are quieter, so adopters are more likely to stay to find their new best friend.   At the end of the day, the animals are always their own best 'salesmen'.
Adult cats need the extra boost of lower adoption fees than the kittens.   With a never ending supply of appealing infants, even the"toddlers' and the  'teenagers' wind up getting passed over.  Every group that guarantees adoption for all in their care wind up serving as long term sanctuaries for many of their lovely cats.
Seriously .. I would quickly run out of fingers and toes to tally up the ones who have literally grown up and spent their whole lives in care with different groups around the province.
Each and every one sitting safely in care represents dozens of others who meet a wide variety of Unhappy Tails when love doesn't last forever. Reduced adoption fees, simplified application processes and off site adoptions may seem like heresy and horrify the frontline rescue folks .... but each and every one of them are frustrated with the status quo.
What time is it?  Its time to understand the truth of the old saw .. the only to get different results is to do things differently. 

What's good for the goose....

On a hot day like this, its easy to forget why I planted so many lovely things around the yard.  Even with the ride on, it takes twice as long to navigate around the gardens and shrubbery than it would if I had a clear and unobstructed path. 
But ... on a hot day like this, even before things have reached their mature size, there is always a lovely little bit of shade.   Shade that comes with a view ... from the earliest tulips to the last fall flower, something is always in bloom until the real hard frosts of fall.
Its almost frosting on the cake that this greenery also attracts wildlife of all shapes and sizes and species.
No matter what way one looks at it, its well worth all the extra time and energy.
One of the things I like about Kijiji is that it saves me a lot of time.  An ongoing yard sale with a searchable database ... gee that's almost as much fun as going to Frenchies.   My best friend's dog ate his couch?  No problem ... we found on on Kijiji and if it happens again no one's out a lot of money, eh?  From toddler beds for my dogs to the funny wood framed couch to replace the one my eldercat peed on, its been ever so useful time after time.
Does that mean I think its a great place for anyone to find a pet?  Of course not!  The bargains and the curbside guarantees that are so well suited to THINGS only create a round robin of problems for animal rescuers.  
If there is one single thing that the folks who do frontline animal rescue all agree on, it is the need for legislation to ban the traffic of living breathing sentient beings in the free online ad sites.   They have tried "asking nice" and it is clear that only legislation will put an end to this practice.
But wait a minute.  More than one of the tnr folks use it to find homes for their adoptables.   Seriously .. I nearly fell out of my chair when I realized that.
Why?  Its easy and its free and the site gets a lot of traffic.  Hmm .. what does that sound like? 
Petfinder is easy and free and the site gets a lot of traffic.  And before the keyboards catch on fire, individual cat rescuers and small groups without petfinder listings can use the free Petfinder Classifieds to list their adoptables.
Right now, if one runs a petfinder search for Nova Scotia, there are NO listings. ( although in all fairness there have been a few listings in the past)   Judging by the pages of the 'free to a good homes' there could be pages of Petfinder listings for this province.
In the course of updating the homeless pet site, I'm in and out of Petfinder more than the average bear ... and being the kind of girl I am, when I find a glitch or have a suggestion, I email them.  I was delighted to find out that if traffic ever warranted it, there could be a time when the lovely Petfinder web widgets could include their Classified listings.
But I'm wandering afield here.   Petfinder is like e -harmony in that visitors to their site are already 'looking for love'.  Even better, visitors to Petfinder are LOOKING to adopt a pet and already understand that pet adoption is a Good Thing.
Its really not that hard for any group to get a listing ... even if they aren't a registered Non Profit.   Its even easier to use the Petfinder free Classifieds.  
The other day I was talking to a good friend who has worked frontline rescue for a long time and she was saying that her group has actually declined donations and offers of help from companies and trainers whose stated goals and practices are contrary to her group's.  
Listing pets for adoption on Kijiji is no different than that.  This practice lends a very thin veneer of respectability to Kijiji that that undermines all attempts by the animal rescue community to ban the traffic of living breathing sentient beings in free online ads.  
When I was in the military, this type of thing was referred to as stepping on one's own d***
What time is it?   Its time to remember the rescue mantra that is always being used " be part of the solution, instead of being part of the problem"

If you want to print this to pass around, here is a b & w version

comments on commenting

I'm enough of a geek that I really like the new blogger settings here, but enough of a middle aged granny that I'm still getting used to the idea that double clicking on comments now deletes them:)
The majority of comments here never get posted.  Why?  Some are simply shit disturbing statements trying to engage me in other people's agenda.  Some are linked to sites selling things.  Some get failing grades for both spelling and common sense.  And some are just simply disturbing.
I could do as my friend Joan does and ban anonymous comments.   But seeing as I have many more anonymous followers than folks who are willing to admit to it,  that might be a little mean :)
I figure its anyone's right to comment ... just as its my right to decide whether or not to publish it.

The fly in the ointment

I love wading down the river with the dogs.   Sure its a treat on a hot day .. but its also the only shady place that we can go where the horse flies don't seem to follow.  Being a middle aged granny and not a biologist, I couldn't begin to explain the why of that .... I only know that we are happy to escape the horseflies in the otherwise lovely ointment that is summer.
Its been a very sad weekend for a good friend of mine because her feisty little friend lost his last battle.  He was one of the Celtic pets survivors and in the midst of mourning for him it is impossible not to think back to the days when she had to fight tooth and nail to keep him from becoming one of the Celtic Six / Seven / Eight ....?
The society has come a long way from that summer when it was circling the drain ... doing such a poor job that the (then) new animal protection act included a clause that if they were unwilling or unable to meet their mandate that the government could opt for an alternative.
With a promising new strategic plan, their sights are now set on a timeline for becoming No Kill.   Does that mean we are on the verge of No Kill Nova Scotia?
Of course not.  It means that the society has adopted the philosophy of No Kill and is working to implement it at all of its branches.  We can follow the progress of this in their publicly available statistics that are online for all the world to see.
Do the private rescues and shelters around the province publish their stats?  No ... and in most cases they should because they deserve bragging rights for the work that they do.   Whether they are "No Kill" or "Guaranteed Adoption", animals accepted into their care are generally safe for however long it takes to find a new home.  
Why aren't we breaking out the champagne then?  At the risk of sounding like a stuck record ... too many of the actual numbers are still veiled in secrecy.  Animal Control may be funded by taxpayer dollars, but to the best of my knowledge there is not one single municipality or county in this province that provides AC statistics without a freedom of information request.  Even worse, the wide variety of contractors do not even fall under the requirements to provide such information on request.
For instance .. and before the keyboards catch on fire this is not me being mean, just stating a fact... when Metro had the HRM sheltering contract we at least knew what the numbers were because of the society's new policy of transparency that provides voluntary disclosure of stats.   If the new contractor, Homeward Bound City Pound, does not wish to provide similar data, the taxpaying voters of HRM will have no access to their numbers.
I'm not pointing a specific finger at HRM ... taxpaying voters in NS should not have to put in freedom of information requests for AC stats.  
Why are numbers so darned important?
Because numbers spell things out in undeniable black and white.  Its not about pointing fingers at individual AC departments ... its about collecting data to measure the scope of problem.  
If large numbers of cats are being killed every year, would it be cheaper to find more effective and more permanent solutions like low cost / high volume spay neuter programs and assistance for TNR groups?  
If large numbers of dogs are being killed, would it be cheaper to fund free obedience training?  Low cost spay neuter?
If large numbers of senior pets are being abandoned and killed, would it be cheaper to fund short term assistance for blood work, x rays and dental work?
If large numbers of dogs are being seized for nuisance behaviors such as barking, would it not nip things in the bud by developing bylaws to limit the amount of time a dog can be tethered or penned each day?  By banning the practice for all unattended yard dogs?
At the end of the day, statistics are not about pointing fingers and assigning blame, but are a tool to be used for sound fiscal planning. 
If the NDP bobsled team were looking for a low cost way to restore some of the shine, then a very good place to start would be with legislation that would:

• require all municipalities to publish their animal care and control statistics on their websites
• obligate all AC departments and contractors to advertise on petfinder
• insist that all pets be offered to rescues and shelters before choosing an Unhappy Tail,
• maintain a province wide Lost / Found pet registry,
• and offer free lifetime licenses for all altered and microchipped pets.

Transparency is a beautiful thing.  It inspires confidence.  It builds trust.  It encourages the search for solutions.  It is never ever the fly in the ointment.
What time is it?  Its always time to remember that what is good for the animals also creates safer and healthier communities.  Its just frosting on the cake that it saves taxpayer dollars too.