With all the Unhappy Tails coming in from the Land Of BSL ... its always nice to hear from the good people at S.H.A.I.D. They are looking for donations for their ever popular annual yard sale ... see poster below.
If you live in the HRM area, you can always help out the Metro Shelter by:

• visiting their booth at the Harbourview Weekend Market, 42 Canal Street Dartmouth, every Saturday & Sunday from 9 am - 4 pm. Quality used clothing, new/used books and household items. 100% of proceeds for animal welfare.
• Stopping by their Spring Yard sale & Barbeque on May 29th at Metro Shelter 5 Scarfe Court, 10 am - 2 pm.
• If you are looking to donate items, Nancy Northcut will be at the storage unit, across parking lot from Metro Shelter, 5 Scarfe Court, this Saturday (rain or shine) from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. Drop by with your boxes or bags of goodies and say hello. Donations of books, clothing, household items, tools etc. Do not accept computers, printers, televisions, microwaves or encyclopedias. No left over yard sale items please - just creates work for them to dispose of it.

If you live in the Middleton area, you can help CAPS by:

• the last Thursday and Friday of each month, Classic Hobbies located at 163 Main Street in Middleton is hosting a coffee party. For $2.00, you can enjoy a delicious muffin or cookie with a cup of coffee. Proceeds to CAPS. Donations of food and supplies for CAPS may also be dropped off at the store. Please drop in, say hello and support this wonderful fundraiser. Dates are as follows: May 27&28, June 24&25, July 29&30, August 26&27, September 23&24, October 28&29, November 25&26.
• and starting this weekend, Stop by the CAPS booth at the Middleton Farmers' Market held on Fridays from 2-6 pm , across from the Middleton Town Hall.

The Spring Fling Extravaganza... with a delightful Italian theme.... in support of the LA Animal Shelter is being held on May 19th, at 185 D’Orsay Road at 12 pm. Take outs will be offered from 11:15 to 11:45 am. Please note that take out orders must be reserved and will not be accepted on the day of the event so book those early as well since orders will be limited. Reserve your spot right away by e-mail to sharonduffy@eastlink.ca or just call her at 667-2880.

Stay tuned ... there are lots of events for the animals now that the weather is getting nicer .. and as I rummage around and find them, I'll post them here.

So many great ways to help homeless animals in ns

What a beautiful morning it is becoming! From chilly first frost to almost twenty degrees by mid morning, the day is certainly a nice change from yesterday. One of the best bits about being retired is that the time I can spend outside with my dogs is weather driven instead of being squeezed into a work schedule.
But even though I'm retired ... and even though I'd like to think I'm a compassionate human being ... I still can't adopt every dear pet in need that I see. There are names for people like that and none of them are nice : ((( In fact, that's a guaranteed way to wind up on Live at Five with the SPCA van in one's dooryard.
So how can a person help ... when they have already found the right balance of pets for their personal lifestyle? You'd be surprised how many different and neat little ways that there are out there now to help a homeless pet in Nova Scotia, besides the obvious bits of donating cash or items from group and shelter wish lists:

• CAPS has started a program where kind hearts can sponsor one of their adoptables in foster care http://www.caps-annapolis.org/sponsor.php
• As always, SHAID is leading the way by utilizing the sponsorship option on their petfinder listings so helping is as easy as clicking a mouse
• ARC has a really interesting online auction ( as well as their ever popular jewelry selection )
• The LA Shelter has a fence fixing program on right now and is offering sponsorship of said fence, at ten dollars a foot, on the front door of their site
• The TLC shelter also has a sponsorship program for its adoptables, http://www.tlcshelter.com/help_us.html
• Not sure what to do with your gently used baby blankets and fleece? The Pick of the Litter society can always use them.
• East Coast German Shepherd Rescue has started a sponsorship program on its lovely new website http://ecgsrescue.com/howToHelp.html
• Bide A While has all kinds of monthly options available, both for individuals and corporations, http://www.bideawhile.org/help/
• Pet Projects have a truckload of clever ideas. You can click HERE. to download a printable poster of one of their adoptables to print and display. They are always looking for dog house donations for their Roof over Rover program
• Every TNR group in the province would be delighted to have a donated shelter for feral cat colonies ... for helpful construction tips, go to http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=296
• and of course, even if you have 'no room at the inn" for adoption or fostering, you can volunteer to transport animals for your favourite group.
• The Metro Shelter has started a very cool Kennel sponsorship program ... see poster below. You can also help Metro this month by buying one of the awesome special community cupcakes that Susie's Shortbreads are offering http://www.susiesshortbreads.com/index.php?id=57

Webmaster Note: Thank you to everyone who emailed and called the Herald today ... the wording of the article has been changed from "pitbull-type" dog to bull mastif mix . It is the humble opinion of the webmaster that fear mongering and sensationalism has no part to play in a well respected, 135 year old publication that is read by the entire province.

Dangerous Days for the animals here in NS

I love stewed rhubarb. It is the first of the summer pleasures from the garden and so simple and sweet a child could make it. Its a little sentimental too ... as my rhubarb came from my Mother's garden where I began my own journey as a gardener. ( the lovely story of how well my mother's garden and her barn kitties coexisted is another sweet subject deserving its own post on another day)
I am the gardener that I am today because over the years more experienced gardeners like my mother have been so generous with sharing their expertise. I'll be the first to admit that gardening isn't for everyone. Its dirty and sweaty and soon will be so buggy that I won't tackle even the smallest job without my bug jacket and hat.
Many people lead a full and complete life without ever needing to know the ins and outs of gardening. If the lawn is kept mowed and the yard is kept tidy nobody in the community has any cause for concern, eh?
Sadly the same is not true when it comes to the animals. Whether or not individuals want to personally own a pet, there is a real need for all members of a community to be educated in a sensible fashion about humane issues. Like many humane issues, it transcends the boundaries of animal welfare and becomes a public safety issue.
For instance ... legislation to ban the online traffic of pets is as much about consumer protection as it is about limiting options for backyard breeders and puppy brokers. Mandatory breeder registration and breeding limit laws are designed to maintain breed standards and prevent the unscrupulous from exploiting the animals behind the scenes while creating the nightmare of unexpected medical bills and Unhappy Tails for the kind hearts that just want a nice pet.
But I am wandering afield here. There was a local story in the news yesterday that really highlights the need for public education in all sectors http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/05/10/ns-pit-bull-shot.html :

• first and foremost of course was the immediate mislabelling yesterday of this dog as a pit bull. In the Chronicle Herald followup article today , http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/9016363.html, Ian Fairclough still insists on referring to the dog as "an aggressive pit bull-like dog". Pitbull advocates already understand the implication of sensationalizing stories and the whole issue is well expressed in a published psychology paper from Missouri Western University that can be found at http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/835.php ( the subject of what role the NS media played in the politics of the coyote bounty is a separate story for another day)
• Secondly, the comments from the public REALLY highlighted the need for targeted education about pitbulls to NS residents who are already out of the public school system
• thirdly, the story emphasizes the need for better training for the professionals who have to deal with the public in situations that may or may not involve an aggressive dog,
• and last but not least the story really brings home the need for public education about 'yard dogs'

Yard dogs? What's that you say? A yard dog is "any dog that is consistently left outside the family home ... whether it is on a chain, in a pen, a garage, under a deck or even in a fenced yard with a dog house.

There is a growing move in BC by the Animal Advocates Society to push for bylaws that prohibit tethering. In Lions Gate, BC ... it is actually illegal to leave an unattended chained or tethered dog.

Now I am not familiar enough with the circumstances surrounding this particular dogs living situation .. because the media was long on emphasizing the plight and terror of the handicapped man and his son and short on any relevant details about the dog other than a hint that the family was not home at the time of the incident. So it would be churlish and inappropriate of me to suggest that is the case here.

But anti tethering legislation would provide a proactive way to protect neighbourhoods from similar instances. When a dog is deprived of human companionship .. a Lab is a Terrier is a Collie is a Golden Retriever is an unsocialized and unsafe member of the community.

As with any other humane legislation, laws to limit or prohibit unattended Yard Dogs are designed to do more than protect the animals. Such a law would do double duty by creating safer communities while educating the public about proper and safe animal husbandry practices for companion animals.

What time is it? Its time to realize that anti tethering legislation is one of the most effective ways to protect all members of a community. For more information, go to www.bringthedogsin.ca You can also lend the support of your voice by joining Break the Chain in Nova Scotia

More importantly .. its time for the society to step up to the plate with this before we wind up in the same situation as Ontario. It was knee jerk politics that changed things overnight there and, as the NDP reversal on the coyote cull shows, it could happen here. We are in the same boat as Ont was then ... with a Majority government desperate to regain public confidence. If the NDP Natural Resource Minister is now hoping that trappers will kill "half of the 8000 coyotes" do you think our government will scruple over a few hundred dead dogs?

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing... - Albert Einstein

A little mothers tale

To see the well oiled team wrapped up with their Cat TV here, one would never imagine the time it took them to settle into their own 'pecking order'. Anyone who has followed this blog for any amount of time is familiar with the tale of Dora .. at the left ... and her maternal tom buddy Oscar ... tail high exiting stage right.
Now that they are settled all of them .. including the big boy who is so handsome he was named after Clive Owen ... defer to the tiniest one in the pack. Yup .. that is my mighty little mini Morgan front and center ... and everyone of them follow wherever the little lady leads them.
She wasn't always Queen Bee. When she was just a teenager, someone had been too careless or to cheap or just too darned stoopid to get her spayed ... and in an all too familiar Unhappy Tail just tossed her aside when she became pregnant.
She had a really hard time out there on her own and was finally brought to SHAID, along with her litter of kittens by a kind person who saw her be hit by a car.
Even though she couldn't walk ... Morgan still looked after her kittens and dragged herself to the litter box in her cage. The staff at SHAID were dreading the time when her kittens would be weaned ... fearing that there would be an Unhappy Tail for this brave little mother.
But sometimes prayers do get answered ... and like a little miracle Morgan started to move on her own. First a paw .. then a leg ... then by the time her kittens were weaned, Morgan had regained most of her mobility.
Like many other little Momcats, Morgan waited for months after her babies were adopted and finally a kind heart at SHAID wrote a touching little tale about her in their online newsletter.
Now as the kind folks here at HART and CAPS can tell you, there is no shortage of homeless cats here in the valley. So why, when I was already at my firm (hahaha) four cat limit, did I drive all the way over to Bridgewater on the ten?
Because I was moved by the story in the newsletter is why.
I will never forget walking into the lobby at SHAID with my friend Liz. There were several volunteers inside ... and you could hear a pin drop when they looked at the carrier. It was only when I said "Hi, I'm Janet and I'm here to adopt Morgan ...." that they let out their collective breath and started to smile. ( The subject of how casually people expect to be able to dump their problems on volunteer laps is a separate story needing its own post at another time)
Of all the cats who have ever come in the door here, Morgan was easily the quickest to settle in and make herself at home. Within no time, she had the two bigger boys properly trained and had established a respectful rapport with the two elders.
Last night I was up a little later polishing up this years Mothers Day feature for the homeless pet site. ( Click Here to Meet some of the Momcats ) The little mommies are so often left waiting on the shelf and yet I can tell you first hand that these little momcats make incredibly devoted companions. They are already brilliant because they are cats ... so they understand the value of a second chance at the good life they should have had to start with.
Morgan will never be an Olympic athlete .. but she is still a champion. She is brave and she is beautiful and she is my best friend.
You'll have to go and adopt your own little momcat because I would never ever part with mine.

A different kind of driving lesson

One of the best bits about being retired is not having to wait until the weekend to mow the lawn. I have an 'if its green just mow it' country lawn and if my ride on had an odometer I suspect it would rival the mileage on my car.

Like any other tool, it needs the odd bit of tlc now and then, so this morning after our hike I was off to Canadian Tire for a new battery and a liter of oil. But I am still a girl, so on the way I stopped and picked up a package of ice cream bars.

Normally that would be my last stop ... but it was a nice breezy morning and still chilly enough to warrant a light jacket. And .. I knew I was only going to running in for a battery and hey .. how much time could that take, eh?

Greenwood is a popular place to retire ... so as it happens I wasn't the only one shopping for a ride on battery this morning. Nor is it simply a matter of swiping one's card. The fellow ahead of me had to go back out to the car to get his old battery so he wouldn't get hit with the enviro deposit fee. And of course each and every battery comes with a warranty and paper work has to be filled out for everyone in line for that : )))

I was actually pretty impressed that it only took twenty minutes before I was putting the battery in the trunk. And I wasn't worried about the ice cream bars ... not for such a short time on such a breezy morning, right?

Well its a great blessing that I always keep a green bin in the trunk for my groceries ... at least I didn't have to set my new battery in the puddled remains of the ice cream bars: ))))

People think that its only during the dog days of summer that pets can be at risk from the heat. The truth is that even a balmy spring morning can represent real risk for pets ( Click Here for Warm Weather Pet Safety Tips )

One of the best resources for information, including downloadable flyers and posters is a site called My Dog is Cool, http://www.mydogiscool.com/index.php The poster below is available in pdf form from the site and there is even a very neat little table to show how the temperature in cars correlates to the outside temperature.

After all, its no big deal to lose a few ice cream bars but it would be such a heart break to lose a best friend, eh?

Chance is inducted into the Purina Hall of Fame

From the Purina Hall of Fame, 2010,

Chance, South Bar, Nova Scotia

Chance, a nine-year-old Dalmatian/Fox Terrier mix, is a loyal and obedient family dog with an incredibly strong sense of responsibility. At the end of last year, his family found out first-hand just how devoted he is to protecting those he loves.
On a mild day early last December, Veronica Fraser and her seven-year-old son James Delorey were playing in their backyard with Chance. James, an energetic and curious boy, suffered from severe autism and as a result he was unable to communicate through speech. Veronica was watching James and Chance play, when she heard a loud "clunk" come from the direction of the family motor-home, parked on a nearby hill. She turned to suddenly discover that it was starting to roll away. Veronica quickly ran to the motor-home, jumped in to the driver's seat and put it into park. When she returned, just moments later to where James and Chance were playing, they were nowhere in sight.
The family backyard leads into a densely wooded area and brook. Veronica immediately started searching the area, following several trails. But despite her immediate and urgent search, she could not find James. Panicked, Veronica ran home, alerted her entire family and the police that James was missing. The search was officially on ? this time with police and community assistance; four-wheelers and trucks drove deep into the forest and through the streets of South Bar. When evening came, the police brought in night-vision goggles and helicopters to aid in the search. Veronica, terrified about what had happened to her son, was comforted by the fact that she knew Chance was with him. Chance loved to follow James and she knew that he wouldn't leave him alone. The search continued long into the night.
By the morning, a snowstorm had hit the region. There was still no sign of James or Chance. James did not have a jacket and had been outside all night. Everyone involved felt the gravity of the situation as each hour passed. Hundreds of people within the community were helping with the search, now in blizzard-like conditions. The one thing keeping Veronica's hope alive was the fact that Chance had not yet returned. In her heart Veronica believed that this meant that James must still be okay, because Chance would only come home if James couldn't.
Two days after James' disappearance, Chance suddenly emerged from the marshy woods. As a result search and rescue teams followed Chance's footprints in the snow leading them straight to James, who was suffering from severe hypothermia. He was unconscious but, amazingly, still alive. He was rushed to the hospital where medical teams worked tirelessly to stabilize him. Officials were astonished that he made it through the blizzard. They attributed his survival to Chance staying by his side, keeping him warm.
Sadly, James succumbed to the hypothermia and passed away later that day. Both his family and Chance were devastated. Although James is no longer with them today, his family is indebted to Chance for being his guardian angel. Chance not only kept James alive until he could be found, but he is also the reason Veronica was able to say goodbye to her son. Without Chance, James Delorey would never have been reunited with his family.

Like everyone else in this province, I was incredibly moved and saddened by this story. According to today's article in the Herald, http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9016256.html, Purina received a record number of nominations for Chance (400).

To meet the others whose bravery has been acknowledged in the Purina Hall of Fame, go to http://www.purina.ca/about/halloffame/2010.aspx

What time is it? Its always time to remember how much the animals can teach the human species about loyalty and courage.