The United States Postal Service has announced that it will now begin offering Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet commemorative postage stamps.   They are intented to help promote animal rescue efforts, and purchases will help feed 1 million shelter pets.  Pre-order yours today!  To learn more, click here or visit http://stampstotherescue.com/.

Whether you already have young children or you’re expecting your first, these two websites can give you advice, tips and training on how to raise both children and dogs harmoniously:

Living with Kids and Dogs – Parenting secrets for a safe and happy home

Dogs and Storks – The first national program that prepares families with dogs for life with baby!

David Sharpe, a former Air Force senior airman and Iraq war vet, started an animal rescue service called Pets2Vets.  It helps veterans find a homeless animal to adopt by way of local shelters.  Mr. Sharpe believes this service will not only help save hundreds of needy pets, but also help war veterans to heal.

Washington Animal Rescue League Executive Director Dr. Gary Weitzman said the
partnership with Pets2Vets was an ideal fit for his organization, which in the past
has worked with veterans at nearby Walter Reed on an individual basis. Pets can be
matched with vets up to two months before their discharge date and make weekly
visits with them; there also are volunteer opportunities to spend time with shelter
animals for soldiers who can’t yet be matched with pets of their own.

It’s a win-win situation for the shelter and the vets, Dr. Weitzman said: “We
provide them a healing environment, to continue their recovery, but they also help
our animals, many of which are recovering from traumas themselves.”

With the success of its pilot program, Pets2Vets plans to expand early next year to
additional shelters in the D.C. area and then across the country in partnership with
local veterans organizations.

Mr. Sharpe said his long-term goal is to extend the program to police, fire and
rescue workers, and victims of natural disasters and other traumas. While helping
the estimated 10 million to 12 million cases of PTSD in this country, he said,
“imagine saving the lives of that many dogs and cats.”

Of course, Mr. Sharpe would add that it’s not just the animals who are being saved.

“She saved me,” he said of Cheyenne.

To read the entire article, click here.

According to a recent poll, people who love dogs greatly outnumber the people who love cats. In fact, the number is almost double.

Clearly, there are dog people and there are cat people. But it’s not much of a contest: 74 percent of people like dogs a lot, and only 41 percent like cats a lot.

Cats win the dislike vote handily, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll. Fifteen percent of the adults questioned said they disliked cats a lot while the number who said they disliked dogs a lot was just 2 percent.

To read the entire article, click here.

Personally, I’ve never of anything so ridiculous in my entire life.  I mean, who could possibly prefer a dog to a cat?

But seriously folks, what is your preference… Cats or dogs?  Why?

A Maryland resident, Valerie Silensky, wrote an opinion piece for the Gazette.net regarding the a suggestion made by police that getting a dog will help protect your family and deter crime.

I hate to be negative in the face of what overall is a helpful article ["Police warn residents of holiday crime," Nov. 26], but I do have to take issue with one of the suggestions apparently made by the police in the article. Get a dog for protection is not an appropriate suggestion.

Dogs are living beings who need to feel part of a family and a pack; those who get them for protection do not have the interest of the dogs’ well-being in their consciousness, and it usually shows. Moreover, most dogs are not appropriate for guard work. The police suggestion implies that people should just go out and get a dog so that she or he can scare would-be intruders away.

Click here to read the entire article. 

Do you agree with what Ms. Silensky wrote?

Losing a pet can be a terrifying experience.  Even if your dog or cat is never allowed outdoors without supervision, you should always ensure it has proper identification in case it ever becomes lost or stolen.  Proper identification could mean the difference between life and death for your best friend.

The most common forms of ID include:

1)  An ID tag*.  A personal ID tag can attach easily onto your pet’s collar.  At a minimum, it should include your name and phone number.  Additional information can include your address, your pet’s name and an alternate phone number.  If you’re willing to pay a reward, you may also want to include the word “reward” on the tag.

2)  A tattoo.  A tattoo involves permanently marking a unique code on the pet’s skin, usually on the belly.  By calling a database, this code can be used to obtain your address and phone number.

3)  A microchip**.  Microchips are tiny, rice-sized capsules injected painlessly under an animal’s coat. If your animal is brought into any vet’s office or animal shelter, the microchip can be scanned and its unique number can be matched to your contact information.  Microchipping is a safe, convenient way to permanently identify your pet and is recommended by most veterinarians and rescue organizations.

Remember, with each of these identification methods, it is critical that your current contact information is kept up to date.

Should your pet ever become lost, be sure to act fast!  Don’t wait for your pet to come home on its own.  If your pet was adopted from Pet Harbor, contact us!  Also, consider this helpful information provided by the Michigan Humane Society:

1)  Call your local animal control or police to alert them of your missing pet and inquire if any stray animals have been picked up matching your pet’s description. Leave your contact information.

2)  Take a walk. Sweep the area on foot that your pet was last seen. Be sure to talk to neighboors, mail carriers or others working in the area about your lost pet. Take at least one walk daily.

3)  Post flyers. Download a template and create a flyer for your lost pet that you can post, with permission, in local businesses and municipalities. You will need a clear, recent photo of your pet. Include your phone number(s). Adding a reward can be helpful.

4)  Leave food and water and something familiar (such as a blanket, bed or favorite toy) outside near your door. Animals may return on their own when no one is home, and having food, water and something familiar may encourage them to stay in the area.

5)  Visit in person your local animal shelters, daily. There are most likely several facilities in your are that could have your pet. Start with the facility that is legally responsible for holding strays in your area (usually, but not always, this is an animal control shelter). Then visit other nearby facilities as well.

Other options include posting an ad in your local newspaper, posting an ad on Craigslist or another online classifieds site,  searching the “found” sections of your local newspaper and online classifieds sites, informing your vet and/or pet groomer, and contacting local radio stations that may broadcast your pet’s information for you.

————————

*Every dog adopted from Pet Harbor Rescue and Referral is required to forever wear a Pet Harbor tag.  Please contact us if you need a replacement tag.

**All cats and dogs adopted from Pet Harbor Rescue and Referral are microchipped.  The microchips are registered to Pet Harbor and, thus, Pet Harbor will be notified if your missing animal has been found.  We will then contact you with your animal’s location.  If you have moved or changed your phone number since you adopted your pet, please call or email us to confirm that we have your most current contact information.