If you’ve ever left your dog in the car for “just five minutes” on a summer day, the officers of the Washington Humane Society want you to hear some cautionary tales.

“They all say the same thing: I never thought that this would happen,” says Mitchell Battle, deputy director of humane law enforcement at the Washington Humane Society. “I was only going to be gone for two minutes.”

But just running inside for a quick errand can be deadly to your pet — even if the weather isn’t all that hot.

In one fatal incident Battle responded to, the temperature was only in the 70s. A woman stopped at home, parked in the shade and came out after what she said was 15 minutes. By the time officers got there, the shade had moved, turning the car into what officer Eve Russell calls “a solar powered Easy-Bake oven.”   [more]

400 dogs seized from Wash. puppy mill

KENNEWICK, Wash. – More than 400 dogs, including three newborn puppies, have been removed from a puppy mill that is being called “one of the worst cases” of animal abuse seen by animal groups and state officials.

“The conditions were not only shocking, but also heartbreaking to veteran deputies,” said Benton County Sheriff Larry Taylor, who led the raid Wednesday at the Sun Valley kennel of 66-year-old Ella Stewart.

Dogs were found living in wooden crates, shopping carts and other makeshift kennels caked with feces and soaked with urine, investigators said. Detectives wore gloves and put booties on their shoes before walking onto the 2-acre property.  [more]

By Cory McKeown
These Siamese “fun brothers” are ready to par-tay!

Siamese cats often have unique and fun personalities, and these ten month old brothers are a great case-in-point. Taz, Squirt, and Socks were raised in an active household filled with other cats, dogs, and kids, and have become
very affectionate ‘kitty characters”, interested in everything and everybody.
Their people very reluctantly had to give them up, realizing they just couldn’t afford to keep so many pets. Hoping to give them a good introduction to new, loving homes, the “mom” wrote personality profiles about each of them.
Taz loves to play hide-and-seek, will give “high fives” and enjoys having his paws rubbed. Believe it or not, Squirt likes to ride a skate board, and Socks will fetch and carry items. All three like to play in running water in the sink, and are very loving and great with kids.
As much as they enjoy playing and interacting with their people, they also have a mellow, quieter side. These boys would probably be happiest being in safe indoor-outdoor homes, but probably would also do fine indoors as long as they had activities, people, and even other cat-friendly pets to keep them company.
If you have ever had a Siamese and know what fun they can be, or if you and your family want a cat with extra “purrsonality”, come meet these guys. “Celebrate good times, come on!”

Layla is a family dog without a family

It is obvious by looking at this young dog that she has a lot of Basset Hound in her heritage. She is kind of a “low rider”, with a long body and shorter legs. Her shorter legs don’t slow her down, though!
She loves to go for walks, is housetrained, and has never met a stranger. Bassets make great family dogs, and are usually good natured and gentle with children. Layla has been with us a while, and is very much hoping someone will come and give her the chance to be part of their family. After all, what good is a family dog that is lingering in a shelter cage without a family?

Come to our biggest and best “Grrrage Sale”
The Humane Society will be having a huge garage sale over Memorial Day weekend. All proceeds will go toward the care of the critters at the shelter, and this is our most important fundraiser of the year.
We want to thank our wonderful supporters who have donated the great items we will have for sale, and want to say a special thanks to Ann and Tony Kischner for allowing us to use a building they own for the event. The building is located just North of Sid’s Supermarket, on the West side of the main highway. A wonderful location and easy to find.
This promises to be a “primo” sale, and we know our customers won’t go away disappointed or empty-handed. And best of all, it is for a good cause.

What a GREAT day!

Thank you to everyone who came out to participate!

Thanks to organizers Sue Skinner, Sondra Eaton and Michelle Zinkevics, and everyone who sponsored holes, donated cash and prizes and pushed up their sleeves to work!  Want to see photos?  You can, thanks to Mike Litawa!

The airline business has gone to the cats and dogs.

Literally.

Pet Airways, a new service that caters to four-legged friends, is scheduled to launch weekly flights July 14 out of Hawthorne Municipal Airport and four other regional airports in the New York, Chicago, Denver and Washington, D.C., areas, with plans to expand to more than 20 other cities.

The pet-only airline is offering introductory fares of $149 each way for every size pet and comes into the market as many commercial air carriers have increased pet travel fees.

“It’s very price-competitive and we’re trying to show that we provide a higher level of service that really concentrates on the comfort of the pets,” said Alysa Binder, founder and executive vice president of Pet Airways, based in Delray Beach, Fla.

Binder said she and her husband, Pet Airways co-founder Dan Wiesel, decided to create an airline that carries so-called “pawsengers” in 2005 after shipping their Jack Russell terrier, Zoe, in the cargo hold during a move from the Bay Area to south Florida.

“When she finished that flight, she wasn’t herself and we knew there had to be a better way, a more caring and safe way for pet owners to travel with their dogs and cats,” Binder said. “It’s all about the safety and comfort of the animals. They aren’t just handled like a piece of luggage.”

Typically, caged pets 15 pounds or lighter can be placed under an airline passenger’s seat. Some people who own larger dogs have a tough time sending Fido into the luggage and cargo hold in a plane’s belly, Binder said.

The airline’s largest passenger booked so far is a Great Dane.

“You can’t even accommodate a dog that size in cargo, so we’re glad to help,” Binder said.

Rather than send pets down to the cargo hold, Pet Airways will use Beech 1900 turbo-prop passenger airplanes operated by Suburban Air Freight, based in Omaha, Neb.

Seats are removed from the climate-controlled planes to make room for special straps that hold pet crates in place within the main cabin. A pet attendant checks on animals every 15 minutes, Binder said.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s safety office is working with Suburban Air Freight to enable the carrier to work with Pet Airways, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

“Our primary safety concern in transporting animals is that the weight of the cargo does not shift and that all animals are safely restrained during flight to prevent that shift,” Gregor said.

Lucy McKee of Hermosa Beach said she liked the idea of pampering her dogs Buddy, a Labrador retriever, and Lily, a Lab-mix, especially after problems she experienced in January with an airline at Los Angeles International Airport.

Baggage handlers dropped Buddy’s carrier from a forklift, causing the cage to flip over several times, McKee said. Then the airline told her that it had lost the dog.

“I flipped out because I was so angry when they said they lost my dog,” McKee said as she walked her recovered dog Buddy and Lily at the Redondo Beach dog park on a recent afternoon.

“I think this new airline is a good idea,” she said. “It sounds like they’ll go out of their way to take care of dogs.”

MORE:   http://www.dailybreeze.com/lifeandculture/ci_12388914

Pet Airways on FaceBook and Twitter

Sometimes it’s just easier not to know the whole story

The man who brought these four sweet pups to us last week told a strange story.
He said that he worked for a utility company, and he had found them abandoned in the woods. The pups were frightened, dirty, and hungry, and one of them had nasty, but not fresh, wounds on his sides and shoulders.
We took the injured pup to the vets right away, and the veterinarian was stumped, just as we were, as to the source of the injuries. The man who brought them in said he thought that probably the pup was attacked by a wild animal…
Regardless, we will never know for sure exactly how these pups were found; who dumped them if they were abandoned; or how little “Toby” as he is now called, was so badly hurt. We all know that there are cruel people in the world, and often it is the innocent animals who suffer.
But, we also know that dogs live in the “here and now”, and are not likely to dwell on the past, as we humans often do. So, knowing this, we at the shelter just try to push aside our imaginations when thinking about what might have happened to these pups, and instead, put our energy into making them happy and well.
The cute little “Four Musketeers” will soon be neutered, and are becoming the happy and fun-loving pups they should be at this age. Toby is healing very well, and is as energetic and affectionate as his brothers.
These little lab mixes  are all ready to love themselves into new homes- homes where they will be nurtured and cared for and never again see the darker side of humans. They had a bad start in life, but you can turn their lives around. Timmy, Tyler, Teddy, and Toby have their tails on “hyper wag” and would love to meet you today!

Sweetie is waiting for her owner who will never come

Unfortunately, the owner of this pretty little Tortie Point Siamese kitty passed away, leaving two kitties and a dog to wonder why their world as they knew it had been turned upside down. . The other kitty and the dog both found new homes, but Sweetie is still sitting in the window, looking for someone she once loved but will never see again.
Sweetie is about 5 years old, and has a very quiet and affectionate nature- she was well-named. She would love to find a quiet new home, and would thrive with a kind person of her own again. Lost owners can never truly be replaced, but all us can learn to love again.

‘But You Said You Loved Me!’

‘You will pay, as God is my witness, you will pay.’

‘Yikes, you call this water warm???’

‘I don’t think I like you anymore..’

‘You Lied !!!!!!’

‘E.T. Phone home……quick!’

‘No, I’m not your Good Little Kitty anymore.’

‘Traction…..I’m losing Traction!’

‘I want my Mommmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!’

‘No, no, no, no…..NOOOO!!!!’

Even if you’re not a ‘cat person’ these pictures are priceless!!

Photo and story by Melanie Epping

Imagine waking up every day wondering if today is the day you will get out of your pen or off your chain where you live 24/7, month after month, year after year, isolated from your family. Sadly, this is the way thousands of dogs live every day and Rocky was one of those dogs until he was rescued and brought to our shelter. Dogs are very social animals and long to be with their people and when confined to a chain or pen they suffer not only physically but mentally too.
Rocky has been with us now for several weeks where he waits and watches as his other dog friends get adopted. Our volunteer dog walkers say what a nice boy he is with his good leash manners and gentle ways.  He is a 5-6 year old lab mix but because of the white hair on his face and muzzle people mistake him to be much older. Rocky has perfect house manners and would adapt well to just about any home where he could be indoors and part of the family.  Could you be the one to give Rocky the home he deserves?

CHAINING AND PENNING
A few years ago a lady by the name of Tammy Grimes started an organization called Dogs Deserve Better for the plight of penned and chained dogs. Since then many laws have been passed in several states and counties that ban this treatment of dogs and I hope one day our local city and county will do the same. I often wonder why people even own a dog if this is going to be their life? You can dramatically change the quality of a dogs life by fencing them an area big enough where they can run and play, taking them out for regular walks, but most of all by making them a part of the family.  Dogs DO deserve better!  If you find yourself needing help to make your dogs life better please call me and I will help you any way I can. 642-2114