Fido Finder and Tabby Tracker

I’ve been writing a lot of articles lately that relate to what it’s like to be a pet lover in the internet age. The internet has changed how shelters can communicate and how potential pet owners might find their future animals. Today I will examine how we can use the Internet as a tool to locate missing pets. People probably began posting messages about lost pets online almost as soon as the internet was introduced. Now that sites like Craig’s List and similar local-based online classifieds have put the concept on the computer, we can find pets, supplies for them, … Continue reading →

How Far Would You Go to Save a Sick Pet?

Me, aged about 10, with my childhood cat Boots When my husband and I prepared to adopt a dog he asked me one question that really startled and upset me. “We need to decide how much we’re going to spend on this dog when it’s sick,” he said. He meant we had to decide the maximum amount of money we were willing to spend on it for medical treatment; if it ever had a health problem the costs of which exceeded that number, we’d automatically agree to put it down. I was shocked. How could he suggest such a callous … Continue reading →

Sympathy Cards for a Lost Pet

It feels like I’ve been signing a lot of sympathy cards at the cats-only boarding facility lately. As much as I hate to think about it, our pets just don’t live as long as we’d like them to. It’s a sad coincidence that we’ve had several guests pass away in relatively quick succession. Sometimes, I don’t know what to say. I do my best to find something to love about each and every cat that comes through our doors. When I’m writing out the card, I try to remember some special moment I shared with the pet — some fond … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: the Worst Part of the Job

It feels like this year has been a rough one for some of our favorite clients at the cats-only boarding facility. Some of our long-time visitors succumbed to chronic health issues or old age. It feels like we’ve been sending a lot of condolence cards. I don’t like it. Not one bit. We said goodbye to another dear friend this week — you may remember him as the biggest cat I’d ever seen. When he first came in to board for a weekend, he tipped the scale at almost thirty-four pounds. On his latest visit, he was down to almost … Continue reading →

The Balance

Some friends of mine have a cat who is very ill. The cat first started having health issues around her first birthday, prompting several visits to the vet and emergency vet to get things stabilized. Daily medication managed the condition for a while… but the balance is starting to shift. These friends of mine have done everything in their power to figure out what’s causing the illness and find a way to treat it. They’ve been to the vet many times, had to learn how to give subcutaneous fluids, and more. They really love this cat, and want her to … Continue reading →

Puppies Successfully Cloned… For a Price

A story about an American woman who paid fifty thousand dollars to have her dog cloned made headlines this week. The story in short, if you missed it: she lost her dog Booger two years ago. Once dog cloning became available, she sold her home to finance the project to clone her lost pup. About a week ago, two surrogate mothers gave birth to five pit bull puppies — all clones of Booger. I have mixed feelings about this, to be honest. It’s a lot of money to spend, for one thing. That money could have helped a lot of … Continue reading →

Thoughts on Reuniting Lost Dogs with Owners

The story about Rocko the beagle who was reunited with his owners after five years got me to thinking: Should a pet always be returned to the original owners? Taking Responsibility In Rocko’s case, the Naranjo family obviously still loved the dog –even though they’d only had him for two months before he’d disappeared and he’d been gone for five years. However, they were willing to fork out some bucks and time to get him back. First they had to fly to Georgia to pick him up, then they had to rent a car and drive (14 hours I might … Continue reading →

Tough Decisions: Watch the Euthanasia or Not?

April always brings to mind Budly because he was born during this month and died during it too. (Born April 21; Died April 23) Among the many memories I have him, the one that is guaranteed to bring tears to my eyes and which still haunts my heart is his very last moments. The ones right before he was euthanized. We were given the option to be in the room, or to wait outside until it was done and then come in to say our final goodbyes. Wayne and I didn’t even need a moment to discuss it. We wanted … Continue reading →

Today’s Report on Dog-Napping

This morning while I ate breakfast and watched Today with my mom, they covered a story about the rise in dog-nappings. And they weren’t talking about dogs taking more naps, but dogs being kidnapped. Not for the Reasons I Expected Because they were showing purebred dogs I figured that dog snatchers were focusing on taking dogs that they hoped to get a ransom for. Not so. (Although some do take the dog, wait for a reward to be offered, and then say they’ve found it to claim the reward.) But they also had other reasons for nabbing dogs, such as: … Continue reading →

Looking Forward: Moose

I was driving home from work yesterday, thinking about my mother’s dog Shashi and how she suffered from hip dysplasia. And that got me looking ahead and wondering how long it will be before I’ll have to make a very difficult decision regarding Moose. My imagination went to work, and I started to cry, thinking about what I would feed him for his last meal and what the people at the veterinarian’s office will say and do. I finally understand the people who were jealous after Miko passed away in his sleep. I started attending a pet bereavement group run … Continue reading →