SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T
IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT AN ANIMAL IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
PLEASE CALL ANIMAL CONTROL,
202-576-6664
OUR OFFICERS ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP 24/7



Monday, January 31, 2011

What Did You Do Without Electricity?

In our dark, cold  house, during the nearly 48 hours without electricity after the mega-snowstorm, the one warm spot was right in front of the roaring fire in our living room fireplace.  Charlotte figured Merl needed more than fire heat.  Look closely, she's perched on top of her buddy, Merl.  I'm happy to report that the furnace has worked splendidly since 5:08 p.m. Friday and is cranked up as we wait for a "small" mixed precipitation storm. 

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Stuck in the Storm -- Emergency Plans Needed for Animals

Like thousands of drivers, I was stuck in the snow storm on Wednesday night.  Max & I  picked up Natalie from a dance class in Rockville, Maryland around 5:30 p.m. and pulled into our Silver Spring neighborhood well after 2:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.    We made one  pit stop during the trek home.  At around 9:45 p.m. we  arrived at friends' house, about 6 miles from our home; we could have spent the night there, but Nigel and the cats were home alone.   The cats had food, water and clean litter, but Nigel had not eaten dinner and does not use a litter box.  We decided to keep traveling.  So, close to midnight we set out for the final leg of our long journey. 
Charlotte insists on
experiencing her first
real snow fall from the
screened in porch

You hear about what you should have in your car for such emergencies -- food, water, shovel, cat litter, a scraper, and something to keep you warm.  But, I never thought of having an emergency plan in place so Nigel and the cats would be safe and comfortable if I could not get home  When we finally opened the door at that early morning hour, Nigel rushed outside, happy to see us, and lifted his leg for what seemed like 5 minutes!   We went into our dark house -- like thousands of others in the area our power was out -- fed Nigel a meal that was neither breakfast nor dinner and fell into bed with cats cuddling close.  
Nigel greets Max and Rachel
after they return from sledding


The next day, still no power, but we were safe at home.  Nigel went outside several times and Charlotte insisted on seeing the snow from the screened in porch. 

As soon as the snow melts,  I will venture back on the road to get my next door neighbor a key for such emergencies.  

Monday, January 24, 2011

People Who Abuse Animals Rarely Stop There

The lead sentence from Tricia Bishop's (a Baltimore Sun reporter) January 9th article reads --
Seven months after Baltimore prosecutors dropped gun and drug charges against teenage twins accused of setting fire to a pit bull puppy, one of the young men was arrested again — this time on attempted murder charges.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-johnson-20110109,0,4976118.story

In her article in today's Sun, reporter Bishop explains that the animal cruelty trial, including jury selection, begins today.  The accused, now 18-years-old, are not going to find many sympathizers.  When the heinous crime was committed, and then publicized, people across the country were outraged; they responded with reward offers and verbal lashings.  The criminals need to be punished to the fullest degree of the law.  The pain that they inflicted on the dog was unimaginable.  They committed a crime, and from the looks of the January 9th article, they are still involved in criminal activity.  It may be hard to find an impartial jury, but one must be seated and allowed to hear and see the evidence so the maximum penalty can be imposed.

See right hand side of the blog, about 1/2 way down, for more information on the case of Phoenix, the dog who was burned alive.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Nature provided a a mega slip and slide during the night. It's a good day to stay inside, but dogs still have to go outside for quick bathroom breaks.  Cats don't.  Keep your cat indoors, especially in the cold. 

Remember to thoroughly wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice.  Unknowingly your dog can eat salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice. Do something inside with your dog or cat.   Read them a good book.  For ideas, check out the book selection on the right hand side of page.  You'll need to scroll down a bit.  Stay warm.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Army dog handler based at Fort Belvoir dies in Afghanistan

The link to the story mentioned above is on the right side of the page below the Friendship Hospital for Animals' Dr. Hughes' blog.  

Every day we learn about death and tragedy.  Last week the nation was grief stricken over the horrific massacre in Arizona.   In today's paper the death of 28-year-old  Sergeant Zainah Caye Creamer is buried in the local section.   Death in war is an every day occurrence.  All the violence needs to end.  Too much hurt, too much suffering. 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A Sick Day for Amos McGee Wins Prestigious Award

I have not read A Sick Day for Amos McGee, so I am not in a position to criticize.   But I will --  sort of.  This book, illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by her husband Philip C. Stead, won the Caldecott Award for 2011 -- that puts it in the same company as Officer Buckle and Gloria, one of my very favorite picture books.     I am opposed to books depicting zoos as happy-go-lucky places.  Even whimsical drawings that bear no resemblance to actual animals can subliminally give the impression that caged animals are happy.  I do not believe that to be true..

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Long Time League Resident Relocates to Forever Home

Relaxed at Home for the Holidays
Visitors to our cat room often remarked on the beautiful long-haired cat who spent most of her time on the floor rather than her kitty condo.  It took Daytona, now named Misty, a long time to choose her forever home.  However, a recent after-the-holidays-update confirmed that Misty chose well.
Her personalty has really come out. She seeks attention and loves being scratched around her ears and neck, but doesn't like being picked up and isn't a lap cat. She's very friendly with everybody and will sit right next to you, but not on you. Sometimes she sleeps on the foot of our bed, but most of the time in her sleeping box I made for her.

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions are meant to be kept. 
So I'm making only two :
Ike, agrees wholeheartedly with my resolutions
  • To write about the antics of Charlotte no more than once a week
  • Tell everyone who walks into the cat room that they should adopt Ike, Antoinette, or any one of the other wonderful cats patiently waiting for forever homes.
Well., I made a third -- no chocolate before 12 noon --  but that one was broken on New Year's Day.