With unseasonably warm temperatures right now in many parts of the U.S., pet owners may not be aware that normal routines need to be adjusted to accommodate for the excessive heat. I had a friend who lived in Phoenix who used to walk her dog at 5 a.m. every morning so that they weren’t out in the [...]
The Pet Pundit
Humane Education and Writings on Animal Issues
Author Archives: Cathy M. Rosenthal
Unsafe levels of fluoride found in dog food
The Environmental Working Group recently commissioned an independent study and discovered that eight national brands of dog food, marketed to puppies and adults, had unsafe levels of fluoride. In fact, the fluoride was 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than what the EPA has deemed a safe amount in human drinking water.
Why is excessive fluoride a problem for dogs? [...]
Lucky the elephant’s story
I live in San Antonio and write a pet column and blog for the San Antonio Express News. A reader sent me this link about a lonely, 49-year-old elephant in our local zoo who certainly deserves to live out the remainder of her days in a sanctuary that has already agreed to take her — [...]
What a cat must do to get his owner’s attention
If you have ever had a cat, you will laugh at this short film that shows what a hungry cat must do to get his owner’s attention. Cats communicate with us, but we humans aren’t always great at listening to our pets.
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Report sheds light on pit bull attacks
DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group, released their 2008 report on pit bulls shot for public safety reasons. The 20-page report documents 373 incidences in which U.S. law enforcement officers and citizens were forced to shoot a dangerous pit bull to prevent an attack or to stop an ongoing attack.
The report tracked 12 data [...]
Study shows majority of pet cats neutered
A new study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association reports that the vast majority — at least 80% — of pet cats in U.S. households are neutered, with middle-to higher-income households reporting rates of over 90%.
The peer-reviewed study, based on data collected for the national nonprofit organization Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive, [...]
Why do dogs hump?
One day, while giving a tour to some middle school students of the shelter, two dogs began humping. The kids giggled and pointed, whispering under their breath to each other that the dogs were having sex. Certainly, that would seem to be the case, except the dogs were both females. Here was the perfect opportunity [...]
Rescue Waggin’ gives pets a guaranteed second chance
Meet Ernie. He is the 25,000th dog to take a life-saving ride on a PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® vehicle.
The Rescue Waggin’ program, which celebrated its 5th anniversary this month, is a unique shelter transport program operated by PetSmart Charities, a nonprofit organization, that moves adoptable dogs from shelters with very high pet populations to shelters elsewhere in [...]
Soldier’s often have to give up pets to go to war
Allow me to introduce you to Max. Max is a seven-year-old Golden Retriever with a sturdy frame, a bright orange coat, and just a touch of gray around his muzzle, the only hint of his advancing age. A soldier being deployed to the middle east had brought Max to the Humane Society because he didn’t [...]
Scientists study what dogs are thinking
When it comes to studying animal behavior, dogs have rarely been on the top ten list. Not since Pavlov became interested in learning the secrets of a dog’s digestive responses have scientists given much attention to canines in the animal behavior arena. But today, Harvard scientists are wondering what dogs are thinking and using a series of [...]
Dogs and cats underfoot can lead to falls
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the CDC reports that there are 86,629 reported nonfatal falls annually that are associated with dog and cats. This is an average taken from 2001-2006 stats on nonfatal falls. Nearly 88 percent of those injuries were associated with dogs, and women were twice as likely to [...]
“What Now?” A guide for people faced with the illness or loss of a pet
As a pet parent, it can be difficult to learn that a pet is sick. As you begin treatment, you wonder at what point you might have to make an end-of-life decision.
A new guide called “What Now?” offers pet owners some guidance when faced with a pet’s illness or with the grief of losing a pet [...]
If a pet has no potential for adoption, they won’t get into a no-kill shelter
An SPCA in Danville, Pennsylvania says it wants to change its image as a dumping ground for animals. Their new policy, according to an article by John-Erik Koslosky in the Press Enterprise, is that if they don’t think a pet can be adopted, they will not accept it into the shelter. Oh and “cats are wild,” says [...]
Puppy dies from eating Sago Palm
In my hometown, San Antonio, Texas, sago palms are a frequent plant in the landscape. In fact, my neighbor has a huge one at the entry way to their front door. Because they can grow rather large here, I considered buying one and putting in a large clay pot for my patio. Now I am having second [...]
Obama orders ban on all downed cows
For years, animal groups have worked on the Hill to try to ban downer cows — cows that have fallen and are too weak or too sick to get up — from entering the food supply. Working on the Hill many years ago, this was one of the issues I talked to Congress about. It seemed [...]
You can train your fish to do tricks (no joke)
So your fish does nothing, but swim around the tank all day. Maybe that’s because you didn’t know that fish can actually learn to do tricks, if given the right training.
According to the R2 Fish School, tropical fish can learn tricks based on marine mammal training techniques. Using their kit, fish have been trained to play soccer [...]
Visit with a cat in a Japanese “cat cafe”
Sarah Marchildon, a blogger on the Hollywood North Report, is attending a university in Japan and has discovered the neatest new thing for felines in Kyoto that I have heard about in a long time — a “Cat Cafe.”
A Cat Cafe is a place where you pay the equivalent of $5 to go in and sip coffee in a cafe-like [...]
One million pets at risk of being homeless
The current U.S. financial crisis has the potential to grow into a serious animal welfare issue, warns executive vice president of ASPCA programs, Dr. Stephen Zawistowski. As households across the country are caught in the economic downturn, an estimated 500,000 to one million cats and dogs are at risk of becoming homeless.
“According to national financial [...]
A look at how “Animals Make Us Human”
A person with autism, Dr. Temple Grandin , a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, has become famous in the animal world for her ability to understand the nature of how animals think. She says autism makes her a visual thinker and believes animals see the world in the same way.
The proof, they say, is in [...]
Presidential legacy may be linked to pet names
Turns out, if you are a good little President, your followers may someday honor you by naming their pets after you.
When historians and political pundits look back on a President’s legacy, there may something more to review than job creation or approval ratings. Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, scoured [...]
Article on Polluted Pets in Dog Fancy magazine
Check out the February issue of Dog Fancy magazine for an article I wrote on Polluted Pets. The article presents information on the impact of chemicals on dogs and an online sidebar offers tips on what you can do to prevent toxins from building in your dog’s bloodstream. We live in a polluted world, but there are [...]
Ten ways your pet can help you score a date
Finding love is never easy, and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the pressure is mounting for singles everywhere. While many pet parents may sometimes feel that their furry best friend is destined to be their one-and-only soul mate, Petfinder.com offers the top 10 ways a pet can help score you a real human date.
1. Start [...]
Dog comes out of retirement to win Westminster
Stump, a Sussex Spaniel, just won the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show proving that youth isn’t everything.
Comparable to Michael Jordan coming out of retirement to play again for the Chicago Bulls, ten-year-old (that’s about 70 in human years!), Stump, more formally known as “Ch Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee,” entered the final ring with champions half [...]
The Link: Man kills pets with six children in the home
When I read about a Wisconsin man who shot and killed two dogs and four cats in front of six children, my stomach sank.
Angered over two of his dogs fighting and one killing the other, he decided that it would be best if he just killed all the other pets in the home. And after [...]
Puppy Bowl, the “softer side” of Super Bowl Weekend
If you only watch the Super Bowl for the ads, then you also might enjoy flipping over to Animal Planet and watching Puppy Bowl V — “the ultimate puppy showdown.” (Above is the clip from Puppy Bowl IV.)
Recruiting from local shelters, the Puppy Bowl features adoptable puppies on a pseudo-football grid iron battling with toys, playing tug-of-war, and committing fouls (piddles) [...]
100 people cited for chaining their dogs
In Macon, Georgia, 100 dog owners were cited for chaining their dogs outside. And I say hooray to the city for boldy enforcing its chained dog ordinance.
Last year, Macon passed an ordinance outlawing the chaining of dogs and cats and gave pet owners sufficient time to build runs or fences to secure their pets. Pet owners may only [...]
AKC releases most popular breeds for 2008 (and 1884)
The American Kennel Club’s top ten most popular breeds for 2008 shows the Labrador Retriever in the #1 spot for the 18th year in a row. There were twice as many Labs registered last year than any other breed making it a likely leader for many years to come. Docile and easy-going, it’s easy to see why people love [...]
