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  • Pets and kisses: not a good mix
    (Kristin Wright) TAMPA - The next time your dog greets you with lots of kisses and licks on your face, there's something you should think about: your pet can give you an infection you definitely don't want. More and more domestic animals are contracting MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection that can cause terrible lesions, and worst case scenario, death. "Pets actually get it from people and pets then can transmit it back to people," said Veterinary Dermatologist Dr. Nadine Znajda of Florida Veterinary Specialists. She says symptoms are not always obvious. "Sometimes these animals or people have no clinical signs whatsoever. Sometimes a little bit of a runny nose and then on rare occasions the ones we tend to see in our veterinary dermatology department are the animals that get skin lesions," she said. USF Associate Professor Dr. Richard Oehler specializes in infectious disease. He says pet owners need to be aware that dogs and cats can spread MRSA and other infections. He and his colleagues at the USF School of Medicine wrote an article about it for a leading medical journal. Oehler says there's a lack of attention brought to the issue. "Pet owners just need to be educated about the possibility of an infection being transmitted from a pet to a human," said Dr. Oehler. The infection can be passed between pets and people through open wounds and through the mouth and nasal area. "It's advisable not to kiss pets in general because they do carry other organisms sometimes," said Znajda. "As a specialist in infectious disease, we also advise patients who have recently been in the hospital or have certain medical conditions to take extra precautions," said Oehler. Simple hand washing is the best prevention, as well as the use of hand sanitizers. Znajda says as incidents of the infection increase in people, doctors are recommending vets test the family pets. The article is in the July edition of "The Lancet: Infectious Diseases." (Get Animal Radio Breaking News LIVE 24/7 at http://AnimalRadio.com - Get this news via e-mail...sign up at AnimalRadio.com)div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=o1HA0hcl3hE:kUURS_PqWNI:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AnimalRadioNews/~4/o1HA0hcl3hE" height="1" width="1"/

  • Half Of Pet Owners Give Pets Human Names
    (Lisa Cilli) When it comes to people's pets, new numbers show just how much they consider them to be a member of the family. A survey conducted by the Associated Press and Petline.com shows just how people are treating animals like human beings. "Who is this," asked CBS4's Jorge Estevez to a customer at the Petland store in Pembroke Pines. "This is peanut," responded the woman, who owns a Rat Terrier which she treats like a member of her own family. In fact, while the woman's dog was named after a nut, many people are naming their animals after real people names, shedding the more common names like Fido, Rex, and Rover. Other people have their own reasons for naming their animals. "My dog's name is Gigi. My momma likes that name and she is buying that dog so, Gigi, it is," said the woman laughing. Almost half of American pet owners gave an animal a human-like name, such as Jack or Sophie, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll of more than 1,000 pet owners released Tuesday. In all, 49 percent of respondents, including 51 percent of dog owners and 50 percent of cat owners, had given at least one of their pets a human-like name. The most popular? Max got more mentions than other names in the AP Poll, but not enough to give it any broad claim of popularity (less than 2 percent of all mentions). One database of pet names, maintained by Veterinary Pet Insurance, also finds that Max pops up more frequently than any other name. There has been a move away from classic dog names such as Spot and Lassie, according to VPI spokesman Curtis Steinhoff. There were 13 Fidos in VPI's database in 2008, placing the name at No. 2,866. Rover was No. 2,534, behind names like Grendel, Ginger Snap and Munchie. The survey also found more trends in the animal community. 50 percent of people take dogs on vacations with them, 38 percent of people have them in family portraits, 37 percent of them include them in a holiday card, and 21 percent of people take them to work with them. The survey also talked about people feeling that their dogs have their own sense of style. "Certain shirts I put on him, he leaves on," said Tatiana Demacedo, who says her dog only likes certain items because he bites off other types of t shirts. And as far as nap time goes, 35 percent of people sleep with their animal. "My dog sleeps with me every night by my feet," said Demacedo. Other people draw a line. "It can sleep in my bedroom but not my bed," said Ashanti Parks. But the best answer of all came from a ten year old boy looking for a dog of his own. "I think it is better to treat dogs like humans because some people treat them badly and they don't deserve to be treated that way," said Sebastian Parks who really found the right balance. (Get Animal Radio Breaking News LIVE 24/7 at http://AnimalRadio.com - Get this news via e-mail...sign up at AnimalRadio.com)div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=po2y_ad3gQU:H5NV_mCR9ZM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AnimalRadioNews/~4/po2y_ad3gQU" height="1" width="1"/

  • Gov.’s plan will allow shelters to euthanize strays sooner - County shelters say impact will be minimal
    (By Joseph Peña)Pet lovers are outraged by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to repeal a law designed to postpone euthanasia in animal shelters. The governor - in an attempt to help solve the state’s $24.3 billion deficit - will ask the state legislature to approve a repeal of 1998’s Hayden Bill, which requires shelters to keep animals alive four to six days before putting them to sleep. The state government reimburses local governments for the cost of housing animals for the holding period, up to six days. Schwarzenegger’s recommendation would allow shelters to euthanize animals after three days and, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, would save the state about $24 million in feeding, caring for and housing the animals. A coalition of animal-rights organizations have asked the governor to suspend - rather than repeal - the bill, and are trying to work with the state to form an adoption-incentive funding plan that would assist shelters down the road. Darlene White, the executive director of the San Diego Animal Support Foundation, said there is strong, vocal opposition to the governor’s plan. "Dogs and cats are as American as apple pie and baseball; you can’t mess with someone’s family - their kids, or their pets," she said. "These pets - our pets - deserve the extra [three] days for us to try to find them." White said the governor’s proposal will force the municipal shelters to euthanize unadoptable animals before owners can claim them, or before privately-funded shelters or rescue groups can save them. Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Los Angeles (SCPA-L.A.) said the governor’s proposal creates a "vicious catch-22." With the dire economic situation, more pet owners are unable to care for dogs and cats and are turning them over to municipal shelters. Conceivably, Bernstein said, the state’s cuts to reimbursing shelters could force shelters to euthanize more animals, because they won’t be able to pay to care for animals past the new 72-hour window. Bernstein said the governor’s plan is "terrible news for animals in shelters," but it is "almost impossible" to gauge how many more pets would be put to sleep, she said. "This could very well have a negative impact on euthanasia rates and the ability for cash-strapped facilities to keep animals alive as long as possible, to give them the best shot at being adopted," Bernstein said. Dan DeSousa, a public information officer for the San Diego County Department of Animal Services, said, while the governor’s proposal may impact funding, it will not have an impact on animals at the county’s shelters in San Diego, Carlsbad and Bonita. "We will lose money, but, if we have to choose between money or an animal’s life, we’ll always err on the side of the animal," DeSousa said. "This isn’t going to be a death knell for animals in our facilities." The county’s shelters mandate a four-day holding period and that will not change if the governor’s proposal passes, he said. DeSousa said the county has not euthanized an animal due to space or time constraints in years. Rather, animals with severe health or behavioral problems are considered for euthanasia, he said. In 2007-2008, the county’s shelters took in 26,078 animals; of them, approximately 11,600 were adopted out, or sent to a rescue group, and 4,800 were reunited with owners. About 7,500 had to be euthanized, which is a decrease from the 9,218 euthanized in 2003-2004. The Humane Society of the United States, the American SPCA, the State Humane Association of California and California Animal Control Directors Association filed its opposition to the governor’s plan, and members of the organizations testified at the state’s Legislative Budget Conference Committee earlier this month. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jennifer Fearing of the Human Society told the committee, "If shelters are no longer reimbursed by the state for holding animals, they will be forced to cut services. The savings generated by suspending this mandate is a paltry 0.1 percent of the $24 billion deficit. These funds are the only state dollars that presently go to assisting local governments with the costly problem of pet overpopulation." Critics say overpopulation is the real problem, and, if the governor’s recommendation passes, privately-funded shelters and rescue groups would see an indirect impact. More than 80 percent of the animals housed at Helen Woodward Animal Center are transfers from municipal shelters or rescue groups, said John Van Zante, a spokesperson for the nonprofit, no-kill shelter. Van Zante said the governor’s recommendation does nothing to address the complex problem of pet overpopulation. Van Zante said there is little regulation and oversight of backyard breeders, or people operating "puppy mills," and that leads to an abundance of orphaned animals - which puts a strain on municipal shelters. Unlike privately-funded shelters, shelters funded by local governments cannot turn away stray pets. When municipal shelters become crowded, privately-funded shelters and rescue groups step in to help with overflow. "Taking money away and shortening the amount of time animals stay at animal shelters does nothing whatsoever to get to the source of the problem," Van Zante said. "[The governor] needs to get to the root of the problem, not hurt the people who are already working to end the problem." The San Diego Humane Society declined to comment on the governor’s proposal. A spokesman said the organization is waiting for more information before it comments. The Legislative Analysts Office and opponents of Schwarzenegger’s plan have suggested alternatives to the governor’s proposal, including a yearlong, adoption incentive program that would give local governments $30 for every pet adopted from a municipal shelter. The plan would cost the state about $12 million, and proponents say it would save the state money, while funding programs for shelters. Bernstein said that is part of the ongoing dialogue between animal-rights organizations and the state, but it is not likely a program will be in place this year. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said legislators will have a balanced budget on the governor’s table this week - whether the budget will include this proposal - has not yet been addressed. (Get Animal Radio Breaking News LIVE 24/7 at http://AnimalRadio.com - Get this news via e-mail...sign up at AnimalRadio.com)div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=UGapEcxGTq8:PLF5SgGNpCc:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AnimalRadioNews/~4/UGapEcxGTq8" height="1" width="1"/

  • Puppy love: More pets partake in even formal weddings
    (By Sharon L. Peters) Pet-loving couples are increasingly including their dogs (and other pets, to a much lesser degree) in the wedding parties of some very formal weddings — decking them out in silk and satin and including them in the receiving line, on the program and in the portraits. "Many people think of their pets as family members, and they wouldn't think of having a special day like this without that member," says Celina Bojorquez, co-owner of Beverly Hills Mutt Club, purveyor of upscale accessories like doggie tuxedos ($70 and up) and couture dresses ($170 to $500). The shop has outfitted canines for scores of weddings in the last couple of years. Not all have been done up in full-dress regalia; some have merely donned accessories for a little special-day elegance. Bojorquez has sold dog-besotted soon-to-weds silk ties and bow ties for their four-legged pals, satin bandanas, crystal leads and collars, and, in one case, a gold harness and leash to match the bride's gold dress. Though pets have long been part of casual weddings in meadows, on mountaintops and at the seashore, their participation in chichi affairs at the most ornate churches and refined locales is a more recent phenomenon. Increased numbers not withstanding, not everyone is completely enchanted with the notion of animals in the aisles or at the altar. Many locales prohibit them; many families and wedding planners discourage their participation. Lynda Barness of I Do Wedding Consulting in Philadelphia always warns couples of the potential perils — "animals are animals, and they can do animal things," she says — and so far all her clients have concluded that including pets in the wedding party isn't necessary. "But as part of the portraits, that's just fine." Her concerns range from potty issues to a dog acting up because it's not used to being in a room with 300 people to the fact that "the bride and the groom and others in the wedding party have enough to tend to that day." Also, "if a dog isn't used to wearing a top hat, there may be issues." Beth Anstandig of Los Gatos, Calif., acknowledges there may be matters to work out but says having her own two border collies involved made her wedding day even more special. "The guests loved it," she says. And she and her husband cherish the photos featuring the dogs — especially because both have since died. "We are so happy to be able to look back and remember them as they were on that day." He's a loved one, too "The family was a little skeptical," Kaycee English says with a chuckle about the moment last year when she announced that Bowser, the Australian shepherd pup she and John English had fallen for on Petfinder.com, would be part of her fancy wedding. "Bowser had instantly become a family member." They adopted him from Purrs and Pups Animal Rescue in Riverdale, N.J., weeks before their wedding day. "The people I loved would be there, and there was no way Bowser wouldn't be," says English, of Freehold, N.J., who works for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So she bought Bowser a canine ring-bearer outfit, and he pulled off his wedding-day role without incident (dissolving a worried dad's concern about crazy-dog potential and lost rings). No pets? 'Unimaginable' Los Gatos, Calif., psychotherapist Beth Anstandig was something of a trendsetter when, five years ago, she informed her stunned parents that her beloved border collies, Levi, 11, and blue-eyed Frank, 9, would be attending her very fancy, very formal wedding. The dogs had joined her on road trips, seen her through grad school, accompanied her to classes when she was a teacher and "helped me grow up," she says. It would have been "unimaginable" to have such an important day without them. Her fiancé, Eric Killough, had grown to love the dogs, too. He joked that he intended to have an "adoption ceremony" to formalize his relationship with them. On the wedding day, a groomsman walked Levi and Frank down the aisle to the altar, and there they remained quietly throughout the vows. "They weren't there because it was cute to have them there," Anstandig says. "They were there because they belonged there. It would have felt incomplete without them." Speak now or forever hold your pooch Jessica Sempek of Skokie, Ill., encountered some "naysayers who thought it was strange" when the topic of Emmie and Lady Bug being part of the ceremony arose during the planning of her elegant wedding to Scott Stewart last summer. But those voices were quickly silenced. "We have two of the most amazing girls," Sempek says. The couple adopted the two mixed-breed Kentucky-born rescues months apart from Heavenly Hearts Rescue of Southeastern Wisconsin. When the couple — she works for the American Medical Association, he's a hospice nurse — exchanged vows, the two dogs were at the altar. They were walked down the aisle on rhinestone leashes by the groom's nephew. (Get Animal Radio Breaking News LIVE 24/7 at http://AnimalRadio.com - Get this news via e-mail...sign up at AnimalRadio.com)div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=1o5_sgbl3W0:yAg30rSC-XQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AnimalRadioNews/~4/1o5_sgbl3W0" height="1" width="1"/

  • Poll: Pets are people, too
    More than half of American pet owners surveyed recently say their pets are essentially members of their family -- no different than any other member of the household. The poll, conducted by Petside.com and The Associated Press, found singles of both genders, but especially single women (66 percent), were more likely to say that their pet is a full member of the family. Another 36 percent said their pet is part of the family but not a full member. Forty-three percent of pet owners think their dog or cat has a sense of style. One in five people dress them fashionably. Dogs are more likely to be dressed up, with almost a quarter of dog owners saying they've purchased an outfit for their pet, compared with 12 percent of cat owners. (This is no suprise to any cat owner who tried to put anything on the kitty....) The doggies and kitties are apparently eating well, too, as 43 percent of respondents admitted to feeding their pets people food at least sometimes, with more dog owners doing so (48 percent) than cat owners (40 percent). Dog owners seem to treat their pets more like members of the family, in that they're more likely to have taken their pet to a family vacation than cat owners (50 percent vs. 39 percent). They are also more likely to have included their pet in a holiday card (37 percent vs. 33 percent) or family portrait (38 percent vs. 32 percent). Canines are also more likely to be taken to work as opposed to felines (21 percent vs. 14 percent). Still, more cat owners (36 percent) allow their furry friends to sleep in the same bed with them, as opposed to dog owners (29 percent), with married people more likely to relegate their pets to its own bed than singles. And, birthday celebrations cut across the playing field, with 29 percent of dog owners marking the occasion in comparison to 26 percent of cat owners. Singles were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people — 66 percent of single women versus 46 percent of married women, for example. And men were less likely to call their pet a full member of the household. For some single women, pets become surrogate children, said Kristen Nelson, a veterinarian in Scottsdale, Ariz. She said men are also attached to pets — but are less likely to admit it because it’s not seen as masculine. Debbie Jablonski, 50, of Wilmington, N.C., talks about her cats like a mom talks about her children. Milkshake, who sleeps at the foot of her bed, sticks his cold nose on her eyelid and touches his paw to her face at 4:30 a.m. to wake her up and feed him. The other cat, Licorice, sleeps on the couch and has a habit of sitting on her newspaper when she is trying to read it. "If you try to budge her, she will not move," said Jablonski, laughing. "You will have to practically pick her up and move her." (Get Animal Radio Breaking News LIVE 24/7 at http://AnimalRadio.com - Get this news via e-mail...sign up at AnimalRadio.com)div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?a=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AnimalRadioNews?i=jeFdOMpKQoE:QGk5TGkKg_0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AnimalRadioNews/~4/jeFdOMpKQoE" height="1" width="1"/


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