Articles From GF Herald

There are a couple good articles on family pets in today's Grand Forks Herald, Teen Page.

The first article is Purrfect Pet by Kelsie Feicker, a senior at West Fargo High School. CLICK HERE to read the article.

The second article is Beloved Family Pet Adds Love, by Audrey Jones, a freshman at Red River High School. CLICK HERE to read the article.

It's great to see young adults writing about the value of animals in our lives and the importance of researching animals before adding one to the family.

Microchips and Pets

I came across this on the James River Humane Society web site:

MICROCHIPPING IS HERE:
Does your pet have chip on its shoulder? We are offering
microchipping for dogs at the shelter for only $25.00. This is a great gift for someone who already has a dog and wants extra security if the pet becomes lost or stolen. Appointments can be made by calling the shelter (252-0747) or 952-0410.

I've been thinking about getting a microchip for my dog, Daphne, but don't know much about it. This is what the ASPCA says about microchipping:

The ASPCA recommends microchipping your pet as a more permanent form of identification. A microchip is implanted in the animal's shoulder area, and can be read by scanner at most animal shelters.

I found this on the San Francisco SPCA's site:

In the U.S. only 14% of pets find their way back to their original owners from shelters, and more pets die each year as a result of being lost than from all serious diseases combined. While traditional pet identification methods are still recommended, they have limitations. Tags can fade, rust, or get scratched, making them impossible to read. Collars can come off or, even worse, get caught on something while your pet is wandering about, causing him physical harm.

There are other advantages to microchipping. Microchips are convenient, safe, and reliable. Implantation is simple and routine. The microchip can't be lost or damaged and it lasts for the pet's lifetime. However, the microchip won't work unless your pet is properly scanned by a microchip reader. There are some shelters and veterinarians in the U.S. that don't have readers yet. Until recently, each brand of microchip could only be read by its own brand of microchip scanner. Currently there are two brands of microchip on the market: AVID and Home Again. Not all shelters and veterinarians have the new universal reader that can be used to scan either brand of chip. However, despite these drawbacks, microchip technology can potentially increase your chances of finding, and claiming, your lost pet.

I also found an article on doggienews.com about a pet reunited with her family thanks to a microchip. Click here to read the article.

Gunner from GF

Great news! Gunner, a six year old terrier mix, at the GF Humane Society was recently adopted by my sister and her family! Gunner has been with them for about a week now. He's a very nice dog and fit in right away. My sister says it's like he's always been a part of their family! Gunner's previous owners, who had him since he was a puppy, divorced and neither of them wanted to keep him. Thanks to my sister and her family for making Gunner a part of their family.

Many times, when families are considering adopting a dog they are only interested in puppies or very young dogs. Remember that there are benefits to adopting adult dogs.

• You know how big the dog is, what color it is, the coat length and how much grooming will be required.
• You do not have to go though the time and effort of puppyhood. Many people would rather skip the crying and whining, chewing and destruction, and house training that accompany a puppy.
• You will enjoy the feeling of saving the dog's life because adult dogs are less likely to be adopted than puppies.
• An adult often has already been trained to some extent.
• Adult dogs are easier to train. They have longer attention spans than puppies and are often more eager to please.
• Housebreaking an older dog is much easier than a puppy: he has more physical control and a larger bladder.
• If you work full-time or for most of the day, an adult dog is much more able to cope with being left alone.
  (info from Freedom Service Dogs and Petdogs-L)

CDHS Pet Blessing

I recently attended a pet blessing at Central Dakota Humane Society in Mandan. Attendees got free St. Francis medals for pet collars. There was a group blessing, individual pet blessings and a closing prayer. The event was very nice and there was a great turnout. Below are a couple photos from the event. The last photo shows a CDHS volunteer with two of their dogs Zataran and Gumbo. Gumbo and his sister, Zataran, were born at the Central Dakota Humane Society shortly after their mother, a hurricane rescue, arrived at the shelter.

New Link on STAND

I added a new link to the STAND blog for the Minn-Dakota PAAWS Project web site. If you haven't heard of this organization check out their site.

What is Minn-Dakota PAAWS Project?

Minn-Kota PAAWS/PAAWS Project (People Advocating Animal Welfare Services) was created to educate the area population of the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals and to take a pro-active approach to the animal population problem. Our mission is to spay and neuter barn, feral, stray and companion animals thus reducing the number of unwanted litters. We serve Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo, North Dakota and their surrounding areas. (From Minn-Dakota PAAWS Project web site)