PIMA COUNTY - There are countless animal lovers in Tucson, so stories of mistreatment strike a nerve.    

Dogs seized from a hot car one week ago have been returned to their owner.

The animals were cleared to go home on Wednesday, but one dog rescue group is asking why the owner was allowed that option.

"With what the dogs have already been through, it is very traumatic for any dog, no matter what condition they're living in, to be taken from that environment and put in a shelter with people they don't know, and then returned back to these conditions," said Leah Cox, with Charlotte’s Way Dog Rescue.

Cox was hoping she'd get the chance to rescue and rehabilitate the pack. She said many were shy and unsocialized.

They're already working with ten of the dog's yard mates, surrendered by the same owner just days before the hot car incident.

"My biggest worry for these dogs is they're not going to have that chance," said Cox.

"We’re very grateful for all the people that care about animal welfare in our county, we rely on them to keep our animals safe,” said Detective Robin Crehan with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.  "While people, many times, see their pets as children or family members and treat them as such, that is not an action that is required by law, being sufficient food water and shelter at the very least, and immediate attention to any medical issues that may arise."

PCSD said it must enforce the laws as they are written. In Arizona, dogs are considered property.

Even with charges pending, an owner may still be entitled to them, depending on the severity of the charges. Each case is looked at and evaluated individually.

"The individual was found to be, upon investigation, in compliance with current licensing and other laws," said Det. Crehan. "The animals themselves were in good condition."

Rescuers are working with the ten dogs surrendered by the man. The hope is that they can be adopted out in the coming weeks.

Source: KVOA.com /  Lauren Reimer

A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.

About 12 percent of Americans are allergic to cats and another 12 percent to dogs, according to the most recent data in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Yet 100 percent of folks in the U.S. are obsessed with cute, fluffy animals (based on our highly unscientific estimates), which puts allergic animal lovers in a terrible predicament. If you've got allergies, though, you don't necessarily have to shun (wo)man's best friend. Brush up on this info before you head to the pound or pet store.

Sorry, there are no hypoallergenic dogs or cats
When the First Family got Bo, a Portuguese water dog, because President Obama's daughter Malia has allergies, reports claimed that it was the perfect "hypoallergenic dog" (meaning it wouldn't cause an allergic reaction).

"But there is no such thing," said Jessica Vogelsang, DVM, a veterinarian in San Diego. "The allergic reaction is triggered by the proteins in their saliva and skin, which of course all dogs and cats have."

A study in the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy confirmed this, finding no evidence that supposedly hypoallergenic dogs have less allergen. However, some breeds that shed less may be less likely to trigger reactions.

Every dog or cat is different
Just because your neighbor's Labrador makes you sneezy doesn't mean you're going to have the same reaction to all Labradors.

"It's very individual which dogs or cats will set someone with pet allergies off—and one dog of a certain breed could cause a reaction when another one may not," said Camille DeClementi, VMD, a veterinarian at the ASPCA.

DeClementi suggests spending some time at the shelter with a dog or cat you're interested in or fostering one first to see how you react, rather than ruling out a particular type or latching onto a breed you think will be OK across the board.

It's worth checking whether you're actually allergic to animals
You may think you have a pet allergy, but "an outdoor dog or cat might just be bringing in pollens or mold spores, which could be what's really causing your flare-ups," said Dr. Clifford Bassett, an allergist and the medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York. Visit an allergist and get tested so you know exactly what it is you're reacting to. If results for pet allergies come back negative, still make sure to clean your pets and keep cats inside. On that note...

You'll need to make cleaning a big priority
For those who suffer from severe pet allergies, it's probably not wise to own a dog or cat—period. But if you've got mild allergies and think you can manage, you must be extra scrupulous about scrubbing your house down. Invest in a HEPA air purifier, Dr. Bassett advises, which will help trap dander, as well as a HEPA vacuum (the regular kind often just blows allergens back out). Also key: making bedrooms a pet-free zone to minimize your exposure to dander. Though it's impossible to completely rid the room of pet allergens, you'll sleep much better, as well as have a safe haven if you feel an allergy attack coming on. Finally, avoid heavy drapes and carpets—allergens love to make their home there—and opt for blinds and hardwood floors you can easily wipe down.

Pets with (some) benefits: Nonshedding dogs, like poodles
The dog hair itself doesn't cause a reaction, but the skin cells that do trigger allergies, also known as dander, bind to the hair. So having less fur around can make a difference.

Pets with (some) benefits: Hairless (or practically hairless) dogs and cats
They may look a little silly, but a hairless Sphynx cat or hairless dogs like the Chinese Crested and Xoloitzcuintli might expose you to less dander.

Pets with (some) benefits: Fancy dogs that require grooming
Veterinarians theorize that getting washed once a week and brushed regularly can help the dog lose some of the allergen-containing dander built up in its fur. Prefer mutts? Be just as diligent.

Source: Fox News / Health.com

Don’t you wish you knew what your dog was thinking? It would make all of our lives so much easier.

Several laboratories are working on questions related to how dogs think about the “physical and social world.” The Yale University Canine Cognition Center is one. It is devoted to learning how dogs “perceive their environment, solve problems, and make decisions.” Their findings will “teach us how the dog mind works, which can help us to better develop programs to improve how we train and work with our canine friends.”

The researchers use several different types of studies to investigate how dogs think:

Looking Measures — In “looking” games, dogs are asked to sit while being shown a small stage and a series of events. Sometimes one of these events will involve something that’s unexpected—an event that appears to violate physical or social principles. When dogs detect the violation, they will look longer at the display as if they are “surprised.” In this way, we can see what dogs know simply by measuring how long they look at certain events.

Social Cues — By using simple pointing and looking gestures, we can see if dogs understand our intentions and goals. In a typical game, dogs see one of our staff cueing the location of hidden food treats. We then give them a chance to search for the food and see what types of cues they naturally use.

Choice Measures — Dogs’ decisions reflect how they process the world. In a typical choice game, dogs get to choose between two different boxes that have different numbers of food, balls, or other toys. From their choices, we can tell whether they can distinguish between different kinds of objects and learn more about their understanding of numbers.

Touchscreen Testing — In this type of study, we teach dogs to make choices using their nose on a touchscreen. Once they become touchscreen experts, we can then show them new and interesting events to see how these events affect their decisions.

Sounds like a lot of fun for the dogs, owners (yes, owners get to stay with their dogs), and researchers!

Yale’s Canine Cognition Center is looking for dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds to participate in their work. Dogs must be healthy (free from any contagious illness), have no history of aggression, be current on their rabies, distemper/parvo, and bordetella vaccines, and have a negative stool sample (including Giardia) within the past six months. Puppies must be over 16 weeks of age, have already received at least their third set of vaccinations, and have a clean stool sample.

If you live in the New Haven, CT area and want to see whether your dog is “Ready for the Ivy League,” take a look at the Canine Cognition Center’s webpage. For a peek into what a session in the lab might look like, watch this report that aired on the Today Show awhile back.

Source: Pet MD / Dr. Jennifer Coates

Contact:
Consumer: 
(360) 757-4225

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — August 10, 2015 — Burlington, WA — Northwest Farm Food Cooperative of Burlington, WA, is voluntarily recalling frozen raw Cat Food with the code Jul12015B due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some, or all, of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date. However, because of their commitment to safety and quality, Northwest Farm Food Cooperative is conducting a voluntary recall of this product.

The potentially affected lots of frozen raw Cat Food were sold from our facility 1370 S. Anacortes Street Burlington, WA 98233.

The affected products are sold in 50 pound blocks and cases of six 10 pound chubs; packaged in a white plastic bag labeled Cat Food. The products affected by this recall have the production code Jul12015B and have no UPC code. The production code can be found on the outside of the case (box).

The recall was the result of a sampling done by the Food and Drug Administration which revealed that the finished product contained the bacteria. The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Consumers who have purchased the above lots of frozen raw Cat Food are urged to stop feeding them and return product to place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of them immediately. For further information about the recall please call (360) 757-4225 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PST.

Cats get a bad rap when it comes to laziness. Lasagna-loving Garfield, for example. This cat is lazy and scoops its food out of its bowl so it can dine whilst lounging. This cat would rather not treadmill, thank mew very much.

But in the wild, cats are sleek and stealthy hunters, and will stalk their prey, whether it’s a roll of toilet paper or a Swiffer. When your cat is an indoor pet, anything is fair game. But while some cats will go chase after any reflection of sunlight that catches their eye, others need more motivation to move. To keep his cat’s hunting instincts sharp, Ben Millam built a device that triggers the cat feeder when Monkey, his cat, finds an RFID-equipped ball, according to Laughing Squid. And it’s not like the balls are in plain sight. Millam hides them in different places to ensure Monkey stays active. The idea occurred to him after he read that cats practice “mobile” hunting, sticking their whiskers in different spots while roaming around their territory in hopes of unsettling some prey. Instead of hiding bowls of food, he decided to train his cat to find the balls and get rewarded with a snack.

Using an RFID reader, an Arduino, a remote antenna, and relays (plus cat), the device activates the feeder whenever Monkey deposits a ball, equipped with an RFID tag, into the hole and past the reader.

Millam says he’s an amateur maker, but he’s clearly an expert cat trainer. In order get Monkey to learn this behavior, he went steps beyond Pavlov. He has a breakdown of his “clicker training” on his site. It will definitely take both time and patience to get your own little feline in fetch mode. For Millam, it was all worth it, because it brings Monkey “one step closer towards a more fulfilled and self-actualized indoor kitty existence.”

Source: digitaltrends.com / Jenny McGrath 

When times are financially difficult, it's not just family members who suffer. The economic hardship can affect family pets as well.

That's why Josie Gonzalez opened Ben's Pet Pantry in the Lower Valley on July 11. The pantry provides pet food and veterinary services, such as spaying and neutering when funds are available, for people experiencing financial hardship. It is named for her dog.

Gonzalez said she started the nonprofit organization about four years ago when she volunteered at the Humane Society of El Paso and would see a lot of puppies and kittens brought in.

"I asked them one day why they kept coming in, and (Humane Society staff) said it was basically because people couldn't afford to keep them and feed them. Around that time, the economy crashed and a lot of people had lost their jobs and they had closed a lot of companies," she said.

Gonzalez said she initially started small, with her and her husband purchasing pet food in bulk and distributing it in small plastic bags. Eventually, she had volunteers help distribute the food and donations also started coming in.

Wal-Mart in Northeast El Paso donates food on a regular basis. And Gonzalez has applied for grants for funds to help provide spaying and neutering.

"I thought as long as they get some food, they won't turn them into rescues or abandon them in the desert," she said.

Now, with its own storefront, the pantry, which costs about $500 to $600 a month to run, will be open Tuesday through Thursday and the first and third Saturday of the month. People are asked to fill out an assistance application with financial documentation.

Gonzalez said she has a steady stream of clients. She said she helps an average of 200 to 300 families monthly.

"I had one lady tell me she didn't buy her medicines one month so she could buy dog food," she said.

Barbara Renteria, a Clint resident, said she appreciates the extra hand she's gotten from the pantry for the past year. She has three dogs, the most recent a stray she saved from the street, and a cat.

"I moved to another house and have a bit more rent and bills to pay. And my dad passed away ... so they have been a great help," she said.

She added, "I love dogs and I know I would be stressing out if they did not have food."

María Cortés González may be reached at 546-6150.

What: Ben's Pet Pantry

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Saturday of the month

Where: 550 N. Yarbrough Suite 208

Details: The pantry provides pet food for qualifying applicants, as well as other pet-related items when available. Donations of food, money or other pet related items also accepted

Information: 401-6515

Source: El Paso Times / María Cortés González

Score one for our furry friends: A federal judge says a Phoenix law limiting pet sales is constitutional.

This fits right in with a movement toward more humane treatment of animals.

Our state does not allow dog fighting or cockfighting. You don’t see roadside animal carnivals, anymore. Arizona law prohibits steel-jaw traps on public land and bans confining pregnant sows in gestation crates.

Those advances ruffled a few feathers. They required people whose trade involved animals to change how they do business.

But they represent an awareness that our humanity is enhanced by treating animals with kindness.

Phoenix was at the forefront in December 2013, when the City Council passed an ordinance banning pet stores from selling animals from commercial breeders.

It was an important step in shutting off the market for animals produced in wretched conditions. Even though some of these places are licensed by the federal government, rules are lax.

The Humane Society of the United States says the federal regulation “allows dogs to be kept in cramped, wire-floored cages for their entire lives, churning out litter after litter of puppies for the commercial pet trade.”

A 2010 U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General report found dogs kept by USDA-licensed breeders were “walking on injured legs, suffering from tick-infestations, eating contaminated food, and living in unsanitary conditions,” according to the court ruling in this case. USDA says it has been working to improve enforcement.

The fewer outlets for puppies bred in such facilities, the better.

There is a strong public interest in this. Taxpayers fund Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, which housed 32,014 dogs and 4,033 cats in the fiscal year that ended June 30. More than 7,400 dogs and 900 cats were euthanized.

The Phoenix ordinance allows dogs and cats obtained from shelters to be sold at pet stores. This can help homeless animals as well as taxpayers.

But it requires a new way of doing business. Some pet stores get it. PetSmart and Petco work with shelters and rescue groups to make dogs and cats available in their stores.

But one local firm cried foul.

Phoenix’s ordinance was challenged in court by Puppies ‘N Love pet store, the only pet store in Phoenix that sells commercially bred dogs. Store owners Frank and Vicki Mineo sued the city, saying the ordinance would force them to close their store at Paradise Valley Mall.

U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell said the Mineos did an exemplary job of assuring they dealt only with caring breeders. But Campbell also said the Phoenix ordinance did not violate the U.S. or Arizona constitutions.

Cities across the nation have enacted bans on the sale of commercially bred puppies. Federal courts in Florida, Illinois and Rhode Island have upheld ordinances similar to Phoenix’s.

Even the publishers of a newly released Dr. Seuss book recognize that times have changed.

Called “What Pet Should I Get?” the story is believed to have been written in the late 1950s or early 1960s when people didn’t think much about where that doggie in the window came from.

But Random House included a “Note from the Publisher” that encourages children to adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue organization instead of a pet store.

Like the Phoenix ordinance, this advice is right for the times.

Source: AZCentral.com / Photo: Charlie Leight - The Republic

Rocky the Boxer is the latest inductee in the Lassie Come Home Hall of Fame. But unlike the classic Eric Knight tale, it wasn’t a mysterious canine instinct that brought the 5-year-old dog back to his people. This reunion happened thanks to a microchip and a crew of kind-hearted drivers from Highway Heroes Rescue Transport. 

In 2013, Rocky bolted out the door of his home in Mesa, Arizona, and vanished. As months wore on, owner Brittany Romero lost hope that she and her son, Aden Wasil, 12, would ever see their pet again.Romero was stunned when she received a phone call in late July from an animal clinic telling her that Rocky had been found and was alive and well.

A family noticed him wandering stray and took him in. He had been living there for a while before they asked a vet to check for a microchip.

The clinic called Romero and gave her the good news. The bad news was that he was 1,800 miles away in Elkhart, Indiana.

Enter Highway Heroes Rescue Transport. The group’s motto is, “No pet is to far to save.”

Over three days and 26 separate legs, Rocky was passed, like the baton in a relay race, from one volunteer driver to the next.

Finally, on Sunday morning, July 26, he was back in the arms of his ecstatic family.

In Knight’s story, Lassie’s trip from England to Scotland was a mystery to her people. But only the first part of Rocky’s journey is unknown. His return was chronicled in detail on a charming Facebook page, “Rocky’s Journey: One dog, Many people, 1,800 Miles.”

The page shows images of Rocky’s relay team and the Boxer having the time of his life on each new part of the trip. There are a lot of smiling faces, hugs, and Boxer kisses. Best of all, the page serves as a great way to thank the kind people who made it possible for Rocky to come home.

Source: akc.org / Mara Bovsun