A Pet Oxygen Mask Set for Every Fire Truck Can Save Pets’ Lives

PRESS RELEASE FROM BARKBUCKLEUP.COM

“Bark 10-4™” Campaign Created to Help Fire Departments Across America
Get Pet Oxygen Masks

Annually, an estimated half million pets are affected by fires in the United States and more than 40,000 pets die each year due to smoke inhalation. With the right equipment, police, fire and emergency medical service (EMS) rescuers can often save a pet's life. Losing a pet in a house fire can be a devastating experience for a family member. SurgiVet® Pet Oxygen Masks are effective with dogs, cats and other companion animals, but only if they are on hand at the scene of an emergency.

Smiths Medical, the US manufacturer of the SurgiVet® brand of animal health products, announced today that it has teamed up with Bark Buckle UP® to launch the “Bark 10-4™” campaign. During October, which is National Fire Safety Month, industry leaders and pet safety experts Bark Buckle UP®, and Pet Safety Lady™ Christina Selter are teaming up with Smiths Medical and fire departments nationwide to launch the “Bark 10-4™” campaign to raise awareness of the need for Pet Oxygen Masks.

Currently, most of the more than 30,000 fire departments and EMS offices nationwide have more than one truck, and funds to purchase Pet Oxygen Masks often fall short.

The “Bark 10-4™” Campaign was created with the goal of getting a Pet Oxygen Mask on board every fire truck in the country by encouraging the public to sponsor the purchase of Pet Oxygen Masks for their local fire departments. A $25 sponsorship ensures that one mask can be purchased for a fire department; a $65 sponsorship buys a mask set, which includes a small, medium and large mask.

Sponsorship can be completed at www.Bark10-4.com or from a link at www.surgivet.com. The sponsor designates the specific fire department to receive the gift, which will be delivered with the shipping/handling costs paid by Smiths Medical.

“Vets have used oxygen masks designed especially for animals for years,” according to Lisa Huston, SurgiVet® Product Manager at Smiths Medical. “These masks have found their way into the hands of first responders primarily through word of mouth and the generosity of compassionate pet owners. This program will go a long way toward raising awareness about a product that can save a lot of pets’ lives.”

“The mask only works if it is on the truck,” states Jose M. Torres, Battalion Chief ‘A’ Platoon Santa Monica (California) Fire Department. “Together we can save pets lives.”

About Bark 10-4™
Bark Buckle UP®, is a nationally recognized innovative leader in pet safety that created the program Bark 10-4™ to assist first responders and the public on pet emergency issues and needs. With tours throughout the USA and Canada, and company volunteers in over 20 cities, Bark Buckle UP® leads the charge for educating and promoting awareness for pet safety. For more media information about the Bark 10-4™ campaign,
visit: www.BARK10-4.com or www.BarkBuckleUP.com

About Pet Safety Lady™, Christina Selter
Pet Safety Lady™, Christina Selter works closely with Fire, Police, Coast Guard and EMT personnel who support the pet safety program. She has been featured on television, radio, international auto shows, pet expos, news articles and guest speaking engagements nationwide. For more information about Pet Safety Lady™, visit www.PetSafetyLady.com

About Smiths Medical - SurgiVet®
Smiths Medical designs, manufactures and distributes a line of veterinary-specific medical devices under the SurgiVet® brand. SurgiVet® is a globally recognized brand of products specific to the animal health industry, including a comprehensive range of monitoring devices, anesthesia systems and critical care consumables. Smiths Medical is part of the global technology business Smiths Group.

Saving Ducks

This is a very sweet video of a man trying to help ducklings get out of his pool and back to their anxiously awaiting mommy. Enjoy!

The Pet Shelter Project

Please aide the mission to eradicate the negative stigma associated with Shelter Pets.

Visit www.theshelterpetproject.org for more information.

This light-hearted Public Service Announcement is a joint development by The Ad Council, Maddie's Fund, and The Humane Society.

A Tribute to Molly

October 15, 2009

What can I say about this sweet old Lab who came into my life a little over a year ago? How do you sum up, in a few words, what joy and love this beautiful old girl brought to my home... and to me?

I rescued Molly 15 months ago from the Muskingum County dog pound, where she unfortunately found herself sitting on death row. Molly had been picked up as a stray, wandering down a county road, lost and confused.

Although Molly was deaf, she could still feel vibrations from thunder, fireworks, or loud noises... and since she was found shortly after the 4th of July celebration in 2008, we feel certain that the fireworks must have frightened her and she wandered off from home and became lost. Her owners never bothered to go looking for her.

Molly's hips and knees were in very poor condition, she was somewhere around age 13, but the Vet felt she still had a "little" quality of life left in her, so I made the commitment to give her a safe, loving home until that quality was finally gone.

For the past several weeks, I have watched her steadily go down hill. She could no longer stand, let alone walk. She needed help to do almost everything. Her kidneys were also failing and cataracts had totally covered her once big, beautiful brown eyes.

Today, Al and I made that final trip to the Vet with her. We both sat on the floor and held her while the Vet humanely put her to sleep.

It was very quick and she looked so peaceful. She will be cremated and return home in just a few days.

I tried very hard not to fall in love with this old, feeble dog, as I knew her time with me would be short... but Molly insisted.

I can't help but feel that, in her younger days, Molly must have been the female, Black Lab version of "Marley". She was rotten to the bone and ornery as could be, but you couldn't help but love her. She made you love her whether you wanted to or not.

Even though I still have 11 dogs in my home... it still feels empty in here tonight. Although Molly could not hear my words as I held her and stroked her head, I hope she could feel all the love in my heart. I hope she's at the Rainbow Bridge tonight, healthy and happy... running free with legs and hips that are whole once again.

Goodbye, my sweet, dear Molly... and thank you for bringing so much laughter and joy to my life. I will never forget you.

Marines Enlist Help of ASPCA Animal Behavior Experts

Team of Experts to Assess Behavior of Dogs in Danger of Breed Ban

September 28, 2009

ASPCA Media Contact

NEW YORK— Several Animal Behavior Experts from the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) will be in Parris Island, S.C. from October 6-8 to conduct behavior assessments of over 100 dogs living with their pet parents who could potentially be subject to a breed ban in the Tri-Command housing units of the Marines Corp Recruit Depot.

The assessment, known as ASPCA SAFER (Safety Assessment For Evaluation Rehoming), is a seven-item research-based assessment to help identify the likelihood for aggression in individual dogs. SAFER identifies a dog's comfort level with certain interactions like restraint, touch, reaction to new experiences including movement, sound stimuli, bite inhibition, behavior around food and toys, and arousal level toward novel objects and other dogs.

"Our main goal in this program is to make sure safe dogs and their families are able to stay together," said Dr. Emily Weiss, Senior Director of Shelter Research and Development for the ASPCA. "There is no 'pass' or 'fail' with the SAFER assessment, instead, we are simply aiming to identify behavior issues such as certain types of aggression, which often times can be modified or managed."

Talk of instituting a breed ban began after several incidents involving dog attacks on the base, including one incident in 2008 in which a 3 year-old boy was accidentally killed by a pit bull visiting a family living on base. The Marine Corps previously conducted tests such as the Canine Good Citizen Test and Delta Society Test, which actually evaluate a dog's obedience and manners and do not correlate with aggression. When looking for a behavior assessment that could specifically identify potentially aggressive behavior in dogs, the Marines enlisted the help of the ASPCA.

By using the SAFER assessment, safe dogs will be given the opportunity for a waiver so they can remain on the base until 2012. The ASPCA is opposed to breed bans – laws that ban specific breeds of dogs or unfairly discriminate against responsible dog guardians based solely on their choice of breed. Such laws also fail to achieve the desired goal of stopping illegal activities such as dog fighting, and breeding and/or training dogs to be aggressive. The ASPCA believes that strict enforcement of laws that ban animal fighting, and breeding and/or training animals to fight, is the proper means to address the problem.

"We're very excited about the ASPCA coming to Parris Island," said Army Capt. Jenifer Gustafson, the Officer in Charge of the veterinary clinic on Parris Island. "There was a chance that some pet parents would be forced to give up their dogs or leave housing on the base, so this is a great alternative solution."

###

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) was the first humane organization established in the Americas, and today has more than one million supporters throughout North America. A 501 [c] [3] not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA provides local and national leadership in animal-assisted therapy, animal behavior, animal poison control, anti-cruelty, humane education, legislative services, and shelter outreach. The New York City headquarters houses a full-service, accredited animal hospital, adoption center, and mobile clinic outreach program. The Humane Law Enforcement department enforces New York’s animal cruelty laws and is featured on the reality television series “Animal Precinct” on Animal Planet. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

County Officials Refuse Public Access to Bite Records

S.P.A. PRESS RELEASE

October 10, 2009

Sandusky County Health Department Refuses Access of Public Bite Records to Dog Safety Experts

These reports are public record, meaning that they legally should be available to whomever requests copies. We all want Fremont to remain a safe community. We all want our children to be safe around dogs.

Animal experts can not effectively assist city/county officials in addressing dog bite safety concerns until Sandusky County Department of Health releases these public bite records to Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates (OCDA) and Citizens Opposing BSL.
________________________________________

"Banning particular breeds is ineffective because it does nothing to address the real issues of responsible ownership," said Barbara McGrady, member of Citizens Opposing BSL. "Banning certain breeds does not address the serious nature of the problem surrounding dog attacks. That is namely people who abuse animals and those who are irresponsible. Both of these activities place the community as a whole at risk."
________________________________________

Jean Keating of OCDA said experts in this field are eager to assist Fremont and Sandusky County Officials in drafting dog legislation that has been proven effective in making communities safer places in which to live but can not do so until the Health Department releases their public bite records.

Citizens Opposing BSL have arranged a meeting to be held this Sunday (October 11th), 2 pm at 521 White Road in Fremont, Ohio. Guest Speaker, Jean Keating, will offer information and answer questions advocating a more effective, breed neutral ordinance.

________________________________________

CONTACT:

Citizens Opposing BSL
Barbara McGrady - 419-463-8474

Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates
Jean Keating - 419-708-8946

Puppy Mill Protesters Shot At in West Hollywood

October 12, 2009
From WeHoNews.com...

West Hollywood, California (Monday, October 12, 2009) - A sniper fired a rifle loaded with two-millimeter brass bullets Saturday during a Santa Monica puppy mill retailer protest, hitting three protesters including West Hollywood community activist Ed Buck.

No one was seriously injured; the victims suffered minor welts and contusions.

Santa Monica police are investigating what they called “assault with a deadly weapon,” a felony.

Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) organizers offered a $5,000 reward for the capture and conviction of the perpetrators.

The protesters were at Aquarium & Pet Center, 829 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA, to protest that retailers’ alleged sale of puppy mill dogs, pups that have been bred in inhumane conditions for resale.

Several dozens protesters gathered at the sidewalk in front of the store to shout, wave signs and attempt to warn off clients in the mid-afternoon when they heard gunfire and several of the protesters felt impacts.

The people hit by the bullets included head organizer Carole Raphael Davis, who lived in WeHo for 15 years before departing for LA, Ed Buck, who operates So Cal Golden Retriever Rescue and advocates for slower development in the city and another CAPS protester who Ms. Davis could recall only as Elizabeth.

Mr. Buck said his wound was “a welt on my thigh,” while Ms. Davis credited her sign with slowing the bullet meant for her, saving her injury.

“They must have been aiming at the groin, though,” she said. “The bullet hit my sign right at my groin, and Ed’s and Elizabeth’s injuries were both to the groin.”

SMPD investigators found at least three two-millimeter solid brass bullets customarily fired from a pneumatic rifle, or BB gun.

A rifle of that type may not sound deadly, but a shot in the ear can kill and one in the eye can blind. The incident appalled local officials who heard of it.

“It’s shocking to think that people would try to intimidate people or cause them harm simply because they expressed their views,” said WeHo council member Jeffrey Prang, who has been working with the group to write a municipal ban on the re-selling of any pets except bred or rescued animals in West Hollywood.

For more on that story, click here… WeHo Drawing Up Anti-Puppy Mill Law.

He said, “We need to bring the perpetrators to justice. Acts of gun violence are always out of bounds.”

He said that protests against retailers who sell the animals they obtain from large puppy or kitty mills where mostly un-hygienic and inhumane conditions rule can raise emotions to a keen.

“That means we need to be ever vigilant for those who would settle arguments though that gun violence,” he said.

The protesters claim that store employees stood at the front door laughing and high-fiving after the shots were fired.

The store’s owner, Scott Lee, could not take time to comment on Sunday when WeHo News tried to interview him.

For photos and video, please visit WeHoNews.com.

Fremont Ohio Group Opposes Breed Specific Laws

October 12,2009
From The News-Messenger.com...

FREMONT -- A group of citizens gathered Sunday afternoon to learn more about why breed-specific laws for dogs don't work.

Locals gathered at 521 White Road to voice their concerns about the possibility of pit bulls being regulated by the city.

Jean Keating, of Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates, Inc., out of Avon Lake said, "We basically try to promote responsible dog ownership in the state, and we're working with legislators on removing the term 'pit bull' from Ohio's definition of a vicious dog." According to the coalition, the laws don't work because they do nothing to address the proven factors that contribute to a dog's likelihood of displaying dangerous behavior such as owner responsibility, abuse and neglect, being inhumanely chained, not being spayed or neutered and dogs roaming at large.

However, Barbara McGrady, of Citizens Opposing Breed Specific Legislation, told those at the meeting that this is what people need to think about, "Banning certain breeds does not address the serious nature of the problem surrounding dog attacks; people who abuse animals and those who are irresponsible. Both of these activities place the community as a whole at risk."

Brent Soper, of Fremont, brought in his pit bull, Roxy, who he has had for nine years.

"(She's) the best dog I've ever owned, she's never left my yard in nine years," he said. When he brought Roxy in, she wagged her tail and made her way to each person as they petted her. The rest of the time she laid calmly by Soper's side. He feels the breed isn't at fault, and that's the owners are at fault for a dog's behavior.

Nichole and Jason Wolf, of Fremont, also brought in their two pit bulls, which also were friendly to those at the meeting.

While Nichole agrees that there are good and bad dogs in every breed, she says if pit bulls are regulated in some way, "it will only hurt the responsible (dog) owners."

But Jane Pollak, of Fremont, feels differently about the breed. Pollak, who was not at the meeting was contacted by telephone Sunday afternoon. She, too agrees that owners are responsible for how a dog behaves.

Last May, two pit bulls had gotten loose from a nearby home and made their way into her garage, where her 15-year-old cocker-mix, Abby, was attacked by the dogs. Abby died four days later from the injuries. Pollak said her main garage door had been closed, but she also has two side doors, and one of them was left open, which is how the two dogs came in.

"I do feel sorry for the dogs because they were put down, because it's not their fault, it's the owners," Pollak said. "I would never trust a pit bull, even though I know they can be nice family dogs."

There is a laws, rules and ordinance meeting of the Fremont City Council at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at city hall to discuss the issue regarding what to do about pit bulls in the city. There will be four guest speakers. At an August council meeting, City Law Director Bob Hart said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of regulating pit bulls. Hart had also encouraged council members to talk to residents about the issue.

Judy and Bill McKinney, of Fremont, witnessed an attack by a pit bull last month from their home. The McKinneys were also contact by telephone Sunday afternoon.

Judy said she was sitting in her home and had heard a woman screaming "Stop!" "Stop!" When she looked outside, a neighbor's pit bull was attacking a small dog that a family was taking for a walk on a leash.

"I'd never seen an attack before and I never want to see one again," Judy McKinney said, noting she fears for a person or another dog being attacked.

"No one should have to worry when walking their dogs on a leash," she said, noting the owner of the pit bull had gotten rid of the dog after the attack.

Pollak said she appreciates what Hart has asked council to consider.

"I don't want to make dog owners mad, but something needs to be done," she said.

At the meeting, Keating said she is in the process of having the Sandusky County Dog Warden's office gather dog bite records for review.

"We're the only state that has breed specific legislation state-wide," she said.

Vote NO on Ohio's Issue 2

Do you care how farm animals are treated?

If you do then...

VOTE NO!
on
ISSUE 2

Why is The Humane Society of the United States opposing Issue 2?

It's designed to favor large factory farms, not family farmers.

While designed to give the appearance of helping farm animals, Issue 2 is little more than a power grab by Ohio’s agribusiness lobby. The industry-dominated “animal care” council proposed by Issue 2 is really intended to thwart meaningful improvements in how the millions of farm animals in Ohio are treated on large factory farms.

Don't be fooled by those who don't want humane organizations telling them, for instance,
that chickens need to be able to stretch their wings.

http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/ballot_initiatives/ohio_issue_2.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=50741062

________________________________________


On November 3, 2009, Say NO to Big Agribusiness’ Power Grab

If you oppose animal abuse, vote NO on Issue 2 this November.

Why is The Humane Society of the United States opposing Issue 2? While designed to give the appearance of helping farm animals, Issue 2 is little more than a power grab by Ohio’s agribusiness lobby. The industry-dominated “animal care” council proposed by Issue 2 is really intended to thwart meaningful improvements in how the millions of farm animals in Ohio are treated on large factory farms.

Because it’s designed to favor large factory farms, not family farmers, Issue 2 is opposed by the Ohio Farmers Union, the Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance, League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Ohio League of Humane Voters, and the Ohio Sierra Club.

The editorial boards of Ohio’s major newspapers—including the Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, and Dayton Daily News—all oppose this effort to enshrine the agribusiness lobby’s favored oversight system in the state’s constitution.

Issue 2 is a classic example of bad public policy-making and should be rejected by voters.

Ohio is one of the top veal production states in the nation, with many calves chained by their necks inside crates so small they can’t even turn around for months on end. As well, the state has 170,000 breeding pigs, many of whom are confined in two-foot-wide crates barely larger than their bodies for almost their entire lives. And 28 million egg-laying hens in Ohio are confined in barren, wire battery cages so restrictive the birds can't even spread their wings. This type of extreme confinement is cruel and inhumane, environmentally damaging, and poses severe public health threats. These problems have prompted six U.S. states—and the entire European Union—to criminalize certain kinds of extreme confinement of farm animals.

In the wake of California’s overwhelming passage of the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act—which banned veal crates, gestation crates and battery cages in California—The Humane Society of the United States sought to engage in cooperative dialogue with the agribusiness community in Ohio. We hoped to be able to continue that dialogue and work cooperatively with the state’s farming leaders—both large and small—to collaboratively advance animal welfare statewide. But rather than discussing potential solutions to these problems, the Ohio Farm Bureau is now trying to hastily grab more power than it already has. The lobby group persuaded the legislature to refer a measure to the November 2009 ballot that would enshrine in the state’s constitution an industry-dominated council to “oversee” the treatment of farm animals. Unfortunately, this council is likely to do little to advance farm animal welfare. It is little more than a handout to Big Agribusiness interests in the state, seeking to codify the abusive practices currently being used in the state constitution.

Don’t let Big Ag get away with this power grab: Vote NO on Issue 2.

Barbara McGrady
S.P.A.
www.spaohio.org
P.O. Box 1047
Fremont, Ohio 43420

Great Effort by Pilots to Save Shelter Dogs

This is a great follow up on the Pilots N Paws 5000 mission where pilots donated their time to transport 5,000 shelter dogs from Sept. 12 -20.

Click below to watch the ABC News video:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=15523658&ch=4226713&src=news

Here in This House

Here in this house...........

I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness,
and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.
Here in this house...

There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand,
I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!
Here in this house...

I will never be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves.
I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who I should be.
I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for blame.
Here in this house...

I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch...
knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored.
If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and thought to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.

Here in this house...
I will belong.
I will be home.

~Author Unknown

Cat Drinking from Faucet

This is a hilarious YouTube video of a cat who LOVES water!