Pet Tails. Kitty in the Can (PB AKA: Peanut Butter )ID#

Transcription

1 Pet Tails Emu At Large It was an interesting day at VB animal control in late January. We received several calls throughout the day of an Emu running stray out in the Pungo area of the city. Several officers responded out during the course of the day, but were unable to catch the bird. Earlier in the evening two citizens were able to chase and corral the bird in their backyard. Animal control responded out and with the assistance of the two citizens were able to herd the Emu onto our horse trailer. The Emu was safely transported back to Virginia Beach Animal control, where he was warmly welcomed. Great team effort on everyone's part! The owner was out of town but Reclaimed the EMU two days later. Virginia Beach Animal Care & Adoption Center Volume 19, Issue 19 March 1, 2015 Inside this issue: Lost and Found 2 Fostering Saves Lives 3 Spring Fever? 4 Animal Spotlight 5 Some Animal Facts 5 Get to Know Your Breed 6 Ask the Behavior Guy 7 Meet the Officers 8 Facebook/Twitter 8 Meet the Volunteers 9 Volunteer Opportunities and Miscellaneous 10 Kitty in the Can (PB AKA: Peanut Butter )ID# On the morning of January 16th Animal Enforcement Officer Amiee Lilley responded to a call for a cat in distress at Mount Trashmore. In the bushes Officer Lilley found the cat having a bit of a difficult time getting his head un-stuck from a can. She worked along with five workers from Parks & Rec to capture and place him in a trap. He was brought back to animal control where he was sedated, and the metal peanut butter can was removed by Officer Lilley and Supervisor Jessica Wilde. He was placed on the adoption floor & was adopted 2/18/15. He now has his furr-ever home!

2 Lost and Found An adorable dog wanders into your yard one day, seemingly lost. He s not wearing any tags and so there is no easy way to just call his owner and let them know where he is at. What do you do? Did you know that there are laws that state what you are legally obligated to do if you find a stray animal? Virginia State code states that any individual who finds a companion animal and provides care or safe keeping or retains the companion animal in such a manner as to control its activities shall, within 48 hours: 1. Make a reasonable attempt to notify the owner of the companion animal, if the owner can be ascertained from any tag, license, collar, tattoo, or other form of identification or markings, or if the owner of the animal is otherwise known to the individual. 2. Notify the public animal shelter that serves the locality where the companion animal was found and provide to the shelter contact information including at least a name and contact telephone number, a description of the animal including information from any tag, license, collar, tattoo, or other identification or markings, and the location where the companion animal was found. If an individual finds a companion animal and provides care or safe keeping or retains the companion animal in such a manner as to control its activities, the individual shall comply with the provisions of (Care of a companion animal). If a citizen is possibly interested in adopting an animal that they found stray, an officer can provide them with the animals intake number on scene and phone number to the shelter so that the citizen can call and check to see if the animal has been reclaimed or not. New ownership of an animal cannot take place unless the animal has been held by a shelter for its stray hold period (5 days if no identification, 10 days if does have identification or wearing a collar) and has been legally adopted out through the shelter. Although we appreciate citizens being willing to open up their homes to a stray animal that they found while trying to locate their owners, it is our experience that owners will first call or report to their local shelter in search of their lost companions. As always, our goal is to reunite pet an owner as quickly as possible. If you find a stray animal please call the animal control dispatch at so that an officer can respond out to assist you. Volume 19, Issue 19 Page 2

3 Fostering Saves Lives Volume 19, Issue 19 Page 3

4 Spring Fever? It's been another long and cold winter in Hampton Roads but hopefully spring will be here soon! Spring cleaning, open windows, gardens and flowers all come to mind but many people forget how these things might affect their fur babies! Here are some spring tips for your pets this season: Spring cleaning is great but be mindful of where you store your cleaning products. Many pets can be curious and the last thing you want is someone to get into some dangerous chemicals. Make sure to read the labels too and if you have pets, see if you can get the safer versions. Open windows are amazing especially after a long winter. It's so nice to air everything out! Make sure that your screens are firmly in place especially if you have cats though; the last thing you want is an escape or a fall! Our pets can be more like us than we think! Keep an eye on them and make sure the pollen and dust isn't bothering them. If you suspect they have allergies, take them to the vet; some can be more serious than others! Lastly, springtime also brings us Easter candy. Please make sure to put all candy and chocolate out of reach of pets, especially dogs. Chocolate is VERY harmful to animals! Enjoy the beautiful spring weather and for more tips click on the link below... Volume 19, Issue 19 Page 4

5 Aussie - Domestic Short Hair She is a beautiful girl with dilute calico coat. She is about 3 years old and a little shy and timid. She does not get along with other cats. She is inquisitive with a heart of gold! Speckled Rooster Need a little excitement on your farm? Then this spunky little rooster is just what you need. He has been here since December of Take him to your farm for $5.00. Rusty - Hound Rusty has been hanging with us as we try to bring him back to the beautiful dog he is. He saw the dark side of humans and he deserves a good life. Love birds are social and affectionate small parrots. Their name comes from their strong, monogamous relationship and they spend hours sitting close together. They live in small flocks and eat fruit, veggies, grasses and seeds. Their average life span is years. Aggression is easily aroused in love birds if not treated in a gentle manner and they will bite. It is good to have frequent interactions with the bird to satisfy its social needs. There are more than 1,500 species of star fish or often called sea stars. Their fossil records are ancient going back 450 million years. Their fossils are very brittle and crumble on contact. Most can regenerate a lost or damaged arm. They often shed an arm in defense. Most have 5 arms; one species in Antarctic has 50 arms. They have the ability to digest food outside the body. Page 5 Pet Tails

6 Dachsund This short legged, long bodied breed belongs to the hound family. According to the AKC it is one of the top 10 dog breeds in the United States. They were used to hunt badgers, rabbits and in the American West; they hunted prairie dogs. The front paws are unusually large and paddle shaped for extreme digging. They exhibit 3 coat varieties smooth coat, long hair, and wire hair The wire hair is the least common in the United States but the most common in Germany. Often nicknamed wiener dog. Montbéliarde cattle This name was first used in 1872 when exhibiting the breed in France. These red and white pied cattle are bred for milk and particularly for cheese making. Because of their fertility and longevity the US is breeding them with Holsteins. Improved milk production is also seen with an average of 25,000 lb. of milk per cow. Mature cows weigh an average of 1,500 lbs. They are known for having white faces and short horns. Though bred for dairy, they are a better beef cow than a Holstein. Page 6 Pet Tails

7 Ask the Behavior Guy Does your dog think his name is No? If so, then this column is for you. (there it is again!) Ask any dog and they ll tell you that no is the most frustrating word in the world. Ever. Hands down. No doubt about it. Why? Let s think about what the word means to a dog. We usually tell our dog no because we want him to stop doing whatever it is he s doing. Any of these ever happened to you? I know those awesome (and stinky) leftovers from last night s dinner are in this trash can somewhere. NO! OMG look who s at the front door! Your octogenarian Aunt Bunny came over to visit! I LOVE jumping up and smothering her with kisses!!!!! NO! Uh oh, here comes Baby crawling towards me to play Pull the Tail on the Doggie. I ll let him know I don t feel like it now. {growl} NO! Situations like these happen every day for many dog owners. Dogs like to do stuff; unfortunately, sometimes we humans get a bit busy and forget to tell our dogs what we d like for them to do. At which point, our energetic-but-not-smarterthan-a-5 th grader dog decides that now is a good time to redecorate your entire house with toilet paper. And here comes that word wait for it NO!. We have no problem. Rather, we have a NO Problem. As we said before, dogs like to do stuff but also have a short attention span and tend to live the moment. Sometimes they make choices we re not so thrilled about and we tell them to stop whatever it is they re doing. However, this creates a problem for the dog: which one of the 10 things I m thinking about getting ready to do is the one you want me to do? This is the NO Problem: we expect our dog to stop doing something our excited dog who has temporarily lost impulse control but also to choose something else more appropriate to do instead. C mon now, how realistic is that? No is only half the battle. Throw your dog a bone. Instead of telling your dog to not do annoying Behavior A, try telling him to do more appropriate Behavior B. We call this trading an undesired behavior for a desirable one, and it s a way to make life happier for you and less frustrating for your dog. By teaching your dog you re pleased when he does Behavior B instead of A, he is also happier since you are helping him figure out what to do (instead of making him guess). So are you ready to change your dog s name now? Got a question you would like addressed in a future newsletter? the Behavior Guy at lcasino@vbgov.com Volume 19, Issue 19 Page 7

8 Meet the Officers Meet Animal Control Officer A. Lilley Officer Lilley grew up on a farm in Chelsea, Michigan surrounded by animals - horses, pigs, barn cats, dogs and chickens. She makes a point to travel home at least once a year to de-stress from the city life. She has two dogs, an English Lab named Harley and a Pit Bull named Frank the Tank (adopted from VBACAC) the dogs also enjoy stretching their legs in the country setting of Michigan. Officer Lilley spent six years in the Navy as a Fire Controlman and has been married to an active duty sailor for fifteen years who, in the near future, will be deploying for nine months. To keep her company is her two sons (10 and 13 years old) and a 19-year-old step-daughter. When Officer Lilley isn t at work she keeps busy ferrying her kids to orchestra and baseball practices. Officer Lilley has been with Animal Control for two years; fourteen months working at the desk as a clerk, and ten months as an ACO. She loves all the critters she deals with daily in her job, but she is especially fond of the abused and mistreated animals she has dealt with in court cases. She finds it very rewarding to be an advocate for their lost voices. Officer Lilley meets with the 1 st precinct CAC every month for community concerns and outreach. GIVE US A LIKE! Have you liked us on Facebook? Do you follow us on Twitter? One of the easiest ways for us to let potential adopters know about the many adoptable pets at the shelter is by using social media. We post information about adoptables and current events at the shelter. So join the 2050 people already liking us on Facebook and our 601 Twitter followers as we get the word out! Find us at on Twitter and join in the conversations, and while you re at it, invite your friends too. The more who know, the better the animals have at finding FURever homes! Page 8 Pet Tails

9 Meet the Volunteers Meet volunteer Brittany Barton From Brittany My name is Brittany Barton. I am from a small town in North Carolina and currently live in Virginia Beach with my fiancée and my two dogs. I graduated NC A&T with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. I joined the US Coast Guard while in college and transferred to Virginia Beach at the end of We have just accepted orders to Anchorage, Alaska and will be moving there this summer! I have always been an animal lover. I grew up with horses, ducks, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, and a Yorkie. While in college, my dad and I found an abandoned fawn. From that little girl (Ellie) we decided to become permitted fawn rehabilitators for NC. My dad and I accepted injured, sick, and orphaned fawns from four counties in NC over a period of two years. It was extremely time-consuming, yet rewarding. An experience not to be forgotten! Once I moved to Virginia Beach, I knew I wanted to become involved in animal rescue here. I visited several local animal shelters and decided that Virginia Beach Animal Care & Adoption Center best matched my personality and rescue philosophies. Being a devoted pibble owner myself, I was immediately enamored with all the adorable pitbull faces smiling at me through kennel bars when I visited. I was hooked! I completed my orientation and started volunteering in the summer of This is Diesel, one of my all-time favorite shelter dogs. He was severely neglected, but despite this, he was one of the happiest dogs I ve ever known. He now lives the good life with a family in Tennessee. I ve been very involved with the shelter since then, and have fostered numerous dogs as well. My two dogs have been great sports, and have hosted a wide variety of dogs into our home over the last year and a half. We ve had everything from injured and terminally ill dogs to a two-weekold litter of puppies. Fostering has been extremely challenging at times, but there is no greater reward than nurturing an animal and seeing them go to their forever family! Sidney; a special boy who was adopted in October 2013 after 8 months in the shelter I immensely enjoy spending time with our shelter dogs and trying to make their stay as enjoyable as possible. I love walking them, throwing a ball for them, and I love taking their pictures and sharing their stories. Animal rescue takes a village, and I ve met some absolutely fantastic people along the way. My experience at VBAC has been rewarding and enlightening, and I hope to continue my volunteer work after I move using the experiences I ve gained here. I love seeing new volunteer faces at the shelter walking dogs and I hope that our volunteer base continues to grow. Volume 19, Issue 19 Page 9

10 Volunteer Opportunities: Do you love animals and want to give back to the community? We have the answer for you there are many ways that you can help, from walking dogs, cuddling cats or advertising pets that are up for adoption. We also are in need of foster homes to increase the amount of animals that we can serve. Listed below are volunteer opportunities Volunteer Front Desk Greeter Newsletter Team Member Adoption Counselor PetsMart Cat Center Volunteer Foster Parent Animal Transporter Pet Portal (Petfinder) Call Center Volunteer Lost/Found Assistance Volunteer Small Animal Companionship Special Events Volunteer Vet Assistant Youth Mentor Adoption Follow-ups Virginia Beach Animal Care & Adoption Center 341 S. Birdneck Road Virginia Beach, VA Phone: Fax: Cat Room Volunteer Dog Walker If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Jean Deliz at policeanimalsheltervol@vbgov.com. She ll be looking forward to hearing from you. Shelter Statistics Jan 2015 Jan 2014 Feb 2015 Feb 2014 Dogs Impounded Dogs Reclaimed Dogs Adopted Dogs Transferred Cats Impounded Cats Reclaimed Cats Adopted Cats Transferred Other Companions Impounded Other Companions Reclaimed Other Companions Adopted Other Companions Transferred It s the Law Did you know Promoting for, preparing for, engaging in, or being employed in the fighting of animals for amusement, sport, or gain is unlawful. Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. (reclaims only) Thursday 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Do you have a suggestion? We d like to hear it. Please drop off suggestions in our suggestion box and we ll post the suggestion and the response in our newsletter.