MORE PET TREATS DROPPED FROM STORES

As if the abandonment of Kai the Shar Pei wasn't enough we also have another incident of treats from China sickening and killing dogs. The latest wave of pet illness and deaths has prompted Petco to remove all Chinese product from their shelves. Petco will carry only treats made in the United States, Australia, New Zealand or South America. PetSmart announced its decision to discontinue the sale of Chinese-made treats removing all such product from its shelves by March.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is  currently investigating reports that the Chinese-made product sold at Petco as well as other pet stores are responsible for illness in over 5,600 dogs, 24 cats, 3 people and the deaths of about 1,000 dogs. The treats suspected are the jerky-type treats containing duck, sweet potato, yams and dried fruits ingredients.

I've written about Chinese-made pet treats before. Be very diligent and go over all the fine-print on packaging before buying any pet treats. Unless I'm completely convinced the treats are made in the U.S.A. I will not purchase them. In fact, I've purchased several pet cookbooks instead so I can bake treats at home for Annie. She prefers the home-made cookies and I have the added advantage of knowing exactly what ingredients are in them.

My heart goes out to all those who lost their pets because of this situation. Write your representatives in government to get stricter controls on food products from foreign countries not only for our pets but for ourselves. Pet stores and pet food companies need to step up policing of the products they present to the public by knowing more about the companies from which they purchase ingredients or finished products.

And kudos to Petco, PetSmart and any other pet-product supplier who chooses product responsibly.

                                              Courtesy Webweaver.

ABANDONMENT IN THE NEWS

It's early in the New Year but some things never change. An adorable Shar Pei mix named Kai was abandoned at a railway station in Ayr Scotland January 2 tied up and left along with a suitcase containing his possessions.

Why do people continue to do this? It's just a terrible way to treat a pet. If you can take the time to abandon your charge you can take the time to bring the pet to an animal shelter. I guess the owner (I'd shutter to refer to him/her as a pet parent) didn't think of the cruelty involved or that their act of abandonment constitutes a crime. Maybe they should put themselves in this poor dog's position and try to imagine what it would be like to be tied up and left with no way to take care of yourself.

This story has been widely reported in the news and offers of adoption have come in to the Glasgow SPCA from all over the world. The poor guy might need eye surgery for a condition that causes his eyelashes to go under the eyelids touching his eyeballs.

Let's hope he finds a good loving home very soon.

Kai and belongings.  (courtesy SPCA)

BROOKLYN TALES (AND TAILS)

As the kitten drama continued to unfold, Porch Guy came and went keeping to his own unpredictable schedule. To tell his tale I have to skip forward to when we TNRd the kittens. We managed to trap Mom as well but we didn't get Porch Guy who disappeared a few days before the surgery date.

I became worried when he didn't show up for more than four days. Finally when I was practically at my wits' end, there was Porchie sitting on my doorstep waiting for a meal. I tried again to trap him but he decided to pass up the sardines in the trap leaving without his dinner.

I gave up on trapping him because he wouldn't eat unless the food was in the open. Of course, he continued his pattern of not showing up for days at a time. Thanksgiving Day I opened my front door and there he was waiting for his dinner. By now I had decided he most likely was the father of the kittens. After dinner he curled up on the front porch mat for a snooze. Convinced he'd show up regularly I was a bit relieved and already planning how to catch him.

That calm didn't last long. After Thanksgiving, Porch Guy was gone for more than 2 weeks. Frantic, upset and totally saddened, I contemplated his loss, convinced something terrible happened to him and we'd never see him again when one sunny mid-December morning I opened the front door and there he was waiting for his meal.

This time he was different - one ear appeared ripped.  After taking a good look, he appeared to have been ear-tipped! I've tried to locate the person responsible for his TNR but so far I've not been able to. And Porch Guy - he's doing fine, still showing up on his own unpredictable schedule for his meals. Here are his recent photos.

That handsome face!

Can you see the ear-tip?

ELECTRONIC GREETING CARDS

Over the past few holiday seasons I've been switching over to electronic greeting cards. E-cards are an easy way to send photos to friends and family.

There are plenty of sites to choose from with major card companies such as American Greetings, Blue Mountain and Hallmark showing an online presence. Artie likes JibJab.com e-cards. I was surprised to discover e-cards on the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) website. 

Of all the websites I've explored my favorite e-card site is Jacquie Lawson e-cards. My friend Fran introduced me to this site and it's been my go-to site for all kinds of e-cards ever since.  There's a small fee to become a member but once you join you can send unlimited cards for the length of your membership.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/landing/ecards?page=ecards&source=jl505&002=2136061&004=1082497492&005=13067301&006=51528807202&007=Search&008=&025=c&026=&gclid=CjwKEAiAw56lBRCs29jB9uOvkygSJADnD3-6-qmlokiaaAn6iLsAQ86RnBxOZO4EjhtdAsnRJDuPuRoC9ZDw_wcB

Why do I like this site so much? A significant amount of cards feature dogs and cats.  Also the artwork is beautiful with great music and best of all I can attach pictures of Annie and Orphée along with my written notes.

Here are the two photos with appropriately festive captions I attached to this year's holiday notes.

Annie dreaming of dog bones.

Orphee waiting for Santa.