Pets

Remember to keep your pets safe as weather warms

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Tuesday, May 7th, 5:07 pm

Spring is finally here and Summer is just around the corner, and with the onset of warm weather across the region Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service reminds us to keep our pets safe in the heat.

"Every summer, we respond to calls of animals being left in cars," says Nancy Hill, Director of SCRAPS. "Inside a car, the temperature will rapidly increase and can overwhelm a pet in a very short time period - sometimes with fatal consequences."

If you typically bring your dog or other pets along for the car ride consider leaving them home when temperatures rise. Dogs aren't able to sweat to cool themselves down so it doesn't take much for them to overheat. Cracking a window while you run into the store isn't enough to keep them healthy.

"The temperature outside doesn't have to be in the 90's or more for a problem to exist," says Hill, "On a 78 degree day, temperatures in a car parked in the shade can exceed 90 degrees, and hit a scorching 160 degree if parked in the sun."

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Spokane Humane Society: Keeping your pets calm when the weather isn't

Submitted by PRESS RELEASE on Thursday, March 7th, 12:50 pm

Seasonal thunderstorms can cause a great deal of stress for all animals; pet owners need to take steps to keep their pets calm and safe.

Tips to keep your pet safe and calm:

· Keep pets indoors, close the curtains. Take them outside to “do their business” prior to the thunderstorms starting. Turn on the radio or television to help mask outdoor noises.

· Keep a well-fitting (not tight) collar and identification/license on your pet. Licensed, micro-chipped and dogs with ID tags have a better chance of being returned to their owners.

· If your pet is crate-trained place it in its crate.

· If you have a new pet and you do not know how it will react to loud noises, stay with your pet.

· If you must be outside, keep your pet on a leash or carrier at all times.

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Puppy Bowl fosters adoptions, copious amounts of cuteness

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Saturday, February 2nd, 12:17 pm

If you think two brothers coaching against each other in Super Bowl XLVII is impressive, then sink your teeth into this: Eight siblings competed against each other in the fourth annual Puppy Bowl hosted by the Spokane Humane Society this afternoon at the Yuppy Puppy in North Spokane.

“That's a whole lot of cute right there,” Dave Richardson, executive director, said about the bunch of puppies.

All eight puppies, fresh from their baths this morning, were adopted – as is the goal of the Puppy Bowl.

The puppies – appropriately named Sideline, Tackle, Fumble, Player, TD, Jacque, Jersey and Punt – came from the same litter, and are about 9 weeks old. They came into the Humane Society's care when their mother was found by SCRAPS emaciated. They have been in the care of Humane Society volunteer foster home for the last six weeks.

The players are all black lab-mixes – or “purebred adorable” – varying in size.

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Dog owner charged with cruelty

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Tuesday, January 29th, 4:35 pm

The owner of a husky-mix found wandering Deer Park with a collar embedded in his neck has been charged with second-degree animal cruelty and confinement in an unsafe manner Tuesday.

The dog, Nanook, was found Friday, Jan. 25 with a wound around its neck “consistent with a collar or cable being embedded over a long period of time,” according to Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service. Nancy Hill, executive director for SCRAPS, believes that Nanook was tied around the neck outside “most of the time,” indicating it was unlikely he was hardly ever let off of the tether.

Nanook's owner, Ray L. Lafountain claimed the dog and released it to SCRAPS. Nanook has been adopted by a Spokane resident who reached out through SCRAPS' volunteer network. Hill said Nanook's new owner “can work with the dog's special medical needs.”

“We encourage everyone to fence their yard rather than tethering a dog so this kind of injury doesn't happen,” Hill said.

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Therapy dog makes pediatric office fun for kids

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Friday, January 25th, 5:06 pm

He looks like a miniature version of Lassie, and in Spokane, he's a star in his own right.

His name is Tanner and he is the therapy dog that has been roaming the halls of Northwest Spokane Pediatrics for all seven years of his life.

“This is all he's ever known,” said Lorraine Hix.

Tanner was adopted by Hix when he was just a few weeks old, and when he was 8-weeks-old he got sick and Hix didn't want to leave him at home, so she brought him with her to work at the doctor's office. But even after Tanner recovered, Dr. Joseph McManus decided that the Shetland Sheepdog should continue coming to work.

“It wasn't intentional, but the kids want him here,” Hix said. “When we leave him at home, kids pitch a fit.”

Tanner weighs 26 pounds and has 15 trading cards for patients to collect.

“People transfer to our office because of Tanner,” Jacki McManus said.

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Washington, Idaho rank in top-10 for pet ownership

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Tuesday, January 15th, 1:47 pm

Turns out the Inland Northwest is a region that is especially welcoming to our furry friends.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recently released its U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, which ranked Washington as the 6th best state for pet ownership and Idaho as the No. 8 state for pet ownership.

The study found that 62.7 percent of Washington and 62 percent of Idaho households owned a pet; the report said that Washingtonians have the fifth most cats at 39 percent of households and Idaho at 34.6 percent – good for 8th highest.

The numbers

Top Pet Owning States:

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PETA offers tips for pet care in heavy snow

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Monday, January 7th, 12:05 pm

There are several things to consider when Mother Nature dumps a half-foot of snow on the area.

PETA sent out several tips Monday for pet owners and animal-conscious citizens, because “dogs and other animals can suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze.”

Here are some of PETA's tips:

Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.

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