Pet Expo

Join us for the Pet Expo on Sunday, June 5, from noon til 4 at Indian Park in Montoursville.  In anticipation of working Sunday, the SPCA will be closed.

There will be lots to do at the Expo:

• Professional pet pictures by Crescent Studios.  All proceeds are donated to the SPCA
• Pet Clue Safari for the kids.  They find the clues to questions and get a prize when they find all of the answers. (Free)
• Many vendors with pet related products.
• A Humane Society Police Officer to answer your questions about cruelty, abuse, and neglect.
• Microchips for your pets, just $20 including registration.
• Yummy food.
• Pets for adoption.
• Gifts of Art tent.  The kids can fold an origami cat or dog, plus face painting.
• Nail clips by Oberjoch kennels.  All proceeds donated to the SPCA.
• Numerous rescue groups with pets for adoption.
• Dog Olympics.
• Pet baskets for raffle.
• and more!

Hope to see you there.

Cannon the Agility Dog

On May 23rd I wrote about show quality dogs.  Here is one of them.  His name is Cannon.  And just to clarify; he was one of the top ten Rottweilers in the USA for agility.  He sure looks like he is having fun!

The Latest on Miracle

Meet Miracle.  She was picked up by the side of the road covered in blood.  The individual who called us thought she had been hit by a car.  Upon closer examination, it was found that she had been shot three times.  Her jaw was fractured and needed surgery.  The first bullet was removed from her jaw because it was causing a lot of swelling and drainage.  Her jaw was so damaged that she needed a plate to fill the gap.  She later had the remaining bullets removed, plus some damaged teeth.  You can barely see the shaved patches below her collar where her wounds were.  She is recovering nicely at the shelter thanks to the wonderful care she received at The Animal Hospital, Northwest Veterinary Referral Hospital and her foster Mom.

She is now available for adoption and is spending her time in my office.  Because of her experiences, she is fearful of men and needs to be introduced slowly.  But once she gets to know you she loves you. Big Slurpee kisses are given generously.

She gets along with some dogs but not others.   She is also very playful.  Her favorite thing is to chew, or maybe to run, or it could be long walks.   I guess she just loves being a dog.

It's Raining..........Cats

On Monday we received 22 stray cats and kittens.  And not all from one place. 

The Lycoming County SPCA has been in existence since 1892.  I don't have statistics since that time, but looking back, we had the same problem with puppies.  Now, we rarely see puppies.  Why the difference?  I believe that effective spaying and neutering of owned dogs, and dog licensing have made a huge impact on dog overpopulation. 

Cats frequently run at large because there are no laws regulating cats.  So they get pregnant, have kittens, and those kittens have kittens, etc, etc.

My dream is that our elected officials will listen to me when I say that there needs to be regulations regarding cats at large.  I know that when irresponsible pet owners are required to care for their pets so that they are spayed and neutered and not running at large (aggravating the neighbors and eating small animals) we will not see 22 cats in one day.

Show Quality Dogs Available

There are three dogs that come to mind that have been adopted from the Lycoming County SPCA and have been awarded ribbons, trophies and other prizes.  I must add that it is not necessarily all the dog's doing.  The adopters get the majority of the credit because they were the ones that consistently worked with their adoptee.

Cannon is a Rotweiler who was removed from a severely neglectful situation.  He was tied out to a fence in the coldest part of the winter without shelter, and did not have the comfort of a warm house or companionship of a loving owner.  And that is not the worst of it!  When the investigator attempted to remove the chain it was found to be imbedded into his neck.  The officer had to cut the tie out in order to remove the dog.  He was filthy, very thin, his coat was dull, and he had a chain imbedded in his neck.  Fast forward to the good part.  He was recently recognized by the AKC as one of the top ten agility dogs in the USA!!!!

Two other labrador retrievers that were adopted from the SPCA as puppies (at differnet times), are accomplished dock divers.  If you don't know waht that is, then I encourage you to attend a competition (or view it at dockdogs.com).  The dogs and owners are enthusiastic competitors, and wheter they win or not, they all have a good time.

And to think that they were once unwanted animals.

Triplets?



Danny



Spunky





Fred

Meet Danny, Fred, and Spunky.  We usually have a lot of black dogs, but I found it interesting to have several that had Rottweiler markings.  Working at the Lycoming County SPCA, I get to know a lot of the animals.  Sometimes I see a dog come out of the kennel and I swear I've not seen it before.  I can just imagine how hard it is for people to visit the shelter and see so many animals and try to make a decision on which animal they would like to visit with.  I was having a hard time keeping these three straight so that I could add their pictures and put the correct name with the correct picture.  Never the less, we attempt to learn the animal's personality through staff interaction and temperament tests.  That way when visitors ask, we can provide some information about them.   Our goal is to find our animals forever homes.  If you, or someone you know is ready to open your heart and home to a Danny, Fred, or Spunky, please visit.  We love to see our animals leave us!

Summer Strays

This is the time of year when people and animals enjoy the great outdoors.  Maybe I should say normally because of all the rain.  Anyway, we receive the majority of animals in the warmer months.  My biggest worry is that an owner will not think to look for their pet at the shelter.  I am continually surprised by the number of people who do not know that we exist.  I have an even greater worry now that the Tioga County SPCA is closed.  By Pennsylvania State Law, dogs must be under their owner's control at all times.  When stray, a Pennsylvania dog warden may pick a dog up and take it to the nearest shelter.  Would you believe that we are surrounded by counties that do not have shelters?  Northumberland, Sullivan, Union, and Tioga counties do not have animal shelters. Clinton County and Columbia County do not accept animals when they are full.  As I mentioned before, I worry.........

It brought a smile to my face

I know this isn't the best view of these cute little guinea pigs, but it made me smile. We currently have two guinea pigs and thirteen rats for adoption.  And lets not forget the 47 cats and 69 dogs that are in the shelter.  Remind all of you friends and family that there are many animals needing homes in our shelter as well as in other shelters and rescue groups.  We need to find homes and you have the power to help us spread the word.  And smile the next time you see guinea pigs, even if it is from the rear. 

Pet I.D.

So far this year 55% of the stray dogs and less than 1% of stray cats have been returned to their owner.  You can help increase those odds by a few simple steps.

1. Put a collar on your pet.  Use a breakaway for your cat.  Write your phone number on the collar.
2. Put an identification tag on your pet's collar.  Your phone number and/or address can mean the difference between never seeing your pet again, or having it returned to you. 
3. Microchip your pet.  It is a lifetime identification and can be scanned at the shelter or a veterinarian's office.
4. License your dog, it is required by Pennsylvania State Law.
5. Call your local shelter if you do lose your pet.
6. Put up flyers in your neighborhood about your lost pet.  Alert area veterinarians in case they are brought in by a finder.
7. Don't assume that you will never lose your pet.  You never know when the plumber might prop the door open, the kids friends forget to close the gate, or (Yes this has happened) your pet jumps out of a window, etc, etc.

Facebook and such

You must by now understand what a nerd I am.  Not!  But you might want to check out the link below, and pass it on to all of your friends.  Help the Lycoming County SPCA win by adding us to Dr. Becker's facebook page.  Then after you do that you will have to start a page for your very own pet on dogbook.  (I kid you not).  Happy surfing this weekend. 

http://www.drmartybecker.com/contest/

Hard at Work

Officers Woltz, Lecheler and Fidler procured and served a search warrant Monday.  Twenty one beagles were removed from filthy conditions.  What was obvious from the initial investigation, was that the animals were not being cared for properly.  Upon closer inspection, many of the dogs were found to have mild to severe health problems.  I can't divulge details because we have an ongoing case, but we are treating every single dog for one thing or another.  How can one person possibly care for that many dogs?  Many dog owners are divided on how much care to give.  Some feel that the rabies shot required by Pennsylvania State Law, food, and water, are enough.  Then there are those who will go to any length to care for their pet including major surgery or chemotherapy at a veterinary hospital.

Our job is to alleviate suffering regardless of the philosophy of the pet owner.  These dogs are being provided veterinary care, medication, clean and sanitary conditions, and socialization.  After living in wire bottom cages it is very satisfying to see them curled up on a comfy bed.  That alone makes our job worth it.

Kitten Season

Here is a picture of a day old kitten that was born at a foster home. The mother cat came to us looking pregnant so we placed her in a foster home to have her litter.  We are so grateful to our foster volunteers who will keep an animal during pregnancy, lactation, and weaning or in cases of medical care.  Surprisingly, this wast the only kitten born.  The foster mom was concerned that there was only one kitten born so she took the mother cat to her vet for an x-ray.  This little kitten is destined to be an only.  Hope it becomes extremely spoiled!

Interesting E-mail

I received a lengthy e-mail today.  The second from this particular person.  One of the complaints was that our SPCA does not connect with the public.  I wonder how much of donors money I should spend on advertising.  The ASPCA spends something like 18% of their budget on advertising.  But when I see an animal that needs veterinary care I feel that I should spend the money there.  Yes advertising has its place.  The media is wonderful to us.  We are able to publish press releases, we have a web-site, a blog, a soon to be sent e-newsletter.  What I really need is a dedicated marketing person.  Know anyone who would volunteer to fill that role?

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

This is a picture of our cemetery.  Not everyone can see beauty in it but I do.  In many ways.  Spring is my favorite time to view the cemetery.  The trees are beautiful when they bloom, the grass is so green, and everything smells nice.  As I walk through the cemetery I find great comfort in reading the memorial plaques.  There is so much love there.  One of my rats died Saturday and I buried it in my back yard.  When I go past that spot I think of his cute little nose, and tiny paws that took food from my fingers.  But I have good thoughts, and I know that pet owners who bury their pets in our cemetery remember the unconditional love they shared with their special pet.

I do have one sad comment.  If you look closely you will see that the pink blossomed tree (Tree ID is not my forte) you will see that a large branch is lying on the ground.  The truth is that the tree is so old that it is just falling apart and needs to come down.  I have no idea how old it is but it is obvious that it has been here for many, many years.  If the tree could talk I hope it could bear witness to the fact that the grounds have been a peaceful place.  Full of barking dogs, hopeful adopters, tons of volunteers, laughter and tears.  I sure will miss that tree.