Dogged Blog

Liveblogging No More Homeless Pets Conference: Opening

Best Friends Animal Society co-founder Gregory Castle opened the No More Homeless Pets Conference in Las Vegas this morning by mentioning that this year is the 25th anniversary of the organization's founding. I'm liveblogging the conference, which runs through Sunday. The body of the liveblog will be behind a jump.



Note about my liveblogging: Anything in quotation marks is a direct quote. Otherwise, it's a paraphrase. This is live; there will be typos.



Gregory Castle gave an overview of the history of the no-kill movement, calling the 20 million pets who used to die in America's shelters the shelter world's "dirty secret."



Today, he said, the no-kill movement ha a willingness to try new things and do things in a new way. The movement has always been about that, and it still is.



He told people to listen carefully to their neighbors, and says not all the good ideas this conference are on the podium. Take new ideas home, put them into practice, be brave, be bold, step into unknown territory. "It's all for the animals."



As we do this work, we can be proud that are movement is moving towards the moment when there will be no more homeless pets.



Panel discussion



Moderators are Julie Castle and co-founder Francis Battista.



Joked about how far the convention center is from the entrance to the Rio Hotel, where conference is being held. No kidding. Also, apparently the scheduled breakfast didn't happen -- I ate and, most importantly, consumed large amounts of caffeine before I came.



Slideshow of adorable rescue and foster animals.



Tag lkne: "So, what do you think? Can we change the world? Just try and stop us."



Shout-out for everyone in the audience who volunteered during Hurricane Katrina, as well as no-kill "oldtimers."



Julie: Record attendance, over 650 people. "Truly a grass-roots movement."



Fran cis: First panel is "Game changers." Thinking WITHOUT a box.



Bill Bruce, City of Calgary Animal and Bylaw Services



Rick DuCharme, Founder, First Coasty No More Homeless Pets



Elizabeth Oreck, Beast Friends Los Angeles Programs Manager



Becky Robinson of Alley Cat Allies



Holly Sizemore, No More Homeless Pets Utah



Becky Robinson, Alley Cat Allies, begins. Francis asked how she got started.



Becky: A lot of us grow up with families who have some kind of experience -- how many of us here grew up with a family that rescued animals? I'd go down alleyways to go to parties (grew up in Kansas). I moved to Washington DC to work on animal issues, planning on working on big issues. I was on my way to a party to network, and "tripped over a bunch of cats."



They made every mistake in the book, but she and friends began to try to help these cats and others. Trial and error, very expensive -- 250-500 dollars per spay. She was a waitress, and could afford only a cat per month.



Then people began calling the group even though they had no fliers or any official group. One night, she came home and had 60 calls. Found out what was happening in th ealleyways of Washington DC was happening in alleys all over the country. We knew we had to help, write fact sheets, do workshops.



Julie: This is one of the pionreers of Trap-Neuter-Return. If you have the opportunity to drive in a cr with Becky, she will point out every cat that you do not see... but she does.



Rick DuCharme is next. Has come up wtih "cool stuff to 'bypass the shelter entirely in your community."



Said that feral cats are the last animals left dying in many shelters. They started asking the city to give them all the ear-tipped ferals. So the city decided they could have ALL the ferals coming into the city (Jacksonville).



Solutions tried in past like catch and kill don't work, don't solve the problem. So Jacksonville let them take all the ferals. They have saved around 6000 cats since it began. And those were cats facing certain death in the shelter.



Less pressure on shelters so they can focus on the adoptable pets, and cats can be returned to areas where they were doing well, living outside, and can't have kittens. (Note: This is a Maddie's Fund project.)



Next, Elizabeth Oreck:



Amazing room is packed "at this hideous hour of the morning." "You may not be fed, but at least you're caffeinated." Laughter, applause.



Speaks about puppy mill crisis. Multi-pronged approach to shut down puppy mills and to encourage people to consider adoption as the primary method of obtaining a pet.



Created "puppies aren't products" campaign. Working with local governments to introduce new legislation, and tighten existing, to eliminate commercial breeding.



Support investigation of mills and animal cruetly.



Peaceful pet store demonstrations to bridge disconnect so many people have between expensive puppies in pet stores and the mills. Trying to deflect pet store sales and encourage pet stores to "go humane" by offering only rescues from shelters and 501C3 groups for adoption instead of puppy mill dgos for sale.



Fourth component, which she says is innovative: "Pup My Ride." Small dog trasnport program. There are parts of the country where there are shortages of small dogs for adoption, but the LA area shelters are overflowing with them. So they transport from areas where demand is high, but supply is low.



As a result of that program, over 1700 animals slated to be killed in shelters have found forever homes. That program has since gone national "with a twist" and has helped to rescue and transport unwanted pets from puppy mills to groups that have experience placing large groups of dogs at one time.



They go through mills in the midwest, take unwanted animals, and find them forever home.



Keeps referring to "pet overpopulation crisis" at the same time of mentioning there are shortages of dogs in many areas. ;/



Next, Holly Sizemore, No More Homeless Pets, Utah:



Organization in Utah was started by the Castles. Holly was at the launch, and remembers thinking, "This is never going to work."



We were euthanizting 21.7 animals for every resident in Utah. Today that number is 12.5. With dogs, we are one of the cities where there's no reason a small dog has to die today. We're only euthanizing 3.7 dogs per person. Cats are the real problem.



Super Adoption events. "We're going to do things big. we have a big problem in Utah; let's come up with big solutions."



Have done 18 of these three day events. Shoot to adopt out 400 animals at each events. They bring together shelters and rescue groups, bringing around a thousand animals.



Said that animals adopted at events might face going back to kill shelters after, and could die, but in recent years, the no-kill groups have rallied and NO animals at the the Super Adoption events goes back now.



Bill Bruce from Calgary:



Realized that this isn't animal control, it's about people. Says they are so close to no kill..., kill rate for dogs is .25  dogs per thousand people. 85 percent of dogs make it out of the shelter. Return to owner rate for cats is 56 percent. 30 percent of animals necer come into the shelter at all -- they drive them straight home.



Calgary, if US city, would be 11th largest city in US.



Built "state of the art" vet clinic to provide care, including dental. Saves huge money and can move treatable animals into adoption. Points out animals not in pain any more are more adoptable.



Do not use behavior tests as indicator of adoptability, but just to help them work on issues. Adopt out animals with known issues to approprioaate homes and subsidize training through the Humane Society!



Will soon be opening their clinic to the public, and are usinjg proceds from clinic to fund free spay-neuter.



Julie asked Rick DuCharme: Where do you place the ferals you get from AC?



Rick: We put them back where we found them. We renamed AC "Animal Control and Protection." We keep in kennels alone with isolated air conditioning so disease doesn't spread. Return where they came from. Have had only 24 complaints from citizens and less than 1 percent of cats who were returned to an area come back.



Francis: You're describing a collaboration between AC and the Humane Society.



Rick: Yes, but we don't always work TOGETHER, per se. Laughter. but then he said, "It's everybody working together that's gonna solve the problem."



Julie read a couple of audience questions, one about puppy mills "masquerading as low cost professional breeders," and another about how to encourage people not to go to breeders. (Note from Christie: I continue to be annoyed at the confounding of "breeders" and "millers" by Best Friends.)



Elizabeth says that ALL puppy mills cut corners and are "low cost." Don't get medical care for the dogs etc. The cheaper it is to manufacture these products, the greater the profit.



Biggest thing we can do is educate the public. Pet stores won't tell people there are great pets in shelters. Said that "any shelter" is full of dogs like chihuahuas for $70, not have to pay $3000 at pet store.



(From Christie: Which seems at odds with the whole program she has to drive those dogs to shelters that apparently do NOT have them. So maybe she meant LA shelters only. Not sure.)



Becky asked about effect of ferals on wildlife. Acknowledged the presence of "moles" in the audience.



Said that trap and kill has been tried and failed. Cats have been in the US since days of the Mayflower. It's not cats killing birds, it's us. Destroying habitat etc.



Holly points out TNR is the most effective method to REDUCE cat numbers.



Becky: But we are GOING to have cats. "They're gonna be out there. Get used to it."



Question: How to know how many cats are in community?



Holly: My mission is to end the euthanization of cats and dogs in Utah's shelters. TNR was practically illegal in every community in Utah, now they're common...



Francis cuts her off and says there's a question coming that will go back to that.



Holly: Want to do what Rick is doing in Jacksonville, but needs some reform of Utah laws. Getting TNR legalized in each municipality, "city council by city council."



Are also working to help people who complain about cats. "Whether you love cats or loathe them, we have something for you." Not just "crazy cat ladies."



Are now saving over half feral cats coming into Salt Lake City shelter.



Becky Robinson said she doesn't use the world "euthanasia" for killing healthy animals! Also doesn't call them complaints, but concerns.



People everywhere wants to co-exist with animals, city or rural. Can't have only one solution.



Rick: Don't give them a chance to argue with you. There's only one solution, and that's to let the cats live; proceed from there.



Julie: Audience questions about mandatory spay/neuter. Does it maybe make things worse?



Elizabeth: I'm going to make enemies in this room. I am a proponent of mandatory s/n. Over the years, I have come to believe we cannot adopt our way out of this situation or throw money at it. Compares it to seat belt laws. I don't like to call it MSN because there are always so many exemptions and loopholes, always to avoid. Areas where they have implemented these laws, like Los Angeles, we have seen success, the numbers drop. (Christie: Huh?) Would rather see money spent fixing highways than killing animals.



Bill Bruce: I don't support mandatory. In Canada, lots of great pet owners don't have the money to get s/n -- more expensive in Canada. We remocve barriers by providing free s/n. I'm very evidence based in decision making. I looked at cat info in Calgary. If I overlay map of where cats and kittens are coming from, it's my poor neighborhoods. They're great people doing good jobs with their animals, but don't have cars and can't afford it. So we go pick the animal up, havie it down, bring them home. If you go with mandatory, and they don't have the money, you either have to abandon the animal or get prosecuted. I like to give them a thrid option.



Rick: MSN is njot being effective in Los Angeles. They're shipping puppies all over the country. I'll change my mind when you show me it works. You're making it illegal for poor people to have pets. I think everyone deserves to have pets.



Holly: Only support if s/n freely available and accessible.



Becky: I'm against mandatory spay/neuter. what will stop the killing is when we turn this whole conversation around not just about what we in non profits and the grassroots do, and turn it to the very system that is in place, the pound and shelter system in this country, turn the spotlight on them and force them to have transparent policies. Most states don't even have mandatory shelter reporting qand record-keeping. It's not about the pet owners -- most are really good people. When asked why they haven't altered pets, can't get there, can't afford it. We ask, would youif a van pulled up and we'd do it free? You bet we would, they say. We bring the vans, and people line up at 5 am with their animals, knowing they may not get a spot. "Is that irresponsible pet ownership? I don't think so."



Francis jokes about throwing Elizabeth off the island, and points out she does support free low cost s/n.



Bill Bruce: We don't spend tax dolalrs. It's all from animal licesning. I don't have to compete against fire and schools and parks. I have my own stream of revene.



Francis: Proactive licensing.



Bill: We don't think outside the box. We threw out the box a long time ago. I think they're using it in a shelter somewhere. (From Christie: another reason to oppose MSN, as it reduces licensing compliance.)



Audience asks Bill and Holly about pit bulls. Mention of Denver mess. BSL.



Bill Bruce: What we do for pit bulls is we treat them like any other dog. We don't have a pit bull problem, but we have lot sof pit bulls. Ontario bqanned them, so people are moving to Calgary with their pits. If your pet is not a nuisance to the community you'll never hear from me. We run pits through same assessment, and they do really well. Calgary council member lost last election for advocating BSL.  Told story about how a cop in his area, will try to recap it later.



Holly: In Utah we do have a pit bull problem. Ten years ago it was Labs. We see BSL a lot in our communities, but with the help of Best Friends we fight it. Our people are coming out in droves on this issue.



Francis said BF is now calling it breed discriminatory legislation.



Bill said in Calgary have bite rates a franction of what they are in the US. Has nothing to do with breed of the dog. Very exciting paper is going to come out.



BF says they are developing financial analysis that shows BSL costs MORE.



Audience question: How do we let the public know the difference between puppy mill breeders and reputable breeders?



Elizabeth: We'll discuss this at my workshop tomorrow.



Francis: The horns and the tail give it away.



Elizabeth: Irresponsible breeders know how to disguise themselves. Maybe some of you are here right now... moles. Youcan't rely on sales pitch you hear in pet stores, on Internet, in classifieds. When you go to a shelter, youk now you're geting a rescue. Same with 501C3.  (Christie: I know of a glaring exception to that.)



Francis: BF says there is no reason to breed or buy while dogs die. But people want the breeds they want, and reputable breeders would NEVER sell through a pet store. They're as fanatical as rescxuers. They are very conscientious and are not in it to make money. It's not hard to figvure out the difference, because they're as fanatical about the well being of the dogs they breed as you are of the dogs you rescue.



Elizabeth: We do try to steer people to breeders such as Francis describes.



Audience question: Bad situation in Philadelphia. No room to be innovative. What an we do?



Bill Bruce: Get your animal services taken over by an animal lover. It all comes from leadership. Get the right people. Look at successful situations.



Holly: The buck stops with the shelter personnel. Keep statistics. Seeing the bigger picture helps combat burnout.



Rick: Low cost spay neuter lowers intake and makes more resources available to animals in shelter.



Becky: The way that you don't kill feral cats is you don't bring them into the shelter in the first place. Feral cats are not homeless.



Elizabeth: A lot of people blame the shelters for the animals in them, and I think the shelters can do things to change that perception.  Suggested experience in LA may have lessons that will help Philadelphia. (Christie: My head is exploding, and yes, I'll have more to say about this later.)



Audience asked about problems with rescue group adoption policies and processes?



Becky: This whole screening thing.... a woman said she had less problems adopting a child from China than adopting a kitten. We gotta get past this folks.



End of panel, which is good, my battery is dying. More later1

Wysong pet food recall: Way to miss the point

In an epic example of missing the point, Wysong pet food company has updated its recall information to include the following Q&A (h/t to reader Sandi Shaw):

I am seeing many bad and scary comments on the Internet. Who am I to believe?



The Internet provides a means for anyone to say anything without regard to merit. We have provided the facts with regard to this incident. We are the only ones who know them.

Is that not totally awesome? I mean, how many companies really are willing to come right out and say something like that?



It seems Wysong took exception to some earlier internet reporting (including, apparently, ours) about its handling of the recall and what some saw as inadequate efforts to notify those who might have purchased the affected foods. And just who was the authority the company invoked to demonstrate it had handled the matter with the highest standard of responsiveness?



The FDA.



No, really:

We did all we could think of to do as fast as we could. This includes contacting the FDA. After days of review by them at our corporate and manufacturing sites, they advised that we could not have reasonably done more than we did. The matter was of small enough consequence that we have even been told by the FDA that a news release is not necessary.

Yes, the villains of the pet food recall themselves, whose efforts to track sick and dead pets were called out in Congress as a national disgrace, who completely failed to keep melamine and related compounds out of the human food chain, who still don't inspect imported foods even after the seemingly unending series of contamination incidents involving human foods and drugs as well as pet food.



Let me be blunt here. The fact that processed foods can become contaminated is not exactly breaking news. And even companies with good practices and strong quality assurance systems can have problems. In fact, sometimes food we make ourselves at home spoils or becomes contaminated. That's not the issue here.



The issue is transparency. The issue is rapid and effective corporate communication and good citizenship. The issue is protecting your customers. It's an issue that's bigger than the pet food industry -- in fact, it's bigger than industry itself, as it applies to corporations, government, and all kinds of communities.



Do you have a problem? Did something, big or small, go wrong? Be honest. Be fast. Be open. When things go wrong, stand up and make them right. That's what sets the great institutions apart from the rest.



Whining that bloggers are mean? We call that FAIL.

No more homeless pets and other exercises in messaging

I'm off to Best Friends' "No More Homeless Pets" conference this weekend -- tragically being held in Las Vegas. Why are so many animal welfare organizations holding their events in Las Vegas these days? (I actually know the answer -- it's cheap. I was just whining.)



Best Friends is the no-kill group that virtually never utters that phrase. Don't get me wrong, though, I love "no more homeless pets." It's great messaging, and if you're now thinking I'm a little on the word-obsessed side, well, yes. I am.



That's why I'm also head over heels in love with the Oregon Humane Society's campaign to "end petlessness." (Click to view image in full size.)



I commented on their Facebook page how much I admired them for coming up with that one, and they said it had been developed for them by ad agency Leopold Ketel & Partners. Talk about turning the usual messaging upside down!



I'll definitely check in from the conference this weekend. I might try liveblogging, if I can hook up to the Interwebz... it's always iffy. And if you'll be there, shout out in the comments!

Halloween pet threats: Urban legends vs. reality -- are your pets safe?

From my column this week on the San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate.com:

Which is a greater threat to your pets at Halloween: ritual satanic sacrifice, or your kids' trick or treat bag?



Yes, it's that time of year when the flood of cult cat sacrifice stories start piling up in the inbox, with that breathless "forward this to everyone you know!" tag line. (Note to my readers: Pet related or not, there has never been a message that should be forwarded to everyone you know. Trust me on this.)



Which means it's also that time of year when I wish that the people who worry about cat sacrifices would instead worry about far more common and preventable holiday threats to our pets. Like the fact that chocolate, while a wonderful and healthful food for humans, is toxic to dogs and cats. Or that the sweetener xylitol, while beneficial to human blood sugar levels and dental health, can be fatal to dogs and cats even in very small quantities.

Or the biggest threat of all, the way that superstition and prejudice about black cats stops a lot of people from adopting them, any time of year:

While tales of cult sacrifice are the stuff of urban legend, and there is no evidence at all to support them -- check out the myth-busters at Snopes.com if you don't believe me -- cats, especially black ones, might be "borrowed" to provide atmosphere at someone's haunted house or holiday party, or become the victims of Halloween pranks.



Concern over this issue is why it was once fairly common for shelters to ban black cat adoptions around Halloween. Today, shelter directors realize that homelessness is a far greater threat to black cats than Halloween is, and the practice is on the decline. I called several Bay Area shelters, and none restricted black cat adoptions in October.



"We have no special policy or restrictions on Halloween black cat adoptions," said Bobbe Bartlett, development director for Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek. "Our regular screening procedures are enough to provide safeguards for the cats we adopt."



"So many cats need homes, particularly the black ones who are often stuck in shelters the longest, that the whole idea of banning their adoption strikes me as ridiculous," said Scott Delucchi, senior vice-president of communications for the Peninsula Humane Society. "Our mission is to get cats into homes, so we'd be more likely to do a Halloween promotion than a ban."

Here's the rest.



And why yes, this was pretty much just an excuse to use those two fantabulous Halloween photos. Diesel the devilishly handsome Pharaoh Hound is owned and photographed by the amazingly talented Renee Needham, who posts her work on DogHobbyist.com. Timmy the Halloween kitty is owned by photographer Julie Olsen, who I discovered on Flickr.

Is a calorie really always a calorie? Apparently not in cats

It's become a tiresome message being used to debunk any weight loss program that suggests that carbohydrates aren't the greatest things since, well, sliced bread for helping humans lose weight: "A calorie is a calorie," the pundits smugly insist.



Not in cats, however. Via the Winn Feline Health Foundation, a report  on a recent study examining the effect of various macronutrient levels on feline weight loss. Researchers concluded:

During the weight loss phase, the control group experienced a reduction in lean body mass, whereas the high-protein group did not. Overall, the high-protein diet allowed a higher energy intake to achieve weight loss than the control diet, thus reducing the severity of energy restriction required.

Which translated into plain English means: Cats can eat more calories and lose the same amount of weight if you restrict their carbohydrate and feed them more protein -- and they'll be losing fat, not muscle.



There are other feline studies, and quite a few human ones, that demonstrate the same thing. And I'm a living breathing walking-around example of the same principle, too. But it's nice to have one more piece of evidence in the growing pile I drag out whenever the "calorie is a calorie" folks start in on controlled-carbohydrate diets.

Great animal reads for 2009?

Last year, I put together a list of classic and wonderful new books about animals -- fiction as well as non-fiction -- and this year, I'd like to know what Pet Connection readers think should be added to the list for 2009.



What great books about animals have you read this year? It doesn't matter if they're nature books or novels, children's books or adults, about companions animals, farm animals, or wildlife.



I get deluged every year with pet books, and thre are few I read beyond the first few sentences. Only a couple this year have really jumped out at me. Have you had better luck? What treasures am I missing?



And one more question, since I'm sure none of you has anything better to do than answer me... what animal book would you like to read, but it seems no one has written yet?

Yet more tales of an urban dog mom: Did I really just do that?

I should have known this would happen. That having only one dog, a dog with an aversion to rain and a long, gorgeous coat, would re-awaken the darkness within me. The shallow, image-obsessed, fashion magazine-reading, former hairdresser.



The one who came thisclose to wrapping a poncho around her Borzoi before taking her out in the first storm of the year yesterday.



It's true. Not only did I almost do it, I actually timed both of Kyrie's walks with brief breaks in the deluge -- not easy given we had about a year's worth of rain in six hours yesterday. My reason was not just that I didn't want to get wet, nor that she hates the rain. It was because she was recently groomed and she looks so damn gorgeous I didn't want to mess up her coat.



I recognized the problem immediately, because this isn't the first time it's struck me. Oh, 16 years of living in the country with as many as 11 dogs, most of them decidedly non-glamorous Scottish Deerhounds, put the condition into remission for a long time.



But I once had a dog with a coat so beautiful total strangers would stop me on the street to marvel at it. My clients begged me to color their hair just like hers. It was red, tipped with black, and I kept my chow mix, Colleen, washed and brushed to a high gloss every single day.



Oh, my readers, I confess: I used my own blow dryer on that dog.



Further confession: I just ordered a raincoat for Kyrie. My only regret is that it doesn't cover her long, white plumed tail.



I'm pretty sure Gina will be knocking down my door with a gang of my friends, ready to stage an intervention. She'll make me clipper off Kyrie's feathering, the way I used to do when we lived in the country. She'll drag us out and make us march through the mud. She'll toss buckets of water on us both.



Until then, I'm going to be over here on the sofa, combing Kyrie's tail.

Recall: Wysong dog food

A week after notifying retailers, Wysong Pet Foods just put a notice on their website about a recall. Via Therese at PetSitUSA.com, from Wysong:

The following batches of Wysong Canine Diets Maintenance™ and Senior™ have shown above acceptable moisture levels and may contain mold.



Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090617

Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090624

Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090706

Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090720

Wysong Senior™: lot #: 090623



We ask that if you have received any of these Wysong products to please not feed them, and contact Wysong for product replacement.



Email: [email protected]

Subject: Product Replacement



Alternatively, please return or exchange at the store from which you purchased the product. Credit will be issued via our Distributors to the Retailer.



We apologize for the inconvenience.

How about apologizing for taking a week to tell pet owners about this risk to their dogs? When are pet food companies going to understand that every single day they delay has the potential to harm or even kill pets, and is destroying, buried press release by buried press release, consumer confidence in the pet food industry?

National Institutes of Health studying health benefits of dogs

No one who has shared a life with pets, or had one love, nuzzle and prod us back from sorrow, grief or depression, is in any doubt that animals have huge health benefits for both children and adults. But knowing and proving something scientifically are two different things.



The National Institutes of Health and researchers at the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition are looking to change that. From the New York Times:

Anecdotes abound on the benefits of companion animals — whether service and therapy animals or family pets — on human health. But in-depth studies have been rare. Now the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health, is embarking on an effort to study whether these animals can have a tangible effect on children’s well-being.



In partnership with the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition in England (part of the Mars candy and pet food company), the child health institute is seeking proposals that “focus on the interaction between humans and animals.” In particular, it is looking for studies on how these interactions affect typical development and health, and whether they have therapeutic and public-health benefits. It also invites applications for studies that “address why relationships with pets are more important to some children than to others” and that “explore the quality of child-pet relationships, noting variability of human-animal relationships within a family.”

Read more -- including a great story about the effect of a dog on a boy with autism -- here.

No one to tell

Something really exciting happened to me today, and I wanted to tell my mom. I started dialing her number before I remembered.