dogs

By Allie Simone, Acting Director, Worcester Animal Rescue League

The Worcester Animal Rescue League has received considerable feedback from the public in response to Monday’s T&G article regarding the proposed muzzling ordinance. Clients, volunteers, WARL supporters and county residents are deeply concerned about the negative impact such an ordinance will have. Should this ordinance come to pass, we are certain that many dogs will be abandoned and consequently seized in record numbers.

And, where will they go? There is no official, city-financed “dog pound” in Worcester. The only facility in the city capable of accepting lost or abandoned animals is the Worcester Animal Rescue League. The Worcester Animal Rescue League is a private, non-profit, limited intake animal shelter, accepting pets only when space is available; Adoptable pets are not euthanized because of time or space constraints. This is our firm policy, and we have worked hard to make this a positive reality for the homeless animals of Worcester County. The Worcester Animal Rescue League currently has only 96 kennels for dogs and 41 cages for cats, plus a very limited number of foster home caregivers. On average, the WARL receives over 2,600 homeless animals each year. And, in the current economy, adoption rates have dropped while surrender rates have climbed.

We are very concerned that the City Council has not thought through the ramifications of the passing of this ordinance. Animal control officers were not consulted. County shelter administrators were not conferred with. What will happen to the numerous pit bulls, pit bull crosses and others mistakenly identified as pit bulls, all of which the city finds itself newly in possession of?

The Worcester Animal Rescue League values the long standing relationship it has built with the City of Worcester. However, it is not currently held by a contract to accept impounded dogs found in Worcester. If this ordinance passes, the Worcester Animal Rescue League will no longer accept dogs from Worcester. The dedicated staff and supporters have worked too hard and advanced the organization too far in the quality of care given to its animals to suddenly reverse our no-kill, limited intake policies. This ordinance would be asking us to take a giant step backwards, becoming once again a kill shelter. We wish to be very clear: The Worcester Animal Rescue League will have no part in euthanizing dogs or any other animal due to breed discrimination.

We all know that each animal is an individual. The staff and volunteers at the Worcester Animal Rescue League care for thousands of animals each year (including many wonderful pit bulls, which happily find forever homes throughout the county and beyond) and do not believe in discriminating against a specific breed of animal. What’s more, most animal behaviorists agree that humans are the cause of the vast majority of behavior issues.

Alternatively to the City Council’s proposed plan, the Worcester Animal Rescue League believes establishing a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance for pit bulls would be a much more effective program. We are convinced that a muzzling ordinance in Worcester will ultimately fail. Why? Muzzling does not prohibit breeding; what it does do is make a dog look more intimidating, which only satisfies the social/cultural needs of irresponsible owners who use the dogs as a status symbol.

According to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), 75% of dog bites are caused by intact (that is, unneutered) male dogs. It is no wonder than that a proactive bite prevention program begins with a stricter enforcement of spay/neuter practices. This is simply common sense.

The Worcester Animal Rescue League has nearly 100 years of experience in such matters, and it welcomes members of our community and the Worcester City Council to tour the shelter, meet the staff and new director, and visit with all the great pets waiting for a home. Additionally, The Worcester Animal Rescue League hopes to work collaboratively with the City of Worcester in developing practical pet ordinances that serve all residents (both two and four-legged) of our community.

By Lindsay Pollard-Post

The arrival of Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie is just the beginning of what experts have predicted will be one of the most active hurricane seasons on record. Up to 23 named tropical storms and hurricanes are predicted, and emergency planners are concerned that a storm surge could carry oil from the Gulf spill inland. We can’t control the weather, but we can help our loved ones weather this year’s hurricane season safely by making emergency plans now to protect all the members of our families, including our animals.

As the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti and the tragic Gulf oil spill have shown, animals aren’t any better equipped to survive disasters than humans are. Cats and dogs can’t phone for help, row a boat or open a can of food, and emergency shelters for humans often refuse to accept animals. People who leave their animals behind during an evacuation often learn the hard way that even if their homes haven’t been damaged, downed power lines or impassable roads may prevent them from returning home for weeks, leaving their animals stranded without food or water. Click to continue »

editor’s note: Since we’re on a mini-vaca (not publishing InCity Times this week), we’re running the Worcester Animal Rescue League’s Pet Pals - kitties and doggies who need loving FOREVER homes - on our website. Please visit WARL and check out all these lovely animals. Remember: always rescue a homeless pet! You don’t need to buy a dog or cat from a breeder or (heaven help you) a pet store (puppy mill animals). If you can’t adopt, then volunteer to walk WARL’s dogs or help feed their cats.

P.S. WARL always needs: kitty litter, laundry detergent, bleach and any gently used towels or comforters you may not be using.

R. Tirella

Hi, I’m Oreo. I’m a chubby cat, weighing in at 24 pounds. They say I need a little exercise and a strict diet. I just think that I have more for you to love. I might look a little silly right now because they had to shave some matted hair on my back. When it grows back I’ll be super handsome. My front paws are declawed. If you want to adopt me I should let you know that I would prefer an adult home. I am over 9 years old, which qualifies me for WARL’s “Senior for Senior” program, meaning if a senior citizen adopts any pet over 7 years old, the adoption fee is completely waived. Think it over, you know where to find me. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Music. I came to the shelter with my kittens. Someone found us and brought us to the animal shelter. I was happy to be safe with a roof over my head. My kittens have all new homes now. I just need a home to call my own too. Could it be with you. Oh, I will live with kids if they are respectable of me and I’m not that crazy about dogs either. I hope I don’t sound to picky. Come to the shelter and meet me. Click to continue »

By Lindsay Pollard-Post

Dogs are suffering and dying in puppy mills across the country, but the agency in charge of regulating animal breeding facilities is doing next to nothing to help these dogs, according to an eye-opening report just released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general. In one Oklahoma puppy mill, inspectors found five dead dogs lying among other dogs who were so starved that they were cannibalizing their cage mates. The USDA didn’t rescue the survivors, and 22 more dogs perished.

Dogs in other puppy mills were found living on piles of feces. Some dogs were crawling with ticks and suffering from open wounds, but puppy mill operators were rarely penalized for first offenses—even serious ones—and repeat offenders were frequently let off the hook. Click to continue »

By Dan Paden

If you care about animals, you should never buy one from a pet store. That may seem counterintuitive, but PETA’s undercover investigations have demonstrated time and again that pet shops and the companies that supply them treat animals like disposable objects. No thought is given to the fact that they are living beings.

PETA’s latest case proves this point.

Imagine a worker putting hamsters into a plastic bag and bashing them against a table in a crude attempt to kill them. One hamster languishes—panting heavily and suffering—for several minutes.

Unsalable animals are gassed in a filth-encrusted glass tank. Hamsters are killed when careless employees crush their necks between shipping boxes and box lids. Click to continue »

By Rosalie Tirella

So sad. So heartbreaking. My quest for a new best friend (dog) has been a real heartbreaker.

The last few times I adopted a pooch I seemed to find my canine soulmate within a week or two. I adopted both my fabulous dogs from the Worcester Animal Rescue League: “Bailey,” a big-boned Nova Scotia Retriever, 5 years ago, and “Grace,” a Lab/Beagle/Australian Cattle Dog mix (a classic “Heinz 57,” as my vet put it), 15 years ago.

Both were fantastic finds.

Grace was sweet and quiet and loved to ride shot-gun in the jalopy I happened to be driving at the moment. As I’d drive, Grace would have her front paws firmly planted on the two bucket seats in front and her rear legs a hold of the back seat. She could handle anything the road through at us! Curves, pot holes - my quick braking. She once fell head over paws into the front seat as the dope infront of me stopped short and damn near killed me and Gracie. Once, on Route 20, I almost drove headlong into a speeding 18 wheeler (don’t ask). After that two-second brush with death, Grace and I turned and looked at each other - at the same time. Yes, she had been scared shitless, too. Click to continue »

By Jennifer O’Connor

People everywhere watched in awe recently as Olympic athletes skied for miles, skated for hours and performed amazing physical feats. But even gold medal winners wouldn’t be equal to what the dogs in the Iditarod will be forced to do in the next few weeks.

There’s nothing sporting about an event in which animals routinely die, as they do in the Iditarod. One dog has already collapsed and died from gastric ulcers during this year’s “Junior Iditarod,” a test run for young mushers. It’s time for this grueling race to be relegated to Alaska’s history books.

The Iditarod’s 1,150-mile course means that dogs run more than 100 miles a day for almost two weeks straight. They must pull heavy sleds through some of the worst weather conditions on the planet.

The dogs’ feet are torn apart by ice and rocks. Many dogs pull muscles, get stress fractures or suffer from diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses or bleeding stomach ulcers.

Mushers ride, eat and sleep while the dogs pull. One musher admitted to smoking pot. The official Iditarod rules only require that the dogs be provided a total of 40 hours of rest—even though the race can take up to two weeks. Many dogs don’t survive. Rule 42 of the official Iditarod rules says that some deaths may be considered “unpreventable.” Click to continue »

By Paula Moore

Old Man Winter is here—and he’s packing a punch. The wintry weather has snarled traffic, forced airlines to cancel flights, burst water mains and shut down schools and businesses. You’d better bundle up: According to the National Weather Service, 47 states currently have snow on the ground, and meteorologists warn that more arctic air is on the way.

The frightful weather might have you shivering, but unless you want to look as cold as you feel, don’t reach for a fur to keep you warm. As fashion guru Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame puts it, “Wearing fur is like wearing a big sign reading, ‘I’m in favor of inflicting cruelty and pain on animals as a fashion statement.’” Surely the frigid temperatures haven’t left you that frosty. Click to continue »

Every year, PETA receives complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for “backyard” dogs, who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care.

With your area facing snow and extremely low temperatures, will you please consider sharing the following information with your audience in order to help protect animal companions?

· Keep animals inside. This is especially important to remember when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or coat on walks.

· Don’t allow your cat or dog to roam freely outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started. You should increase animals’ food rations during the winter because they are burning more calories to keep warm. Click to continue »

By Lindsay Pollard-Post

Who hasn’t had the experience of receiving a Christmas gift that they didn’t really want? An embarrassing reindeer sweater from Aunt Edna, a useless as-seen-on-TV gadget or a tacky tie are easy enough to return, re-gift or toss in the attic and forget. But when someone makes the mistake of giving a living, breathing, feeling animal as a “gift,” the consequences can be disastrous.

In the days, weeks and months following the holidays, animal shelters across the country are flooded with animals who were given as “gifts,” only to be tossed out like last year’s fruitcake when the novelty wore off or when their guardians discovered that caring for rambunctious puppies and kittens is a full-time job. Click to continue »